The Coaching/GM Influence of the San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford are making an impact on the coaching and front-office world of the NBA. (poundtherock.com)

The San Antonio Spurs are championship breeders.

This is partially in reference to the play on the court, as not many have been better in the past decade than the Spurs. But this is also referencing the breeding ground for coaches and general managers. Teams have come calling early and often for those who learned from Gregg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford.

Having the Spurs organization on the resume is gold when marketing for a head coaching or general manager position. The tally is up to 11 current coaches and general managers around the NBA, according to RealGM.com, that came from Popovich and Buford's tutelage while in San Antonio. 

Two former assistant coaches left the Spurs this offseason, the first being Mike Budenholzer, who left for the head job in Atlanta, and now Brett Brown, who this week took the head coaching position in Philadelphia. Last season it was Jacque Vaughn, who is heading into his second year as the head coach of the Orlando Magic.

The most well-known assistant of Popovich's is Mike Brown, who is back coaching in Cleveland after being fired by the Lakers. The list of head coaches coming from San Antonio concludes with Monty Williams of the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans' general manager Dell Demps also spent time in the San Antonio front office.

The general managers who have come through the Spurs is even more impressive. Names like Kevin Pritchard (now at Indiana), Sam Presti (Oklahoma City), Danny Ferry (Atlanta), Rob Hennigan (Orlando) and Dennis Lindsey (Utah) all learned what they now incorporate at their respective organizations from their time in San Antonio.

It's easy to see why teams seek men from this organization. The winning helps. A lot. But so does the style of winning. If you find a circus in San Antonio, it will not be inside the AT&T Center. There are no Dwight Howard personalities on this team, and the Spurs are just fine without one, or the talent that accompanies it. Some teams boast about doing things the right way, but that doesn't matter without results. The Spurs have become experts at keeping pride in how the organization is run without compromising winning.

Not every assistant coach or GM who leaves the San Antonio can turn their new team into a mini Spurs organization. There's not enough room at the table for 11 others like it. But as long as Popovich and Buford keep winning, and winning the way they know how, their assistants and members of the front office are going to be receiving a lot of calls. Teams who want to win go to where championships are being bred.


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Andrew Wiggins, Marcus Smart Will Share Big 12, National Spotlight

Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart turned down the NBA this year. He will now battle KU's Andrew Wiggins for the Big 12 crown. (sportingnews.com)

Andrew Wiggins will have the spotlight on him at Kansas this season. And not just in the Big 12, but across the country, Wiggins will be one of the biggest storylines in college basketball.

It's justifiable. Wiggins was called the best high school prospect since LeBron James. He's already being labeled as the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. His choice of Kansas sent the Jayhawks from a team predicted to be around the top-20 or top-25 mark before his announcement to a top-five squad that might challenge Kentucky after the announcement.

Wiggins' presence is shadowing another extremely hyped player south of Lawrence, Kan., who made a big decision of his own this summer. Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart was a potential top-five pick in this summer's NBA Draft as a freshman, but Smart decided to come back to school for another season. Don't mistake this move as a admittance that he wasn't talented enough. Now the Kansas freshman and OSU sophomore might be No. 1 and No. 2 in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Jan. 18 and March 1. Those are the dates Kansas and Oklahoma State (Wiggins and Smart) face off in what, as of now, looks to be a two-team battle of Goliaths for the Big 12 crown. And what a battle this will be. Oklahoma State is returning nearly its entire squad, while KU is replacing its starting five, but has one of the most talented freshman classes in the nation on campus this year.

The two players, who will share the attention in the Big 12 and nationally, will do so for different reasons.

Wiggins will have a lot of the spotlight because, for one, he is a freakishly gifted athlete, and two, people want to see what he can do at this level and if the hype is justified. The same can be said for other immensely talented freshman coming in: Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon, Jabari Parker, and so on.

Everyone will be looking at Smart to see if coming back another year was worth it, and how much he improves. Smart is projected by DraftExpress as the No. 5 pick in next year's draft, behind three freshmen and an Aussie named Dante Exum. But draft stock doesn't have much of an implication when it's months before the season.

Smart was arguably one of the top 10 players in the country last season, and a CBSSports survey of coaches that asked which player they would like to have the most, the No. 1 answer was Smart at 34 percent. Wiggins was the third most-selected player behind Doug McDermott.

Smart can score. He was No. 2 in the Big 12 last season in points produced and points produced per game, only trailing Baylor's Pierre Jackson. His 15.4 ppg was good for No. 5 in the conference, as was his 4.2 assists per game. Smart is just as skilled on the defensive side, leading the Big 12 and coming in fourth and second in the NCAA, respectively, in steals and steals per game. Smart also had the second highest defensive rating, behind only Kansas shot-blocking extraordinaire Jeff Withey.

It's hard to remember that was his freshman season. Freshman go through transitional struggles and can normally be inconsistent. Look at the guy who Smart shared the attention with last year. Kansas' Ben McLemore had a tendency to get lost in games. Smart was much more consistent with the pressure of a fantastic freshman on his shoulders, and it would be surprising if he has not improved this season.

Kentucky's once again loaded freshman class will get plenty of national buzz, as will freshmen stars like Randle, Gordon and Parker. Doug McDermott might be the best scorer in the country at Creighton. But two of the best players in college basketball next year come from the Big 12, which is why everyone is circling Jan. 18 and March 1 on their calendars.

The national spotlight is big enough for two, and Wiggins and Smart are big enough stars to be in the national spotlight. Both are coming in with different circumstances, but have the same thing to prove, which is that they're worth the hype.

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Friday Roundtable: Best/Worst Ways for Being Kicked Out of the NBA's Rookie Transition Program

Shabazz Muhammad is for the kids. (via his official Twitter account)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among a group of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: The NBA dismissed Minnesota Timberwolves guard Shabazz Muhammad, the No. 14 pick in April's draft, from the Rookie Transition Program for violating rules by bringing a female guest into his hotel room. Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur were similarly kicked out for having women and marijuana in their room in 2008. What would be the best and worst reasons for being booted from the program?

Alex:
To avoid the gruesome, the worst reason for being kicked out of the program would have to do with being coerced by an active player speaking to the rookies. Whether drugs or the fairer sex were involved, the situation's largest blemish would be the involvement of someone entrusted by the Association to warn the rookies of potential dangers in the life of a professional athlete. The rookie(s) dismissal would be a subplot to the public relations fiasco of an older player — one who should know better, by all accounts — swaying a freshly minted NBA draftee into an act that would have him removed from an official program.

The best reason for conceivably being removed from the program would involve numerous women, excessive bottles of champagne, and adding gobs and gobs of bubble bath material to a jacuzzi, causing a massive overflow that spreads into the hallways and congests traffic throughout the entire floor. Bonus points for happening in a room on the first floor and making any unassuming lobby guest a very confused patron.

Fred:
Getting kicked out of the Rookie Transition Program for any reason is inexcusable. Did nobody watch ESPN's special on broke athletes? The NBA is trying to help their future athletes through this program, so to be sent home? Incredibly disrespectful to the league that will soon be giving you a few million dollars.

However, if there was a "good" way to get kicked out Shabazz picked it. So maybe he did pick a beautiful lady over his job, but I think it's something everyone can relate to.

Kyle:
First off, for those of you who are gamblers, Muhammad had to be the clear favorite to be kicked out of the rookie transition program, with odds as low as 4/1. If a player is going to be kicked out of the program, he better go all out. It only lasts four days, so if a player gets kicked out for something minor that he could have easily waited for, then it looks sad. Muhammad will have to complete the program next year, and will face a fine, so a worst reason for having to suffer those consequences were if the not-allowed woman was a family member just visiting or if Muhammad missed a curfew (I'm not sure if they have curfews, just an example) for running out to buy allergy medicine. He can't be expected to think about basketball with itchy eyes. If he's going to break a rule, get something more out of it than allergy medicine.

If a player is going to suffer those consequences, make it worth it. He needs to say, "This sucks I have to do this again, but that was a hell of a time." Muhammad should have gotten a rapper who happen to be in the area, maybe Drake or Nas, to have a private concert in his room. He could have flown in the Minnesota Timberwolves dance team and mascot to come celebrate with him and don't even try to be sneaky about it. Go ahead and invite all the other rookies, veteran players there to speak to them and members of the NBA who are running the program. When the NBA officials go into the room to stop the party, they find the mascot working as a bouncer and asking for a $20 cover, Drake is in the middle of his song "Hold On We're Going Home," the dancers have turned the room into a rave and Muhammad is sitting around a table gambling with three businessmen and loses the his third-year salary and Flip Saunders' car in a bet.
 
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2013-14 NBA Schedule Released; Season Starts Strong

Derrick Rose's first game back with Chicago could be the season opener against the Miami Heat. (fullcourtpumps.com)

The NBA may be in the heart of the offseason, but with the 2013-14 schedule released last night, teams and fans can start looking ahead and circling games on their calendars.

The first days everyone looks for when the schedule finally comes out is the season opener and Christmas Day, and the NBA has made sure neither day will disappoint. In terms of storylines, the first night of the season, Oct. 29, couldn't get much better. The Miami Heat will welcome Chicago in what should be Derrick Rose's first game back in more than a year. A healthy Chicago squad has been thought of the past few years as one of the best changes of ending Miami's reign as champions. That night will also feature a completely upside down rivalry when Doc Rivers makes his coaching debut with the Los Angeles Clippers against the Lakers, who has a completely new lineup, except for Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.

Basketball fans will have a feast of five games on Christmas Day and while Chicago will face the new-look Brooklyn Nets, Oklahoma City will play the New York Knicks, Miami will travel to LA to take on the Lakers and Dwight Howard's Houston Rockets will challenge San Antonio, the most exciting game on the schedule could be the night cap, where the Clippers travel to Golden State. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin versus Stephen Curry and the young-but-talented Warriors should be a high-tempo, high-scoring contest that will be fun to watch.

Obviously these are just two days on a very busy 82-game schedule for teams, and every team has a few games worthy of mention here. Dwight Howard's return to Los Angeles and Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett's return to Boston are just two that will bring national attention. If you're just interested in finding your favorite team's schedule, Dan Devine at Yahoo! Sports compiled links to every team's schedule on the Ball Don't Lie blog for your enjoyment.

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5'10" Young Hollywood Dunks Over Blake Griffin

You may not have heard of him, but you're about to. He's 5'10" tall and goes by the name Young Hollywood, and he shows off his dunking skills in several YouTube videos.

Young Hollywood will be getting even more publicity after using 6'11" Blake Griffin to dunk over while putting the ball between the legs after grabbing it from Griffin's hand. The video has gotten the attention of Sports Illustrated's Point Forward and ESPN on Twitter and one video of the dunk is reaching 90,000 views.

That's a serious vertical lift, as the still from the video shows Young Hollywood's head is as tall as the rim. Any 7-footers want to volunteer next?

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Greg Oden Returns To NBA With Miami Heat

Greg Oden is returning to the NBA with the Miami Heat. (theleaguenews.com)

Greg Oden is back in the NBA after not playing since December of 2009, and his first season back will give him his best chance so far of winning a NBA Championship.

Oden announced Friday he has chosen to play for Miami over San Antonio, Dallas, Sacramento, Atlanta and New Orleans. Oden will now get the opportunity to immerse himself back into the league as Chris Bosh's backup, and the Heat get a 25-year-old 7-footer with loads of potential if his knees hold up.

We wrote earlier about how teams should take a chance on Oden. Miami is able to take that chance at a low cost, paying Oden $1.03 million next season with a player option for a second season at $1.14 million. That's a low cost of injury risk when you remember Oden was a No. 1 pick, who left the league for reasons other than he couldn't play well in the league.

Oden told ESPN's Marc Stein and Jeff Goodman that Miami was the "best fit" and for what Oden is looking for, it's hard to argue. Miami already has so many pieces, including a capable starting center, that Oden will not be called on to contribute 15 points and eight rebounds a night from the start. He will be able to slowly get back into form without Miami struggling in the post. Plus, having star players, including the best player in the world in LeBron James, who will draw the majority of the attention and  can creatively get Oden the ball will take a lot of pressure off the 7-footer.

There won't be a huge target on Oden's back. Miami has too many other pieces that opposing teams will be focusing on. This is important for Oden. It would be naive to think he could come back after not playing for three-and-half-years and pick up where he left off. It will take time, and time, without pressure, is something Miami can offer. 

The first step is in the books. Oden is back with a NBA team. The next test comes in October when Oden again puts on the jersey and prays his knees take him further this time around.

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Friday Roundtable: Would LeBron James Be A Good NBA Players Association President?

LeBron James is the best player in the world, but would he be a good NBA Players Association President? (sportsspyder.com)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among a group of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: LeBron James is considering running for NBA Players Association President. Would LeBron be a good president?

Alex:
LeBron could be a capable president, given his ability to sway other players' decisions in free agency and reigning best-player-alive status, although I'd be wary of an attempt to turn the NBAPA into an actual King James monarchy. With Maverick Carter in his cabinet, there could certainly be some less than honest behind-the-scenes machinations. My one true hope is that LeBron's Heat teammate Mario Chalmers is brought into the president's inner circle, if for no other reason than to hear he was yelled at during an official meeting.

Fred:

LeBron as president is an interesting idea, but would he be able to focus on the job? I have no doubt LeBron could do great given a 48-hour day, but being the biggest superstar in the NBA brings a lot of distractions off the court. Not to mention he still had to go through an 82 game NBA season.

With LeBron being on the top, would he be able to represent the majority of NBA players? Players who are making four or five million a year and fighting for a roster spot?

I think it’s great that LeBron wants to get involved, but with all the distractions going on around him I’m not sure he could give his full attention to the union.  Perhaps he’s better suited for the executive committee.

Kyle:
LeBron wouldn't be the first great player to serve as president of the NBPA. Bob Cousey, Oscar Robertson, Isiah Thomas and Patrick Ewing have all served the role. But never before has the majority-recognized best player in the world held the position. Michael Jordan never did. Neither did Wilt or Kareem. James has already gotten his feet wet, sitting in on bargaining sessions during the 2011 lockout. The question is would he have enough time, while also shooting $10 million spots for Nike, Beats by Dre and the next company that comes after him for an endorsement. Although he could find a way to kill two birds with one stone, shooting a new commercial for Nike telling owners to "Just do it" when discussing business, or respond to every negotiation question with "Is it in you?" to make the people at Gatorade happy.

What James would have going for him is respect. He's the best player in the game, and has been in the league long enough to know how it works. He also has a personality where he wants to befriend other players and make everyone happy. He's not in it just for himself. Other players would have to think of that as a positive, that James will do what is best for everyone. Michael Jordan would have just done whatever the hell he wanted because he was Michael F'n Jordan and "you can't voice your opinion, Bryon Russell, because I dropped 30 on you last year!" That attitude got him six rings and a spot on the best player ever discussion, but players probably wouldn't feel like he would be a representative for them all. We haven't seen enough of LeBron in that setting to know whether he would succeed (really, how badly could he screw it up?) but it doesn't seem like he would fail miserably. One guy who probably is hoping James doesn't get the job? Mario Chalmers if he turns the ball over a lot this season. 

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