Gregg Popovich isn't what you'd call a "people person." But we already knew that.
The Spurs are possibly one of the most boring successful franchises to watch. They don't have the flash of the L.A. Clippers. They don't have the big name stars like LeBron James or Kobe Bryant. San Antonio has the famously stoic Tim Duncan, a guard with a ridiculously bad music catalog (Tony Parker) and the skillful, but not really compelling Manu Ginobli.
The team doesn't rely on those big-time Sportscenter plays but rather straight fundamentals and precision. Not the most exciting thing in the world to watch, but it wins games and has been for over a decade.
And then there's Popovich, the straight-faced 63-year-old who just never seems to be satisfied with life in general. When Charles Barkley was doing a sideline interview with Popovich, the head coach bluntly told him the question limit was two when Barkley was about to ask his third. In an earlier sideline interview, Popovich admonished reporter David Aldridge for using the term "happy."
So in short, Popovich and the Spurs aren't really a revenue generating team, but Commissioner David Stern already knew that. This makes his fine against the Spurs all the more childish.
Stern was furious when Coach Pop decided to send Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli home to rest instead of starting them for the nationally televised game against the Heat. In fact, he was so mad that he decided to issue a statement the same night as the game.
"This was an unacceptable decision by the San Antonio Spurs and substantial sanctions will be forthcoming," Stern said.
Well, it sucks we couldn't see the 36-year-old Tim Duncan play, but I don't know about unacceptable. When you have an aging lineup that's finishing a six-game road stretch (with five games in seven days), you have to figure out who'd really be hurt by just one night of rest. Fans are going to be disappointed, but that's a fleeting feeling with today's fast-paced league.
Even if the decision did inspire some absurd month-long stretch of vitriol, would Popovich really care? I'm guessing the long-term reasoning behind the choice was so the stars would be better able to assist the teams come clutch time in the latter part of the season and playoffs. We all know stars shine brighter in the playoffs where a majority of "basketball fans" (a lot them aren't around during the regular season) are watching.
It's selfish, but it's smart thinking. Totally acceptable.
The "substantial sanctions" epitomizes Stern as sort of this all-business totalitarian. Popovich's decision is unacceptable in Stern's eyes because the commissioner is a showman. Never mind the team's goals - if the audience doesn't have a good show, that's not good business. Stern just can't have that in today's mainstream NBA league and, of course, Popovich had to be made an example of.
The irony of it is the Heat-Spurs matchup did actually turn out to be a good game - Miami ended up winning 105-100.
I do find it a bit humorous thinking maybe Stern's hefty fine may be a bit of a scheme. It draws eyes to the dull Spurs organization, and that may very well slightly increase viewership for San Antonio games. The commissioner will take the public heat, but he still wins at the end of the day.
Either way, Popovich is gonna be Popovich.
Email: brian.josephs@ubspectrum.com
