Much intrigue has surrounded the arrival of Brazilian 7-footer Tiago Splitter, who gave Team USA a fit in the World Championships and was known as the best big man in Europe when he played in Spain. Splitter's foot problems kept him out of the first two games.
Popovich is always glad to have a skillful 7-footer. He is also glad to puncture a hype-filled balloon.
"This isn't the next Tim Duncan." Popovich said. "This is a good blue-collar player, good defender, good rebounder, high-quality worker. This isn't a case where you throw him the ball and he'll score 24 every night."