Stevens also signed Jaylen Brown to a long-term contract extension, traded explosive center Robert Williams and sent restricted free agent Grant Williams to the Dallas Mavericks in a sign-and-trade deal. Stevens said at the 2024 trade deadline that all of his roster-mending was done with an approach of keeping the “championship window” a moving target. Trades sent point guard Marcus Smart and backup Malcolm Brogdon away and added point guard Jrue Holiday and forward Kristaps Porzingis. Stevens spent the offseason revising the roster of the reigning Eastern Conference champions to create a team that posted an NBA-best 64-18 record in the 2023-24 regular season. Who knows - maybe even one day reach the NBA and a championship level Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs once again are fortunate to experience by raising the Larry O'Brien trophy.īut first you'll have to remember those three words.Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens was named NBA Executive of the Year on Tuesday. The words hold much weight and are applicable in many facets of life - regardless of your profession - including the tasks I face daily in working in helping players reach their own dreams of playing basketball professionally and being placed in a situation where they too can achieve success. 'Get over yourself.throw your ego out the 's all about the 's about treating people the right way.' Buford, Popovich and the Spurs have crafted and implemented a system that does not cater to players or their star status, yet expects players and staff members alike to practice and preach the system that the entire organization remains true to. In this particular case, it just happens to be Gregg Popovich, whom I have much respect for (despite being on the receiving end of his salty media responses) and those three words.Īlong with General Manager R.C. Over the last 10 years around the game of basketball - from starting as an NBA writer, to serving overseas as a lead scout in ProA Germany to now in my current Public Relations, Scouting and Recruiting role with Scorers 1st Sportmanagement - I am often reminded of the lessons I have learned along the way from those around the game. It's about treating the people the right way - period.' 'You have to throw your ego out the door. Then Blazers assistant Monty Williams (now the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans and who played and coached under Popovich) put it to me like this. The three words have been Popovich's motto throughout the years - 'Get over yourself' - and explains exactly how the Spurs have played the game the right way and gone about their business of winning titles in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and now 2014. So as I sat watching Kawhi Leonard hoist the NBA Finals MVP Trophy at 22-years old and Popovich embrace Tim Duncan, as the Spurs celebrated their amazing accomplishment as a basketball family, three words quickly came to mind: 'Get over yourself'. All these years later, their paths criss-crossed regularly in the NBA and as Portland prepared to build a championship culture there was no team to better emulate than Popovich and San Antonio. They are both former Jayhawks, as Popovich served as an assistant under Larry Brown when Pritchard was a guard in college at Kansas. Yet the history between Pop and KP ran deeper than just the Riverwalk.

Pritchard's roots ran deep with San Antonio, as he previously served in their organization as a scout before eventually moving on to the Blazers. On my way from Blazers head coach Nate McMillan's office to speak with Gregg Popovich, I ran into Portland's General Manager Kevin Pritchard who obliged when I inquired about Popovich's beliefs in assembling a roster and building a championship team. A good two hours before tip-off, I was busy making the pre-game rounds conducting interviews with players and coaches. It had the billings of a memorable match-up: the upstart Blazers with Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden versus the NBA's model winning franchise in San Antonio. When the San Antonio Spurs captured their fifth NBA Championship on Sunday night with a 104-87 victory over the Miami Heat, I was instantly transported back to 2008 and Portland's then Rose Garden.Īfter three years in New York covering the Knicks and the since-relocated New Jersey Nets, I was in my second year on the Trail Blazers beat and the Spurs were in town that night in November.

Spurs 2003 roster