Kidd: Popovich ‘long time’ to be inducted into Hall of Fame

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich should be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.Pop summer. According to Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, this is a prestigious award that Popovich should have received many years ago.

“When you talk about dad, it’s long overdue,” Kidd said. “He should have been there a long time ago, but for some reason NBA coaches are the last ones left.

“College coaches come when they win a national championship. But I think Pop will go down in history as the best coach in the NBA.”

Popovich has more wins than any other NBA coach. He was also the NBA Coach of the Year in 2003, ’12 and ’14, the Western Conference All-Star Game Coach in 2005, ’11, ’13 and ’16. Olympic medal 2020.

To the question about entersDirkSpeaking about the Hall of Fame with former Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki, Popovich said: “If you have to be in the Hall of Fame with Dirk, you are unworthy. He is worthy. I don’t.

“Hall of fame for people like Dirk. Not me.”

Recalling that he had won five NBA titles with the Spurs, Popovich said, “Me?”

When the reporter said that Popovich’s team had won five titles, Popovich said, “That’s a little more accurate. I was there.

“I was there all five. But I didn’t win them.”

Kidd praised the fact that two of Popovich’s star players, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame. And another Popovich player, Tony Parker, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer along with Popovich.

“He set the bar very high,” Kidd said of Popovich. “The plan for success, not only on the court, but also off it.

“And you look at what he did to help Tony get into the Hall of Fame with the likes of Duncan and Ginobili. It was a special time in San Antonio. They had the talent and they had the right coach to succeed.”

Kidd himself was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018. Recalling that holiday weekend, he said, “It all went by quickly. It was surrealPop moment because you have a short video about your career, not just at the NBA level.

“You sort of rewind it thinking about all the main points, helping teammates succeed, winning big games, losing big games and understanding the path. It’s been an incredible weekend and amazing players have come along with me.”

POPOVICH DOES NOT LOOK MAVS: Don’t ask Spurs coach Gregg Popovich if he’s seen the Mavs play since they signed guard Kyrie Irving from Brooklyn on Feb. 6.

A reporter asked Popovich exactly this before the Mavs-Tottenham game on Thursday, and he said: “We have much more important things to do with our group than watching Kairiye or Luka (Doncic) or anyone else. (Some of the Spurs players) are in their second year of college, so we’re working on different things.

“And the last time I checked, there were pick-and-rolls tonight. (Return) to transitional defense is a good idea, socialize a bit, block out. We might as well block. Try not to flip it over and hope we make shots. It’s not that difficult.”

SHORT: Coach Jason Kidd said he plans to use more defenseman Justin Holiday and forward Markieff Morris as his team advances. “I thought those guys had a good practice yesterday,” Kidd said. “We want to look at these guys in different situations with a couple of different players paired up and see what happens in the next 22 games. We might consider launching one of these depending on the match. Kiddforward here. We can use some of these games as match-oriented games, as if they were playoffs. We have a lot of options and we’re going to use them to the fullest.” The Mavs acquired Morris on February 6 in a deal with the Brooklyn Nets that also brought defenseman Kyrie Irving to Dallas. The Mavs signed Holiday on February 15 after he received a buyout deal from the Atlanta Hawks. Morris has yet to play a game with the Mavs. But in his first game for the Mavs, Holiday played 21 minutes against the Spurs on Thursday and scored 15 points and made 5 of 6 shots from three-point territory. . The load management discussion was a big topic during the Salt Lake City All-Star Game celebrations last weekend. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is said to have pioneered the load management system, and it caught on like wildfire. “We all do it,” Popovich said. “This is a long season and everyone is trying to protect their players so that they are healthy before the playoffs. This is different. It wasn’t like that before, but now it is, and that’s the point.” Before Thursday’s game against the Spurs, Kidd shared his thoughts on how the Mavs will play their first game after the All-Star break. “It’s like the last game before the break,” Kidd said. “Your mind might start to wonder if you’re going to Cape or Hawaii or Utah for the All-Star Game and you still have a job to do. Coming back from a break, you can still mentally find yourself in one of these pleasant places. So I think the group had a really good practice yesterday. Their spirit was high.” Center Maxi Kleber (torn right hamstring) and forward Davis Bertans (sprained left calf) both missed Thursday’s game. Kleber hasn’t played since scoring eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks against Oklahoma City on Dec. 12. Davis last played on February 2 against New Orleans when he went 3-of-3 from 3-pointers and scored nine points when he was injured, playing just six minutes. Kidd said: “Maxie had a good day yesterday, let’s see how he feels tomorrow and hopefully he will take part in training.”

Twitter: @DwainPrice

Content Source

Dallas Press News – Latest News:
Dallas Local News || Fort Worth Local News | Texas State News || Crime and Safety News || National news || Business News || Health News

texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

Related Articles

Back to top button