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NBA FINALS: HEAT v SPURSJune 14, 2014Gregg PopovichSAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Practice Day Q. Coach, when you guys got back to being a Top 5 defensive team last year, what was the driving force behind that? Was it about personnel and Leonard and Splitter developing, or was it scheme? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, if you want to go anyplace in the playoffs, you've got to be a good defensive team, so, that's the basic motivation. Q. But how did you get there, I guess? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: We just worked at it. I mean, it's basketball. There is nothing magic about it. You know, we worked at it and the guys committed to it, and we got better defensively. Q. So then maybe the question is how did you slide? Before that you guys had some years of regression on that end. What happened? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: It just happened. It's just the way it is. Q. Has it been nice to see Avery Johnson around, and is there any part of you‑‑ his name hasn't come up for any of the coaching openings that are out there this year. Is that surprising to you at all? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, you know, Avery's a unique individual because he's so driven and so competitive. But at the same time, he's a great people person and somebody that since he's been in the program, we've known him for so long, we always expect we're going to be coaching against him sometime or another because he's that good. So I think sometimes timing is everything. Timing and opportunity. But he's as good or better than most of us that are in the league now. He's somebody that with his intelligence level and his work ethic, he's pretty special. Q. I apologize because this is probably ancient history now, but what was it when Boris became available that made you think that he would be somebody who could not just fit here but become a contributor here? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, he really has a high basketball IQ. I think he raises the level for everyone. At the defensive end, he's pretty heady, not the quickest guy in the world, but really smart. Does his work early and understands what's going on. At the offensive end, he can score inside and out, and he passes the ball really well. He's a consummate team sort of guy, so we were pretty confident that he'd be able to fit in and he'd learn the system pretty quickly. Q. What's it been like this year with the new coaching staff? I mean, has it been lonely out on the road? Has it been different with not having your guys around to share the dinners with and all that? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, I make these guys eat with me, so they might not want to, but I make them. In the beginning, it was slow, but fortunately Ime Udoka is here in the system, so, very honestly, he took those guys out on the court and they ran through everything offensively. I didn't really do much. He taught them what we do, and since he had played here and then coached that one year, it made the transition easier. But as the games progressed, it took a while to get responsibilities down and then feel comfortable with suggestions and what suggestions to give, which suggestions to take, that sort of thing. When you've been with two guys, each over a decade, it takes a while to readjust with brand‑new people. So it was slow, but we got it done. Q. How often do you talk to all of the coaches in your tree who have gone off to other places? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Pretty regularly. Yeah, I like talking to them, keeping track. They keep me young, and they always give me good ideas. Q. How would you say the player development side with Chad and Chip has kind of evolved as your team's style of play has evolved over the years? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Chad Forecier and Chip Engelland have been primary reasons for any success we've had in developing players. They have a program where the guys come early, they stay late on a daily basis or every time we practice. They're really responsible for the skill sets of the individuals improving. Kawhi Leonard didn't shoot threes when he came here, you know, that sort of thing. Tony Parker's runner, you know, that kind of stuff. And every team works on this stuff, but those are the two guys for us that really get it done. Q. Is there one player that you are especially proud of in terms of what you had when they first got here and how they developed? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Wow, that's a lot of people. I'd probably anger someone if I picked one guy out. I'm happy for a lot of them, but I can't pick one person out. Q. At what point did you learn to trust Patty Mills to the point that he could play significant stretches of time, and even allow you in some ways to shut down Tony for a couple of weeks to get his‑‑ COACH GREGG POPOVICH: You assume that I trust Patty Mills (smiling). Q. I kind of do. COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Yeah, I think that was a process. You know, when he came to camp this year all trim and very aggressive, very focused, he made us notice him, first of all, that he wanted to be a part of this and he didn't want to be on the bench. Then as the games came and went and he played more and more minutes, I think he gained a confidence, and we gained a confidence in him to the point where sometimes he's out there, and I leave Tony too long. Tony's chomping at the bit to get back on the court, and I've got to settle him down to say, You see how this guy's playing out here? We might as well keep going with him. So that is the process during the year, and he's developed into a pretty good decision‑maker at the same time. So when he does something that's a little bit wild, that's right after you shut up and let him play his game. Q. Do you think you would have been able to make that decision about Tony in February if you hadn't had a guy that you trusted in that way? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: You know, if Patty hadn't earned that spot, then Cory Joseph would be there, because we were committedwe weren't going to overplay Timmy or Manu or Tony during the season, so I don't think I would have‑‑ we'd have gone to Cory. Q. Chuck Noll passed away last night. Did you ever read or inquire about what made him so successful and maybe see if you could incorporate that? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I did not, very honestly. I didn't know that that happened. I did not. Q. What did you learn‑‑ you won four championships, I get it. What did you learn that enabled you to sustain success or repeat that type of success? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: That's a pretty big question. I don't think I can answer that. Whatever success anyone has is due to a lot of factors. Some of it is not even your doing. Sometimes things just happen. So success is a pretty complicated thing, and there are a lot of people who you would say are not successful. It depends what your measure is for success. So I think that's a question that takes a book, if you want to talk about people's success or lack of. Q. When it comes to your assistant coaches, you have a lot of them throughout the league who have coaching jobs. What is your approach to when they are getting offers? Are you trying to keep them from leaving the door? Are you pushing them out the door, and what advice do you generally give them to shape what their decision is going to be? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I would say we do neither. Our philosophy is if someone gets an offer, they should check it out. We don't keep anybody or try to keep people or not give permission for people to talk to our guys. We've had people talk to our guys during the playoffs every year basically, and we feel that people moving up to a better position is a natural process, and it should be encouraged. So while assistant coaches are here, we do our work. As they develop and people become interested in them, we're happy when they get that job, whether it's a better assistant job or a head job. Q. Following up on that, when Bud left last year, there was a sense that that was a sort of well‑groomed successor. Is that important for your legacy to have a successor in place? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I don't think about legacy very often or at all, I guess. But if something like that happened or was available, we'd do it, but we haven't really discussed it. Q. Because there is a sense that when you and Timmy ride off into the sunset, what happens here next? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Are you trying to push me out the door? Q. No. You still have a lot of basketball to play. COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I don't feel tired. I mean, I'm tired today, but I mean in general. I'd like to continue to coach. Q. Beyond this year? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Sure. I didn't think I was going to have to answer those kind of questions today. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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