Gregg Popovich says he is disappointed after league hands San Antonio Spurs $250,000 fine – NBA News
Speaking for the first time since the NBA office handed his team a hefty $250,000 fine on Friday, Gregg Popovich said that he was disappointed in the actions taken by the league, but did not comment on whether his team would appeal
against the fine. The San Antonio Spurs Head Coach and Team President said on Saturday night that he made his decision from a coaching stand point, and the league works in a different manner.
"What I do from my perspective is from a coaching perspective. And I think the league operates from a business perspective. And I think that's reflective in the action that they took,” said Popovich before the Spurs defeated the
Memphis Grizzlies 99-95 in overtime on Saturday night.
Popovich decided to rest Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green ahead of the Spurs only trip to Miami for the season to play the defending champions Miami Heat. He put his four starters on a plane and back to San
Antonio before the game, saying that he did not want his starters to get fatigued this early in the season as the team was already coming off a hectic away trip.
However, Popovich’s decision infuriated NBA commissioner David Stern, who apologized to the Heat fans before the game and promised that a heavy penalty would be put on the team in the days to come. He came back with a hefty $250,000
fine on Friday. Stern made the argument that the team had made the decision without informing the Heat, the media or the league in a timely fashion.
Popovich said that he had discussion with the league before the decision was made but did not go into the details of what the discussions were about. He also said that appealing against the decision was out of his hands and the
decision would be taken by the team in private.
Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins sided with Popovich on the issue, saying that the coach had the right to manage his team in whatever manner he thought was right.
"I don't say it's bad. I don't say it's good. That's Pop's decision. I do what I do with my team and he does what he does, and the 28 other teams do the same thing. Each coach has a responsibility to his players and his team,”
said Hollins.
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