For the sake of simplicity...I'll keep the choices limited to the championship years.
Feel free to state why...
I said it was last year in the Beno thread....
But after thinking it over some more....
2005....was definitely it.
That team was injured and actually played some of their best ball without Duncan, Rasho and Manu healthy....
The back to back double OT wins, on the road, is what clinches that year as his best job to me....
every year builds on the last.
you cannot judge 2007 as a better year than 2005 because he put in a lot of work on the majority of his players in 2005 that built into 2007.
so 2005 for sure.
someome in the beno thread said pop is too honest. i agree, which is why i picked 07'. he said in jan er feb that " this is the worst D ive seen in years" then had to come back days later and say it was the worst in 8 yrs er whatever. somehow he got it done for us. 07'
Perhaps we have short memories, or perhaps I'm wrong, but 2003 was Pop's best work in a championship year.
Consider this: Popovich played most of the year with this roster:
Robinson/Willis
Duncan/Rose
Bowen/Ferry
Jackson/Ginobili/Smith
Parker/Claxton/Kerr
The guys in bold were all at least 36 years old when the season started except for Steve Smith, who at 33 years old could barely even move anymore - 40 year old Kevin Willis was moving much better than Smith. The guys in underlined text were 25 or younger, with very little NBA experience to go with their age. Parker had a great rookie season in 2001-02, but Claxton was coming off an undistinguished rookie season which took place a season after he was drafted due to injury. Stephen Jackson had played in only 100 games during his first two NBA seasons, and Italian League star Manu Ginobili was a 25 year old rookie.
Only three players on that roster were in their primes - starters Tim Duncan (the reigning MVP) and Bruce Bowen (the defensive stopper), along with Malik Rose, the 6th man.
On January 1st, 2003, the Spurs were 19-13 through the first 50 games of the season. They finished the season 41-9, tying Dallas for the best record in basketball at 60-22.
Forty-one and freaking nine. With that roster.
Imagine taking down a three-peat championship club with Tim Duncan, Bruce Bowen, a bunch of kids, and a bunch of geezers. How many coaches would have managed to dethrone the Lakers with a cast like that?
You made decent argument...but I'd argue that was probably the team that Pop did the least for based on one of your own points...
Those old guys you mentioned were keys to that championship...when they left, we weren't the same team and that's why we failed to repeat.
IMO, old guys need less coaching...not more...they know the ropes of playoff ball...they don't need pep talks...and they know the game.
Kevin Willis had about 15 good games left in his 40+ year old body...and he gave them all to the Spurs when they were most needed that year.
Kerr suddenly developed the ability to come in and hit multiple shots on command, after spending multiple games without getting off the bench...
Danny Ferry came up with the grittiest game of his entire career...IMO, that was due to his desire to go out a champion...
And Drob? Well...you can't coach defending Shaq.
Really the only truly inexperienced and young guys on that team were Parker, Jack and Speedy.
Manu was a veteran of many years...just not in the NBA.
IMO, that 2003 team was the best Spurs Team ever...not the best coached.
I agree with you - I'm certainly not saying the old guys needed coaching - but the problem old guys have is wear and tear. We couldn't play those guys as much as I'm sure we would have liked to (Robinson in particular), so it took careful managing of their minutes to keep them in good position for a playoff run.You made decent argument...but I'd argue that was probably the team that Pop did the least for based on one of your own points...
Those old guys you mentioned were keys to that championship...when they left, we weren't the same team and that's why we failed to repeat.
IMO, old guys need less coaching...not more...they know the ropes of playoff ball...they don't need pep talks...and they know the game.
Kerr's performances against the Mavericks and Nets were remarkable considering how little he played, but I wish people (I'm glad you remembered that - it seems most Spurs fans do not) would remember Danny Ferry's 9 pt, 10 reb performance in game two versus Phoenix. The Spurs were already trailing in the series after the first game, DRob was out with an injury, and Willis was suspended for a stupid play in game one. Huge game by Ferry.Kevin Willis had about 15 good games left in his 40+ year old body...and he gave them all to the Spurs when they were most needed that year.
Kerr suddenly developed the ability to come in and hit multiple shots on command, after spending multiple games without getting off the bench...
Danny Ferry came up with the grittiest game of his entire career...IMO, that was due to his desire to go out a champion...
And nobody did it better than DRob. If the Spurs were coached by someone like Mike D'Antoni, DRob would have played like 300-500 more minutes that season and not been so effective in the playoffs. Pop is a master at juggling the minutes, even at the expense of a few (or even several) regular season losses.And Drob? Well...you can't coach defending Shaq.
Well, I believe the transition from foreign leagues to the NBA can be difficult for some players. Honestly, Manu wasn't bang up right out of the box either, though he improved dramatically from the beginning of the season to the end. By playoff time, he somewhat resembled the Manu we all know now - with timely 3's, clutch 4th quarter plays, and crazy finishes at the rim.Really the only truly inexperienced and young guys on that team were Parker, Jack and Speedy.
Manu was a veteran of many years...just not in the NBA.
And I think it took a lot of great coaching to keep Stephen Jackson playing a role reliably well in his first big minute season in the NBA. Jackson is a loose cannon as we know, so Pop was doing something very well to get him in some sort of a line.
I don't agree, but this particular issue seems much more subjective than others. I certainly wouldn't say you (or anyone else, for that matter) are wrong about this issue.IMO, that 2003 team was the best Spurs Team ever...not the best coached.
Well said and I agree.
I've always said 2003 was Pop's best coaching job. He had a second year French point guard. A shooting guard who was not only erratic but was also basically a rookie. Manu was about 20% as good as he is now and about 500% more untamed. Speedy Claxton was a young backup who was inconsistent.
While Robinson was still good, he was a shadow of his former self. Bowen wasn't as good then as he is now. Kerr, Willis and Ferry played their roles well ... but they were old as dirt. Duncan was very good but he wasn't as much of a leader then as he is now. Rose was probably the only player in his real prime.
Pop's ballsy move of replacing Steve Smith in the starting lineup with Stephen Jackson was probably Pop's best coaching move at all time. What Spurs fans forget was early that season, Jackson was horrrrrrrrible. He sucked in preseason and was playing crappy in the beginning of the year. Yet Pop stuck with him ... and it paid off bigtime.
Comparing 2003 to 2007, Duncan is a better overall player now considering his passing ability and his leadership abilities, Parker is much, much better, Ginobili went from an average role player to a borderline superstar and Bowen is now a seasoned playoff vet. The only place where the 2003 team had more talent was in Robinson and Rose ... but Robinson wasn't as close to as good as he was in 1999. Again, Robinson was still way better than anything the Spurs have now but compared to 1999 Robinson, it wasn't even close.
The 2003 team had talent but it was mostly young talent that hadn't begun to reach it's potential and old players hanging on for one final year.
If I'm ranking Pop's best coaching jobs, I'd go:
2003
2007
2005
1999
Pop had a really good year coaching wise last year but he also had a much better and more experienced team, so it wasn't as impressive overall. 2005 he was pretty decent but the Spurs struggled more than they should have at points in the playoffs. 1999 Pop wasn't anything close to the coach he was today. He was more of an AJ and Robinson puppet than a head coach.
I'm just going to challenge one point you made in that post...
Jack V Smitty:
Was a no brainer to make the move to replace Smitty with Jack...and no one complained about it either...because Smitty sucked.
Even Smitty didn't complain about it.
i coulda sworn that steve smith began that year as the starter... had some small injury that lasted a couple games and then never really saw the floor much after that.
Smitty sucked but so did Jack to that point of his Spurs career. In fact, on the Spurs forums, the only two fans where for Jackson starting at the time were SpursFan and Ghost Writer. (That might have been the only time they ever agreed)
It was far from a cut and dry decision. I thought Pop crazy in his belief of Jack because Jack had regressed so much early in that season that he was about as bad as Steve Smith. However, Jackson quickly grew into the role and made it work. And Pop was right there encouraging him on after every bad pass and bad shot early in the experiment.
A 19-year-old point guard and a wild shooting guard with little to no experience shouldn't be winning championships ... no matter who the teammates are.
True...Pop was good at managing minutes...actually he still is. Every since 2001.
That was the game of Danny Ferry's career...I gotta give him props for that game...(I'm glad you remembered that - it seems most Spurs fans do not) would remember Danny Ferry's 9 pt, 10 reb performance in game two versus Phoenix. The Spurs were already trailing in the series after the first game, DRob was out with an injury, and Willis was suspended for a stupid play in game one. Huge game by Ferry.
I am not a Danny Ferry fan at all...I'm still not.
But I fully expected us to go down 0-2 in that series and thanks to Ferry we didn't. I never doubted we would win that series...but I did think we were going to start off 0-2.
Glad you remembered Drob's injury...
Torn meniscus...he finished his career playing with a torn meniscus...guarding Shaq.
Should you ever find yourself involved in a Drob was soft argument...that's alway good ammo.
Manu sprained his ankle during the 2002 WC's and then sprained it a couple of more times...Well, I believe the transition from foreign leagues to the NBA can be difficult for some players. Honestly, Manu wasn't bang up right out of the box either, though he improved dramatically from the beginning of the season to the end. By playoff time, he somewhat resembled the Manu we all know now - with timely 3's, clutch 4th quarter plays, and crazy finishes at the rim.
That was a big reason he never really got involved.
The thing about Manu in those playoffs?
He was freaking huge against the Lakers...
Jack sucked against LA...just like Smitty, and Ferry, and Hedo...had it not been for the Manu/Bowen double team on Kobe...
Jack may have been viewed in the same light as those aformention chokers...
And I think it took a lot of great coaching to keep Stephen Jackson playing a role reliably well in his first big minute season in the NBA. Jackson is a loose cannon as we know, so Pop was doing something very well to get him in some sort of a line.
I don't agree, but this particular issue seems much more subjective than others. I certainly wouldn't say you (or anyone else, for that matter) are wrong about this issue.
It is subjective...and there is absolutely no way to prove anything...
The reason I rate that team as the best is simple...
I knew that Spurs team was going to win a championship...and I never doubted it after the first game of the rodeo road trip...
That team swept the Lakers, during the regular season, they won just about every big road game...
To me that team bore the unmistakable mark of a champion...
The only Spurs team I've been 100% certain was going to win it all...and once I realized it, never doubted it, for a second.
Smitty sucked but so did Jack to that point of his Spurs career. In fact, on the Spurs forums, the only two fans where for Jackson starting at the time were SpursFan and Ghost Writer. (That might have been the only time they ever agreed
It was far from a cut and dry decision. I thought Pop crazy in his belief of Jack because Jack had regressed so much early in that season that he was about as bad as Steve Smith. However, Jackson quickly grew into the role and made it work. And Pop was right there encouraging him on after every bad pass and bad shot early in the experiment.
A 19-year-old point guard and a wild shooting guard with little to no experience shouldn't be winning championships ... no matter who the teammates are.
All that's true...but Smitty absolutely killed us against LA in 02...
Pretty sure baseline(HITA)bum was on the Jackwagon too...even if not vocally.
Smitty sucked from the All Star Break of 2002 on...
Was complete garbage...
No one wanted him back after his performance against LA in the 2002 playoffs.
So no...it wasn't really an injury...he just couldn't move anymore, or defend, or shoot threes....
I had no clue who Jack was or what to expect...I just know I didn't want Smitty on the court on a regular basis after that...I rather Kerr start at 2 guard.
But I already knew Manu was going to wind up our 2 guard...
And I liked Smitty a lot before all that happened.
Yeah Manu picked the right series to play well in. He was bad to sub par in each of the other series, though. The Nets was his second best series but he had a couple bad games in that series.
Manu's growth from 2003 to 2005 is almost unbelievable if you think about it.
I don't remember where BBum stood on the matter but I do remember pretty much everyone agreed HITA sucked. Smitty's performance in the 2002 Lakers series was so embarrassingly bad I wanted him off the team.
Going into that season, I was hopeful that SJax could win the shooting guard battle. But he was horrible in preseason (he shot like 20%) and early in the season, even when he did good, it came at the expense of the Spurs. The Spurs kept losing every time SJax had played a lot.
Thank the basketball gods that Pop stuck with him, though.
Has to be 2005. TD had 2 very tender ankles to deal with. The Pistons were favorites to win. But the Spurs got the job done despite the adversity. Unlike the other championships where the Spurs were favorites.
Yeah...the biggest reason I go with 2005 is because of all the injuries...
The back to back double OT wins, on the road were...
You just don't do that without fantastic coaching...
That was totally Pop...
Of course that is only 2 games...
But still even in the post season...guys were injured and beat up.
And he just cut players out of the rotation...
But you know...now that I think about it...coaching or not...Horry saved our asses in game 5.
Well I wasn't an original Jackwaggoner...I was a Manuwaggoner...I didn't know Jack about Jack...but anyone was better than Smitty IMO. I agree....I didn't want Smitty back after 02. I don't think anyone did...
Interesting that no one picks the 99 team...
Hands down, 2003 was Pop's best coaching year. Pretty much for all of the reasons SRJ already stated in his post.
A vote for the 1999 team would be a vote for AJ.
Just to play Devil's advocate here....
Assuming that the fewer players you have with championship experience...the more important coaching is...
Number of players with championship experience(just off the top of my head):
99 Team:
3
Elie
Kerr
Perdue
03 Team:
4
Drob
Duncan
Kerr
Rose
05 Team:
5
Duncan
Manu
Parker
Bowen
Horry
07 Team:
7
Bowen
Parker
Duncan
Manu
Horry
Barry
Beno
The 99 Team actually had the fewest players with championship experience...
Now we all have our own ideas about who the leader of that team was...
Some say AJ
Some say Elie
Some say others...but usually it's one of those two...
But you gotta admit...a lot of inexperienced coaches would be too insecure to let their players take such strong leadership roles...or get so much credit...a lot of coaches might have come down on Elie for his ripping of the team in the media...or been afraid to ask David Robinson to take on a supporting role...
Anyway...that breakdown does help the argument for the 03 team...
But in some ways it makes a case as that 99 team being Pop's best coaching job...because he didn't try to do what he didn't know what to do...and he showed an unusual amount of maturity for a new coach...not to mention an unusual amount of trust in his players. Sometimes...the smartest coaching move is to take a step back...and it takes a great coach to know when that moment is...
Plus...that 99 Team featured the debut of the coach who reinvented the NBA defense...and that's Pop's greatest accomplishment as a coach IMO.
But it is intersting that first team is so often viewed as the toughest and the most experienced...when it was actually the least experienced....
Last edited by whottt; 10-19-2007 at 04:20 AM.
My order would be:
1. 2003
2. 2007
3. 2005
4. 1999
2007 should not be underrated, that championship was won during January-April, combined with the GS-Dallas break. Remember the thread by kris, during the darkest days, asking people to man up whether the Spurs would win it or not? A lot of people (me included) said no.
i think you are actually forgetting some BIG time fourth quarter stops and three's in the clinching semi finals win on the Phoenix series... i would say he was ON like he is now all the 2003 playoffs... during the regular season... he was just slowed by his injuries... his playing style was just being re-adjusted and was not having enough PT to show what he does today... if you ask me... the same player with more knowledge of the NBA pace... not a big improvement... he was always great... i haven;t checked stats in his increased playing time but i bet that goes along with his increased numbers as well... remember the Hollinger PER stats... it's same old Manu... it shows more because of the playing time...
99 was too easy, 05 was what it was... , 07 should've been a le defense, 03 is my pick.
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