Gregg Popovich on a Tim Duncan-less Spurs camp: 'It’s a little bit lonely here'
No player/coach combination in NBA history has lasted together as long as the time San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich spent with the similarly legendary Tim Duncan. Duncan, who retired in July, played under Coach Pop from 1997 through last May, and the pair’s kinship and working relationship was matched only by the championship-laden dynasty the duo had the biggest mitts in creating – five titles from 1999 through 2014.
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Working in his first Duncan-less training camp since Dominique Wilkins was a member of the Spurs, Pop couldn’t help but lament the loss of his good buddy and even greater center/forward, as relayed by Jeff McDonald at the San Antonio Express-News:
“It’s a little bit lonely here at the start,” Popovich said before the Spurs faced Phoenix at Talking Stick Resort Arena. “You don’t coach someone for 20 years, that’s a long, long time.”
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“You” literally don’t, unless you’re Gregg Popovich. Jerry Sloan, with John Stockton and Karl Malone, didn’t come close. Neither did Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan with Scottie Pippen, or Red Auerbach and Bill Russell. Doc Rivers and Brandon Bass may change the record someday, but for now Coach Pop (the longest-tenured pro sports coach in the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB by miles) and Duncan are light years beyond the competition.
This is why it’s no surprise that Popovich might attempt to lure Duncan back into the gym, if only in an unofficial capacity:
“If he wants to scout a little bit or run a drill one day or take a week road trip with us, we’re open to whatever he wants,” Popovich said. “We’re hoping it will infect him a little bit and he’ll want to do more.”
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There has already been a sighting, however blurry and perfectly Tim Duncan-esque, of the future Hall of Famer:
You knew he wouldn't be able to stay away. pic.twitter.com/XwbmIra4FW
— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) September 28, 2016
Still, we’ll miss the big man. Especially as, in light of recent training camp cuts, most of us won’t be allowed within the San Antonio team facility during Spurs practices this season.
Here’s hoping, to paraphrase Coach Pop, that Tim Duncan gets a little infection this fall.
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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
