My best read, at this juncture, is that Boston Celtics assistant coach Will Hardy could well be at the front of the line to succeed Popovich if Pop steps down this offseason and the club finds itself needing to make an immediate hire. With Becky Hammon off to the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces — she actually left the Spurs this week before the New Orleans game to start her new job — San Antonio wouldn’t face near the scrutiny or criticism it might have by selecting someone from the assistant ranks other than Hammon to take over.
Tag: Becky Hammon
Becky Hammon officially leaves Spurs to join Las Vegas Aces
Matthew Tynan: Pop said with the recent WNBA Draft and camp beginning soon, Becky Hammon has gone on to be with her new team. He expressed how much he and the players are going to miss having her around.
Tom Orsborn: Josh Primo said this …
Tom Orsborn: Josh Primo said this morning Becky helped him become a better defender: “Becky is one of the greatest minds in basketball that I know. That is just how you have to see it. I have loved being able to work with her. It’s sad that she has got to go, but I am really happy for her.”
Do Becky Hammon and Liz Mills give you …
Do Becky Hammon and Liz Mills give you optimism that we’ll see a woman as an NBA head coach in the coming years? Mark Tatum: One hundred percent. There is no reason why a woman can’t be a head coach of men’s team, of an NBA team, right? We got [a female coach] right here in the BAL, we’re demonstrating it with a woman head coach of the Moroccan men’s team, OK? And I think she’s going to do very, very well here. I think people like Liz are going to break that perception that many had, and that’s the key to the opportunity that we had. And that’s the thing about giving, that representation matters, that opportunity matters, because you can’t bid if you can’t see it.
Mirjam Swanson: Liz Cambage on Becky …
Mirjam Swanson: Liz Cambage on Becky Hammon’s coaching salary in Las Vegas: “It’s confusing to see a coach get paid a $1 million with the salary cap is rounded up to $1.4 million. … we love to see it, but we also want to understand how it can happen.”
Paul Garcia: Coach Pop says Becky …
Paul Garcia: Coach Pop says Becky Hammon and Darius Songalia are back from H&S protocols, but now Chip Engelland has entered protocols
Tom Orsborn: Assistants Hammon, Johnson …
Paul Garcia: “I had no intentions of …
Paul Garcia: “I had no intentions of leaving the NBA at this point,” said Becky Hammon of initially being offered the head coaching position with the Aces. She said the conversations with Nikki Fargas and the Aces organization helped her make the change in decision.
Paul Garcia: “I’ve sat under now …
Paul Garcia: “I’ve sat under now arguably the best coach in basketball history for 8 years,” said Becky Hammon of being an assistant coach with Coach Pop and bringing what she’s learned to the WNBA.
Tom Orsborn: Pop has no worries about …
Tom Orsborn: Pop has no worries about Becky being distracted by her upcoming duties in Vegas. “Her priority is this basketball team right. That priority will change down the road, but for right now, she’s a pro. This is her job and this is what she will do.”