In the midst of yet another confined-to-the-hotel road trip during the pandemic, Gregg Popovich expressed gratitude that this Spurs team is a tight-knit bunch.
“Can you imagine if you are in all these hotels and you didn’t like the people you were around?” the coach said before Friday night’s game at Boston, the fourth and final outing of a week-long road trip. “You’d have all kinds of personnel problems. It would be just devastating. So that’s far from what we have had to deal with — no problems.”
Popovich said it’s helped that the chemistry between the team’s few thirtysomething veterans and all the youngsters on the roster is good. With an average age of 25.5, this is the youngest team Popovich has guided since he became coach in 1996.
“It’s fortunate, they all have great senses of humor, so we are able to dig them, and they dig us back,” Popovich said. “We try to make light of some situations that are obviously difficult, but together, we get through them. It’s been a joy to be around.”
Popovich also praised the leadership provided by the team’s oldest current player. The 34-year-old Rudy Gay on Friday became the 11th active NBA player and the 138th in league history to play in 1,000 games, including 247 with the Spurs spread over four seasons.
“He’s been a great teammate, somebody who understands what he can do, knows what it takes to be a professional,” Popovich said. “And he’s communicated that, been a good mentor for a lot of our young kids. He and (31-year-old) DeMar (DeRozan) both have taken on that role. Because we have so many young guys, I guess, they have stepped up, and they coach them as much as we do.”
And the youngsters are willing to listen, which makes his job fun, said the 72-year-old Popovich, who owns five championship rings.
“We have had some tough losses, and you feel badly because some of the mistakes are just almost inescapable because of the youth, but the effort is always there,” he said. “These young guys are open to coaching. They understand they have a lot to learn. Obviously, it’s a different challenge than winning championships, but the same things win or lose. Whether you are at the .500 level or whether you are at a championship level, you still have to teach the right things to get to the next level.
“The basketball doesn’t really change, and if you have people that are willing, that just makes everything enjoyable.”
Hammon interview part of NBC special
Spurs fans earlier this week received a teaser of Becky Hammon’s upcoming NBC interview, but the preview just solidified what many already knew: She’s ready to be an NBA head coach.
On Saturday, NBC will launch “Inspiring America: The 2021 Inspiration List,” a prime-time special highlighting personalities who lifted their communities during the pandemic. The series is leading off with the Spurs assistant coach.
In a preview shared by the network Thursday, NBC journalist Hoda Kotb chatted with Hammon about the groundbreaking moment she took over as head coach after Popovich was tossed from a late December game against the Lakers. In the preview, Hammon and Kotb chatted about her thoughts on taking on a permanent position as head coach.
“I mean, this ball is never moving fast enough, in my opinion,” Hammon said. “People don’t like doing something new and different. It’s uncomfortable. It takes massive amount of risk. Somebody’s going to have to take a chance.”
Boston coach Brad Stevens called Hammon a “terrific candidate” to become a head coach in the NBA.
“I don’t know her well, but I know what people think about her, and I know how well she is respected all across the league by the players and the coaches,” Stevens said. “I would hope that time is coming very soon.”
Hammon, 44, has been a part of Popovich’s coaching staff for six years. The sports world often speculates when an opportunity will come knocking for Hammon to break barriers again and become an NBA head coach.
“Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres and Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot will be featured alongside Hammon on the series.
The special premieres at 7.p.m. Saturday on NBC. The network plans to eventually host the series as a live, in-person event.
The Spurs ended up falling short to the defending champions 121-107 on Dec. 31 at the AT&T Center, but the moment Hammon replaced Popovich, who was ejected, remains a historic achievement as she became the first woman to lead an NBA team.
But the milestone wasn’t at the forefront of her mind as she stepped up to make history that game, Hammon told Kotb after the broadcaster asked if she realized the importance of the trailblazing moment.
“No,” Hammon said. “What dawned on me is: I want to beat the Lakers; I want to beat them really bad. I guess it’s amazing because you’re going about your work and then you have these moments where it’s like, this is happening.”
torsborn@express-news.net
mmendoza@mysa.com
