Buck Harvey: Hill's back as he left — clueless

[Spurs Brazil]

Buck Harvey: Hill's back as he left — clueless

Web Posted: 01/15/2006 12:00 AM CST

San Antonio Express-News

Give Bob Hill everything.


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Yes, he shouldn't have been fired on the day David Robinson returned from injury. Yes, Gregg Popovich wanted to coach the Spurs. Yes, Hill did a decent job when he was here.

Give him everything.

So why did it take nine years before another NBA franchise let him be a head coach again?

Why?

Give him time to talk, and he will make everything clear.

Hill has been talking this month. He took over for Bob Weiss in Seattle after 30 games (that firing wasn't unfair, was it?), and he went straight to the podium to rehash the terrible injustice done to him long ago.

"It's like Coach (Bob) Knight told me," Hill said to a Seattle newspaper when asked about Popovich. "If you stay in this game long enough, you are going to run into people like that."

Give Hill that, too. Popovich isn't easy to work for.

But Popovich also is the one who gave Hill a break in 1994 when no one else did. Larry Brown, among others, told Popovich not to hire Hill, and Popovich delayed making his decision through most of that summer.

Hill had no choice but to wait. The only other team that showed interest in Hill, then an Orlando assistant, was 20-win Minnesota. A coach named Bill Blair got the Timberwolves' job; Blair lost it a year later and never got another chance.

Hill appealed to Popovich, perhaps, because Popovich wanted someone he could oversee. Popovich selected the assistant coaches and put the model in place because, as he has shown, he likes to run the business.

There was success, with seasons of 62 and 59 wins. But was Hill a great coach? He inherited a 55-win team. Hill also is 121-43 in his NBA career with Robinson and 138-173 without.

Popovich almost fired Hill immediately after Utah overwhelmed the Spurs in the 1996 playoffs. Popovich cared more about defense and playoff toughness than regular-season show.

Hill was baffled. Wasn't it time for a contract extension?

Popovich pulled back, hoping for change. But Hill remained a detail-oriented technician who liked to do the work himself. The cooperative workplace that Popovich has created — where he wants his people to argue and disagree — never suited Hill.

Then Robinson's back went out, skewing everything. Hill's philosophy ate at Popovich more than the losses did, until Popovich made the worst decision of his career. He fired Hill on the day Robinson returned from injury.

Had Popovich waited a month — letting Hill go after a four-game losing streak — no one would have said a thing. But this way Hill became a martyr. The guy mostly known in San Antonio for wearing expensive suits suddenly was beloved.

Hill played to the sentiment. In his mind he was simply too good to be fired, when Hill has taken over three times in midseason the same way. In fact, every franchise but two has replaced its coach at least once since 1996.

The two? Utah and San Antonio.

So nearly every team could have had the magnificent Hill in these nine years. He instead stayed out of the league, and Hill has an explanation.

He told Seattle reporters this month that he was so "taken aback" by being fired that he "wanted a break" from basketball.

That's rich. When the Spurs fired Hill, he thought an assistant's position was beneath him. He would wait for the better jobs. Why coach a loser?

When it was clear no one was calling, Hill stopped being picky. He would have taken anything, anywhere and at any price. Hill's agent called one franchise so often in the late '90s that he was asked to stop. "Pestering" is the word the franchise used.

Then there's this from Shaquille O'Neal. Before the Lakers hired Phil Jackson to replace Kurt Rambis in 1999, Shaq thought Hill would be a good fit. The two were together in Orlando.

"But Jerry (West) didn't like Bob Hill," Shaq wrote in a book. "For some reason, nobody likes Bob Hill."

For some reason? Fordham knows one. The school stretched to give Hill a 10-year deal in 1999, and Hill later led the school to its worst record in 100 years.

He was fired. Only when Hill went back to New York recently with the Sonics, speaking again with the authority of a big-time NBA coach, could he properly frame this.

He blamed himself for taking the job. "I don't want to embarrass the school," Hill said about Fordham. "But it's never going to work there. The pace of the school is slow and you can't run a Division I program like that."

Exactly who should be embarrassed? Fordham has beaten Virginia and Penn this season, among others, and is competing like a Division I program.

But that's Hill. His opinion of himself has alienated peers and employers, and another opinion will have the same effect. He thinks if he had stayed in San Antonio and gotten Tim Duncan, "I would still be there."

He would have connected with Duncan and prompted him to re-sign with the Spurs? He would have brought the best out in a kid from France and plugged into an Argentine power? He would have won three titles?

If other teams thought that, they would have hired him long ago.



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bharvey@express-news.net


http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/c...l.34112e0.html

[Not-so-Smart]

Too bad everyone brought into what Kevin O'Keefe spewed. It's too bad it took SA so long to realize what the hell was going on.

Geez buck give it a rest already...

[whorybiatch]

Wow, even if that is all true, that really sucks to have an entire article written about what a horrible person and a horrible coach you are.

[RichB]

Makes one almost willing to circle Feb 21 on their Spurs calender, don't it?

[ennui30]

Buck Harvey must really dislike Hill...

[RichB]

Originally Posted by ennui30

Buck Harvey must really dislike Hill...

No, Greg Popovich really dislikes Bob Hill.

And what Pop wants......

[alpineballer]

this article tells a bit about the subject and a lot about the writer.

Originally Posted by RichB

Makes one almost willing to circle Feb 21 on their Spurs calender, don't it?

hmmm might just have to try to go that game...

[DizzG]

I never cared for Bob Hill...he cared more about how he dressed than being a great coach

I almost want him to turn around the Sonics and get them in the playoffs so the Spurs can kick their ass

There is reason Larry Brown told Pop NOT to hire Bob Hill

"But Jerry (West) didn't like Bob Hill," Shaq wrote in a book. "For some reason, nobody likes Bob Hill."

.

[ALSPURS]

I am sorry....Bob hil was not that bad of a coach.

He could have brought us to our first Championhip if Rodman was not as as and Robinson did not get abused by the Dream in 95.

[DizzG]

Originally Posted by ALSPURS

I am sorry....Bob hil was not that bad of a coach.

He could have brought us to our first Championhip if Rodman was not as as and Robinson did not get abused by the Dream in 95.

he wasnt that good of a coach either...he knows a lot about b-ball and can write books but that doesnt make him a good COACH of players. if he was...then why would no one hire him after the Spurs for many years? Why did Larry Brown tell Pop not to hire the guy? Why does someone like Jerry West not like the guy and even Shaq admits "no one" likes Bob Hill?

[Not-so-Smart]

Originally Posted by ALSPURS

I am sorry....Bob hil was not that bad of a coach.

He could have brought us to our first Championhip if Rodman was not as as and Robinson did not get abused by the Dream in 95.

Enough "ifs" can give anyone an argument for winning a title. The fact is, Hill couldn't control Rodman. PJax was able to. The fact is, he failed in coming up with a game plan to slow the Dream. (In all fairness, I don't know if there was any slowing the Dream down that year).

[ALSPURS]

Dizz...why you dislike him so much?

[DizzG]

Originally Posted by ALSPURS

Dizz...why you dislike him so much?

mostly because of the Houston series but also because I dont think some of the players respected him...after some later going to pop with problems with him. He was a Pat Riley wannabe and didnt care that much about defense. He knows alot about b-ball but I just dont think he is that good of a coach. If he was as good as some Spurs fans thought he was he woudlnt have went that many years without a NBA job. Why do you think LB advised against him?

[RichB]

Quality coaches do not go overlooked in the NBA for a decade. Bottom line.

[ALSPURS]

Se unlike you I blmed the players ore then Hill in that series....

I thought it was more on them.

I think the guy was not that bad of a coach, but not a great coach by a long shot.

I guess I just do not dislike him as much as you and many around here, I also was only 15 when all of this was going on so you probally know alot more in detail then me.

[Spur_Fanatic]

Bob Hill knew/knows the game, but he was never a really good coach.

[To be named later]

Originally Posted by RichB

Quality coaches do not go overlooked in the NBA for a decade. Bottom line.

Bingo.

[King Mob]

Z

[pjjrfan]

What brought this on? Buck must've had a bad dream about Hill or something. I'm not going to say he was a bad coach, I still think if Sean hits both ft's in that game 1 series against Houston the Spurs would have gone on to the finals. That was a great team. We had a defensive stopper in Doc Rivers who by the way got the steal that led to Sean's getting fouled. I won't ever forget that play. When Sean missed it was like it wasn't meant to be, and it became so.

But really I just never got off to Hill something about the way he curled his lips like he had something stuck up his you know what. And he always seemed bothered by the fans on the radio. Once I saw Rodman losing it and Hill just taking it on the chin along the with the rest of the team, I knew his days were numbered. I wanted Pop to take over, I became a Pop fan the night Rodman returned from his motorcycle accident and according to the Express news, Pop was so incensed he stormed into the TV truck and pulled the plug on him. Right then I knew this was the guy this team needed to get them straight.

[LifelongSpursFan]

It amazes me how some people can't seem to move forward. If Hill is half the coach he claims to be, then I expect to see Seattle in the Western Conference Finals.

[Not-so-Smart]

This was brought on because Bob Hill was recently hired, and he talked about his past. That makes it a timely issue.
But at the time he was fired, there was a HUGE backlash against Pop. I think Pop damn near got run out of town because the fans here hated him so much, and much of it was over what happened to Bob Hill. People didn't see it that way back then, so Buck is probably still trying to even things out.
And if Bob Hill would only be a little humble about what happened to him, he wouldn't leave himself open to ridicule. And Buck loves his ridicule.

[spurssheriff]

Don't be fooled by the propaganda. Once again Buck Harvey is the mouthpiece for Gregg
Popovich and the Spurs.

"You write this for us Bucky and we'll keep those exclusives coming."


P.S. Buck we haven't forgotten how quickly you started to bad mouth Luis Scola after he turned on Pop, R.C. and the rest of their minions.

[spurssheriff]

If your old boss did nothing but bad mouth you each time a potential new job called, how many times do you think you would have been hired?

Aslo consider the number of openings there are for new coaches in the NBA each year.

[spurssheriff]

I'm not mad at anybody. Just tellin' it like it is.

[DizzG]

Originally Posted by spurssheriff

If your old boss did nothing but bad mouth you each time a potential new job called, how many times do you think you would have been hired?

Aslo consider the number of openings there are for new coaches in the NBA each year.

I dont buy into the "Spurs blackballed" him stuff. Mainly Plenty of people in the NBA dont care for Bob Hill all on their own regardless of Pop......hell Larry Brown and even the "great" Jerry West were mentioned in his article.

Larry Brown didnt care for Bob Hill before the Spurs even hired him.

Surely getting fired by the Spurs cant help your job potential (unless your a great coach like Brown) but if the guy was as good as he thinks he is he would have gotten hired a long time ago...and I;ve seen several reports on him trying to get back into the league in the past....no one wanted him till now

People around the league knew what Bob Hill was about. He's coached at other places besides the Spurs.

[TDA]

I, for one am glad things worked out the way they did, cause who knows if the Spurs go on to win 3 championships with Hill at the helm.....My guess is no (heck no, is more like it).

[tmtcsc]

Originally Posted by ALSPURS

I am sorry....Bob hil was not that bad of a coach.

He could have brought us to our first Championhip if Rodman was not as as and Robinson did not get abused by the Dream in 95.

NEVER. He never would have helped us win a Championship. I couldn't agree more with Buck Harvey on this one (and that's rare too).

He never stressed Defense and was not respected by his players. He turned out to be a loser.

Sorry, its old news but I blame that guy for really not having our teams prepared. Our players deserve blame too, but it all trickles down from the top.

Does anyone remember the Spurs kickoff luncheon during Hill's first season with us ? Avery MC'd it and said how great Pop was for bringing himself back to the team and then he turned his attention to Bob Hill by saying that he hired the best coach.......that was available. Either he or Willie Anderson made that comment but everyone was laughing their as$es off.

He turned out to be a little prophet.

[Alka-Seltzer]

I don't agree that firing Hill the day the Admiral returned from an injury was the worst decision of Pop's career.
Just part of the Pop mystique: Here's a dude that has the guts to make unpopular (no pun intended) decisions. Don't like it? Tough. I'm the boss.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some championships to win.
Scoreboard.

[curiousspirit]

The good thing about Pop is that he does NOT care what the fans think he should do. He will do what he believes is best for the team in order to win championships. Bob Hill wasn't emphasizing defense and did not want input from his players. Pop did what he had to do.

[JoeSchmo]

I'm remember having this same argument with my ex-girlfriend back in the day. She still hated Pop for firing Bob Hill, while I thought the team was underachieving with Hill as coach. Guess it wasn't meant to be for us...

[Jones]

Originally Posted by spurssheriff

Don't be fooled by the propaganda. Once again Buck Harvey is the mouthpiece for Gregg
Popovich and the Spurs.

"You write this for us Bucky and we'll keep those exclusives coming."


P.S. Buck we haven't forgotten how quickly you started to bad mouth Luis Scola after he turned on Pop, R.C. and the rest of their minions.

This sounds a bit much to me. Buck has been critical of Pop before, including in the Bob Hill article. What examples are you thinking of? What exclusives?

[Israel2005]

It's easy to bash Hill in hindsight when all of the cards fell into Pop's lap.
If we didn't land Duncan in 97 then Popovich probably wouldn't have lasted that long himself.

[To be named later]

So the excuse is Hill didn't get an NBA job because the Spurs bad-mouthed Hill when other teams called?

Okay, let's say the Spurs gave other teams a poor review of Hill.

Now let's compare that to PJ Carlissimo and the blow to his reputation over the Sprewell choking incident, and the prevaling opinion as a result that PJ was an ass to play under.........was PJ exiled from the league for 10 years like Hill? The answer: NO.

Hell......... the bad rap against PJ was 100 times worse than anything the Spurs may have said against Hill, and PJ only sat out 2 years.
2 years, and even then one could say he may have "voluntarily" sat out to do TV analysis for NBC and the Spurs.

The fact is.......PJ took a much bigger blow to his reputation and career, and he got back in coaching ASAP, while Hill took a smaller blow and a decade passed before he had an offer.

[JoeSchmo]

Originally Posted by Israel2005

It's easy to bash Hill in hindsight when all of the cards fell into Pop's lap.
If we didn't land Duncan in 97 then Popovich probably wouldn't have lasted that long himself.

If that happened, would Popovich have had to fire himself since he was the GM/Coach at the time? Would've loved to see that press conference:

GM Pop: "Coach Pop and I have decided to mutually part ways. The Spurs organization and myself would like to thank him for his positive contributions and would like to wish him well in his future endeavors." (Pop sits down, then goes back up to the podium.)

Coach Pop: "I would like to thank Pop for giving me the opportunity to coach a class organization. Pop and I have decided that this decision is best for all parties involved, and it's time for me to move on. I know this team will succeed under the direction of General Manager Pop."

EDIT: And that post puts me in The Spursreport 700 Club! YAY ME!!!!! Release the balloons!

Here Joe.. I found one left over balloon for you...

[JoeSchmo]

Originally Posted by MomBear

Here Joe.. I found one left over balloon for you...

Thank you Mom. And excellent timing. I have a birthday coming up in 6 days.

[DizzG]

Originally Posted by Israel2005

It's easy to bash Hill in hindsight when all of the cards fell into Pop's lap.
If we didn't land Duncan in 97 then Popovich probably wouldn't have lasted that long himself.

I think Pop has proven he is an excellent coach. Having Duncan helps but the guy can obviously coach regardless. I think most know that by now. Pop made the right move back then.

[YoMamaIsCallin]

What the heck is this crap? Why was this article written? Does Buck Harvey harbor this much of a grudge against Bob Hill? If so, why? Or is he just trying to suck up to Popovich? If so, why?

And why does the average Spurs fan give a rat's behind about any of this? Why not just let the record stand on its own? Maybe Hill will do a bang-up job in Seattle. What will Buck Harvey say if he does? Maybe Hill will flame out in Seattle. Will Buck freakin' Harvey then write a follow-up "I told you so" article? And why do I care?

Sheesh....

[DizzG]

Originally Posted by YoMamaIsCallin

Why was this article written?

prob because

This was brought on because Bob Hill was recently hired, and he talked about his past

[Vito Corleone]

Let me say this about Bob Hill.

He knows basketball offense. He knows nothing about defense. His idea of defense is hoping the other team misses and he gets the ball back.

Beyond that he knows less about people than he does about defense. For Bob Hill everything revolves around the man in the mirror, in his eyes that guy is never wrong.

Which brings me to his biggest problem, he does not take responsibility for his short-comings. Everything is someone elses issue not his. He doesn't have the problem Pop did. He can't be expected to win at Fordham, no one can. The NBA didn't keep him out of the league, he didn't want to come back. He is not a failure, its the man holding him back!

Those kind of people never succeed and when they do, pride goeth before the fall.

[GoSpurs99]

I don't agree that firing Hill the day the Admiral returned from an injury was the worst decision of Pop's career.
Just part of the Pop mystique: Here's a dude that has the guts to make unpopular (no pun intended) decisions. Don't like it? Tough. I'm the boss.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some championships to win.
Scoreboard.

I love that!!!!!

At the time, I thought Pop was a total a** for firing Hill the day D-Rob came back. The very day! That really was the worst decision he ever made. He should have waited a month or so.

I do love Pop though. He really is a genius coach, and I think he is a very interesting person. Would love to have lunch with him to pick his brain on this and that.

BTW, Hill and Nellie are one and the same. No "D".

[Spurs Brazil]

For me Pop is a great coach