Monroe: Popovich Trims Beard To Favorable Length

[duncan228]

Popovich trims beard to favorable length
By Mike Monroe

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich showed up for Wednesday's preseason game against the Wizards with his formerly flowing beard trimmed to a length certain to meet the approval of the NBA's style police.

“It was a lot longer yesterday,” Popovich said. “I had to look halfway clean, so it wouldn't look quite so much like I was going to steal something from somebody.”

Popovich showed up at training camp with a beard he had cultivated for weeks, announcing he would do with it whatever Tim Duncan requested. Duncan said he wanted the head coach to let the beard grow, but Popovich shortened it halfway through training camp. Wednesday's look, it seems, will be how he begins the regular season.

GM survey: Several Spurs, Popovich included, figured prominently in the annual survey of the league's general managers conducted by NBA.com.

The GMs named Popovich the league's best coach, ahead of Phil Jackson and Jerry Sloan. They also cited him as the coach who makes the best in-game adjustments and the coach who is best in the final two minutes of a close game and the coach with the best defensive schemes.

Tim Duncan was named the league's top power forward and the third-best center.

Bruce Bowen was named the best perimeter defender.

The GMs predicted the Lakers will win the NBA le. Next, in order, were the Celtics, Hornets and Spurs and Rockets, who tied for fourth.

Arenas mending: “I don't want to say I'm a lot ahead of schedule,” Arenas said after the Wizards morning practice at AT&T Center. “I don't want to put that out there. We just want to stay where we're at, but it's working. But you might see me at the end of November, maybe. We'll see.”

Arenas has had three operations on the knee, and team officials believe he tried to come back too soon from those procedures.

“Gil's gone down this road before,” Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. “He's tried to really enhance his rehabilitation on his own in previous surgeries. But now he knows he has to be diligent, he has to be disciplined and follow the advice of the trainers and the doctors and he's done that.”

Arenas insists he has learned the danger of rushing things. “That's what hurt me the first two injuries,” he said. “I'd never been injured, so you don't know the seriousness of it. Once I felt I could run and get on the floor, I want to play. After five steps, I wanted to go straight to 10. I didn't want to go through six, seven and eight.”

Silent tribute: The Spurs observed a moment of silence before Wednesday's tipoff in memory of Simone Newman, the wife of assistant coach Don Newman. Simone Newman died on Oct. 18 of complications that developed during a medical procedure.

[DisAsTerBot]

“I had to look halfway clean, so it wouldn't look quite so much like I was going to steal something from somebody.”

[sexinthatsx]

hahahaha that's ridiculous