Tag: Gregg Popovich

Q&A with…Gregg Popovich

Air Alamo’s is in the ballpark when he calls Gregg Popovich the most fascinating coach in the NBA.

At the very least he’s unique. Undeniably blue-collar, yet able to appreciate the delights of fine wine and duck fritte. A no-nonsense type who delights in tormenting the media with terse answers and wordless stares, but funny and engaging when he chooses to open up.

Popovich did exactly that in this with Spurs.com. The basketball stuff is fine — thoughts on Patty Mills, the Spurs’ Olympic contingent and Tony Parker’s coachability — but the personal details are way, way more interesting.

Such as his preference for summer reading (biographies of Stalin and Putin) and his inspiring advice for aspiring coaches: Buy a coat and a tie, and get a job.

Most helpful of all was Popovich’s disclosure that he counts Led Zeppelin among his favorite bands.  And now I know, whenever I get the inevitable Death Stares this season, that I can attempt to assuage him with the offering that I, too, love the Hammer of the Gods.

In Pop’s honor, enjoy.

Spurs named ‘Team of the Decade’

ESPN the Magazine has been ranking all NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL  franchises — there are now 122 of those — each of the past 10 years using a complicated formula that ranks such categories as ownership, coaching, bang for the buck, fan experience and affordability. The magazine judges 25 areas to compile the rankings.

Ranked No 1 in both 2004 and 2006, the Spurs have appeared in the Top 10 each of the 10 years, the only franchise in the Top 10 each year. So it came as no  surprise that the magazine celebrated a decade of its rankings by naming the Spurs its “Team of the Decade.”

The Spurs ranked third in this year’s rankings, behind No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder and No. 2 Green Bay Packers.

The magazine refers to the Spurs as “an old friend” of the franchise rankings, noting that “it excels in just about every category we’ve ever measured.”

The magazine also names Spurs coach Gregg Popovich as its “ultimate coach,” ranking ahead of Ne Englad Patriots coach Bill Belichick, Celtics coach Doc Rivers, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh and Tampa Bay Devil Rays manager Joe Madden. It also cites what it refers to as the franchises “anonymous architects” of success: Owner Peter Holt, superstar forward Tim Duncan and general manager R.C. Buford.

The  Spurs, the magazine concludes, deserve recognition for “elevating small-market success to an art form.”

“We are once again honored to receive a top ranking in ESPN’s Ultimate Standings,” Rick Pych, president of business operations for Spurs Sports Entertainment, said in a statement released by the club. “The reason this survey means so much to us is very simple: it’s a direct indication of how our fans feel about us. The number one priority of our organization is to provide the best possible fan experience each and every day and treat everyone we touch as family.  The relationship between the Spurs organization, our fans and the San Antonio community is truly extraordinary.”

Layden to interview with Spurs

Jazz assistant coach Scott Layden will tonight for a job as assistant general manager, the Deseret News reported earlier this afternoon.

Citing an anonymous source, the D-N says Layden, who held GM positions with the Jazz and the New York Knicks, will meet with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford.

Layden’s history in the front office is mixed. The son of former Utah head coach Frank Layden, he is credited with helping the Jazz zero in on future Hall of Famers Karl Malone and John Stockton. He also finished second in the voting for the 1995 Executive of the Year award. But Layden is also persona non grata in the Big Apple after a flurry of poor acquisitions led to his ouster in 2003.

He’s been an assistant in Utah since 2005. As the D-N article notes, the position Layden is interviewing for opened up when Dennis Lindsey left San Antonio to replace Kevin O’Connor in Utah.