Spurs prove it's not always about winning
I would never question San Antonio Gregg Popovich's integrity.
That would be like the Cable Guy suggesting Barack Obama is overweight.
Popovich is a Hall of Fame coach. He has guided the Spurs to four championships. He graduated from the Air Force Academy and served his country for five years before starting his coaching career and working his way up through the ranks.
Popovich knows more about sacrificing for others, dedication to his country and -- less significantly -- getting the best out of a basketball team than I could ever hope to know.
That said, Popovich was wrong on Tuesday night when he decided to rest Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Michael Finley and not play Manu Ginobili because of a minor injury in a game at Denver.
Popovich decided to use his junior varsity in a game with implications for all nine teams in the Western Conference playoff race because the Spurs were tired from Monday night's overtime win at Golden State. It was the Spurs' fourth straight win and gave them a 31/2-game lead over New Orleans in the Southwest Division.
Even with four days off before San Antonio's next game -- at Boston on Sunday -- Popovich decided it was the right time to rest his veterans.
Funny, but Pop has been the one who protests most loudly when reporters ask about the age of his relatively old team and whether it will be a factor when the playoffs start in April.
But I digress.
After the loss to Denver, Popovich joked about the unrecognizable lineup that he used.
According to the San Antonio-Express News, he first explained that Ginobili was "legitimately banged up" after suffering a hip contusion against the Warriors.
Asked about Parker and Duncan, Popovich told the newspaper, “Parker makes the All-Star team and becomes hard to deal with, so we’re going to sit him and teach him a lesson. Duncan says he wants to renegotiate his contract, so I said, ‘Sit, I’m not talking to you.'"
Pretty funny, unless you are a team chasing the Nuggets in a playoff race. Or unless you shelled out $1,000 for tickets to the game and got to see Jacque Vaughn and Malik Hairston instead of Parker and Duncan.
Over the years, I remember many nights when Karl Malone was legitimately banged up to the point where he probably should not have played. But for 18 years, Malone rarely missed a game.
When he was hurt and I's ask him why not take a night off, he Malone always used a variation of the same story (and I'm paraphrasing here):
"Suppose you live up in Idaho and you saved up all your money so you and your kids can come down to Salt Lake and see Karl Malone play and then Karl Malone doesn't play. How would you feel about Karl Malone? How would you feel about the Utah Jazz? How would you feel about the NBA?"
The day after San Antonio gave itself and the NBA a black eye in Denver, it's tempting to recall the 1996-97 season and suggest the Spurs are pretty good at tanking games. They did many times during the final weeks of that 20-win season, just to improve their chances in the lottery.
Lo and behold, San Antonio ended up with the No. 1 pick, which it parlayed into Duncan and four titles in the next decade.
I admit I'm probably just being just naive about all this. Perhaps I don't have a grasp on the real world. I also admit that I'm someone who believes the journey is just as important as the destination.
Still, if the stewards at a race track can fine a jockey for obviously failing to give an honest effort, I believe an NBA team should face the same consequences.
-- Steve Luhm
That would be like the Cable Guy suggesting Barack Obama is overweight.
Popovich is a Hall of Fame coach. He has guided the Spurs to four championships. He graduated from the Air Force Academy and served his country for five years before starting his coaching career and working his way up through the ranks.
Popovich knows more about sacrificing for others, dedication to his country and -- less significantly -- getting the best out of a basketball team than I could ever hope to know.
That said, Popovich was wrong on Tuesday night when he decided to rest Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Michael Finley and not play Manu Ginobili because of a minor injury in a game at Denver.
Popovich decided to use his junior varsity in a game with implications for all nine teams in the Western Conference playoff race because the Spurs were tired from Monday night's overtime win at Golden State. It was the Spurs' fourth straight win and gave them a 31/2-game lead over New Orleans in the Southwest Division.
Even with four days off before San Antonio's next game -- at Boston on Sunday -- Popovich decided it was the right time to rest his veterans.
Funny, but Pop has been the one who protests most loudly when reporters ask about the age of his relatively old team and whether it will be a factor when the playoffs start in April.
But I digress.
After the loss to Denver, Popovich joked about the unrecognizable lineup that he used.
According to the San Antonio-Express News, he first explained that Ginobili was "legitimately banged up" after suffering a hip contusion against the Warriors.
Asked about Parker and Duncan, Popovich told the newspaper, “Parker makes the All-Star team and becomes hard to deal with, so we’re going to sit him and teach him a lesson. Duncan says he wants to renegotiate his contract, so I said, ‘Sit, I’m not talking to you.'"
Pretty funny, unless you are a team chasing the Nuggets in a playoff race. Or unless you shelled out $1,000 for tickets to the game and got to see Jacque Vaughn and Malik Hairston instead of Parker and Duncan.
Over the years, I remember many nights when Karl Malone was legitimately banged up to the point where he probably should not have played. But for 18 years, Malone rarely missed a game.
When he was hurt and I's ask him why not take a night off, he Malone always used a variation of the same story (and I'm paraphrasing here):
"Suppose you live up in Idaho and you saved up all your money so you and your kids can come down to Salt Lake and see Karl Malone play and then Karl Malone doesn't play. How would you feel about Karl Malone? How would you feel about the Utah Jazz? How would you feel about the NBA?"
The day after San Antonio gave itself and the NBA a black eye in Denver, it's tempting to recall the 1996-97 season and suggest the Spurs are pretty good at tanking games. They did many times during the final weeks of that 20-win season, just to improve their chances in the lottery.
Lo and behold, San Antonio ended up with the No. 1 pick, which it parlayed into Duncan and four titles in the next decade.
I admit I'm probably just being just naive about all this. Perhaps I don't have a grasp on the real world. I also admit that I'm someone who believes the journey is just as important as the destination.
Still, if the stewards at a race track can fine a jockey for obviously failing to give an honest effort, I believe an NBA team should face the same consequences.
-- Steve Luhm
5:49 PM
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3 Comments:
Oh, that's so funny: cable guys are all overweight. I thought that's what they said about sportswriters.
I dislike the Spurs.
Would someone Spackle that cable guy's but crack?
The Spurs tanking was probably the most obvious in past years, and was unjustly rewarded with Timmy, but how about the Griz and Celtics obvious tanking, just a couple of years ago. Fortunately, they both, justly, moved down in the draft.
Jazzaholic
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