One of the more underrated things that doesn't get mentioned...and what makes Pop one of the GOAT coaches...if not the outright GOAT coach...is that he took a team that was not very good offensively (parker couldn't shoot...bowen could only make a shot from the corner 3...anytime francisco elson is even on your roster...your roster is not very good) and transitioned the spurs to an up tempo team that is all passing, cuts, and 3's...
Spurs played at one of the slowest if not the outright slowest pace in the league for years with duncan...and now they play at one of the fastest paces in the league...with duncan...
Same core players...completely different system...and made them even more effective...
Dude literally turned the Spurs into what the Suns were trying to be during the nash years
And he and RC BUILT that shyt...they cut Danny Green twice...didn't play mills much cause he was to out of shape last year...
didn't give up on splitter when he was trash...and spurs fans can tell you...splitter WAS TRASH is first 2 years...
That is why I don't get the Pop vs Phil comparisons...for all his greatness...phil only knows how to coach one way...and only knows how to coach one system...shyt Phil can't even teach that system...Phil only ever pursued 2 coaches...both of which who already played in that system...cause phil knows he himself cannot teach that shyt to somebody who doesn't know it already...phil can only ever target players who can fit into the triangle...which will fail horribly in new york...cause you need big men who can pass very well and there probably aren't 10 of them in the league...chandlier and amare are definitely not on that list...
Meanwhile Pop is like...overweight underachieving point guard / power forward cut by the bobcats...give him to me I can work with that...dude we cut 2 times already...bring him back i can turn him into a weapon...7 foot brazillian man who hardly ever finishes with force...yeah we will give him 10 mil a year and make him important...UNDERSIZED POWER FORWARD COMING OUT OF COLLEGE...YEAH I WILL MAKE HIM A SMALL FORWARD...HAVE HIM LOOKING LIKE A STAR IN THE FINALS...AND MAKE HIM THE FACE OF MY FRANCHISE WITHOUT EVERY MENTIONING HOW HE KEEP DUSTY CORNROWS...
Pop could probably get 7 ppg...out of me
The only thing missing is him dusting off Austin Daye to drop 15 points on Sunday...and really...does anyone who watch the spurs think that is something pops wouldn't do?