Carlisle: Pop won’t be stopping soon
INDIANAPOLIS — Pacers coach Rick Carlisle doesn’t see his counterpart with the Spurs retiring anytime soon.
Gregg Popovich is 72 and in his 26th season heading the Spurs, but Carlisle can see him lasting even longer.
“They beat the world champions two nights ago on their homecourt,” Carlisle said of the Spurs’ 102-93 win over the Bucks in Milwaukee. “It sounds to me like things are going pretty well there (in San Antonio). I would never presume to put words in anybody’s mouth, but he’s still having fun.”
Speaking before Monday’s game, Carlisle called Popovich the “greatest of the great” among the league’s skippers. The winner of five NBA crowns, Popovich is the NBA’S all-time winningest coach when combining regular season and playoff victories.
“No disrespect to Red Auerbach, the godfather of great coaching and a guy who drafted me in the third round (for Boston) way back when, Phil Jackson or Pat Riley — those guys are kind of the Mount Rushmore of great coaches,” Carlisle said, “but Pop has done it during a period when the game has constantly changed, and he’s constantly adapted and he’s been both on the adaptive and the inventive side of the game.”
Carlisle said the work Popovich has done incorporating international basketball into the NBA playbook can’t be understated.
“At a time when the league was really struggling to score, he studied European basketball and went to a movement style of game nobody had ever seen before,” Carlisle said. “You see major elements of that today. He was decades ahead of his time.”
Carlisle, who squared off against Popovich for years as coach of the Dallas Mavericks, also noted the influence Popovich has had on the profession.
“He has helped countless coaches, and I am one of them,” Carlisle said.
When Larry Bird stepped down as coach of the Pacers after a Finals appearance in 2000, Bird pushed for Carlisle to be selected as his replacement. But then-pacers team president Donnie Walsh gave the job to Isiah Thomas, leaving Carlisle at a crossroads.
That’s when Popovich stepped in.
“Pop called and asked if I would come down and spend a few days at training camp and give him my insights,” Carlisle said. “He didn’t need me to come down there. He did it because he is a giver. He knew at that time that would be something that would help me.”
Carlisle called Popovich’s work guiding the United States to an Olympic gold medal this summer in Tokyo one of the great coaching jobs in the history of USA basketball.
“That team had all kind of roster upheaval, lost their first game and had the whole world saying, ‘This is never going to work out,’ ” Carlisle said. “And they proceeded to do what they needed to do to survive pool play and get into the medal round. They were sensational and made it much more easier than it was.”
Mcdermott’s return Wednesday doubtful
Popovich said he’s unsure of injured forward Doug Mcdermott’s status for Wednesday’s home game against Dallas.
Mcdermott has missed the last three games with right knee inflammation.
“Fifty-fifty,” Popovich said of Mcdermott’s chances of returning to action against the Mavericks.
Mcdermott, who started the first three games, is averaging 11.5 points per game and shooting 45.5 percent from 3-point range.
Team’s ‘City Edition’ uniforms unveiled
The Spurs unveiled their 2021-22 City Edition uniforms that feature the franchise’s “Fiesta” colors on an all-white jersey.
“I’m a fan of them. I liked it,” guard Derrick White said after shootaround Monday.
The uniforms will debut when the Spurs host the Mavericks on Nov. 12.