Talk about a leap of faith. Thats some fallacious reasoning, if Earl becomes even half the strategist Pop is I'll eat my sock. Pop wasn't just handed the keys without a resume, he had a strong pedigree under Don Nelson and Larry Brown as a lead assistant of the ACTUAL Spurs, not the DLeague affiliate. He was acting GM as the head of bball operations and it was basically his decision to throw away the season where the Admiral went down so that he could team up with the Big Fundamental.
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Talk about a leap of faith. Thats some fallacious reasoning, if Earl becomes even half the strategeist Pop is I'll eat my sock. Pop wasn't just handed the keys without a resume, he had a strong pedigree under Don Nelson and Larry Brown as a lead assistant of the ACTUAL Spurs, not the DLeague affiliate. He was acting GM as the head of bball operations and it was basically his decision to throw away the season where the Admiral went down so that he could team up with the Big Fundamental.
I listened to this on the radio driving around in my car and quite frankly I thought it was horrible.
Sounds like more like a preacher than a head coach. After the interview I think he should have been appointed as our resident Chaplin and commander in chief of name dropping.
It is one thing to play for and take showers with great players and great coaches, it is another to become one.
My suggestion as to why he was hired without any interviews with any other coaches, was confirmed. That is because he agreed to play McDonough's two big free agent signings (Bledsoe & Knight) together. That is clearer than ever after this interview. As soon as he told McDonough that he thought that was good idea while assuring him that Booker would be on the court with them as well, the job was his. I expect McDonough did not want to hear the facts of life about Knight while trying to defend what could turn out to be one of the worst personnel decisions in the history of this franchise. He cancelled any potential interviews with other coaches so he would not hear that a Bledsoe/Knight back court is a bad idea. Total evaluation of the Knight trade can not be completed until we find out what Philadelphia gets with the Laker pick. It also enabled us to spend $70 Mil on a chucker. Watson says that Knight won't be a chucker on his watch. He will remove the chucker from Knight. I think it is like Michele Bachman's husbands business of taking the gay out of gay people. Once a chucker always a chucker. Gambo suggested the same.
I wish him well, I really do. However I am not looking forward to listening to much more of his preaching. I just want him to coach freaking basketball, that is the job title. Oh that's right he plans on hiring some great assistants for those chores. I expect that coaching stuff might cut into the time he will spend writing the daily sermon.
He has a lot to prove. I see him as another Mark Jackson. Not impressed at this writing but could be convinced otherwise. Supply me with fun basketball to watch and some wins, that is all I want.
Talk about a leap of faith. Thats some fallacious reasoning, if Earl becomes even half the strategeist Pop is I'll eat my sock. Pop wasn't just handed the keys without a resume, he had a strong pedigree under Don Nelson and Larry Brown as a lead assistant of the ACTUAL Spurs, not the DLeague affiliate. He was acting GM as the head of bball operations and it was basically his decision to throw away the season where the Admiral went down so that he could team up with the Big Fundamental.
He didn't really need a resume since he could hand himself the keys in a classless move to oust Bob Hill who went 59-23 the previous year losing to the eventual WC Champion Jazz who gave the Bulls all they could handle....they have a team who was a contender every year and they lose their best player for the next year with a looming Duncan draft coming up "hey, I think I'll name myself the coach".
It was a smart move for his resume though. He didn't have a real tough time with two of the most sure fire #1 pick bigs in NBA history on a team to start with.
He had a LOT of time and a LOT of talent to become such a strategist and learned and became a much better coach along the way. Time and job security and two superstars will pave that road for you.
That response to the tweet was a dumb comment pointing out the dumb comment by Howard in jest. You took that a little too seriously.
I'm not expecting Watson to be Pop.
I'm not going to pre-judge him either. But your bases are covered. No matter what happens with the team there will surely be something to complain about, but that goes for anyone that gets hired, because that would be a bad move too, right?
Talk about a leap of faith. Thats some fallacious reasoning, if Earl becomes even half the strategeist Pop is I'll eat my sock. Pop wasn't just handed the keys without a resume, he had a strong pedigree under Don Nelson and Larry Brown as a lead assistant of the ACTUAL Spurs, not the DLeague affiliate. He was acting GM as the head of bball operations and it was basically his decision to throw away the season where the Admiral went down so that he could team up with the Big Fundamental.
He didn't really need a resume since he could hand himself the keys in a classless move to oust Bob Hill who went 59-23 the previous year losing to the eventual WC Champion Jazz who gave the Bulls all they could handle....they have a team who was a contender every year and they lose their best player for the next year with a looming Duncan draft coming up "hey, I think I'll name myself the coach".
It was a smart move for his resume though. He didn't have a real tough time with two of the most sure fire #1 pick bigs in NBA history on a team to start with.
He had a LOT of time and a LOT of talent to become such a strategist and learned and became a much better coach along the way. Time and job security and two superstars will pave that road for you.
That response to the tweet was a dumb comment pointing out the dumb comment by Howard in jest. You took that a little too seriously.
I'm not expecting Watson to be Pop.
I'm not going to pre-judge him either. But your bases are covered. No matter what happens with the team there will surely be something to complain about, but that goes for anyone that gets hired, because that would be a bad move too, right?
I always thought the firing of Bob Hill was classless. He took the reins at the exact time that would make himself look good and the former Coach look bad. That move forever imprinted on my opinion of Pop.
Yeah. Watson looks like a bonefied preacher who can get really along with his players! Will he do it again when we have a backcourt jam and more pressure to win? Who knows. But I'm not happy at all with this route. Pointing very well to another high draft pick (at least in a talented one)
Let's see who he'll hire to be his assistants. They all do the hard work anyways.
"I got nothing to prove in this league. I’m a max player, and I’ll continue to be a max player." Five foot Eighton
“No matter what you do or how you do it, as long as you have true passion you will succeed.” Luis “WEEZY” Egurrola
ginobiliflops wrote:Still baffled he got the job without anyone else even interviewing. There was no rush to lock him up.
It is pretty clear in my mind.
Ryan did not want to hear the truth about our roster, which he has created. He liked what Watson told him in the shower.
I really like what Minnesota did with Thibodeau. While I am not a huge fan of Thibs I do respect what he has accomplished. I think naming him President of Basketball operations, with Layden as the GM is the way to go. I believe that means that the GM cannot fire him, only the owner. IMO, the owner should be able to fire anyone but not the GM. I really hated that Kerr was giving MDA orders when they were together. In retrospect Kerr may have been President of Basketball operations as well as GM. If that was the case that was stupid. Kerr had no business being in charge of our franchise. What had Kerr accomplished at that point to be considered superior to MDA? Why combine two important jobs? I really think that the GM should never be President of Basketball operations in any franchise. Ideally I think there should be a President of Basketball a GM and a Coach. If you are dealing with someone such as Thibodeau making him the President and Coach is smart.
The Wolves are going to be a force for years to come. I am jealous.
saintEscaton wrote: Talk about a leap of faith. Thats some fallacious reasoning, if Earl becomes even half the strategeist Pop is I'll eat my sock. Pop wasn't just handed the keys without a resume, he had a strong pedigree under Don Nelson and Larry Brown as a lead assistant of the ACTUAL Spurs, not the DLeague affiliate. He was acting GM as the head of bball operations and it was basically his decision to throw away the season where the Admiral went down so that he could team up with the Big Fundamental.
He didn't really need a resume since he could hand himself the keys in a classless move to oust Bob Hill who went 59-23 the previous year losing to the eventual WC Champion Jazz who gave the Bulls all they could handle....they have a team who was a contender every year and they lose their best player for the next year with a looming Duncan draft coming up "hey, I think I'll name myself the coach".
It was a smart move for his resume though. He didn't have a real tough time with two of the most sure fire #1 pick bigs in NBA history on a team to start with.
He had a LOT of time and a LOT of talent to become such a strategist and learned and became a much better coach along the way. Time and job security and two superstars will pave that road for you.
That response to the tweet was a dumb comment pointing out the dumb comment by Howard in jest. You took that a little too seriously.
I'm not expecting Watson to be Pop.
I'm not going to pre-judge him either. But your bases are covered. No matter what happens with the team there will surely be something to complain about, but that goes for anyone that gets hired, because that would be a bad move too, right?
I always thought the firing of Bob Hill was classless. He took the reins at the exact time that would make himself look good and the former Coach look bad. That move forever imprinted on my opinion of Pop.
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Yes, in the Robinson era, they tried several coaches, including Larry Brown, and had quite a few good players with Sean Elliott, Robinson and others, and never did terribly well. Brown had one bad year, two good years, though he lost in the first round in one of them after winning 55 games, and made it to the 2nd round in the other.
Bob Hill comes in, takes over, leads them to their best record ever, at 62-20, and lost in the WCF to the same Rockets team we blew a 2nd round series to after going up 3-1 and having game 5 at home and going into OT....so that Rockets team was the defending champ who was a 6 seed largely due to injuries throughout the season.
Bob Hill's 2nd year he goes 59 and 23 and loses to the Jazz finals team in the 2nd round. Then Robinson gets injured and they get off to a poor start, and in comes Pop. A lot of people were puzzled by the move and Hill was not happy about it, because Robinson was out and Elliott had been injured as well.
But like you, that move has been imprinted on my mind about Pop, and I don't have nearly the respect for him most do these days. There is no denying he's a good coach, and has more nba head coaching experience now than anyone coaching in the league (I'm making a fairly educated guess on that).
Thibs walked into a similar situation, and a chance at even ANOTHER premier player, but at least he really DOES have a resume with head coaching experience.
It's funny saint mentioned Larry Brown, being a mentor...another classless guy..rode the tails of Manning to a college title, and then took over a team Carlisle coached up perfectly and made a bunch of role players into REAL players, and in walked Larry Brown after a head scratching trade where they somehow added Rasheed to that already VERY good team...and wins another chip. As much as I liked that they beat the Lakers, I always felt bad for Carlisle, because that was basically HIS team, but another coach walked in after Rasheed was gifted to them, and got a ring.
In general, I'd rather have a guy mentored by John Wooden than one mentored by Larry Brown.
GoranTragic wrote:Wizards going for Brooks (trying to get Durant). Knicks going for Blatt (better choice than that clown Rambis). Thoughts?
Blatt can flat out coach. Not sure on his ability to motivate a team, but he knows the ins and outs.
I've never really made my mind up about Brooks. Billy Donovan sucks though, so does Ty Lue. So both Blatt and Brooks got a bit jibbed in that regard.
I think people don't realise how freakin hard it is to coach Westbrook and Durant. They're just not really complementary players. They try their best to work together, but they both naturally don't play to complement each other. They're a bit like the Rockets. When fulling rolling, they're a championship team. That doesn't happen nearly enough.
Brooks seems to have a good grasp on how to get players playing near their potential. Blatt doesn't. Perhaps if they were merged into one coach you'd be onto a winner.
saintEscaton wrote: Talk about a leap of faith. Thats some fallacious reasoning, if Earl becomes even half the strategeist Pop is I'll eat my sock. Pop wasn't just handed the keys without a resume, he had a strong pedigree under Don Nelson and Larry Brown as a lead assistant of the ACTUAL Spurs, not the DLeague affiliate. He was acting GM as the head of bball operations and it was basically his decision to throw away the season where the Admiral went down so that he could team up with the Big Fundamental.
He didn't really need a resume since he could hand himself the keys in a classless move to oust Bob Hill who went 59-23 the previous year losing to the eventual WC Champion Jazz who gave the Bulls all they could handle....they have a team who was a contender every year and they lose their best player for the next year with a looming Duncan draft coming up "hey, I think I'll name myself the coach".
It was a smart move for his resume though. He didn't have a real tough time with two of the most sure fire #1 pick bigs in NBA history on a team to start with.
He had a LOT of time and a LOT of talent to become such a strategist and learned and became a much better coach along the way. Time and job security and two superstars will pave that road for you.
That response to the tweet was a dumb comment pointing out the dumb comment by Howard in jest. You took that a little too seriously.
I'm not expecting Watson to be Pop.
I'm not going to pre-judge him either. But your bases are covered. No matter what happens with the team there will surely be something to complain about, but that goes for anyone that gets hired, because that would be a bad move too, right?
I always thought the firing of Bob Hill was classless. He took the reins at the exact time that would make himself look good and the former Coach look bad. That move forever imprinted on my opinion of Pop.
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I mean I value character and not being a scum human being, hence I prefer Sloan, Dennis Rodman voiced the same complaints and got dealt for a nobody. But who really cares ? Nice guys don't always come out on top, at the end of the day rings talk.Pop realized that sometimes the means justify the end and played the Machiavelian antihero, I'm sure the entire Spurs fanbase is thanking him now as he has handpicked his successor and acquired the torchbearers to ensure the never ending reign of the Evil Empire. Meanwhile we have been relegated to the dustbin of history, merely a chapter mentioned in passing we failed to adjust to the new era our innovation ushered in
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bwgood77 wrote: He didn't really need a resume since he could hand himself the keys in a classless move to oust Bob Hill who went 59-23 the previous year losing to the eventual WC Champion Jazz who gave the Bulls all they could handle....they have a team who was a contender every year and they lose their best player for the next year with a looming Duncan draft coming up "hey, I think I'll name myself the coach".
It was a smart move for his resume though. He didn't have a real tough time with two of the most sure fire #1 pick bigs in NBA history on a team to start with.
He had a LOT of time and a LOT of talent to become such a strategist and learned and became a much better coach along the way. Time and job security and two superstars will pave that road for you.
That response to the tweet was a dumb comment pointing out the dumb comment by Howard in jest. You took that a little too seriously.
I'm not expecting Watson to be Pop.
I'm not going to pre-judge him either. But your bases are covered. No matter what happens with the team there will surely be something to complain about, but that goes for anyone that gets hired, because that would be a bad move too, right?
I always thought the firing of Bob Hill was classless. He took the reins at the exact time that would make himself look good and the former Coach look bad. That move forever imprinted on my opinion of Pop.
Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums
I mean I value character and not being a scum human being, hence I prefer Sloan, Dennis Rodman voiced the same complaints and got dealt for a nobody. But who really cares ? Nice guys don't always come out on top, at the end of the day rings talk.Pop realized that sometimes the means justify the end and played the Machiavelian antihero, I'm sure the entire Spurs fanbase is thanking him now as he has handpicked his successor and acquired the torchbearers to ensure the never ending reign of the Evil Empire. Meanwhile we have been relegated to the dustbin of history, merely a chapter mentioned in passing we failed to adjust to the new era our innovation ushered in
Oh, he took care of himself alright. I can't say that Bob Hill wouldn't have won 8 straight championships starting in 99 either. He pretty much had the team on the cusp WITHOUT Duncan.
I understand that people in power are going to make the moves to benefit them....was it better for the Spurs? No one knows for sure. Sure they are well off, but they were going to be anyway.
Props to Pop though! Good job! Well done sir!
As for the Suns, luck doesn't happen to be on our side, like it was with the Spurs when they happened to have Robinson out and landing Duncan, and it did with the Pelicans and the Timberwolves.
This is a star driven league, so you need luck...the Suns could very well be bad or mediocre for a while, but a little luck could change things quickly.
rsavaj wrote:get ready for another 82 games of the offense-destroying Len/Chandler frontcourt
Count me as a minority, but I loved the high-low action that Watson instilled in the offence.
Doesnt neccessarily have to be Len/Chandler, but using a 4 or 5 at the top of the key as a distributor is something Ive wanted to see from the Suns for years.
It sounds great in theory, and I think it could work if we had a Diaw-type(SIMMONS!), but our ORTG absolutely plummeted with Len/Chandler on the floor together.
But you must agree that having a change in an offensive philosophy is a breath of fresh air?
Hornacek's sets were completely completely predictable. Markieff isolation postup, pindown into pick and roll on the weakside, high horns into a corner three or just a high screen pick an roll. That was Horny's offence... Predictable, repetitive, and lacking creativity.
To see Watson have the balls to play 2 centers at once is awesome. Hes willing to try things, and willing to give the players a challenge to do something out of their comfort zone- something Horny never did. Alex Len at the 4?? Alex Len at the top of the key? Tyson Chandler distributing from the high post? MADNESS?!? But it was encouraging signs to see! Here is a coach willing to try things that people wouldve thought was crazy! Even though it wasnt a huge success, for Watson to have the balls to try things people would deem as crazy is encouraging signs. This is a guy who is willing to experiment with things.. Hornacek on the other hand kept throwing poo at the wall and hoped it stuck.
For Watson to even get a wins with the depleted squad we had is a phenomenal job in itself. As a rookie head coach, he may make some errors, but he is learning on the job as much as the rookies in the NBA are. But we have a coach who is creative, and willing to make bold adjustments. That is always a great sign.
I wish him well, I really do. However I am not looking forward to listening to much more of his preaching. I just want him to coach freaking basketball, that is the job title. Oh that's right he plans on hiring some great assistants for those chores. I expect that coaching stuff might cut into the time he will spend writing the daily sermon.
As opposed to what? Lindsay Hunter-type Public relations?
Watson is saying the right things. Lets see if he can back it up.
