Player The Superlative Strategic Scheme Scape of Sean Sweeney

ginobilized

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I'm thinking Sweeney deserves his own thread after the defensive transformation that is taking place in SA. I can't decide if I'm happier that we have him or that 29 teams don't. Great fit with Mitch and the roster.

Mods: if this is redundant or superfluous thread please forgive and delete
 
The guys themselves talking about how there has been much more film sessions this season and a real emphasis on the defensive side of the ball confirmed what we all knew for awhile, that the game had passed Pop by and he wasn't serious about actually coaching these guys to be better basketball players. Sweeney has been such a breath of fresh air so far. It's nice to see coaches on the sidelines getting fired up or getting after the guys again finally
 
The guys themselves talking about how there has been much more film sessions this season and a real emphasis on the defensive side of the ball confirmed what we all knew for awhile, that the game had passed Pop by and he wasn't serious about actually coaching these guys to be better basketball players. Sweeney has been such a breath of fresh air so far. It's nice to see coaches on the sidelines getting fired up or getting after the guys again finally

These takes, man, no. Pop repeatedly said the players weren't ready for heavier schemes. They were babies and some of the roster weren't ready for it. It's just wrong. Maybe it was time for Pop to retire, sure, but it's nuts to say they weren't coaching these guys up. Vic himself wouldn't be doing what he's doing now without coaching him up.
 
These takes, man, no. Pop repeatedly said the players weren't ready for heavier schemes. They were babies and some of the roster weren't ready for it. It's just wrong. Maybe it was time for Pop to retire, sure, but it's nuts to say they weren't coaching these guys up. Vic himself wouldn't be doing what he's doing now without coaching him up.
Man give me a break. That's bullshit. They routinely played defense like it was 2010 and it had nothing to do with schemes being complicated and everything to do with lack of coaching. Like it's sooo complicated to tell your guys to not over help on drives and leave three points shooters wide open because you have probably the greatest shot blocker ever behind you? The guys being too young doesn't explain why his schemes were ass during the DeRozan era too.

Maybe he should have tried to teach the guys the schemes instead of assuming they were too dumb to understand and showing Africa documentaries instead or whatever. Like I love Pop, I think he is the GOAT coach and appreciate all he did for our franchise but I don't think he is above reproach. It's very obvious that he lost the fire for actual coaching years ago. It's very obvious to anyone who has been paying attention that winning games and instilling good habits was not a priority for him for quite awhile
 
Gotta give Corliss Williamson some credit too. He‘s the guy for rebounding and transition defense and we’re #1 in the league in rebounding if I’m not mistaken.


Pop was definitely completely out of tune. Didn’t even teach guys to box out. Zero accountability. Assistants that were just there to be company for restaurant visits and wine drinking. If he was coaching this team they would be 3-2 at best.
 
These takes, man, no. Pop repeatedly said the players weren't ready for heavier schemes. They were babies and some of the roster weren't ready for it. It's just wrong. Maybe it was time for Pop to retire, sure, but it's nuts to say they weren't coaching these guys up. Vic himself wouldn't be doing what he's doing now without coaching him up.
I won't say Pop wasn't coaching the players but literally every player talking about how big the difference is in coaching and it's all for the better speaks volumes. I had no illusions that a 70 something year old man was no longer fit to be a head coach in the nba and so far I haven't been proven wrong.

With this same roster their is a 0% chance we would have a top 10 offense and defense and be 5-0. I mean how we guard the 3 point line now is 1000% different than what we have been doing for at least the last 4 years.
 
Funneling opposing players to the league's best rim protector is pretty much common sense. Been quite the standard scheme back in the TD era. I guess the difference this year has mostly been about discipline and execution.
 
Man give me a break. That's bullshit. They routinely played defense like it was 2010 and it had nothing to do with schemes being complicated and everything to do with lack of coaching. Like it's sooo complicated to tell your guys to not over help on drives and leave three points shooters wide open because you have probably the greatest shot blocker ever behind you? The guys being too young doesn't explain why his schemes were ass during the DeRozan era too.

Maybe he should have tried to teach the guys the schemes instead of assuming they were too dumb to understand and showing Africa documentaries instead or whatever. Like I love Pop, I think he is the GOAT coach and appreciate all he did for our franchise but I don't think he is above reproach. It's very obvious that he lost the fire for actual coaching years ago. It's very obvious to anyone who has been paying attention that winning games and instilling good habits was not a priority for him for quite awhile
It wasn’t the defense they were talking about being too complicated, it was the offense. Sean asked Pop why they’d didn’t run certain plays, and Pop said the stuff from the Beautiful game was too complicated. That was also in like 2022-2023. It’s not a reach to say we’ve had a massive surge in talent and IQ in just the last 12 months. We’re ready now. We weren’t then.
 
I'm thinking Sweeney deserves his own thread after the defensive transformation that is taking place in SA. I can't decide if I'm happier that we have him or that 29 teams don't. Great fit with Mitch and the roster.

Mods: if this is redundant or superfluous thread please forgive and delete
He's the associate head coach, so I definitely think he should have one. One should have probably been started a while ago really. I think Corliss deserves some props too. He's probably played a big role too.

It wasn’t the defense they were talking about being too complicated, it was the offense. Sean asked Pop why they’d didn’t run certain plays, and Pop said the stuff from the Beautiful game was too complicated. That was also in like 2022-2023. It’s not a reach to say we’ve had a massive surge in talent and IQ in just the last 12 months. We’re ready now. We weren’t then.
Yep, I was about to say this. I think he may have gotten confused as I clearly remember Sean saying that he asked Pop about the offense and Pop said it was too complicated for the players the team had at the time. I don't ever remember anything mentioned about defense being too complicated.
 
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As much as I loved Pop and as much as he deserved to stay as long as he watned, after he broke the record he should have retired. Painfully obvious that the new staff has the drive and passion to improve, establish themselves and do what it takes to win.

I'm not sure Pop had that the last number of years. He could still have stuck around in a consultant role, teaching the younger kids, while letting someone younger and with a greater hunger take the reigns.

That said, things work out they way they do, that happening may not have led to where the Spurs are now, and where the Spurs are is something insanely special potentially
 
As much as I loved Pop and as much as he deserved to stay as long as he watned, after he broke the record he should have retired. Painfully obvious that the new staff has the drive and passion to improve, establish themselves and do what it takes to win.

I'm not sure Pop had that the last number of years. He could still have stuck around in a consultant role, teaching the younger kids, while letting someone younger and with a greater hunger take the reigns.

That said, things work out they way they do, that happening may not have led to where the Spurs are now, and where the Spurs are is something insanely special potentially
You people don’t get it. Pop took the bullet of tanking, took the losses. He wouldn’t put that on anyone else. If he were the self-promoting ass that you think he is, he would have quit earlier, had almost as many wins, and a much better win percentage.
 
Pop was pretty freaking dialed in last time he had a championship level team. I thought he was coaching great in that 2017 season and playoffs up until Kawhi got hurt. I don't know if he lost it because he'd been doing it too long, or simply because he didn't have a Championship level team after Kawhi screwed the Spurs over. I think not having a true contending team after that point played a very big part, and then also Pop's wife's passing was another thing that probably played an even bigger part in him losing that desire to get on players all the time, and he started being a bit more friendly when he had those teams that couldn't make the playoffs. He did pretty well in the Olympics too IMO. I also think that the desire might have come back last season if he were able to have coached. It kind of sucks, and I guess we'll never know as he didn't get the chance to show us/see if he still had it.
 
it would be a big adjustment going from three coachable HOF guys to LLMA and derozo. those guys had their way and what did you expect pop to do? that was also when we were most talent strapped with late round picks and middling talent. even then we had a chance. To this day i think the spursfans don't appreciate this era because the roll of the dice on two losers with all star talent was the better option than tanking. Then LMA's heart failed and it was over and here we are.
 
I expect Fox to benefits from this defense as much as Castle

And Fox was already the steal champion not so long ago
 
You people don’t get it. Pop took the bullet of tanking, took the losses. He wouldn’t put that on anyone else. If he were the self-promoting ass that you think he is, he would have quit earlier, had almost as many wins, and a much better win percentage.

Popovich would have kept coaching into this year if not for the stroke. I have zero doubt about it.

The breath of fresh air of sorts was well past needed, its too bad it took a stroke to make it happen, cause Popovich's ego was never going to allow it to happen.
 
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