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Interesting Article

Stoked

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2018 Award Winner
https://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10955188/gregg-popovich-tim-duncan-stories

Now it is on Duncan and the Spurs but about 1/5 of the way down it gets into Utah a little bit. Says that back then the Spurs looked to Utah as a blueprint on how a small market can tie coach and superstar together as the Jazz had with Sloan, Malone and Stockton. That before they became "The Spurs" they wanted to be the Jazz. Funny how that has reversed and now I look at the Spurs as a model on to take the next step.

Discuss
 
Popovich is a genius tactician, their organization structure and culture is so unique, the combination of Parker-Ginobili-Duncan happens may be once in 20 years. The most matter thing for me is what will happen to Spurs after 2 years? Parker free agent, Duncan, Manu off the table.

I really wonder their strategy after all success. It must be same strategy they did for getting Duncan next to Robinson. Then they will behave like 2014 jazz and look like eachother again.
 
Well a team's strategy works out better with luck. SA is a great organization and they might have copied Utah but they certainly improved on the Jazz product. 4 championship's to zero.

However, Luck had a lot to do with it. SA was bad the year Duncan was being drafted and they won a coin toss with Boston. Parker was still available at 29, Jazz and others passed on him. SA won the coin toss with Utah which led them to being able to pick Gino before Utah could. The fact that Gino and Parker became the stars is pretty lucky too. I can't think of any recent team have two starts at the bottom of the first and second rounds.

Jazz were lucky too. Malone dropped to 13th and Stockton was way better than anyone could imagine. He was the sixteenth pick.
 
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