While perhaps not as noteworthy as some of the more marquee free agent news we’ve seen this summer in terms of on-the-court impact, Marc Stein of The New York Times opines that the return of all-time-great Tim Duncan to the Spurs as a full-time assistant coach under legendary head coach Gregg Popovich is a gigantic story all the same.
As Stein notes, Duncan has been a frequent visitor at the Spurs’ practice facility throughout his retirement, mentoring/coaching players along the way, but this had always been done outside of the limelight, a setting in which Duncan prefers. So his abrupt return to the court for an 82-game season filled with continual travel and other headaches is a bit surprising, to say the least.
One narrative as to why Duncan accepted a position on Pop’s staff despite his disposition is simply need. Duncan reportedly knew that his old coach was struggling to fill the last open spot on his bench staff after departures by longtime Spurs’ assistants Ime Udoka and Ettore Messina, and his loyalty dictated he offer his services.
Here are some more stories from around the Southwest Division:
- As Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said on Friday that while Houston is not yet done adding to their 2019/20 roster, the team is much more likely to make further additions by trade rather than via free agency.
- According to Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian, it’s not a certainty that trade offers for Grizzlies veteran swingman Andre Iguodala will improve as time goes on, and Herrington remains skeptical that Iguodala will play a meaningful role for the Grizzlies at any point.
- Pelicans president of basketball operations David Griffin tells Jeff Duncan of The Athletic that rookie phenom Zion Williamson is still getting taller and that the team is more worried about making sure the 19-year-old is eating well and in good condition than what his playing weight will be.
- The Grizzlies have hired Pacers player development coach David McClure as an assistant for new head coach Taylor Jenkins’ staff in Memphis, reports J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star. McClure also spent two seasons in San Antonio before joining the Pacers back in 2015.
Duncan recently got divorced. He now has plenty of free time on his hands.
When people read articles, questions can form with readers while reading it. It is 100% that if an article says that ZWill is taller, readers will promptly wonder how tall he is. So answer the fkn question Clark Crum. Griffin didn’t say? Then say that.
Feed the dyad. It was a long dull piece in the athletic.
Lets not mix ZWill with Josh Jackson.
so far a big issue I have with Tillman is so obviously these next 2/4 years you need to go all in around Harden for a ring so why cheap put on Iggy I mean what is the difference really if he is worth 2.8 bil or 2.9 bil yeah he will have to pay some luxury tax but its not like it is gonna put a dent on his net worth.
Gary, if you are going to post comments about people’s personal lives you should at least get your facts straight.
I think that the most interesting line is, “Duncan reportedly knew that his old coach was struggling to fill the last open spot on his bench staff after departures by longtime Spurs’ assistants Ime Udoka and Ettore Messina, and his loyalty dictated he offer his services.”
I mean, how on earth would that be a difficult slot to fill? It makes me wonder if there’s something more going on with Popovich or his coaching style that’s made him a less attractive draw for the organization.