Ever since Gregg Popovich officially announced his retirement from coaching, tributes have been pouring in from every corner of the basketball world. The latest came from Gilbert Arena’s show, “Gil’s Arena”.
Arenas and co. discussed what made Pop and the Spurs so successful, including how amazing he was at scouting and finding the perfect fits for the roster and the team culture. One such prime example was sitting right there on the couch: former Spur Danny Green, who described what made the Spurs and Pop so successful.
There was the usual (how they drafted, the type of players they signed, how they played players’ to their strengths, etc.), but Pop was also well known for was how hard he was on his players, how he managed egos and demanded the best of his players, and for the most part he got it (if not, they were shipped out like Stephen Jackson).
Green was one of those players who, along with Tony Parker, often appeared to be the target of Pop’s coaching wrath, but there was more to it than simply yelling until he got what he wanted; he was doing what made players better. For some, he knew he had to be gentler, but if you were the type of player who played better when you’re mad, then Pop would push buttons to make you angry.
> He knew what players would play better mad.
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> “If I can get you angry, I know I’ll get the most out of you.“
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> He would push those buttons. Some guys don’t play that well… It’s always a chess game. He’ll cuss you out today and bench you because he knows we’re playing \[a certain team\] in two games and, “I need you locked in for that game. I’m gonna put you in the doghouse for a couple of games and you’re gonna come out hot.”
Considering how many championships Pop won with so many different players, it’s probably safe to say he knew who and what buttons to push to a tee. (Arenas may not have been one of those players whom it would have worked on, based on his somewhat stunned reaction afterwards.) You can watch the entire thing below or by click [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-P2W8tHiMs). (Green begins talking at about the 4:00 mark.)
Green was one of Pop’s biggest success stories and a classic case of taking another team’s trash and turning him into his own treasure. After horsing around on the bench as LeBron James’ “sidekick” with the Cavaliers, the former second round pick was waived after one season. The Spurs picked him up soon after, but Pop felt he wasn’t mature enough, and he was soon waived again. Green would then spend most of the 2010-2011 season in the G-League, which taught him it was time to grow up if he wanted to make it in the NBA. The Spurs then signed him again in March of 2011, he took his stints in Austin seriously, and by the next season, he was a permanent staple in their starting line-up as one of the top 3-and-D role players in the league.
Pop’s coaching style wasn’t for everyone, but those who took it to heart almost always became better players on the court and even better people off it. Danny Green is one in a long list of such players, and that ability to mold people will always be a part of Pop’s legacy.