Is Popovich overrated?

[Timmy D for MVP]

He is great. Combine everything he's done putting together that team to run his system. The way he handles his players. It all rolls into one fact and that is him being great.

I like to listen to people's peers. And other coaches around the league respect Coach Pop as a great.

[vinsane01]

Why question him now? Because they are down 3-2? Remember they won 61 games this season. Before the season started some people werent even expecting them to qualify for the playoffs. They have overachieved this season and it's because of pop and the other coaches made the necessary adjustments. No matter what the outcome of the playoffs, if anything this season justifies how good of a coach he is.

[jlauber]

He is great. Combine everything he's done putting together that team to run his system. The way he handles his players. It all rolls into one fact and that is him being great.

I like to listen to people's peers. And other coaches around the league respect Coach Pop as a great.

And he has taken multiple rosters to those four titles. I admit, Duncan has been a major reason, but I don't think that Pop has coached one season in which the Spurs actually had the most talented roster in the league.

[ICanDunk]

Pop really is great. Teams that win titles solely because their team is stacked tend to have very small championship windows because they require players to be in their prime.

Pop was able to win over so many years that you have to think he is great.

[SCdac]

How about setting up a final play, and having Gary Neal take the game-tying 3 pt shot?

****ing brilliant. IMO

in Ginobili's words
[quote]

[kkb_12]

Im NOT saying Gregg is a bad coach, Im just asking if he is indeed rated by most fans and analysts as a GREAT coach.
For me, there are good coaches who can take over an injury riddled team and still manage to stay afloat and win games they are not supposed to win.
Coaches like Rick Adelman who lost Yao and TMac to a TON of games.
Nate McMillan's Blazers who lost Oden, and then Roy and still fighting hard or Jerry Sloan who survived and did good after losing Malone and Stockton to retirement.
Then there are great coaches like Auerbach, Phil who coached and Jordan-less Bulls to a 55-win season.
Hubie Brown who guided a bad Grizzlies team to the playoffs, coached the Knicks, taught them to play great defense etc.
Larry Brown who converted decent teams like the Spurs, Pacers, Sixers into very good, fighting/disciplined teams.
Same with Pat Riley who did great at LA, Knicks and Miami.
Going back to Popovich
He did GREAT with DRobinson, Duncan, Sean Elliot etc,
Then also did well with Manu, Parker and still hall of famer Duncan when they are young and healthy.
but now???
How about the pre Duncan season where he registered a 26% winning percentage, winning just 17 out of 64 games,
or when his team has struggled and lost early in the playoffs?
Is he really great? or he is very good?

Popovic made Parker in what he is now. No other coach would give starting pointguard position and 30 minutes of playtime to 19 years old rookie coming directly from French league.

Ginobili arrived to NBA after playing in Italy on the same team with Marko Jaric - averaging 3-4 points more per game. Manu was coached by Popovich to what he is today. Jaric was coached by other coaches to what he is today.

[crisoner]

How could winning titles period be overrated?

It's the same argument for Phil...people want to point out the talent they had etc. but you can have all the talent and not utilize it right. An NBA season is 82 games plus another 16 - 30 playoff games etc. The season is long and you have to coach your team through the bumps bruises grind etc. That includes dealing with personalities from players, media, and owners alike at the same time injuries trades etc. And you do that year through year....a whole lot of skill it takes to be a coach. Pop is a great coach period....he has an aging team and lead them to the best record during the regular season for the most part....win or lose these playoffs he has done a great job.

Pop has done nothing but win with what he has had numerous times. Give the man his just dues.

[iamgine]

Coaching is all about environments. A coach can be successful in one setting and utterly fail in another. That doesn't mean he's not great, he just need the right environment and personnel around him.

[Timmy D for MVP]

Coaching is all about environments. A coach can be successful in one setting and utterly fail in another. That doesn't mean he's not great, he just need the right environment and personnel around him.

That's true about players as well. And even teams. As a matter fact almost everything about sports is about environment and context.

[kkb_12]

Coaching is all about environments. A coach can be successful in one setting and utterly fail in another. That doesn't mean he's not great, he just need the right environment and personnel around him.

And what was the name of GM that has setup environment for coach Pop in San Antonio ? The one that traded Dennis Rodman ?

[iamgine]

That's true about players as well. And even teams. As a matter fact almost everything about sports is about environment and context.

Now that we've establish that, then it's clear that the only good measure for greatness is how much success you have and not why you're successful in one kind of environment and fail in another.

Some coach who can do more with less (making 2nd round playoff with undersized team and Monta Ellis as best player for example), doesn't mean he can do more with more (Winning 6 titles with MJ and Pippen). And vice versa.

[Timmy D for MVP]

And what was the name of GM that has setup environment for coach Pop in San Antonio ? The one that traded Dennis Rodman ?

Oh great question, lets see..... I think.... and I could be wrong here it was something like.... Greg Popovich?

[LA_Showtime]

No, but he's definitely made crucial mistakes the last two years.

1) Not playing George Hill more often last season.

2) Failing to develop Splitter.

3) Relegating Blair to the bench despite playing (and starting) for the majority of the season.

4) Changing the team's identity near the end of the regular season.

5) Benching Gary Neal.

---

Despite that, he's clearly one of the best coaches in the NBA and an absolute asset to the San Antonio organization. The man can coach.

[Harison]

Its like saying "is Phil overrated?"

Pop is an All-time great coach, one of the best in NBA. There are 1st seed with an aging core for a reason.

[ILLsmak]

No I don't think he's overrated...

I do think too many people use faulty logic around here when it comes to coaches...

as in, "because a coach has done great things in the past, he can never make a mistake in the future"

I like to think most people don't agree with that statement, and don't necessarily have blind faith, no matter who the player or coach.

Coaching in the NBA is more like playing poker than chess.

Pop had TD, and TD was a winner from day one. Having your leader be a winner makes a huge difference.

Phil made Shaq into a winner. I think Phil is the best coach, or was back when he cared, because he knew how to get the best out of each player. The only player he never got through to was Kobe. And he finally did, I think.

Pop is a great coach, though, but you'd have to be a homer to say if you are taking a good team that has potential to win a ring that you'd rather have Pop than Phil.

-Smak