Gregg Popovich: 'Tim Duncan doesn't know a lick about coaching'
Tim Duncan signed up to be an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, not to be taking shots from head coach Gregg Popovich or former teammate Steve Kerr before he even begins his new job.
Poor Timmy.
Popovich already took a shot at Duncan when he hired him in July. On Monday, he questioned his rookie assistant’s basketball knowledge:
Pop on new Spurs assistant coach Tim Duncan: “Tim Duncan doesn’t know a lick about coaching. I don’t even know why I hired him.”
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 5, 2019
Wow. Nineteen years, five championships, and three Finals MVPs — and this is the treatment that this legend gets? Popovich is cold.
That wasn’t all of the sarcasm lobbed Duncan’s way on Monday. Steve Kerr, the Golden State Warriors head coach who was Duncan’s teammate as a player on the Spurs, had this to add on:
"[Duncan] has already told everyone on the staff he's the only one who's not fireable on the staff, and he's right. ... He probably won't even do anything."
Steve Kerr says Spurs assistant Tim Duncan is untouchable 🤣 pic.twitter.com/bI1aMjlhhJ— ESPN (@espn) August 5, 2019
Cannot wait for Duncan’s response to this tag-team takedown — which, if he hasn’t changed from his playing days, may just be a long, threatening stare down.
Joking aside, Duncan will likely be a great fit as an assistant with the Spurs. He understands Popovich’s system, knows what it takes to win and has the fundamentals of playing the big man position down. It will be interesting to see if this position eventually leads to a head coaching job for the Spurs legend.
But first, Duncan will have to strap in for a season’s worth of jabs from his boss. He better have some comebacks ready.
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