Mitch Johnson is about to take the bull by the horns, whether he's ready for the charge or not. The rampant rumors surrounding the Spurs aren't for nothing. There's way too much smoke for there not to be at least a garbage can on fire. If the team lands one of these big-name stars, the eyes on the first-year head coach will be intensified.
Coach Popovich wouldn't care about increased eyeballs, one iota. But Pop no longer has the title he's held for over 25 years. There's a new sheriff in town, and we still need to get to know Johnson. [I have faith he'll succeed](https://airalamo.com/mitch-johnson-critics-missing-huge-factor-coaching-hire-complaints), but that's an assumption. Only time will tell if he's the kind of person who lets the pressure get to him or if he welcomes it in his home like he's hosting a vampire for dinner.
Johnson has the perfect superstar in Wembanyama
-----------------------------------------------
Victor Wembanyama will make this process a little easier for Mitch. He wants Johnson there, and he has the same desire to be great that Tim Duncan did, so he welcomes coaching. Everything we've heard from Vic reinforces that. He wanted to be coached by Pop, and he's fully aware of the reputation San Antonio's former head coach built by being hard on his players.
The best players want that, and if they're willing to take hard coaching, the rest of the guys fall in line. It was the same playbook used to build the culture around The Big Fundamental that led to two decades of greatness, and it's the same one that will be used to build the foundation for the next two decades.
Spurs Nation should also be encouraged about the running mates they've gathered for Wembanyama thus far. Stephon Castle came from UConn, and Danny Hurley has a rep that rivals Popovich in his aggression toward his players. It all comes from a place of love and desire to pull the best out of them, but not everyone is built to handle that kind of coaching. Castle is.
De'Aaron Fox just came from Sacramento, and he requested a trade because the organization fired the coach he wanted them to keep: Mike Brown. Brown is a descendant of the Popovich tree. He can also get on his players in the media and behind closed doors. Fox wanted Mike to keep his job as the head coach of the Kings, and when the front office zagged, they lost their point guard.
Johnson will have the backing of Wembanyama, and the stars will want to be coached hard. Hopefully, that [gives him the confidence he needs](https://airalamo.com/mitch-johnson-hiring-spurs-fans-split-popovich-steps-aside) to put all of himself into the job without worrying about rubbing someone the wrong way. That will be important to his potential success, and he'll need to succeed quickly because everyone will be watching.