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I'm both sad and angry at listening at this interview.
Angry because Pop is basically saying that Spurs lost only because Spurs losing their rhythm with Tim and Manu's injury. Their are tons of other problems and Pop has made tons of mistakes. But no, it's just bad luck with some injuries...
Sad because because it is sad to see Pop being so stunned and powerless. He looks like someone who has tried everything without success and is ready to giving up.
Pop addressed the size issue. If he would have answered No to the "Did the Grizzlies exploit any one area in this series" question then I would have been worried but he clearly knows and addressed that size & strength was a huge problem this series.
That's when the journalist ask him a specific question about the Memphis match-up.
When Pop talks about the season, he called it wonderful and talks a lot about Spurs losing their rhythm because of injuries.
i expected the spurs to beat memphis even if manu missed the whole series.
that said, if manu's healthy and tim's 100%, we don't a home game in this series* and likely get to the WCF. LA's still a matchup nightmare for us, but OKC would not have been (no interior scoring).
so, while that may be sugarcoating the bigger picture, pop's not necessarily wrong on that point either.
* and, if we get out 2-0, i think we get a game in memphis. this is a stout young team that will give us fits for years to come...but they did get some early confidence and played above themselves a bit for the remainder of the series. i don't expect conley, young, and allen to be knocking down jumpers against the thunders like they have the past 2 weeks.
He also mentioned how good the Memphis defense was, hopefully something they'll address moving into next season.
Pop needs to go. He is delusional about the state of this team.
I am a Pop fan, through and through. I think he's the best coach in the NBA. That said, I'm a bit surprised to hear him reference injuries
Using the injuries card is kind of a cop out imo. Yes it didn't help but Spurs did not get beat becuase of those injuries.
Last edited by Chomag; 04-30-2011 at 03:13 PM.
He's just saying that the injuries at the end of the year hurt the teams rhythm going into the playoffs, something that was addressed on this board 1000 times. He isn't blaming the series on manus elbow or on duncans ankle and he gave more then enough credit to Memphis calling them the better team numerous times.
I understand what he's saying completely. I'm still surprised. I do appreciate honest answers, though. Athletes and coaches give too much fluff on the mic.
Four years in a row of blaming it on dumb luck, injuries, etc. What a clown
Pop has lost touch with reality--and that is saying a LOT- because Pop was one of the most no-nonsense, no b.s. type of people at one time.
Pop was once a great, great coach...changed the entire Spurs culture by not allowing anyone to be mentally soft and use injuries or refs as an excuse...
and to see him as lost and confused and out of touch as he is now...is pretty pathetic and sad.
This is a young man's game and you probably have a window of time to do your best work and to carry that FIRE inside...it usually happens when you still have youth on your side...but as you age and mellow...you don't burn as hot and you lose desire. You also begin to mature and realize that there are more important things in life than basketball....in some ways this is good..but to win les...you kind of have to be a single-minded asshole with no other life except the game.
The only exception is Phil Jackson...but that is unfair to say because Phil has been gifted the most talent and money and unfair advantages than any other coach in history.
Remember how Jimmy Johnson was when the cowboys were at their peak? What a in' bas and ball-breaker J.Johnson was...but he was so intense that he in' would not lose.
What happened to J.Johnson once he won les and matured a little...he went to Miami and he just did not have the fire anymore....age was his only enemy.
Pop needs to go. The spurs need a YOUNG coach full of fire who is dying to achieve something, dying to prove something, dying to burn the candle at both ends and live,breathe & eat basketball.
Pop just told everyone here that next year will be more of the same.
Sorry, had to add a couple of other reasons why Pop needs to go...
#1) There are things that Pop did that made the spurs 4-time champs and those things are really important....things such as only drafting players with good moral character..and ONLY guys that FIT into the system,etc...in other words---NICE GUYS!
This is, in theory, a really nice thing about the spurs...because the players are good citizens, likeable , solid people....true spurs as we like to say.
The downside to this is that these nice guys (RJ,Hill, Bonner, etc...) are not going to win you les....
Tony Allen was dumped by Boston and was available...but I am pretty sure that Pop would not have Allen due to character issues...but look at Allen's defense and tell me if G.Hill is as tough? Honestly? And how many other free agents have the spurs passed on because they did not fit?
This is what being someplace for too long will do...Pop's original idea of only acquiring character guys was solid...but after a while time goes by...culture changes...young players change....THUGS are now the order of the day...young players with at ude seem to have most of the talent--the so-called ballers are now in vogue.
#2) In this series and in other years...Pop's philosophy when asked what he would tell his players before the game or before a series....
Pop would say, "nothing--they are professionals."
Very sound philosophy---and very commendable.
In contrast...Lionel Hollins was asked the same question and his response was that he tore into players and drilled it into them that the spurs would come out desperate and that they needed to play with more desperation,etc...
Well they did...and maybe those players NEEDED someone to push them, to motivate them,to make them believe they could do it.
I don't think Hollins will do the same thing 15 years from now when he matures.
But for now...it worked....young players respond to a young unproven coach who still has FIRE. A coach who relates to their youth and can spot a young lefty point guard with potential the same way that Hollins was an underrated lefty guard in the NBA at one time.
Pop, for all his class and greatness...has just run his course and the game has, sadly, passed him by.
As much as i want Pop gone, he isnt gonna come out and pinpoint all his mistakes or call out all the players that no-showed.
My question is: and then what? Popovich is the model for the successful coaches who've created teams that play as a team across the NBA Lionel Hollins, Scotty Brooks, Tom Thibodeau come to mind. Anyone like that out there? Why not stay with the guy who is the model?
And if by "delusional" you mean "we need to blow up the team and start over", well, Popovich isn't your guy, I guess. But I disagree with that idea. Seriously, who would you get? That plan would require, I think, tanking the next few seasons and building through the draft, mainly, and selected free agents. Are you really going to get players of the quality of Manu and Tony? (I leave Duncan out of this discussion because he's getting towards the tail end of his career anyway.)
I think clearly they need help at the Center position, especially with McDyess' pending retirement. I think they know that and I'm sure something will be done.
Popovich has shown that he can adapt and change styles to fit his personnel. What more can you ask?
The other point is when you look at this series objectively it was not a disastrous meltdown. Arguably, absent Manu's absence from Game 1, and 3-point shots from Z-Bo and Battier, the Spurs could easily have been playing to close out the Grizz in Game 5 at home, rather than fighting for their life.
As Popovich said, "I can't think of a single Memphis player who didn't play well.". They all came together and peaked for the playoffs.
If anything, I think the biggest lesson is that they need to not focus as much on getting a good start on the regular season, as was their priority this year. They need to go back to the "let's make sure we're ready for the playoffs" mentality. Maybe play the Big 3 even less than they did, and give the bench a chance to gel even more than they did. Maybe move Manu back to a 6th man role. I don't know, I'm sure Popovich will figure it out.
And as to the "lost and confused" narrative... really? He didn't seem either lost or confused to me. He seemed quite articulate, grounded, and honest. What makes you think that? I think it's more like you believe this is a crisis that must be addressed with drastic measures, and Popovich doesn't go there, so you think he's "lost and confused".
When he mentioned size, that was his way of saying it was a matchup problem. Pop never directly discusses strategy or personnel issues, but he doesn't need to point out the obvious either. The problems from a talent standpoint are clear for all to see.
Blowing things up guarantee nothing. What he said about the team losing it's rhythm due to injuries and the like are true. Combine that with the size and matchup issues, it was a perfect storm for a 1st round loss.
Thre will be plenty of time to dwell in the lottery half of the league. No need to hurry. And Pop isn't and should not be going anywhere. Bad idea.
pop needs to recognize that this core is done. 4 years of injuries and flameouts are no coincidence. rebuild now before it's too late. the spurs desperately signed jefferson and bonner to try to keep the core alive. if the spurs attempt to do it again next year, they might take on even worse contracts. stop now please.
Of course Tim and Manu's injuries hurt us. I don't see it as an excuse, it's just a fact. Every writer and sports analysts in the business is saying we're old and finished, while ignoring the fairly solid season we had, and the fact that a couple of our key players were not exactly 100%. We lost the hca we worked so hard for in the first game. Manu not being able to play certainly didn't help.
However, we had several perfectly healthy guys that gave us very little that should have able to pick up some of the slack.
The Spurs certainly weren't playing well coming into the playoffs. They had inexcusable meltdowns and squandered the top record in the league as well.
Spurs really need their starters to be healthy to be compe ive against this Grizz team especially since RJ and etc. didn't show up.
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