NFL
By: Julio Olmo
“You come at the king, you best not miss!”, Omar Little ~ The Wire
It always floors me when reporters ask Gregg Popovich generic questions during his press conferences.
Sports has change and you just can not be a…
“I’m you biggest ra, ra, ra fan, when you cover sports but also…
You can’t be void of complete emotion either.
The question should had been presented to him in the following way in reference Derrick White, recent magnificent performance;
“Coach, here is a kid that nobody heard of and on draft day he cried on the telephone when you called him and told him that you wanted him to play for you…How proud are you of this kid at this moment?
Then wait for Popovich’s face to light up and begins answering at length, after he gives you The Nod.
The San Antonio Spurs organization has been finding hidden gems for years and their head coach is a national treasure.
I feel bad for the coach that follows him after his tenure with the Spurs comes to its’ end because those are going be some gargantuan shoes to fill.
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NBA Finals 2003, San Antonio Spurs were playing the New Jersey Nets.
The Media ran wild with the following rumor right in the middle of the NBA Finals;
“…Jason Kidd, would be signing with the San Antonio Spurs as a free-agent, next season…
At some point during the insanity Gregg Popovich pulled his young point guard, named Tony Parker and basically said to him;
“…Son, I don’t give a damn what anybody says…you’re my guy!
And Tony Parker always played his heart out for the man every member of the San Antonio Spurs’ family calls Pops…and Jason Kidd?
Well…let’s just say that Kidd never saw the inside of the San Antonio Spurs’ home locker room during his entire career.
There is a reason why the thought of leaving the San Antonio Spurs never crossed the minds of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili or Tony Parker, they knew Popovich had their backs.
Popovich will take on the media, the fans and subject himself to fines by the NBA if necessary, in order to protect his players.
NBA players have always been envious of that kind eccentric loyalty by Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs’ organization willingness to Take One for the Team.
Gregg Popovich is a tremendous tactician also whom consistently gets the absolute maximum from his players. He made the San Antonio Spurs a NBA dynasty.
Long before Father Time started to catch up with Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, he anticipated their retirements by strategically developing hidden gems like Derrick White. The reason you don’t hear much about them until they have a Coming-Out Party like Derrick White did is because Popovich protects them fiercely as if they were his own flesh and blood.
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