It’s kinda funny to me how uncoachable a lot of the city has been on this.
While it’s not the greatest look to chastise the fans in the middle of a 10-game losing streak. Nothing Pop did or said was wrong.
A) People act like Pop said dudes would get thrown out of the building if they kept booing. He made his plea. He found out immediately it didn’t work, and he accepted that outcome by 1. Not trying again 2. Not bringing it up again. After the game, he very well could have chastised the fans for not listening or said he didn’t like it. He did neither, and we know Pop speaks his mind when he is inclined.
B) Pop has way more access to varied perspectives on the perception of treating Kawhi like this from other players, our players, opposing coaches, NBA executives, etc. Whether it’s the difference between getting a free agent or not, we’re actively making their jobs harder in recruitment for very little gain of booing Kawhi relentlessly. I’d have to wonder if even our own players aren’t feeling it, and that added to Pop wanting to say something. I’m guessing the perception of this doesn’t bathe our organization in glory. Pop very much could have been trying to put our fan base on game, and we told him to eff off.
C) He’s just straight up right. This fan base is extremely petty about Kawhi. I’m surprised it’s even up for debate that he’s right about that part. It’s not classy behavior. Now you can say we don’t care about being classy and want to embrace pettiness, and that’s everyone’s right, but it can’t be argued that it’s extremely petty to be doing this five years later. For a fanbase that prides itself on being first class – even if we were wronged – it’s petty behavior to still not have turned the other cheek five years later, especially knowing now the outcome was Wemby. People keep excusing this as other fanbases this and that, but I was led to believe Spurs culture was above that kinda group think. And tbh I don’t think other fanbases do this. James Harden is a directly applicable situation, and I don’t think Houston treats him like this.
I get this opinion will be unpopular. And if you want to boo Kawhi, that’s your right. It’s was also Pops right to say stop because it’s pointless, makes us look petty, it’s time to move past it into the next chapter and there’s almost no positives that come from it. At best, it does nothing. At worst, it motivates Kawhi and turns off outsiders who may have otherwise liked what the Spurs offer.
I suspect all that, as well as his personal relationship with Kawhi were factors. I also find it odd that people are so desperate to hold onto this sports hate. It literally does nothing for anyone when we should be look to a bright future with Wemby not old pains with Kawhi. Pop wants this organization/city/sports trauma to heal and its kinda sad people are turning it into something nasty about Pop.
TLDR: Pop is right, but people are so determined to stick up for their right to boo Kawhi that they are missing the perspective. Pop probably has that goes beyond the San Antonio bubble and pain.
A) Who has said that? Pretty much every take I’ve seen is basically “old man yells at clouds”.
B) Oh no! You mean San Antonio might lose its reputation as the free agent hot spot of the league!? LeBron had his jersey burned and Gilbert wrote a scathing public letter to him. Many teams have booed their own players while they’re still on the damn team.
C) No one was yelling obscenities at him, no one was chanting something inappropriate, he was getting booed. Is it petty? Yes. It’s also petty to try and distract players while shooting free throws, which happens to every away player every single game. Trash talk is oftentimes petty. Stadium music choices can be petty. The PA begrudgingly calling away buckets and calling home buckets like he’s introducing a WWE wrestler is petty. There seems to be an accepted level of pettiness in the NBA that is seen as socially acceptable, and I don’t think the Spurs fans exceeded that. Is it petty? Yes. But people are paying money to watch these guys throw a ball through a ring, some booing is not that freaking serious.
Despite the fact that you really didn’t grapple with any of my actual points and instead just wanted to be snarky I will respond.
A) It’s implicit in a response of “who is Pop to tell me what to do. I pay good money to boo. This is my right.” that you are responding as if Pop was trying to take something from you. He did not attempt to do that. He made a suggestion. No one listened. He gave up. People have been framing it as if he tried to wield more power than he did. When I say “act like” it’s acknowledgment that no one said the explicit thing I’m about to state but their general tone gave that vibe. Someone else even used the word “Karen” so others have seen and acknowledged the vibe I’m talking about. But if you want to confine my response to only the things you interacted with, that’s your business.
B) I don’t understand why you guys insist on willfully misreading this to counter a point I haven’t made. The post is called “Pops perception,” not “how booing will kill our free agency.” It’s merely a suggestion that Pop has more knowledge of outside SA from a NBA perspective and he deals with free agents as well as his own team and he very well could be speaking up because this has been something that has effected our perception in our own locker room and beyond. Perhaps this is even something that bothered our generational talent who way down the line will basically get to choose to go wherever he wants. I suggested this as a possible reason Pop spoke up because in a competitive business with a salary cap, things like this on the margins are something Pop has to consider while fans don’t have to because they never even hear about this stuff. You guys don’t think players notice or care about stuff like this but they definitely do. PG took note he called what Pop did awesome and how the crowd treats Kawhi as unfortunate.
Do I think how fans treat Kawhi will cost the Spurs a free agent – which btw doesn’t have to be LeBron The Spurs do sign free agents just not usually big names and a big selling point is culture and respect from the fans. Wemby literally was overjoyed to come here in part because of the fanbase and culture – But no I don’t think so.
But I’m also not Pop who is way more clued in on that stuff. He clearly thought it mattered for some reason that he did something he’s never ever done before. But I’m sure it’s just because he’s old and yells at clouds.
C) Even though you made fun of A) you’re kinda doing A). I never said you can’t be petty. I never said being petty isn’t fun. Being petty can be a lot of fun. But you know what being petty can’t be — classy. If you want to pretend the organization and fanbase don’t love to stroke their own ego to how classy we are then I guess we’re just not in the same city watching the same team. Like I said if you want to petty thats fine. But then Pop isn’t wrong. You just don’t care about what he is right about. Philly is a fun sports town no one likes their fanbases because of how unrelenting petty they are. Pettiness has a price and that was my only point. It changes the perception of everything. And I personally think it’s time to move on from this petty behavior with Kawhi. I side with Pop. That doesn’t mean he can’t be bood. Just boo him like a normal opponent instead of the constant all game hate fest that makes the city look like it’s a jilted lover.
The one thing I’m dead sure about is Pop has a much firmer grasp on what that perception change means for our organization than random fan who just wants to boo Kawhi because he make me feel bad by leaving.
Yes booing normally isn’t a big deal which is why Pop hasn’t said a word about it in over four decades of coaching and yet he felt compelled to come out against it this one specific instance in a way no one has ever done in-game. I’m curious as to why.
A lot of other people just want to yell about their rights as fans. Yes we know you can boo if you want, all you want. That’s why nothing happened when you didn’t listen to him.
Be petty. Have a ball. Go crazy. Call him nephew, kawhitter. Whatever. It’s all very very lame. And smells of I can’t get over my ex energy. Maybe if nothing else he just knows it makes us look like lames around the league.
Not for nothing there are way more creative and fun ways to be petty than booing a man relentlessly who helped bring a title to the city.