POPOVICH ADDS TITLE; CAN SPURS? : COACHING CHANGE WON'T NECESSARILY FIX SAN ANTONIO'S WOES.Byline: Marc Stein Marc Stein is a sports reporter. He began writing for ESPN.com in 2000 and signed on full-time in 2002 to serve as the site's senior National Basketball Association writer. Even with David Robinson David Robinson or Dave Robinson is a name shared by the following individuals:
The firing of Bob Hill - mostly the timing of it - was met with widespread disdain around the league, which speaks volumes since Hill wasn't exactly the most popular coach in basketball. Some peers, in fact, plainly dislike him, but even those folks were put off by the dismissal, which came on the very day Robinson was activated from the injured list after Hill endured more than a month with fewer than 10 healthy bodies. What people underestimated was the sour state of Hill's relationship with Spurs vice president Gregg Popovich Gregg Popovich (Popović/Поповић in Serbian), (born January 28, 1949 in East Chicago, Indiana) is the head coach of the National Basketball Association's San Antonio Spurs. , who named himself as the replacement but has reportedly been after good friend Don Nelson for more than a year. ``What rumors or speculation there is has been created by you guys in the media,'' Popovich said of Nelson. ``I don't feel the need to address unfounded rumors. It's an old and boring rumor that keeps getting passed around.'' There are new whispers about the Spurs as well, with Indiana's Larry Brown Larry Brown may refer to:
Brown probably won't be any happier about that link than he is when he hears his name associated with UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX , but both Brown and Nelson employed Popovich as an assistant, which represents Popovich's only NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= coaching experience. Popovich hasn't been a head coach since the mid-1980s at mighty Pomona-Pitzer College in Claremont. ``Nellie and I are friends, very good friends,'' Popovich said. ``I don't think because he's a coach and I'm a general manager that we have to discontinue our relationship. It's logical speculation, but it's inaccurate. ``I was out there for the Maui Classic and saw him. He's loving what he's doing and has no plans to return to coaching. He's pretty damn happy.'' And too smart, we hope, to leave a life of golf and general merriment in Hawaii to try to fix the Spurs, who were saddled with the league's worst record entering the weekend after Thursday's loss to the Clippers and Vancouver's surprise win Friday over Vancouver. In addition to Robinson, Charles Robinson, Charles, 1818–94, American politician, first governor of the state of Kansas (1861–63), b. Hardwick, Mass. He studied medicine and in 1849 he joined the gold rush to California, where the next year he was elected to the California legislature; Smith, Vinny Del Negro Vincent "Vinny" Joseph Del Negro (born August 9 1966 in Springfield, Massachusetts) is a retired American basketball player who is now the assistant general manager of the National Basketball Association's Phoenix Suns. and Chuck Person Chuck Connors Person (born June 27, 1964 in Brantley, Alabama) is an American former professional player in the National Basketball Association. Selected fourth in the 1986 NBA Draft out of Auburn University by the Indiana Pacers, the small forward won the Rookie of the Year have all missed significant time with injuries, allowing the opposition to clamp down on All-Star forward Sean Elliott Sean Michael Elliott (born February 2, 1968 in Tucson, Arizona) is a retired American National Basketball Association player. Elliott played high school basketball at Cholla High School in Tucson, Arizona and played college basketball at the University of Arizona, under the . Dominique Wilkins, at 36, has been San Antonio's best player, mainly because there hasn't been anyone else to shoot the ball. ``It hasn't been fun for anybody,'' Elliott said. ``It's been a lot of work. All work and no play All Work & No Play is the demo CD released by the Christian rock band Relient K in 1998. It caught the attention of dcTalk's Toby McKeehan, who subsequently signed them to Gotee Records. Only a limited number were ever produced. . We're just trying to get some of the love back we used to have. We haven't covered for each other on offense or defense. We've been nipping nip·ping adj. 1. Sharp and biting, as the cold. 2. Bitingly sarcastic. nip  ping·ly adv.Adj. at each other a little bit. ``We haven't had the same chemistry. That's what got us over the hump against teams that were more talented. We always played well together. From a team standpoint, nothing has been like this. It's tough going to work every day. Sometimes we would have nine (healthy) players but three weren't ready to play. I'm talking I'm Talking was a 1980s Australian funk-pop rock band, noted for launching vocalist Kate Ceberano. History After the break-up of the Melbourne-based experimental funk band Essendon Airport in 1983, members Robert Goodge (guitar), Ian Cox (saxophone) and Barbara Hogarth about mentally prepared.'' For now, at least, the responsibility for getting the Spurs ready falls to Popovich. And it says here he won't be as successful as Hill, whose two full years ended in playoff disappointment but did include 121 regular-season victories. Riley's revenge: The only team in the league that failed to place the NBA's 50th anniversary logo on the cover of its media guide is Miami - the same team that saw Juwan Howard Juwan Antonio Howard (born February 7, 1973 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American professional basketball player in the NBA for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is a former All-Star and All-NBA power forward and was a member of the University of Michigan Wolverines' "Fab Five" (along taken away by the league and returned to Washington over the summer. Heat coach and president Pat Riley For the American guitarist, see . Patrick James "Pat" Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American National Basketball Association head coach and team president of the Miami Heat. insists ``there was no conscious effort on our part'' to leave it off. Riley said the Heat never received a memo stipulating the logo's inclusion; the memo did go out in July, right around the time the Heat's contract with Howard was voided void·ed adj. Heraldry Having the central area cut out or left vacant, leaving an outline or narrow border: a voided lozenge. . A coincidence? Rod Thorn, the NBA's vice president of basketball operations, accepted Riley's explanation that the omission was an oversight. But even if it wasn't, the Heat's real revenge can be seen in the standings, where it sits atop the Atlantic Division while the struggling Howard and his Bullets continue to underachieve. ``People can say what they want to say about me feeling the pressure about the contract,'' Howard said of his $105 million deal. ``I don't feel that at all.'' Gill's revenge: Before Wednesday's grudge match with George Karl, New Jersey's Kendall Gill revealed that his five-game medical leave in 1995 was not because of clinical depression, as the Sonics announced. Gill explained that his hatred for Karl had become so powerful, he had to step away from the game to make sure he didn't physically assault his coach. ``The only thing I want to hear from George Karl is whether he wants to arrange a charity boxing match with me,'' Gill said. ``Just me and him. I'm sure it would be my charity that would benefit. I wouldn't mind running into him in a dark alley somewhere. Then we'll see how much smack he's going to talk. He tried to wreck my reputation. I was so happy to get away from George Karl, I would have played in Baghdad.'' In reaching last year's NBA Finals, Karl credited Hersey Hawkins - Gill's replacement - for being the difference chemistry-wise. That only further infuriated in·fu·ri·ate tr.v. in·fu·ri·at·ed, in·fu·ri·at·ing, in·fu·ri·ates To make furious; enrage. adj. Archaic Furious. Gill, who channeled the anger into a 24-point performance Wednesday that led the Nets to a 110-101 upset of the Sonics. Karl took the high road, declining Gill's boxing challenge. Gill responded by saying Seattle can't win a championship if Karl's there. ``Not with that black cat still in the league,'' Gill said. ``If you get to the Finals, that's fine, but he's still just like me - he ain't got a ring.'' The real 411: For those who like to keep track of local athletes, ex-Antelope Valley College star J.R. Rider has already been suspended twice and arrested once in Portland, where he was supposed to remake his image. But what's more amazing is the Blazers' tolerance for Rider's behavior. Before re-instating Rider for Friday's game against the Lakers, coach P.J. Carlesimo indicated that club isn't overly concerned, saying Rider's problem is really just time management. In fact, team insiders report that the Blazers will be satisfied as long as Rider makes it into 75-78 games, even if they have to give him a couple more one-game suspensions. What a country. . . . Perhaps you've noticed the wristband wristband An identifying bracelet attached to a Pt's wrist at the time of admission to a health care facility, which may be the only identifier used during a person's stay in a hospital with the `DS' inscription worn by Danny Manning and others around the league. No, it's not a tribute to Clippers owner Donald T. Sterling, it's in honor of ex-Clippers guard Derek Smith, who died of respiratory failure Respiratory Failure Definition Respiratory failure is nearly any condition that affects breathing function or the lungs themselves and can result in failure of the lungs to function properly. at the age of 34 after taking motion-sickness medication on a cruise ship. Ron Grinker, agent for Manning and Smith, came up with the wristband idea and has asked his clients to wear them. . . . The Mavericks took a nasty shot at the recent Billboard Music Awards, when sultry pop singer Toni Braxton - said to be a major factor in the rift between Jason Kidd and Jim Jackson - slowly took off her wrap skirt while singing her hit song ``Unbreak My Heart.'' Braxton finished the number wearing nothing but a black sheer jump suit, prompting host Chris Rock to observe: ``Whew whew interj. Used to express strong emotion, such as relief or amazement. whew interj an exclamation of relief, surprise, disbelief, or weariness . Look at sexy Toni. Now I see why the Dallas Mavericks are going to lose 50 games this year.'' . . . Ex-UCLA center George Zidek, who would seem to have a natural mentor in Charlotte playing behind fellow foreigner Vlade Divac, wants out. The Hornets, though, have backed off talks with Vancouver about a possibly deal for Greg Anthony, who has since gotten hurt. Orlando also has interest in Zidek, since Charlotte has seemingly no use for the second-year center. ``If he'll start rebounding better, he'll get playing time,'' said Hornets VP Bob Bass. ``He's a very good offensive player, he can really score. But he can't hold his own on the boards yet, and that's why he's not in there.'' . . . TECHNICAL FOUL Yinka Dare, New Jersey Now in his third season, Dare is waiting for his first NBA assist. Yet he feels mistreated by the Nets, whose new coach, John Calipari, has this funny rule about not playing guys who can't pass. Dare has hinted at demanding a trade, forgetting that he has zero assists and zero leverage. PLAYER WATCH Terry Mills, Detroit Mills and coach Doug Collins hated each other so much last season that they nearly came to blows at a practice. Now Mills, who recently tied the NBA record with 13 consecutive 3-pointers, is gunning for the league's Sixth Man Award. ``I kind of understand what he wants now,'' Mills said of Collins. ``And, you know, when you're winning you will buy into anything.'' SAY WHAT? ``I'll get about 15 of my buddies, fly to Puerto Rico and go sitting on a beach with white sand, drinking some sangria san·gri·a n. A cold drink made of red or white wine mixed with brandy, sugar, fruit juice, and soda water. Also called sangaree. [Probably from Spanish sangría, and listening to Spanish women call me `Jesus.' That ain't all bad, you know.'' All-Interview Team forward Jayson Williams of New Jersey, revealing his plans for All-Star Weekend if he isn't picked for the East squad. TOP 10 & NO. 29 1. Chicago 2. Houston 3. Utah 4. Miami 5. Lakers 6. Detroit 7. Seattle 8. New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of 9. Cleveland 10. Charlotte 29. San Antonio L.A. AT PLAY LAKERS Tuesday - at Chicago, 5 p.m. Wednesday - at Milwaukee, 4:30 p.m. Saturday - at Minnesota, 4:30 p.m. Will take two out of three. CLIPPERS Monday - vs. Phoenix (at Anaheim), 7:30 p.m. Thursday - vs. Washington, 7:30 p.m. Friday - at Seattle, 7 p.m. Will be lucky to take two out of three. CAPTION(S): Photo, Box Photo: Spurs center David Robinson has returned to a team that has injury problems and a new coach - general manager Greg Popovich. Associated Press Box: TECHNICAL FOUL (see text) |
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