Gregg Popovich Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Point Guards, Rabb, Morris, Robinson

October 23rd, 2019 at 8:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Nobody in the three-way battle for the Knicks‘ starting point guard spot played well enough to earn a start in tonight’s season opener, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Elfrid Payton, Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina were all on the bench for the beginning of the game in San Antonio as coach David Fizdale opted to use rookie RJ Barrett at the point alongside Allonzo Trier.

“I just like that combination of RJ and Allonzo Trier to be out there,’’ Fizdale told reporters before the game. “The competition is still on and I’m still searching for combinations that are going to fit. Coming into this, I want to see how that looks. I’m going to keep putting it on them to really have to earn it and really force me to play you. None of this is in stone, but at the same time the competition is on.”

Payton, Smith and Ntilikina all struggled in the preseason, especially with shooting, while Trier stood out with an improved jumper. Berman suggests the decision could be seen as a slight against the front office, which signed Payton this summer and picked up Ntilikina’s fourth-year option earlier this week.

There’s more from New York:

Fizdale has previous experience with Ivan Rabb, who was signed today to a two-way contract, Berman notes in a separate story. Fizdale was Rabb’s first coach as a rookie in Memphis, although he was fired after 19 games. “Good kid, hard worker,” he said of Rabb. “Really skilled big. Rebounds the ball well. A high-IQ player. It will be good to get back with him and develop him.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich remains bitter about Marcus Morris‘ decision to back out of a commitment to San Antonio this summer and sign with the Knicks instead (video link from RJ Marquez of KSAT in San Antonio). Morris verbally agreed to a two-year, $19MM deal with the Spurs before changing his mind when New York was able to offer $15MM for one season. As expected, the San Antonio crowd booed him loudly before tonight’s game.
Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic takes a look at how Mitchell Robinson was able to overcome a negative college experience and provide some hope for the future in New York.

NBA GMs Pick Clippers To Win Title

October 17th, 2019 at 2:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

The revamped Clippers are the favorites to win the NBA championship in this year’s survey of league general managers, writes John Schuhmann of NBA.com. Forty-six percent of respondents believe the moves that brought in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will result in the first title in the nearly 50-year history of the franchise.

The Bucks ranked second at 36%, followed by the Lakers at 11%. The Warriors and Trail Blazers were the only other teams to collect votes.

Milwaukee was an overwhelming choice to repeat as the top seed in the Eastern Conference at 76%, with the Sixers (24%) getting all the remaining votes.

GMs are predicting the following Eastern Conference playoff order: Bucks, Sixers, Celtics, Nets, Raptors, Pacers, Heat and Magic. Out West, the Clippers were picked as the top team by 66% of GMs, with the Lakers at 14% the only other team in double figures. Still the Nuggets slipped into second in the playoff order, followed by the Lakers, Jazz, Rockets, Warriors, Trail Blazers and Spurs.

Here are a few more highlights from the annual survey:

Fifty-two percent believe Giannis Antetokounmpo will win his second straight MVP award. There was a three-way tie for second with Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis and Leonard at 10%, followed by Nikola Jokic at 7%. James Harden, LeBron James and Damian Lillard also received votes. Antetokounmpo was picked by 86% of GMs as the player they would like to build a franchise around, while De’Aaron Fox was tabbed as the most likely to have a breakout season.
The choices for best player at each position were all fairly decisive, with Curry (90%) at point guard, Harden (86%) at shooting guard, Leonard (62%) at small forward, Antetokounmpo (59%) at power forward and Jokic (48%) at center.
Eighty-two percent said the Clippers made the best offseason moves, followed by the Pelicans at 11%. The Nets and Jazz both got votes. Leonard (67%) was named the player acquisition most likely to have the biggest impact, while Utah’s trade for Mike Conley was the most underrated move (36%).
Zion Williamson was a clear choice for Rookie of the Year and the rookie who will be the best player in five years, with both numbers at 68%. Ja Morant received 29% support in the ROY poll, while Darius Garland was at 4%.
Leonard was picked as both the best overall defender (45%) and the best perimeter defender (59%) in the league. Rudy Gobert was selected as best interior defender (93%), while Draymond Green was named the most versatile (38%).
Gregg Popovich was a runaway winner as best coach at 55%, followed by Erik Spoelstra (17%), Mike Budenholzer (10%) and Steve Kerr (7%).
The Nuggets were chosen as the most fun to watch by 31% of GMs and the team with the best home-court advantage by 38%.

Popovich: Spurs “Blindsided” By Morris’ Change Of Heart

September 30th, 2019 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

While it was overshadowed by bigger-name transactions, one of the most fascinating sequences of the first week of 2019’s free agent period came after the Spurs agreed to sign Marcus Morris to a two-year deal worth their mid-level exception.

San Antonio, having already reached a deal to sign DeMarre Carroll using a portion of the mid-level, renegotiated Carroll’s contract and agreed to send Davis Bertans to the Wizards in a three-team trade that would ultimately open up the MLE for Morris. However, Morris then reneged on his agreement with the Spurs, opting to sign with the Knicks instead. San Antonio subsequently used part of its MLE to sign Trey Lyles, but likely would have preferred to simply keep Bertans.

Addressing that situation for the first time today, Spurs head coach and head of basketball operations Gregg Popovich expressed frustration with how things played out, as Jabari Young of The Athletic (video link) relays.

“It was more than difficult to lose Davis,” Popovich said. “Let’s just say that that was an unfortunate situation that was handled unprofessionally on a couple of different levels. We made that move (trading Bertans) to make the signing that we did, and we got blindsided. Davis was a special player, as we all know. He was young and getting better and better, so we hated losing him.”

Morris’ change of heart in free agency played a part in his split with agent Rich Paul, who reportedly urged him to stick to his deal with the Spurs. The situation also allegedly fueled some animosity between the Knicks and Spurs.

Morris told Shams Charania of The Athletic in late July that as soon as he changed his mind and decided to sign with the Knicks, he called the Spurs to make sure they knew. According to Morris, he had “great conversations afterward” with the Spurs and felt good about moving forward.

Based on his Media Day comments, it doesn’t sound as if Popovich shared the same feelings about how the saga played out. Asked today if Morris reached out to the team and explained what happened, Popovich replied, “Not really.”

World Cup Notes: Popovich, Mills, Mitchell, Harris

August 25th, 2019 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Team USA coach Gregg Popovich believes the loss to Australia in Saturday’s exhibition game may turn out to be a positive experience, relays Steve Drumwright of USA Basketball. The Americans split a pair of games in Australia, pulling away in the second half Friday before dropping a 98-94 decision yesterday. It was the team’s first loss in international play in 13 years.

“The loss means that we need to play better,” Popovich said. “It’s a measure of who you are. Nobody wins forever. This is a group of guys that’s worked very hard, like I said, to get to know each other and get to know a system. And whatever comes, we can handle. Our job is to try to get better every day. We learned some things tonight. We’re actually a better team now than at the start of the game, because of the knowledge from the game. So, now we move on.”

The defeat raised more doubts about whether Team USA should be considered a heavy favorite heading into the World Cup, which starts Saturday. The Americans have been left short-handed after a series of stars withdrew from the team and will face several talented clubs who have a lot more experience playing together. The U.S. will play its final exhibition game tomorrow against Canada.

There’s more World Cup news this morning:

Popovich was happy for Spurs guard Patty Mills, who had 30 points in the game, although he joked with reporters that “we’ve already traded Patty.” (Video link from Bleacher Report).
Donovan Mitchell, one of only two Americans to reach double figures in the loss, tells Eric Nehm of The Athletic that the outcome wasn’t important. “Obviously it hurts to lose, but I look at this and we look at this as more of a learning experience as opposed to we just lost,” Mitchell said. “That’s the mindset. If you think of this as a loss, you start to get carried away with all that. We’re focused on the film. … We’re going to watch it on the plane and we’re going to be ready for Canada. That’s the best thing. You want to win every game, but you learn a lot in losses too.”
Unlike many of his high-profile teammates, the Nets‘ Joe Harris came a long way to earn a spot on Team USA, observes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. He received an invitation to the Select Team and worked his way onto the main roster. It’s a familiar story for Harris, who had to struggle to win an NBA roster spot after being traded, waived and undergoing foot surgery in 2016, all on the same day.

World Cup Notes: Popovich, Nurse, Serbia

August 10th, 2019 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anyone who has watched the Spurs frequently will see plenty of similarities in this year’s version of Team USA, writes Ben Golliver of The Washington Post. Head coach Gregg Popovich has incorporated his system into the international squad that will be competing for gold at the FIBA World Cup tournament.

With so many elite players declining invitations to training camp, Popovich has far less star power than his predecessor, Mike Krzyzewski. It’s a situation familiar to San Antonio since the decline of the Tim Duncan–Tony Parker–Manu Ginobili era.

“We’ll up our assist total even more than what you saw tonight as we become more familiar with each other and feel more comfortable with the system,” Popovich said after Friday’s first public scrimmage. “(On defense), there’s been absolutely no problem with the effort and the physicality. It’s just a matter of getting wiser and more habitual.”

There’s more World Cup news to pass along:

The chance to play for Popovich was among the perks for the players who decided to participate, relays Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. Few of them have ever worked with Popovich, who is regarded as one of the best coaches in NBA history. “He’s my favorite coach of all time,” Kyle Kuzma said. “Growing up, I was a hoops junkie, watching a lot of the Spurs teams and he’s won at every level he’s been at. So, to be here and learn, to be around him, it’s really great.” Several others agreed, with Brook Lopez saying, “It’s always been a dream” and Jaylen Brown adding, “Playing for Gregg Popovich, I’ll do that any day of the week.”
Fresh off winning a title in his first year as an NBA head coach, Nick Nurse is now trying to capture a medal for Canada, notes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. The Canadians have a busy exhibition schedule before World Cup play begins. “I don’t know how to explain this. It’s more like what these games do is, they present a lot of teaching moments,” Nurse said. “Like when you see an opponent, now you’re seeing something you haven’t even covered yet, so you’ve got a chance to teach it and grow your schemes and your defensive package.”
Serbian coach Sasha Djordjevic doesn’t consider Team USA the favorites in this year’s tournament, according to a EuroHoops story. Serbia’s roster includes All-Star center Nikola Jokic, along with several other names familiar to NBA fans such as Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nemanja Bjelica, Miroslav Raduljica, Boban Marjanovic and Milos Teodosic. “Let’s let them (Team USA) play their basketball and we will play ours and if we meet, may God help them,” Djordjevic said.

World Cup Notes: Team USA, White, Young

August 8th, 2019 at 8:10pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Head coach Gregg Popovich is strongly considering taking 15 players to Australia later this month in advance of the World Cup as opposed to cutting the roster down to a dozen players prior to leaving the country, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. FIBA regulations state that teams can only carry 12 players for the World Cup itself, though the remaining players could simply attend alongside the coaching staff and never suit up.

Here’s more surrounding the World Cup:

Spurs guard Derrick White and Kings big man Marvin Bagley III are the strongest contenders to be promoted from the Select Team to Team USA’s primary World Cup roster, tweets Stein. Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher suggests (via Instagram) that White’s promotion has already happened, while Bagley’s is likely.
Mitchell Robinson is dealing with a knee injury, as Marc Berman of the New York Post relays. The Knicks center initially suffered the injury over the weekend and returned to practice on Tuesday and re-injured it the following day. A source close to the situation describes the ailment as “just soreness.”
Hawks guard Trae Young left Team USA’s training camp because of a minor eye infection, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Young had been practicing with the Select Team.
Chris Boucher has withdrawn from the World Cup for personal reasons, Josh Lewenberg of the TSN tweets. The Raptors big man had been practicing with Canada’s National Team.

Southwest Notes: Duncan, Morey, Iguodala, Zion, McClure

July 28th, 2019 at 2:31pm CST by clarkcrum

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.

Spurs Assistant Ettore Messina Joins Olimpia Milano

June 11th, 2019 at 11:09am CST by Luke Adams

11:09am: Olimpia Milano has made it official, announcing today in a press release that Messina has signed a three-year contract to serve as the club’s president of basketball operations and head coach.

8:01am: Spurs assistant coach Ettore Messina has agreed to a deal with Italian club Olimpia Milano, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). According to Charania, Messina will run the team’s basketball operations and will become its new head coach.

Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reported on Monday that Messina had interviewed for that dual role with Olimpia Milano, the only Italian club in the EuroLeague, and was expected to make a decision on his future this week. Prior to Charania’s report, Carchia had indicated that Messina was leaning toward accepting Milano’s offer.

While the details of Messina’s new agreement aren’t known, Carchia classifies it is a multiyear deal and suggests that Olimpia Milano made the veteran coach a “rich” offer to lure him away from San Antonio. Messina will replace Milano head coach Simone Pianigiani on the sidelines, and is expected to name a new general manager soon, per Carchia.

A longtime head coach overseas for CKSA Moscow, Real Madrid, and other clubs, Messina joined the Spurs in 2014 as Gregg Popovich‘s lead assistant. He has received interest from multiple NBA teams as a head coaching candidate since then, interviewing with the Hornets, Bucks, and Raptors in 2018, and the Cavaliers in 2019. He also coached Italy’s national team from 2015-17.

With Messina’s imminent departure, the Spurs will have some holes to fill on Popovich’s coaching staff for the 2019/20 season. After James Borrego left for the Hornets last spring, Messina and Ime Udoka are departing this year — Udoka recently accepted a job as the Sixers’ lead assistant.

Assistants Will Hardy and Becky Hammon are in position to take on more prominent roles in San Antonio.

Kemba Walker Commits To World Cup; Anthony Davis Considered Probable

June 1st, 2019 at 9:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

A pair of players who have other important things going on this summer will likely be part of Team USA’s entry in the FIBA World Cup, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. Hornets guard Kemba Walker has already committed to play in the tournament in China, while Pelicans big man Anthony Davis has offered “strong indications” that he would like to be involved.

Walker will be part of a stellar class when free agency begins at the end of the month, while Davis hasn’t budged on his desire to be traded and will probably be involved a blockbuster deal at some point during the offseason.

Team USA officials would also like to add James Harden to the roster (Twitter link). Zion Williamson, expected to be the first selection in this year’s draft, will be contacted as well (Twitter link).

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will guide the team in the tournament, which will run from August 31 to September 15. That leaves a small gap until NBA training camps, which open September 27 for teams making overseas trips and September 30 for everyone else (Twitter link).

Spurs, Popovich Expected To Complete Three-Year Deal

April 30th, 2019 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Once head coach Gregg Popovich officially commits to returning to the Spurs‘ bench for next season, he and the team are expected to finalize a three-year contract that will ensure he remains the NBA’s highest-paid coach, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Despite some speculation that Popovich may elect to retire after the 2018/19 season, all recent signs have pointed toward him continuing his coaching career. A report over the weekend suggested as much, and Popovich himself dropped plenty of hints that he’d return during his end-of-season session with reporters on Monday.

According to Wojnarowski, Popovich’s new deal won’t change the fact that he’ll continue to evaluate his future on a year-to-year basis. Spurs ownership feels that the sport’s longest-tenured coach is entitled to manage his future however he wants, sources tell Woj.

In addition to remaining on the sidelines for the Spurs, Popovich will be the head coach for Team USA at the 2019 World Cup in China and at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. As Wojnarowski notes, the idea of Popovich retiring after next year’s Olympics has also been a popular theory, but there’s no indication at this point that the 70-year-old is leaning in that direction.

Although Popovich’s Spurs couldn’t get by the Nuggets in the first round of this year’s playoffs, it was another impressive season for the veteran head coach, who led San Antonio to the postseason for the 22nd straight year.