Head Coach: Gregg Popovich

[objective]

DX has a blurb about CSKA coach Ettore Messina being their top free agent and that NBA eyes will be focused on him. He's had his name bandied about before with regards to euro coaches who could come to the NBA but first serve as assistants before becoming NBA head coaches.

If Budenholzer is gone, bring in Messina.

[EricB]

Is Messina that good of a coach?

[TheProfessor]

Weren't the Raptors looking at Messina?

[EVAY]

PJ was never the head assistant.

Budenholzer always has been his top guy.

I'm not sure that your observation, however valid, (and I don't dispute it), precludes my point that Pop needs a strong assistant that he listens to.

It has been my experience in business that the most influential staff person is not always the next in line. It is whoever "gels" with the head guy, whose arguments make the most sense to the head guy, who the head guy respects the most. It doesn't always matter what the organization chart says. I just believe that Pop needs a voice other than his own to listen to at times, and I don't think that Budenholzer is that guy for Pop...and when Carlesimo (I don't know them well enough to know them by their first names) was here, I believe that he was that guy. Maybe it is different in a basketball situation than it was in business. I defer to your basketball knowledge.

[objective]

Bud only moved up into the 1st AC spot after PJ left.

When PJ was here, he took over after ejections, he did the pre-game radio interview instead of being stuck rotating the postgame like the bottom 2 assistants, etc.

Bud was trusted, but it took many years of being in the league to gain the responsibility of first AC.

Bud has nothing on his resume outside the Spurs except playing at Pomona-Pitzer and a year of small-time women's euro ball. Even though Pop liked his PP connections, he's had to put in a lot of years to move up the chairs to where he is now.

[EricB]

Bud only moved up into the 1st AC spot after PJ left.

When PJ was here, he took over after ejections, he did the pre-game radio interview instead of being stuck rotating the postgame like the bottom 2 assistants, etc.

Bud was trusted, but it took many years of being in the league to gain the responsibility of first AC.

Bud has nothing on his resume outside the Spurs except playing at Pomona-Pitzer and a year of small-time women's euro ball. Even though Pop liked his PP connections, he's had to put in a lot of years to move up the chairs to where he is now.

Trust me.

Mike Bud has been the lead assistant for a long time, and has always been Pop's right hand man.

PJ really didn't do much in his time in SA.