Mike Monroe... I KNOW you read this site....

[Bender]

can't Ludden write more about the Spurs? someone email him and request a spurs article.

[El Jefe]

Thats what I'm looking for. Some Luddenesque stuff. I dont want to hear second-hand information that I had already read on Spurstalk 2 days prior.

:So the team isnt gelling Pop. Specifically what do you see as the problem areas and what are you trying to do to fix them?"

Is that such a hard and over-demanding question for a coach? Does he not have the answer?

We know the team isnt gelling..... Whats being done about it?

You want an invitation to a coach's meeting while you're at it? Maybe sit in on some strategy sessions? Have RC bounce a few trades ideas off of you?

They're doing what any good basketball team should be doing, trying to handle it behind closed doors. This isn't something you handle in the media, even if the reporters were dumb enough to ask the questions. Sure, maybe in some cities you could get the players in the locker room to point fingers at each other and start a month long soap opera, but that doesn't help win games.

Pop knows better than anybody that it's a players league, and he rightfully has tried to deflect any credit for all of the winning over the past 10 years to the guys on the floor. It's not suddenly the coaches fault when the team starts losing though.

Tony and Manu aren't playing up to their past levels, and the team misses smart and savvy vets like Bowen and Horry. What did the coaching staff do about it? They gambled that bringing in Richard Jefferson would alleviate the burden on Tony and Manu, and the he would be able to replace some of the things Bowen brought to the table. To this point, the gamble has failed. What are they doing about it now? I'm sure they're doing due diligence and seeing if there is a trade that would help the team (which they would not discuss with the media under any cir stances). Barring any miracle trade though, they'll continue to try to teach these guys the system, hope chemistry develops, and that a few things break their way in the playoffs. The odds aren't great, but they're better than 20 other teams in the league can offer.

Everyone wants to be mad at somebody, they want their to be some blame for this, and they want someone to pay. Lot's of people have picked Pop, you seem to have focused on the media. The truth is that it's hard to stay on top. You put your best foot forward, and if it isn't enough, you try to get better and try again. I have yet to see the Spurs do anything different. Hindsight may not always been kind to all of their moves, but it always seems to me that they've made the best of the available moves at the time to get the talent that was there. I can find little to no fault in that.

[phyzik]

You want an invitation to a coach's meeting while you're at it? Maybe sit in on some strategy sessions? Have RC bounce a few trades ideas off of you?

They're doing what any good basketball team should be doing, trying to handle it behind closed doors. This isn't something you handle in the media, even if the reporters were dumb enough to ask the questions. Sure, maybe in some cities you could get the players in the locker room to point fingers at each other and start a month long soap opera, but that doesn't help win games.

Pop knows better than anybody that it's a players league, and he rightfully has tried to deflect any credit for all of the winning over the past 10 years to the guys on the floor. It's not suddenly the coaches fault when the team starts losing though.

Tony and Manu aren't playing up to their past levels, and the team misses smart and savvy vets like Bowen and Horry. What did the coaching staff do about it? They gambled that bringing in Richard Jefferson would alleviate the burden on Tony and Manu, and the he would be able to replace some of the things Bowen brought to the table. To this point, the gamble has failed. What are they doing about it now? I'm sure they're doing due diligence and seeing if there is a trade that would help the team (which they would not discuss with the media under any cir stances). Barring any miracle trade though, they'll continue to try to teach these guys the system, hope chemistry develops, and that a few things break their way in the playoffs. The odds aren't great, but they're better than 20 other teams in the league can offer.

Everyone wants to be mad at somebody, they want their to be some blame for this, and they want someone to pay. Lot's of people have picked Pop, you seem to have focused on the media. The truth is that it's hard to stay on top. You put your best foot forward, and if it isn't enough, you try to get better and try again. I have yet to see the Spurs do anything different. Hindsight may not always been kind to all of their moves, but it always seems to me that they've made the best of the available moves at the time to get the talent that was there. I can find little to no fault in that.

Your missunderstanding me.

Let me make this clear.

Im not questioning the teams effort.

Im questioning the media's effort.

HUGE difference.

If you dont know by now, Mike Monroe OBVIOUSLY looks at this site. It's been a fact since he started writing after Ludden left. Almost every article can be tied to a Spurstalk post that was posted at least the day before, if not 2 or 3 days before. Some of his articles almost read verbatim to a spurstalk post.

Im not mad at the Spurs play. Ok, I am a little bit... But that has no basis with what I posted about. The media for the past 4 months, including Sean and Bill, continue to feed us this that the team just needs to gell with absolutely NO explanation on what is being done about it!

Enough! We KNOW the team needs to gell! I have no ing problem with that! Tell us what is being done about it! The one that knows? Pop!

ASK HIM!!

Thats all I'm saying.

[sabar]

You have a silly idea at what the role of the local media is in sports. This isn't politics or business. They have no incentive at all to cater to anything but the casual fan.

[El Jefe]

Your missunderstanding me.

Let me make this clear.

Im not questioning the teams effort.

Im questioning the media's effort.

HUGE difference.

If you dont know by now, Mike Monroe OBVIOUSLY looks at this site. It's been a fact since he started writing after Ludden left. Almost every article can be tied to a Spurstalk post that was posted at least the day before, if not 2 or 3 days before. Some of his articles almost read verbatim to a spurstalk post.

Im not mad at the Spurs play. Ok, I am a little bit... But that has no basis with what I posted about. The media for the past 4 months, including Sean and Bill, continue to feed us this that the team just needs to gell with absolutely NO explanation on what is being done about it!

Enough! We KNOW the team needs to gell! I have no ing problem with that! Tell us what is being done about it! The one that knows? Pop!

ASK HIM!!

Thats all I'm saying.

Fair enough. I seem to have incorrectly lumped you in with the contingent of posters who are foaming at the mouth to scream at coach Pop and demand his resignation.

I'll also agree that Johnny Ludden was the best beat writer we had around here in quite a while, which is a big reason why he moved on to bigger and better things. I have nothing against the current staff at the EN, knowing that the Spurs can't possibly be an easy team for the media to work with, especially now with Bowen and Barry gone (both fantastic with reporters)

Honest question though. Say Mr. Monroe did read this, and he tracks coach Pop down tomorrow, and he asks "Coach Pop, what is being done to right the ship? What is your plan sir?" What would be an acceptable answer? What would coach Pop have to say to satisfy your curiosity?

[DynastyBuilder]

You know why the "hard" questions aren't asked? Because they wouldn't get answered.

What is he or any of the media supposed to do? Ask the "hard" questions. Then they don't get answered. Then they have nothing to report. That's going to work well for someone who has to have story every day.

[El Jefe]

You know why the "hard" questions aren't asked? Because they wouldn't get answered.

What is he or any of the media supposed to do? Ask the "hard" questions. Then they don't get answered. Then they have nothing to report. That's going to work well for someone who has to have story every day.

This couldn't be more true. And as if to add the perfect example....

http://www.nba.com/spurs/multimedia/....html?rss=true

This is where the quote for Jeff McDonald's article comes from. They asked him the question. After coach Pop said "We need to shoot the ball better, we need to be more consistent defensively." Someone in the group asked your question. They straight up asked him how do you do these things.

Pop's answer? "There are no tricks. You just work at it"

The thing is, I really don't think the is Pop being coy, or obfuscating the truth, or hiding behind a gruff demeanor. He means what he says, and he's 100% right. Any coach who tells you otherwise is trying to justify his salary.

But this is why no one wants to ask him the question. He's going to glare at you, you're going to be lucky if you get an answer at all, and even if he does answer it, it's not going to look good on paper. So why risk access for a crummy quote?

[poop]

Monroe: Pop what were you thinking with that horrible line-up?

Pop: ...

Pop: Are you serious?

Monroe: ANSWER THE FVCKING QUESTION OLLLLLLLLLLLD MAAAAAAN!

ahhahahahahahahahahhahahaha.

....that what we are all (the true fans) hoping for but we know the SA media is a bunch of yes-men cowards

[Chieflion]

Mike Monroe called San Antonio the city of panic on The Beat.