With Eyes Severe and Beard of Formal Cut: Pop’s 08-09 Performance Review

by Graydon Gordian

Accurately assessing the job Gregg Popovich did during the 2008-2009 season is a difficult task. At points, his coaching looked nothing short of masterful: He made an injury-riddled team into a force to be reckoned with. He took draftees and newly acquired players and helped them become instantaneous contributors. He perfectly managed late-game situations, turning the Spurs into arguably the NBA’s “clutchest” team. As the team steadily returned to full health, he crafted it into the contender we’ve come to know and love.

But when injury again reared its ugly head, he struggled to keep the ship afloat. The rotation began to fluctuate wildly. Early season contributors became unreliable when on the floor, if they saw the floor at all. Our defense, which had gelled in the lead up to All-Star break, became infected by the uncharacteristic porousness that would haunt us up until the final game of our prompt first round exit.

At times a tour de force, at others a catastrophe, their is much to praise, much to lament but, most of all, much to be learned from the leadership Coach Popovich provided. Over the course of this week I’ll attempt to identify the broader narratives and key moments that defined Pop’s efforts this season.

Before the First Tip-Off

For Coach Pop, the 2008 offseason provided as many questions as answers. Ginobili had reinjured his ankle during the Olympic semi-final game. Having made verbal commitments to both Nic Batum and George Hill, draft night was expected to be a mere formality. But after the evening took an unexpected turn, Pop headed back to San Antonio without the young, lenghty wing he had expected to acquire.

Summer League complicated things further: Hill showed signs of the defensive abilities that had moved him so far up the Spurs’ draft board but he shot a shockingly poor 2 for 25 from the field during his 3 outings in Las Vegas. If the Spurs were going to find a solution for the woeful offensive droughts that had plagued them during their 07-08 campaign, IUPUI’s mystery man did not look to be it.

The only substantial move made by the front office was the acquisition of Roger Mason. Mason’s was well known for his pure shot and, according to rumor, had the vision and IQ to be a potential back-up point. In short, Pop and Buford felt they had found a younger, less comical version of the recently departed Brent Barry.

To Live and Die in LA

After a torturous 5 game exit against the Lakers the previous May, all eyes in San Antonio were fixed firmly on Los Angeles. Although the series was arguably closer than it appeared, concerns had surfaced on both ends of the court.

After getting torched by Kobe Bryant during the Western Conference Finals, several members of the media questioned whether Bruce Bowen could continue to produce the virtuosic defensive performances that were so critical to our ’03, ’05, and ’07 championships. But Pop remained firmly committed to the idea that if we were going to field an elite defensive unit, Bowen would be a key piece of the puzzle.

The more pressing questions lied on the offensive end of the floor. As the season wore on, the team struggled to consistently produce points. There were far too many quarters (in particular the third) in which the points scored column began with the number 1. Two-legged stools do not stand.

The road to a fifth title would take us through the Staples Center whether we liked it or not. If we were going to topple a team loaded with so much talent, Pop needed to figure out how to squeeze a few more points out of a group that possessed only three players who can create their own shot (one of which would be absent until a quarter of the way through the season).

Check back tomorrow as we discuss our early season skid, Parker’s injury, and the emergence of Roger Mason and George Hill.