Duncan returns to Spurs bench — as coach
The Spurs made a major splash Monday afternoon with a simple fiveparagraph news release headlined, “Spurs Announce Assistant Coach Updates.”
As expected, the club announced that assistant coach Will Hardy was promoted from a spot behind the bench to one on the front row.
But that fairly mundane move was overshadowed by this shocker: Tim Duncan, the franchise’s greatest player, is returning to the team as an assistant coach.
“It is only fitting, that after I served loyally for 19 years as Tim Duncan’s assistant, that he returns the favor,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
The release began with a sentence that placed Hardy’s name before Duncan’s in stating the two would be “added to Gregg Popovich’s bench” as assistant coaches.
“I wasn’t expecting it, but I think it’s awesome, absolutely incredible,” said former Spurs star
turned-TV analyst Sean Elliott, who also joked that the addition of Duncan, 43, “officially gives the club the oldest coaching staff in the league.”
The greatest power forward in NBA history retired in summer 2016 after leading the Spurs to five NBA titles. Since calling it a career, Duncan has been a frequent visitor at the Spurs practice facility, where he’s worked out with the players both during and after practices.
When not at the gym, he has spent his days with his family, including his three children and girlfriend Vanessa Macias. He also hangs out at BlackJack Speed Shop, the car and truck customization business he co-owns near the Spurs practice facility, and has worked without fanfare for various charitable endeavors.
Duncan was not available for comment, but those close to him were pleased to see his return.
“This caught me off guard because he always said, ‘I could never coach these guys (NBA players of today)’ and he loves his life in retirement,” a source close to Duncan said. “But he’s a gym rat and he misses the camaraderie and he likes being around Pop. I have to believe this is his decision. I can’t believe someone would talk him into it.”
Elliott said Duncan was “kind of underselling himself” by questioning whether he could coach today’s players.
With a flawless low-post game that included a deadly bank shot, a defensive skill set highlighted by impeccable timing as a shot blocker, and leadership skills that made him one of the best teammates in league history, Duncan earned 15 All-Star berths, 15 spots on the NBA All-Defensive team, three Finals MVP trophies and two league MVP awards.
“He’s Tim Duncan,” Elliott said. “Anybody who comes in and is not willing to learn from him obviously has a deep character flaw. I think a lot of players will be thrilled to come in and work for Timmy.”
That has been the case for Jakob Poeltl, the young center the Spurs acquired last summer in the trade that sent Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to Toronto.
“There’s so many little things that he does that I’m trying to pick up and copy in a game,” Poeltl said of going up against Duncan in practice.
More major news
While the return of Duncan overshadowed just about everything else Monday, the Spurs’ news release also carried major implications for basketball pioneer Becky Hammon, a member of Popovich’s staff since 2014.
Popovich’s staff was left shorthanded after Ettore Messina and Ime Udoka left last month to take jobs with the Philadelphia 76ers and an Italian team, respectively.
With Hardy’s promotion and Duncan’s hiring, Hammon moves up to become Popovich’s No. 1 assistant in yet another groundbreaking move for the former WNBA star. That position was held the past five seasons by Messina.
Should Popovich get ejected next season — and he was tossed twice in a one-week span late last season, with the second heave-ho coming just 63 seconds into the game — Hammon, 42, would become the first female to serve as a head coach in an NBA game.
It’s a challenge she is well equipped to accept, Spurs players have said.
“It’s been exciting (playing) under coach Becky,” NBA veteran Thomas Robinson said during his summer league stint with the Spurs. “Seeing her coach is amazing. She’s breaking barriers in this game.”
At the NBA All-Star Game in February, Green heaped praise on Hammon.
“She always gives great insight,” Green said. “She’s up there with the better coaches I’ve had at adjusting — better than most guys.”