San Antonio Spurs fans and at least one local sports commentator are voicing their displeasure with Gregg Popovich via social media following the team’s sixth straight loss this season.
Indeed, some are even saying it’s time for the Hall of Fame coach to retire.
The response has come in the wake of the Spurs’ nationally televised trouncing by Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. Indeed, the Spurs were losing so badly that TNT switched to other games during the second half.
The brutal 123-87 loss is leading some fans, including award winning-former radio show host and current Alamo City Sportscast podcaster and Mike Jimenez, to call for Popovich’s retirement.
“Sometimes you have a banana on the counter, you know, and it just turns literally brown and black, and you just gotta throw it away? That’s my attitude towards Popovich,” Jimenez said on his Wednesday podcast. “The dude should have retired with Tim, Tony and Manu.”
Indeed, the Spurs appear to be playing worse with the addition of No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama, than they did without the addition of the basketball phenom, some observers charge.
The 3-8 Spurs have lost three games by 30 pints or more this season. Last season at this time, the Silver and Black boasted a 6-9 record by this point.
Popovich addressed his team’s slump during a postgame interview on Tuesday.
“I realize it’s a young team, but two things have to happen,” Popovich told reporters. “One point, you have to get tired of getting your ass kicked, and second, you have to understand that it’s a 48-minute game. Other games, we’ve played well for all 48 — that inconsistency is bothersome and disappointing, but it’s got to be figured out.”
Still, Jimenez argued that it’s the Spurs’ choice to be the youngest team in the league, adding that management should focus on surrounding Wembanyama with veterans while bringing in a younger head coach.
Many on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, agreed.
X user @vdadhania proposed moving Popovich to the front office, allowing the coaching legend to “enjoy his final working years for the sake of Wemby.”
Others, including X user @TheFinalQuan blamed Popovich’s well-known stubbornness for the Spurs’ recent performance.
“It’s crazy to me how much the Spurs just don’t care about winning,” @TheFinalQuote tweeted. “Out here just sacrificing blowouts for ‘development.’ It’s not even a proven metric and Gregg Popovich is like ‘we’re gonna do this our way, even if everyone beats the brakes off us.”
Is the internet chatter valuable insight or just grumbling from fans who are expecting too much too soon as the Spurs rebuild? The brisk NBA schedule means we may not have to wait long to find out.
Coach Pop and the Spurs will have the opportunity to prove themselves and snap the losing streak in a matchup against the sixth-seeded Sacramento Kings in an in-season tournament game on Friday at the Frost Bank Center. Tickets are on sale now.
Leave a Reply