Hi there, Knicks fan here. I’m just wondering how Pop has been in the years since the big 3 and Kawhi have no longer been on the squad. Pop is obviously regarded as one of the greatest coaches in basketball history, but is unique as so much of his greatness coincided with an equally great roster, committed to the concept of teamwork and maintaining a certain standard over a very long period of time for basketball. Have his years post-Kawhi been up to his reputation as a coach? Have the recent struggles been in any due to his effectiveness as coach without a Hall of Fame roster? Or has the youth and rebuilding mindset of the franchise shadowed his still excellent coaching?
I don’t mean to insinuate anything about his capabilities, I am just curious what the Spurs fanbase thinks of him as he nears his twilight years.
I don’t think it damages his coaching legacy. If anything, it cements it. The lack of ego and passion for the game needed to look at the kids and say, you know what, I’m having as fun as any even if we don’t win much. Phil would never.
So yeah, I still trust in Pop. There’s a couple things you learn about the man - he’s worldly, relationship-based, and always sees the big picture. It’s always bigger than basketball, and winning is not the end-all-be-all of the team the same way big franchises like the Lakers do it where they can gut a whole roster to take a chance at winning.
However, just as the Spurs ain’t just about Tim before, the coaching ain’t just about Pop. It’s fair to say that the challenge might have been the brain drain. Assistant coaches become coaches someplace else and are thriving. Pop’s obviously happy about it, but that meant having to develop new coaching staff as well.