Greg Popovich

Walt Williams Neck · **Posted:** Sun Apr 20, 2014 6:03 pm

Nas wrote:

Walt Williams Neck wrote:

Phil,Riley,Sloan & Pop

No Red?

I really thought hard on this one.....If Wilt or Oscar had a better compliment of players .but his teams almost coached themselves

FavreFan · **Posted:** Sun Apr 20, 2014 6:09 pm

bigfan wrote:

FavreFan wrote:

Maybe I don't need to. Maybe I know enough to know Pop has turned the Spurs from a defensive juggernaut into an offensive one. He's managed to maximize his players health while still having the best record in the NBA. Maybe I'm not the one who needs to be schooled on why he's a great coach and not some standerby on his cell phone for the past 15 years.

I guess it would be nice to fire the head coach, then tank the rest of the reason to know you are going to get Duncan and make yourself the head coach.

Pop is no better than George Karl and a slew of other head coaches, whom if they had Tim Duncan could create some very good and NBA championship teams.

Would also say the teams they beat are not some of the all time greats NBA teams.

Pop is another NBA coach with a huge ego, that doesnt get a job if he doesnt give hismelf the job.

This is more stupid. He gave himself the job(which was plenty scrutinized), and then proved he was the best man for the job by winning 4 rings. Duncan was also the only lottery pick he's gotten to work with. HE developed this championship team. Of course he had Duncan. Phil, Red, Riley, etc all had great players too. The FACT remains that he's completely revolutionized his system over the course of 15 years to stay competitive and adjust to his roster, and in turn has had a strong influence on how other teams play offense(the corner 3) and manage their rosters. To say he's Geirge Karl(a poor man's Don Nelson) is just ignorant.

veganfan21 · **Posted:** Sun Apr 20, 2014 6:18 pm

Yeah if you believe Pop is living off Duncan's success then you really can't credit any championship winning coach since 90% of them had at least one player as good or better than TD, or generally a top tier all pro.

RFDC · **Joined:** Sun May 11, 2008 4:11 pm **Posts:** 57614

The more important question here is how long before Thibs is on that Mt Rushmore?

veganfan21 · **Posted:** Sun Apr 20, 2014 6:28 pm

RFDC wrote:

The more important question here is how long before Thibs is on that Mt Rushmore?

Depends on how long Gar puts up with his winning ways. There's a limit to a guys patience, ya know.

Nas · **Posted:** Sun Apr 20, 2014 6:50 pm

veganfan21 wrote:

RFDC wrote:

The more important question here is how long before Thibs is on that Mt Rushmore?

Depends on how long Gar puts up with his winning ways. There's a limit to a guys patience, ya know.

He is making it hard on them because every fan loves him.

Colonel Angus · **Posted:** Sun Apr 20, 2014 7:06 pm

RFDC wrote:

The more important question here is how long before Thibs is on that Mt Rushmore?

If he pulls a magic rabbit out of his ass & wins a title this year: June.

Jaw Breaker · **Posted:** Sun Apr 20, 2014 8:20 pm

bigfan wrote:

No POP.

Phil is so far in front on the list.

4. Would be easy to say Kobe and Shaq, who would have won it, but that team needed some serious babysitting.

Agree...people forget that the Lakers had Kobe and Shaq for three years prior to Phil, and did nothing until he got there.

pittmike · **Posted:** Sun Apr 20, 2014 8:21 pm

Jaw Breaker wrote:

bigfan wrote:

No POP.

Phil is so far in front on the list.

4. Would be easy to say Kobe and Shaq, who would have won it, but that team needed some serious babysitting.

Agree...people forget that the Lakers had Kobe and Shaq for three years prior to Phil, and did nothing until he got there.

This.

Nas · **Posted:** Sun Apr 20, 2014 8:52 pm

In fairness it was a different era and Kobe had guys like Eddie Jones and George Lynch in front of him.

spmack · **Posted:** Sun Apr 20, 2014 8:55 pm

leashyourkids wrote:

Is WWN Favrefans' personal heckler?

I heckle FF too but it's all in love.

leashyourkids · **Posted:** Sun Apr 20, 2014 9:01 pm

bigfan wrote:

FavreFan wrote:

bigfan wrote:

No POP.

Phil is so far in front on the list.

1. While you know the Bulls are going to be good, you don't know they are going to dominate like that.
2. Phil won rings in CBA and some other rinky dink league before the Bulls
3. The year without MJ, proved how good he was - Hit his elbow my ass! Has Hubie Davis admitted that yet?
4. Would be easy to say Kobe and Shaq, who would have won it, but that team needed some serious babysitting.

Pop, spends practices on the cell phone. duncan runs them.

Ridiculously stupid.

Please enlighten me on your NBA history, that you read in SI over the years.

Maybe you can tell me how Phil get the Bulls job too????

Yeah Farvefan! None of us can comment because we weren't AT all the games! Don't you know this!? Sitting at the games gives you knowledge that no one else has!... even when judging a coach from San Antonio over a 15 year period! Duh!

veganfan21 · **Posted:** Sun Apr 20, 2014 9:05 pm

Jaw Breaker wrote:

bigfan wrote:

No POP.

Phil is so far in front on the list.

4. Would be easy to say Kobe and Shaq, who would have won it, but that team needed some serious babysitting.

Agree...people forget that the Lakers had Kobe and Shaq for three years prior to Phil, and did nothing until he got there.

Phil definitely guided that team to success, but the history in this post is off. Kobe was not Kobe as we know him. He was a raw 19 or 20 year old when Phil took over. He became Kobe under Phil. Prior to that it was Shaq and a bunch of intriguing pieces (Van Exel, Jones, etc) but they were a mess, as was said.

The discipline Phil brought to LA is sort of like the discipline the great Pop brought to SA in leading them to four titles, sometimes beating LA to get there.

bigfan · **Posted:** Sun Apr 20, 2014 10:14 pm

veganfan21 wrote:

Yeah if you believe Pop is living off Duncan's success then you really can't credit any championship winning coach since 90% of them had at least one player as good or better than TD, or generally a top tier all pro.

First, I think he takes the job because he knows he is getting Duncan.

George Karl is a very good coach, who if was the coach would have won some rings.

Duncan is such a steady player, he is like a coaches dream. Pure post player, allows a coach to draw up real plays of inside and out. Big man that can pass, turn and face.

veganfan21 · **Posted:** Sun Apr 20, 2014 10:39 pm

bigfan wrote:

veganfan21 wrote:

Yeah if you believe Pop is living off Duncan's success then you really can't credit any championship winning coach since 90% of them had at least one player as good or better than TD, or generally a top tier all pro.

First, I think he takes the job because he knows he is getting Duncan.

George Karl is a very good coach, who if was the coach would have won some rings.

Duncan is such a steady player, he is like a coaches dream. Pure post player, allows a coach to draw up real plays of inside and out. Big man that can pass, turn and face.

Yes. And Pop should get credit for helping him reach his potential. Countless talented players fail to experience team success because of management and or coaching incompetentcy. Pop didn't let that happen to TD on both fronts. The way they've been able to absorb Duncan's decline over the past four years or so and still stay in the championship hunt has been remarkable.

bigfan · **Posted:** Mon Apr 21, 2014 6:50 am

How's this.

POP doesnt take the job if he isnt getting TD!

Duncan is one of the more underrated players of all time. He doesnt talk shit, he doesnt leap out of the gym or make monster dunks. He passes, shoots, plays D very good, he has been the cornerstone of a team for 15 years for every stretch run, every D and O set.

Is Tony Parker a great player too. Yes, but another guard that understands the game like Andre Miller would have worked. Avery Johnson worked.

You give Pop credit for installing a system and players to work around TD, but he isn't all time great status.

veganfan21 · **Posted:** Mon Apr 21, 2014 7:02 am

bigfan wrote:

How's this.

POP doesnt take the job if he isnt getting TD!

Duncan is one of the more underrated players of all time. He doesnt talk shit, he doesnt leap out of the gym or make monster dunks. He passes, shoots, plays D very good, he has been the cornerstone of a team for 15 years for every stretch run, every D and O set.

Is Tony Parker a great player too. Yes, but another guard that understands the game like Andre Miller would have worked. Avery Johnson worked.

You give Pop credit for installing a system and players to work around TD, but he isn't all time great status.

I don't know about Pop and all time great. I don't know much about coaching history prior to the 2000s. But I don't think Duncan is "underrated" at all. He's rightly considered to be one of the best PFs of all time, if not the best. It takes more than talent to win however, and Pop was the guy who made sure his players played together and within his system.

all time great? Maybe, I really don't know. Lucky because of Duncan? No way, that's just unfair.

rogers park bryan · **Joined:** Wed Sep 24, 2008 12:16 pm **Posts:** 81625

Johnson, Cartwright, Rambis, Calipari

newper · **Posted:** Mon Apr 21, 2014 9:05 am

I think Popovich is a great coach -- no point in rehashing arguments above, but I would like to add the November 29, 2012 incident as a reason why he is so good. Note that the Heat copied that move this year. They haven't missed the playoffs since 1996, finishing either first or second every season.

FavreFan · **Posted:** Mon Apr 21, 2014 9:10 am

newper wrote:

I think Popovich is a great coach -- no point in rehashing arguments above, but I would like to add the November 29, 2012 incident as a reason why he is so good. Note that the Heat copied that move this year.

I'm not sure they really copied it. I think Wade was mainly sitting out because he was actually hurt. I'm not sure it was preventative. LeBron also still played almost 38 minutes a game this year.

ZephMarshack · **Posted:** Mon Apr 21, 2014 9:38 am

No interest in the Pop/Phil but the notion that the former is no better than Karl is completely absurd. Look no further than Karl's putrid playoff record if you want evidence of that. He hasn't lost so many seemingly unlosable series simply because he lacks a Duncan, and I defy anyone to compare his in-game adjustments and defensive coaching to Pop's.

Powerhouse233 · **Posted:** Mon Apr 21, 2014 9:55 am

Some really bad comments here. If you win 4 titles as an NBA head coach then you're all time great. Phil proved himself when Jordan was out? You mean that year when Pippen was at his apex, arguably the best all around player in the league, that guy? Pop has Duncan still. But Duncan is a shell of his former self. He still very good but he's more of a role player than a superstar.

FavreFan · **Posted:** Mon Apr 21, 2014 10:10 am

Coached his team to the best record in the NBA this year, again, and this time without playing a single player more than 30 minutes per game. And some here had their eulogy written 2 years ago.

viewtopic.php?f=127&t=70654

bigfan · **Posted:** Mon Apr 21, 2014 6:41 pm

FavreFan wrote:

Coached his team to the best record in the NBA this year, again, and this time without playing a single player more than 30 minutes per game. And some here had their eulogy written 2 years ago.

viewtopic.php?f=127&t=70654

Nobody rests guys like Pop. he is the best at that.

Curious Hair · **Posted:** Mon Apr 21, 2014 7:05 pm

bigfan wrote:

How's this.

POP doesnt take the job if he isnt getting TD!

Pretending for a moment that the draft lottery isn't rigged, or at least that it isn't rigged for the likes of San Antonio, the Spurs only would have had like a 15% chance of drafting first overall. Good chance, but not great.

Is he one of the four best coaches ever? I don't know, probably not, but top 10, I'm sure.

EDIT: it has just occurred to me that the Raptors and Grizzlies were disqualified from the draft lottery for a while and so the Spurs might have had a much better chance at getting Duncan, in which case disregard a lot of this.

veganfan21 · **Posted:** Mon Apr 21, 2014 7:45 pm

Curious Hair wrote:

bigfan wrote:

How's this.

POP doesnt take the job if he isnt getting TD!

Pretending for a moment that the draft lottery isn't rigged, or at least that it isn't rigged for the likes of San Antonio, the Spurs only would have had like a 15% chance of drafting first overall. Good chance, but not great.

Is he one of the four best coaches ever? I don't know, probably not, but top 10, I'm sure.

EDIT: it has just occurred to me that the Raptors and Grizzlies were disqualified from the draft lottery for a while and so the Spurs might have had a much better chance at getting Duncan, in which case disregard a lot of this.

Pretty sure the point is still valid. It's a lottery, right, so there's no guarantees. Rose landed with the Bulls when they had like the ninth best chance to get the first pick. Pop getting by behind Duncan doing all the work is just not reasonable.

Curious Hair · **Posted:** Mon Apr 21, 2014 7:55 pm

If bigfan could just have a drink with Gregg Popovich...

rogers park bryan · **Joined:** Wed Sep 24, 2008 12:16 pm **Posts:** 81625

Curious Hair wrote:

bigfan wrote:

How's this.

POP doesnt take the job if he isnt getting TD!

Pretending for a moment that the draft lottery isn't rigged, or at least that it isn't rigged for the likes of San Antonio, the Spurs only would have had like a 15% chance of drafting first overall. Good chance, but not great.

Is he one of the four best coaches ever? I don't know, probably not, but top 10, I'm sure.

EDIT: it has just occurred to me that the Raptors and Grizzlies were disqualified from the draft lottery for a while and so the Spurs might have had a much better chance at getting Duncan, in which case disregard a lot of this.

Celtics had two picks in the lottery. Something crazy like a 37% chance.

veganfan21 · **Posted:** Tue Apr 22, 2014 7:44 am

rogers park bryan wrote:

Curious Hair wrote:

bigfan wrote:

How's this.

POP doesnt take the job if he isnt getting TD!

Pretending for a moment that the draft lottery isn't rigged, or at least that it isn't rigged for the likes of San Antonio, the Spurs only would have had like a 15% chance of drafting first overall. Good chance, but not great.

Is he one of the four best coaches ever? I don't know, probably not, but top 10, I'm sure.

EDIT: it has just occurred to me that the Raptors and Grizzlies were disqualified from the draft lottery for a while and so the Spurs might have had a much better chance at getting Duncan, in which case disregard a lot of this.

Celtics had two picks in the lottery. Something crazy like a 37% chance.

I think they took Ron Mercer with one of those picks. What a letdown. I believe he's best known for being a victim of a 40+ year old Michael Jordan two handed block/rip on a layup attempt.

rogers park bryan · **Joined:** Wed Sep 24, 2008 12:16 pm **Posts:** 81625

veganfan21 wrote:

rogers park bryan wrote:

Curious Hair wrote:

bigfan wrote:

How's this.

POP doesnt take the job if he isnt getting TD!

Pretending for a moment that the draft lottery isn't rigged, or at least that it isn't rigged for the likes of San Antonio, the Spurs only would have had like a 15% chance of drafting first overall. Good chance, but not great.

Is he one of the four best coaches ever? I don't know, probably not, but top 10, I'm sure.

EDIT: it has just occurred to me that the Raptors and Grizzlies were disqualified from the draft lottery for a while and so the Spurs might have had a much better chance at getting Duncan, in which case disregard a lot of this.

Celtics had two picks in the lottery. Something crazy like a 37% chance.

I think they took Ron Mercer with one of those picks. What a letdown. I believe he's best known for being a victim of a 40+ year old Michael Jordan two handed block/rip on a layup attempt.

Mercer and Billups

Greg Popovich

Who is online