Tag: Gregg Popovich

Bye, George: Hill bids Spurs adios

By Jeff McDonald
jmcdonald@express-news.net

If George Hill had known who was on the other line, he might not have answered the phone.

He was on his way to a radio interview early Thursday evening when his cell began buzzing. The screen displayed a number he didn’t recognize.

“It was like 20 digits, so I thought it was probably T.P. calling from France,” said Hill, referring to Tony Parker, his soon-to-be-former Spurs teammate.

When Hill heard Gregg Popovich’s voice answer his “hello,” he knew what came next would not be news he wanted to hear.

He was right. Popovich was calling from a secure line to inform Hill that he’d just been traded from the only NBA team he’d ever known, dealt to Indiana for a package that included San Diego State small forward Kawhi Leonard, the Pacers’ first-round draft pick.

The conversation left Hill numb and cursing his caller ID.

“If he had called from his actual, real number I probably wouldn’t have picked up,” Hill joked Friday.

As Hill said this, a group of Spurs youth campers were engaging in a scrimmage behind his right shoulder. Even on his first official day as an Indiana Pacer, Hill wasn’t finished being a Spur.

“I don’t have a grudge against the Spurs or anything like that,” Hill told assembled media at the University of the Incarnate Word. “The Spurs gave me the chance to play in the NBA. I’m thankful for that.”

For those in the Spurs organization, the time will soon come for hellos. Leonard, the 19-year-old taken 15th overall, is expected in town for an official introduction today. So too is Cory Joseph, the 19-year-old point guard from Texas, selected with the Spurs’ original first-round pick at No. 29.

Friday, however, was time to bid goodbye to perhaps the Spurs’ fourth-most popular player behind Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Parker, the point guard Hill backed up for three seasons.

When general manager R.C. Buford called trading the 25-year-old Hill “one of the most difficult decisions we’ve had to make,” the emotion was real.

Thursday’s draft-night trade, which also awarded the Spurs rights to Indiana’s second-round pick (Latvian sharpshooter Davis Bertans), and 2005 second-rounder Erazem Lorbek of Slovenia, came quickly — just moments after Houston made the final lottery selection at 14. But it did not come out of left field.

The Pacers had been chasing Hill, a home-grown Indianapolis star the Spurs had taken 26th overall in 2008, almost as long as he’d been in the NBA.

“We’ve been after him for a while,” Pacers president Larry Bird told reporters in Indiana. “Today, (the Spurs) thought it was the right time.”

It says something about the Spurs’ belief in Leonard that they were willing to deal Hill — a player Popovich has only half-jokingly called “my favorite player” — to get him.

The Spurs covet the 6-foot-7 Leonard’s size on the wing, where Richard Jefferson was the only player last season to top 6-6. A top-notch rebounder for his height, Leonard ?also fits with Popovich’s goal of reclaiming the Spurs’ defensive identity.

“He’s got a blue-collar ethic about him,” said Steve Fisher, Leonard’s coach at San Diego State. “He’s not afraid to bang an elbow or scrape a knee. He’ll grab a rebound or take a charge or whatever you need.”

In pulling a reluctant trigger on the deal, the Spurs also had financial issues to consider.

Hill is due a pay raise when he comes off his rookie-scale contract after the 2011-12 campaign. Leonard will come cheaper, and at a position of greater need.

As news of his trade sunk in Thursday night, Hill admitted he was too raw to properly process it. By Friday, he had settled on the bright side of his relocation.

“It was always a dream when I was a kid to play for the Pacers,” said Hill, a schoolboy star at Indianapolis’ Broad Ripple High before playing his college ball at IUPUI. “I’m excited about that.”

In April, not long after the Spurs’ season ended, Hill added a tattoo of his home state to the left side of his abdomen.

He meant it as a nod to his past. He had no idea it would so soon predict his future.

“I knew this was a business,” Hill said. “You can be here today and be gone tomorrow. It’s just about how you embrace it and what you do to make a name for yourself in the next location.”

GEORGE HILL

SPURS SEASONS: 3

AGE: 25

NUMBERS: 9.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.4 apg.

HIGH POINT(S): Notched 30 points in March 2010 win over Houston, and again in March 2011 loss at Memphis.

LOW POINT: Late-comer to 2009 playoff series against Dallas, as Gregg Popovich declared “these playoffs aren’t for George.”

SPURS SAY: “To lose a player like George Hill, who has meant so much to our team, to our culture, to our locker room … it’s one of the most difficult decisions we’ve had to make.” — GM R.C. Buford

PACERS SAY: “He’s an experienced player. He’s been in the playoffs. We like him because he’s got great length and can defend.” — Team president Larry Bird

WHAT NOW: Hill will challenge third-year pro Darren Collison for starting PG duties in Indiana. Spurs will likely look to fill backup point role via free agency and could give new draftee Cory Joseph of Texas a look.

— Jeff McDonald

Veteran Spurs strength coach Mike Brungardt announces retirement

 Spurs strength and conditioning coach Mike Brungardt announced his retirement Friday, ending an association that had made him one of the team’s longest-tenured employees.

Bob Hill was the coach of the Spurs when Brungardt took over the team’s strength and conditioning program in 1994.

Brungardt had actually started working with David Robinson in 1990 before he started working full-time with the team four years later.

“All of us will miss Mike a great deal,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said in a  prepared statement. “He has been an important part of the Spurs success over the last 17 years. He built our strength and conditioning program from the ground up and remains one of the best in the business. He has the respect and admiration of everyone in the organization, from players to coaches to front office staff. On a personal note I hate to see Brungy leave. He is a good friend and a wonderful man.”

Brungardt is the only strength and conditioning coach in the history of the franchise. A graduate of Central State University in Oklahoma, Brungardt has more than three decades of experience in the strength and conditioning field. After wresting and playing baseball in college, he spent nine years as a high school wrestling coach at Grand Island Northwest High School in Nebraska before becoming a highly-respected fitness consultant in Aspen, Colo., where he also played rugby.  Brungardt, along with his brothers, Kurt and Brett, has co-authored five books in the strength and fitness field.

Brungardt is beloved by Spurs players, who have frequently said that his work has kept them away from debilitating injuries over the years.

 “This was a very tough decision,” Brungardt said. “I’ll certainly miss working with class athletes like Tim, David, Sean, Manu and Tony that this organization has always been noted for. But after 17 seasons, this feels like the right time to take everything I’ve learned from the Spurs, especially from Pop, and move into the next chapter in my life. I would like to thank all of them, and the entire Spurs organization for the many special memories, and wish all of them continued success and happiness.”

Spurs forward Tiago Splitteronly a few minutes after the team made the announcement.

One interesting note is that Brungardt’s last day of work with the team will be June 30. An anticipated lockout will begin on July 1.

Some teams have already informed employees that theywill be going into a lockout with a skeleton crew of workers once it begins.

The Lakers reportedly on their player-personnel side, along with both members of their video department, four  of the five members of their training staff and most of their scouting staff, according to the Los Angeles Times.

It is not known if Brungardt’s retirement is related to the looming lockout. But the timing is certainly curious.

Pop’s many digits on his telephone call tricked Hill about the trade

It was a tough decision for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to trade his self-proclaimed “favorite player,” George Hill.

Popovich has frequently mentioned over the years that he loved Hill’s outlook on the game and life and his unselfish nature. The fact that Hill grew up in Indiana also gave him a link with Popovich, who shared his home state.

But when Popovich called Hill Thursday night to tell him he had been traded to Indiana, it came as a surprise to Hill — particularly when he didn’t recognize the incoming number with one he would have associated with his coach.

“I think if he called from his actual real number, I probably wouldn’t have picked up,” Hill said, chuckling. “Because I know, they normally call with bad news.”

It was a strange call that had multiple numbers when Hill picked up.

“He called from another line. I didn’t know who it was,” Hill said. “It was like 20 digits, so I thought it was TP  (Tony Parker) calling from France or something.”

Hill said he’s leaving the Spurs franchise with no grudges to management and no regrets after the surprising trade.

“For what? The Spurs gave me the chance to play in the NBA and I’m thankful for that,” Hill said. “They gave me a chance to move on to another organization to better myself and my family. I’m grateful for that.”