Popovich Pops Pacers' Bubble

[Gregg Popovich]

Popovich Pops Pacers' Bubble

LAST UPDATE: 4/27/2004 3:27:12 AM

Posted By: Kori Ellis

 

By Kori Ellis

SpursZONE.com

 

 

http://www.woai.com/spurs/story.aspx?conte...52-436C794643D0

 

 

Gregg Popovich had heard enough. Tired of the disrespect that Bruce Bowen got from the media and the respect that was created in a small room somewhere in Indiana, the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs fired back.

 

?Bruce guards the best player on the other team almost every single night,? said Popovich, when talking about how Bowen compares with the winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award, the Indiana Pacers? Ron Artest.

 

?Artest doesn't do that. Artest just looks the part. He looks like a big, tough guy. He whacks and gets knocked out of the game once in a while.?

 

To understand the bitterness that Popovich feels on the subject, you have to understand the background. Although Bowen was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team by the league?s coaches, Popovich thought it was an amateurish move by the Pacers? organization and specifically head coach Rick Carlisle to openly campaign for Artest as the Defensive Player of the Year. Carlisle admittedly called every eligible media member with a vote to bestow the virtues of his defensive ace.

 

To add fuel to the fire, Popovich was further incensed that the Pacers? campaign included stats that were devised by two unnamed assistant coaches who apparently chronicled all of Artest?s 8,000 defensive possessions of the season. The resulting stats, which Carlisle cited to the members of the media that he contacted, showed that Artest allows only 9.4 shots and 8.1 points per game.

 

?What a bunch of baloney,? said Popovich. ?Totally unsubstantiated stats put out by Indiana. The media bought it and then the NBA printed those stats. I am amazed by that.?

 

Popovich is probably the last coach in the league that would call around to chat with media members to try and win votes. To go along with his icy relationship with the media, Popovich just isn?t one to dwell on individual accolades. He?d rather his players? game do the talking.

 

?We'll never do that,? Popovich commented. ?It's not our style. It makes no sense. And we'll certainly not throw out stats that are totally unsubstantiated. There?s no way to substantiate them. It?s like grabbing four guys off the street and putting them in a film room and saying to come up with some stats on this guy. It?s just a joke and it really angered me when I saw that the NBA actually printed those stats when they announced the media's choice of Defensive Player of the Year as if they were real stats. There is no such stat.?

 

This isn?t the first time that Rick Carlisle campaigned for awards to be given to the players that he coached. In his two year stint as the head coach of the Detroit Pistons, his crusades landed two Defensive Player of the Year awards for Ben Wallace, a Sixth Man of the Year award for Corliss Williamson, an Executive of the Year award for Joe Dumars and a Coach of the Year honor for himself. This season, he called voters to lobby for Al Harrington as Sixth Man of the Year, Jermaine O?Neal as the league?s Most Valuable Player and Artest.

 

?As a perimeter defender, I rank Ron Artest up there with (Michael) Jordan and (Scottie) Pippen and Gary Payton,? said Carlisle. ?Kobe Bryant has been at that level and is one of the great perimeter defenders. I think (Artest) is among the very best to have played the game.?

 

But when Popovich and his staff looked at some tapes, they witnessed some conflicting footage.

 

?We went through a film the other day when they played the Lakers,? said Popovich. ?He guarded Kobe Bryant for six minutes and Reggie Miller guarded him the rest of the time. That?s not the Defensive Player of the Year to me but people don't look at it that way.?

 

Bowen, when asked, was mum on the topic.

 

"I have no comment about that," Bowen told the Express-News. "I guess I have to just keep grinding it out."

 

On the court, the Spurs and the Pacers both breezed past the first round in sweeping fashion. The Spurs disposed of the Grizzlies by an average of 14.0 points, while the Pacers trashed the Celtics by an average of 16.8 points per contest.

 

If both teams keep dominating their conference on their way to the Admin O?Brien Trophy, it would make a rather interesting Finals. The subplots would be endless. From Jermaine O?Neal?s offseason flirtation with the Spurs, to assistant coach Mike Brown leaving San Antonio for Indiana. From the team that campaigns for individual awards, to the team that is trying to win back-to-back championships.

 

The headlines, however, are already being printed somewhere in David Stern?s laboratory in preparation for this series -- thanks to Popovich and his thoughts on Artest.

 

?(Artest) just looks tough. Bruce has those skinny, little legs and he just looks like a little kid out there running around. But the coaches know.

 

?The best thing about it is I didn't have to make up any bogus stats about him.?

 

For the time being, Popovich can find comfort in an All-NBA Defensive First Team award and a lower phone bill.

[Izzie]

wow, Carlisle needs to get a life

[Rebirth]

Carlisle can campaigned all he wants but J. O' Neal will not be MVP. I rather win the championship then some award that you can win with any team in the league.

 

?As a perimeter defender, I rank Ron Artest up there with (Michael) Jordan and (Scottie) Pippen and Gary Payton,? said Carlisle. ?Kobe Bryant has been at that level and is one of the great perimeter defenders. I think (Artest) is among the very best to have played the game.?

 

Atleast he mentioned Jordan and Pippen as great defenders.

[Das Texan]

i love that clip.

[Rebirth]

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

 

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana forward Ron Artest challenged Bruce Bowen to a game of one-on-one for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award Tuesday, one day after Spurs coach Gregg Popovich criticized Artest and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.

 

"Tell his coach, 'Let's play one-on-one for the award,"' Artest said after practice. "I'll give it to him if he can beat me."

 

Popovich appeared Monday on a San Antonio radio station and said Bowen was more deserving of the award, which Artest won by a wide margin. Bowen finished fourth in the voting.

 

"Bruce guards the best player on the other team almost every single night," Popovich said. "Artest doesn't do that. Artest just looks the part. He looks like a big, tough guy. He whacks and gets knocked out of the game once in a while."

 

Popovich also criticized Carlisle for openly campaigning for his player. Carlisle called voting members of the media to lobby for his player and had two assistants break down film of Artest to come up with supporting statistics.

 

 

 

Carlisle said the project showed that Artest held opponents to an average of 9.4 shots and 8.1 points a game when he was matched up one-on-one. The NBA used those numbers when announcing Artest the winner.

 

 

 

"What a bunch of baloney," Popovich said. "Totally unsubstantiated stats put out by Indiana. The media bought it and then the NBA printed those stats. I am amazed by that.

 

 

 

"We'll never do that," Popovich said of the campaign. "It's not our style. It makes no sense. And we'll certainly not throw out stats that are totally unsubstantiated. There's no way to substantiate them. It's like grabbing four guys off the street and putting them in a film room and saying to come up with some stats on this guy. It's just a joke and it really angered me when I saw that the NBA actually printed those stats when they announced the media's choice of Defensive Player of the Year as if they were real stats. There is no such stat."

 

 

 

The comments were posted on a San Antonio television station's Web site and didn't take long to find their way to Indiana, where the Pacers are awaiting the outcome of the Miami-New Orleans series after their four-game sweep of the Boston Celtics in the first round.

 

 

 

Artest said he wished Popovich would have spoken to him directly rather than commenting through the media.

 

 

"It's not hard to get in touch with me," Artest said. "All you have to do is call the Pacers office and ask for my phone number. You can speak to me instead of going to the papers. He's taken a lot of positives away from it. Talk to the Pacers and call me. Let me know I didn't deserve it so I don't have to hear it from (the media)."

 

 

Carlisle said he thought Popovich never would have made the remarks had he known they would make their way on to the Internet.

 

"I understand where Pop's coming from," Carlisle said. "He has a strong belief in his player and obviously I have a strong belief in mine."

 

As for his campaigning, Carlisle pointed to the NBA All-Defensive team announced on Monday. Coaches vote for the teams, not the media, and Artest's 26 First-Team votes were more than any other player. Bowen was also named to the First Team, receiving 18 votes.

 

"The one thing I will agree with Pop on is that the coaches' vote is the most important," Carlisle said. "In the coaches' vote, Ron was clearly the highest vote-getter. It really should make any arguments moot on who the best defensive player was."

 

Link

[Das Texan]

LOL @ Artest.

[Das Texan]

this is what i dont understand....

 

 

what revelance does offensive numbers have to do with artest and his defensive abilities?

 

 

you see the media quote this many times....

 

 

what does that matter?

[Sals]

this is what i dont understand....

 

 

what revelance does offensive numbers have to do with artest and his defensive abilities?

 

 

you see the media quote this many times....

 

 

what does that matter?

It doesn't have any. We know Artest is better than Bowen as an overall player because he is better offensively. I am a Heat fan and have first hand seen him play great defense but in no way is he a better defender than Ron Artest is either. Artest is quicker, bigger, more physical and stronger. Not to take anythign away from Bowen, but Artest did desverve the award and is a better defender.