Often times coaches will stay upbeat, positive and, at times, even delusional when it comes to high team expectations. Gregg Popovich is at the point in his career where he’s not inclined to pretend like his team is a contender.
When talking to media members Monday ahead of the 2022–23 season, Popovich gave his blunt assessment of the Spurs.
“I probably shouldn’t say this,” Popovich said. “But I’ll say it anyway what the hell. Nobody here should go to Vegas with the thought of betting on us to win the championship. And I know somebody’ll say, ‘Gosh, what a Debbie downer. There’s a chance. What if they work really hard?’ It’s probably not gonna happen.”
“But that’s not the point,” he continued. “Very honestly, I could care less. You all know what I care about. So, I won’t bore you to death. But the point is to develop this group and give them the best possible opportunity to have long NBA careers and enjoy the hell out of it.”
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The Spurs finished with the No. 10 seed last year and missed the postseason with a 34–48 record. What’s worse, San Antonio traded its best player, Dejounte Murray, to the Hawks during the offseason. Being a five-time NBA champion, Popovich appears done with being overly optimistic.
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