The San Antonio Spurs ended their playoff run in Orlando looking to answer the question: What to do next? The Spurs badly need to rebuild to wage a more effective run for the title next season and one NBA executive has proposed a major change - get rid of Gregg Popovich.
Now firing Pop seemed attractive for a team wanting to regain relevance in the league that it dominated in the last 22 years. After all, Popovich is past 70 years of age and as the organization seeks some form of an overhaul, it should be wise to shake the roster from the top. The Spurs can use a new coach indeed.
However, replacing Popovich is a tall order for the new head coach. Pop is an NBA legend and as noted by CNBC, he is No. 3 in the league in terms of collecting the greatest number of wins. He also presided over the Spurs' 22 playoff appearances and five NBA titles, and that is a record that is not easy to replicate.
Furthermore, Pop is beloved and respected not only by the San Antonio community but also by the league in general. And to be sure, the one replacing will be wearing a big shoe to fill.
Already, the suggestion was laughed off by Andy Dolich, who served as president of the Memphis Grizzlies. Rather than showing the door on Popovich, Dolich urged San Antonio to implement a deep review of the Spurs business and pinpoint what areas need some serious tweaks.
The thorough checks and the necessary changes to be applied should lead to the Spurs doing better business in the seasons to come. Dolich said.
If that happens then it's the only time for the team to start on proving its reputation as the most successful franchise in NBA history.
In such a case that the adjustments to be made must see the firing of Popovich, the old man will not exactly call it a day. He can certainly restart his coaching career elsewhere and offers are likely to pop up, according to Fadeaway World.
"If the Spurs let Popovich go, he's going to have dozens of NBA teams lining up to make him an offer," said the report.
One solid possibility for Pop is the Brooklyn Nets as the team is said to be interested in signing up a high-profile coach and on that, the name Popovich surely fits the bill. Reports said, the superstar Nets duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving want a big name to guide them next season and there is no bigger name in the market than that of Popovich.
Yet realistically speaking, will Pop want to take a new coaching job again after decades of proving he is among the elites up there? The answer will only come if the Spurs will take heed on the suggestion floated by the unidentified NBA executive.
