Gregg Popovich: The Player Whisperer
What would happen if Coach Pop got his hands on some of the NBA’s most wayward talents?
By Jordan White
Not two years ago, Boris Diaw was nearly out of the league. He was an overweight underachiever, morphing near-instantaneously from a valuable asset with the Phoenix Suns to an albatross on the Charlotte Bobcats. In 2011-’12, the Bobcats waived Diaw, leaving the once-Most Improved Player looking for a new home.
Enter Gregg Popovich, Patron Saint of Lost Causes. The San Antonio Spurs signed Diaw, and the Frenchman rose from the ashes of relevance to become an integral cog in the Spurs’ venerable system. Of all the stories surrounding these Finals — from Wade’s visible decrepitude, to the legacy of Tim Duncan, to questions surrounding Miami’s future — perhaps the most surprising has been Diaw’s re-emergence.
This begs the question: if Pop was able to work miracles with Diaw, helping him rejuvenate his career by rediscovering his wealth of talents, what other players might the legendary coach save if he was given the opportunity?
JOSH SMITH
If Pop is the Patron Saint of Lost Causes, then Josh Smith is the Patron Saint of Wasted Talent. No player infuriates fans and his coaches more than Smith.
He is a world-class defender — when he wants to be.
He is a terror around the rim, utilizing his unique blend of size, speed and athleticism to beat anyone who dares get in his path — when he wants to.
Unfortunately, what Smith wants to do rarely aligns with what Smith needs to do. For reasons unknown, above all else, he believes himself a shooter, despite all evidence to the contrary. For his career, Smith is just a 28 percent three-point shooter, making his 3.4 three-point attempts per game last year an especially heinous offense. Undeterred by his poor percentages or the crowd’s audible groans, Smith will launch an ill-advised jumper — especially of the long-two variety — anytime he can.
To date, none of Smith’s coaches have been able to convince him to play to his strengths instead of his glaring weakness. But none of those coaches were Coach Pop.
Popovich does not suffer fools, but he does have a method to his madness. The Spurs are the ultimate “process over results” team, so if even one of Smith’s unfortunate jumpers managed to find the bottom of the net, Pop would have no problem benching him immediately.
Ironically, Smith’s gifts would be a perfect fit in the Spurs’ system. He’s a gifted passer, capable of making difficult, precise passes from the corner, the elbow, the post, or the top of the arc. As we’ve seen with Diaw, if you can pass, you can play in Pop’s system.
J.R. SMITH
“OK, J.R., when you get the ball on the wing…”
“Shoot it. Yeah, I got it, Pop.”
“No, J.R., I wasn’t finished. When you get the ball at the wing, Tim will come up and screen your man. Use the screen, and then…”
“Then pull up for three.”
“NO. I want you to dribble into the lane, drawing your defender and the big towards you. When that happens, you’ll hit Manu in the corner. Manu, if the shot is there, take it. If not, swing it the other way until there’s an opening.”
“Um, Pop?”
“‘Coach,’ J.R. From now on, ‘coach’ is how I want you to address me.”
“Mike let me call him ‘Woody.’”
“Do I look like Mike to you.”
“Well, if you grew out your goatee and shaved your head … I mean, maybe?”
“Is there a question in our future, J.R.?”
“Yes. When do I get to shoot the three?”
“You don’t.”
“Wait, what?!”
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J.R. Smith — much like Lance Stephenson — is blessed with boatloads of talent, but is also hopelessly weighed down by his extreme immaturity, both on and off the court. He’s as infamous for pulling up for contested threes as he is for his all-night pre-game benders.
In San Antonio, Smith wouldn’t be living in a desolate wasteland, per se, but the city is bereft of the endless temptations found in the Big Apple.
As for his on-court antics, Pop would surely put an end to those, yanking “Swish” as soon as he stepped out of line. Popovich is fine with the occasional wild pull-up, but only from players like Ginobili whom he trusts implicitly. Smith — with his baggage— would have to work terribly hard to earn even a modicum of that trust.
RAYMOND FELTON
Scene: int. AT&T Center, pre-game. Raymond Felton enters the media dining room, a ravenous predator searching for the perfect prey. He scours the buffets until he finds it: brown as dirt, its perimeter wrapped in plastic, with dots of every color littered on top of its white frosting top. Blinded by delight, Felton bounds to the desert tray. Delicately, he removes the cupcake from the plate. He surveys its every angle, considers its shape and texture. Finally, he brings it to his mouth — slowly, so he can appreciate the anticipation as much as the actual event. His mouth opens wide, ready to consume the delicious morsel in one bite. It is so close, so close, so cl—
Pop: “Raymonnnnnnnnd.”
Felton turns around, only to come face to face with Popovich, whose eyes are a blazing inferno. Contained within those pupils is the end of the world, the end of the universe, the end of all things. Felton drops the cupcake and runs as if his life depends on it, because it does.
ANTHONY RANDOLPH
Nope.
LANCE STEPHENSON
If we’re being fair, Pacers Coach Frank Vogel deserves all the credit in the world for how he’s developed Stephenson. The mercurial guard’s talent was never in question, it was whether he was capable of controlling his emotions and putting his gifts to use in the team concept. For the most part, Stephenson has succeeded in doing both. Still, there are far too many flashes of Bad Lance — from pounding the air out of the ball while ignoring open teammates, to his childish antics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Stephenson is a habitual line-stepper between agitator and nuisance.
Lance’s antics would cease immediately with the Spurs. Popovich, Duncan, Ginobili and Parker would keep Stephenson’s ego in check, or, quite simply, Stephenson would be gone.
It’s not that Pop would neuter Stephenson, either. Stephenson’s on-court aggression is one of his greatest assets, but Pop could help Lance channel that aggression in positive ways — stripping away his bad habits while nurturing good ones. To play for Pop, Stephenson would be required to make the right pass instead of the flashy one, and to play with patience over impulse.
Ironically, Stephenson is the spiritual successor of Stephen Jackson, who reformed his unpredictable ways upon joining the Spurs, and played a key championship role for Popovich. And while Jackson’s most recent stint with the Spurs ended less than amicably, Stephenson is much younger than Jackson, and as such, is much more malleable.
DWYANE WADE
For a moment there, it seemed as if the Dwyane Wade of old was back. Showing few signs of the years of wear and tear that plagued him last year, Wade was great in the first three rounds of the playoffs, particularly in the Eastern Conference Finals. Against the Pacers, he averaged nearly 20 points per game with nearly five assists and two steals, all while sporting a terrific 58 percent True Shooting percentage, according to NBA.com/stats.
Then the Spurs struck midnight on Wade’s Cinderella story, and he reverted to the sluggish, slow-footed player that was a complete liability for Miami.
Wade’s aggressive, driving style of play was never one that lent itself to longevity, and now his slowly deteriorating knees forbid him from executing those lethal crossovers that used to be so fluid and effortless. Coach Spoelstra did fine work in managing Wade’s minutes during the regular season, but it just wasn’t enough.
Wade has the option to opt out of his contract this summer, and while he thinks he deserves a max contract, maybe signing with a team that could extend his career and championship window for a few more years is the right move. What team is well known for preserving the health of its players? And what team has a coach that emphasizes rest for his veterans?
Enter Pop.
Popovich and the Spurs are O.C.D. when it comes to managing minutes. It’s not something they decide a few days in advance, but rather weeks, if not months. It’s as much a part of their strategy as anything they do on the court, and part of why the Spurs have shown the ability to keep players healthy well beyond what should have been their expiration dates.
As for how Pop could use Wade, he probably would deploy him similarly to Ginobili — a sixth man by name alone. Wade could come in and run the offense with the second unit, while also playing a major role with the starters down the stretch. The caveat in all of this is Wade’s dreadful shooting (and now-suspect defense). The three-pointer is a major weapon the Spurs, especially the corner three, but Wade, for his career, is just a 29 percent shooter from long range — something no amount of rest or improved health will ameliorate. Again, though, Pop is a master at minimizing his players’ weaknesses, something he’d surely be able to do with Wade.
Ultimately, every player on this list would have to give up something to play for Popovich’s Spurs — some combination of salary, minutes and/or personal glory, most likely — but as everyone knows, in order to be saved by Pop, one must first sacrifice for him.
@JordanSWhite is a Digital Content Programmer for FOX Sports and a Contributor to the ESPN True Hoop Network at Hardwood Paroxysm.
