Pop fell in love with offense, and Bowen didn't provide it, and Bowen was replaced with Keith Bogans, who provided neither offense nor defense. I suspect that Bowen and other players dared to question the decision making of the coach, particularly post 2006 against Dallas. How many times during The Dark Ages did we see the Spurs allow the opposing team to shoot a high percentage and Pop's post-game response was something to the effect of, "we need more baskets"? How a great coach can go from those punishing defenses and then spend years of Tim Duncan's career trying to count on, not just offense, but LONG JUMP SHOTS, to secure wins and then be surprised when the team fails over and over is simply beyond my comprehension. Glad things worked out before it was too late, but I try not to think about what could have been from 2006-2011.
we were hurt in 2008 and no matter how great we played anyway, the league wanted a lakers/celtics rivalry renewal. if we beat a prime kobe and prime SHAQ who had just won 3 straight, i see no problem with beating kobe and gasol. i wasn't even a member of the forums back then
I think Pop took too long to realize Tim was getting old, and he couldn't carry the load on both ends all game, he needed help. That killed the true and tested winning formula we had going at the time. The league also changed. More zone defense (making it more difficult for bigs), more small ball. The Spurs were ill prepared for that. The Spurs also made a bad move in getting RJ, then doubling down on him. That hurt them for at least 2-3 seasons. Pop worked hard revamping the offense, but that hurt the defense.
Once Splitter blossomed and we finally were able to get a solid player on the wing in Kawhi, I think Pop finally reasoned that they had the personnel to actually play elite defense again. Defensive liabilities like Bonner or Blair were relegated to a minor role. And we were on the right track again. Once Green earned his spot on the team, we finally had a damn good defensive rotation.
But make no mistake, Pop was learning throughout the process too. He experiments much more now than it did back then. He went from a one trick pony offense to adapting the offense based on the personnel available, because he eventually realized he didn't have the best player in the league anymore.
Started before that, though. Pop benched his centers for no reason during the Sacramento series in 2006 and it cost them. Duncan wasn't getting old at that point, but having to defend the paint by himself for the next five years wore on him. At least he got extra time in the offseasons to rest, I guess. Pop did a lot of really strange during that time. The Spurs went through a period where they never went for steals, they never ran a fast break, and they ran plays with a three pointer as the first option, not the last. Spurs fans should really be grateful for Kawhi and Splitter. And Charlotte donuts.
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