An article entitled “Pop’s Unimaginable Longevity” revealed that San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has coached in opposition to 307 completely different NBA coaches throughout his twenty-eight 12 months tenure on the helm.
These of you underneath 30 might not even remember the Spurs ever had one other head coach. Names like Doug Moe, Stan Albeck, and Cotton Fitzsimmons might draw large eyes in lots of conversations.
For the reason that (then) controversial firing of Bob Hill in 1996, Pop has constantly coached the Spurs, give or take an ejection or two. Tonight he faces the Clippers and head coach Tyronn Lue. Lue has been with the franchise as soon as handled because the red-headed stepchild of Los Angeles sports activities since 2020.
Earlier than Lue, Pop confronted Invoice Fitch, Chris Ford, Jim Todd, Alvin Gentry, Dennis Johnson, Mike Dunleavy, Sr., Kim Hughes, Vinnie Del Negro, and Doc Rivers.
Invoice Fitch (1994-1998) had his final NBA head teaching job with the Clippers after spending the Seventies and Eighties teaching the Cavaliers, Celtics, Rockets, and Nets. He changed Bob Weiss (one other acquainted Spurs teaching identify for us elders).
Fitch was adopted by Chris Ford (1999-2000) who had an abysmal 9-41 document within the shortened lockout season. His sophomore effort noticed an 11-34 star, and he was fired after a 31 level loss to the Golden State Warriors on February 1 adopted the following evening by a 46-point drubbing by the hands of the Phoenix Suns.
Ford’s assistant, Jim Todd, completed out the season however fared even worse than Ford with a 4-33 document.
From 2000-2003, Alvin Gentry took the Clippers’ scorching seat. Coincidentally, he assisted with the Spurs from 1988-1990 together with Pop and R. C. Buford underneath Larry Brown. Weeks earlier than taking the job with the Clippers, Gentry had returned to San Antonio as head assistant coach.
Gentry was fired March 2003 after 5 straight losses and Dennis Johnson completed out the season. In 2005, Johnson change into the pinnacle coach of the Austin Toros, the then D-League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs.
Mike Dunleavy, Sr. (2003-2010) additionally performed for the Spurs, however years earlier than Pop even made his first look in San Antonio as an assistant. Dunlevy stayed seven seasons, however merely couldn;t recover from the hump, having just one successful season leading to aelimination type the Western Convention Semifinals. He stepped down on February 4, 2010 leaving assistant coach Kim Hughes to finish the season.
In 2010, former Spurs guard Vinnie Del Negro took the clipboard in Tinsel City. He was enjoying with the Spurs when Pop took over and was with him till 1998. Beneath Del Negro, the crew improved annually. Regardless of having the most effective successful share of any Clippers coach, his contract was not renewed and his success was attributed to the Blake Griffin and Chris Paul.
Del Negro’s former Spurs teammate Doc Rivers took the Clippers reins in 2013 in a profitable seven 12 months run of successful seasons. However Rivers, unable to get the Clips to the NBA Finals regardless of a number of expertise combos of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Lou Williams, and Montrezl Harrell, stepped down after being eradicated from the 2020 Western Convention Semifinals.
Which brings us to Ty Lue. The 2016 Cavaliers coach gained a title with LeBron James which led the Clippers to consider he might deal with huge identify expertise. Lue has not fared in addition to his predecessor, however in equity, he has needed to deal with injury-plagued superstars.
That’s ten completely different coaches over the past twenty-eight seasons.
And in case you hadn’t heard, tonight’s match up has been upgraded to a nationally televised recreation on NBA TV.
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