Greg Popovich Appreciation Thread

[The Voice]

Its easy. Free agents are free, hence the word FREE in the name. If free agents don't have a right to where they want to go, then why doesn't David Stern just make the NBA slavery so when you sign up he controls everything you do for the rest of your life. I didn't think that would need explaining, but that isn't even close to being the same thing as this.

So he's allowed to tell the coach who he can and can't play? Thus, enslaving the coaches. How is this any different?

Look in my opinion, free agents should have the right to go where they want and coaches should have the right to do whatever they want. That however isn't the case, he's trying to enslave the coaches.

[cafemerald]

David Stern: Spurs fine was justified

NEW ORLEANS -- NBA commissioner David Stern says his $250,000 fine of the San Antonio Spurs was justified because the club went beyond what league owners agreed was a reasonable approach to resting healthy players.

Stern says coaches should have the authority to rest players at the end of the season, but that teams should not rest four starters a little more than a month into the season, and the team made matters worse by not notifying the league beforehand.

Last week, the Spurs sent home Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green before a game in Miami. Stern points out that Green is 26 and Parker 30, and that he doubted any of the players needed rest this early in the season in what was also their only visit to Miami.

David Stern... always good for a laugh.

[Richard Dawkins]

Simply astounding what that troll said.

["Boobie" Gibson]

I mean... whether you agree with Stern's decision or not (I do not), he is right. Lol the players OBVIOUSLY didn't need rest a month into the season.

Irregardless of the terrible scheduling problems, Stern is right in what he's saying. He's just going about it in the wrong way.

[Tlyons]

He's still a dick

[NIkeL]

I mean... whether you agree with Stern's decision or not (I do not), he is right. Lol the players OBVIOUSLY didn't need rest a month into the season.

Irregardless of the terrible scheduling problems, Stern is right in what he's saying. He's just going about it in the wrong way.

That's not Stern's decision and the fact that they might need the rest or not is irrelevant. If we start here, who's to say he won't start fining teams because he thinks the rotations are wrong and star players need to be on the floor more minutes? The coaches are the ones responsible for that decision, not Stern.

[Tlyons]

I mean... whether you agree with Stern's decision or not (I do not), he is right. Lol the players OBVIOUSLY didn't need rest a month into the season.

Irregardless of the terrible scheduling problems, Stern is right in what he's saying. He's just going about it in the wrong way.

What's so obvious about it? He has old guys who are extremely important to his teams success. Those players are now another year older and the COACH should get them rest when and wherever he sees fit. Now if he wants to be mad because he sent them home as opposed to sitting them on the bench then I can see that(I guess). But a fine is unwarranted. Nobody came to the heat game to see the spurs. They don't even come to see the heat.

[cdt]

Stern should have 0 influence of who plays, and for what reasons. You're the commissioner he's the coach, go organize some Chinese partnership while he coaches the games. Stern is a power hungry dictator in my opinion and his ears are fucking huge. Miami had like 1 game in 5 days while the Spurs played 4 in 5, oh and Miami was at home. Sounds real fair Stern...

["Boobie" Gibson]

I'm not talking about fairness. That isn't what this is about. The whole reason Pop sent his players home was because he wasn't happy with the NBA scheduling, so don't even tell me that the players were tired a month into the season. That's just ridiculous.

I'm not saying I agree with Stern, but he's right, Pop sent his players home for the wrong reasons. If you try and deny that... I don't know what to tell you. It's as close to being a fact as you can get. Pop won't publicly say that he was trying to stick it to the commish, but that's exactly what was going on.

Also, it IS his responsibility to step in in a situation like this. He's the commissioner of the league and needs to do what is best for its reputation and image. Again, if you don't realize that, you're just denying a simple fact.

None of this is me defending Stern, because I think he's an idiot, but it is what it is.

[MoFlo]

I'm not talking about fairness. That isn't what this is about. The whole reason Pop sent his players home was because he wasn't happy with the NBA scheduling, so don't even tell me that the players were tired a month into the season. That's just ridiculous.

I'm not saying I agree with Stern, but he's right, Pop sent his players home for the wrong reasons. If you try and deny that... I don't know what to tell you. It's as close to being a fact as you can get. Pop won't publicly say that he was trying to stick it to the commish, but that's exactly what was going on.

Also, it IS his responsibility to step in in a situation like this. He's the commissioner of the league and needs to do what is best for its reputation and image. Again, if you don't realize that, you're just denying a simple fact.

None of this is me defending Stern, because I think he's an idiot, but it is what it is.

[Triumph36]

Also, it IS his responsibility to step in in a situation like this. He's the commissioner of the league and needs to do what is best for its reputation and image. Again, if you don't realize that, you're just denying a simple fact.

Did the manner in which he handled this situation at all help the league, its reputation, or its image? Cause the criticism of Stern hasn't been difficult to find...

the only thing pop did wrong was send the players home when they should've been kept on the bench in suits. the notion thatthe league should be notified about personnel decisions is awful, and dictating when a coach can and cannot sit players is equally awful.

also, i don't know why you only point out that pop is trying to "stick it to" stern. it goes both ways.

[Tlyons]

I'm not talking about fairness. That isn't what this is about. The whole reason Pop sent his players home was because he wasn't happy with the NBA scheduling, so don't even tell me that the players were tired a month into the season. That's just ridiculous.

I'm not saying I agree with Stern, but he's right, Pop sent his players home for the wrong reasons. If you try and deny that... I don't know what to tell you. It's as close to being a fact as you can get. Pop won't publicly say that he was trying to stick it to the commish, but that's exactly what was going on.

Also, it IS his responsibility to step in in a situation like this. He's the commissioner of the league and needs to do what is best for its reputation and image. Again, if you don't realize that, you're just denying a simple fact.

None of this is me defending Stern, because I think he's an idiot, but it is what it is.

When you play players that old they are going to be tired after a road trip like that even if its the first ten games of the season. Pretty sure that's Pops beef with the scheduling. That and playing the best team in the NBA rested.

Like I said. Sending them home(skipping out on the media) is the only thing pop did wrong. That's the only ground Stern has to stand on.

This "they can't be tired because its early in the season" stuff is speculative at best. The way Pop has benched them in the past gives him the credibility to bench them in this situation. Stern just has his panties in a bunch over ratings that were probably better with the drama he started...Oh, I see what Stern did there.

Stern is outside his realm with this detrimental to the league shit. If he wants to call it misconduct or an infraction ok, but don't act like the NBA is suffering because he sat down his vets. If pop says they're tired then that's exactly what they were. Stern's the one with the track record of BS, not Pop.

[tsteele316]

I'm not talking about fairness. That isn't what this is about. The whole reason Pop sent his players home was because he wasn't happy with the NBA scheduling, so don't even tell me that the players were tired a month into the season. That's just ridiculous.

I'm not saying I agree with Stern, but he's right, Pop sent his players home for the wrong reasons. If you try and deny that... I don't know what to tell you. It's as close to being a fact as you can get. Pop won't publicly say that he was trying to stick it to the commish, but that's exactly what was going on.

Also, it IS his responsibility to step in in a situation like this. He's the commissioner of the league and needs to do what is best for its reputation and image. Again, if you don't realize that, you're just denying a simple fact.

None of this is me defending Stern, because I think he's an idiot, but it is what it is.

i suspect you're a little cloudy on the definition of a fact. the spurs had a nasty road trip and an old team. pop gave them a day off. nothing more to it until the little troll stuck his fingers in the situation.

[NtG]

When you play players that old they are going to be tired after a road trip like that even if its the first ten games of the season. Pretty sure that's Pops beef with the scheduling. That and playing the best team in the NBA rested.

Like I said. Sending them home(skipping out on the media) is the only thing pop did wrong. That's the only ground Stern has to stand on.

This "they can't be tired because its early in the season" stuff is speculative at best. The way Pop has benched them in the past gives him the credibility to bench them in this situation. Stern just has his panties in a bunch over ratings that were probably better with the drama he started...Oh, I see what Stern did there.

Stern is outside his realm with this detrimental to the league shit. If he wants to call it misconduct or an infraction ok, but don't act like the NBA is suffering because he sat down his vets. If pop says they're tired then that's exactly what they were. Stern's the one with the track record of BS, not Pop.

This. If this whole situation never happened, then I wouldn't have even known that there was a Spur-Heat game on that night, but because of the drama, I ended up watching the whole game.