Gregg Popovich cites Jerry Sloan: ‘What are you watching film for?’

Jerry Sloan may have retired from coaching eight years ago, but his mark on coaching still is relevant today. Coach Gregg Popovich—the apparent successor to Jerry Sloan’s direct and gruff style—was asked his opinion on Bradley Beal as his team was about to take on the Washington Wizards. Of course, a great soundbite followed.

From Fred Katz of The Athletic:

No. Why would I have one? Does he play for me? Are we undefeated? So, I think watching film of Belinelli and Patty Mills and Derrick White and those guys would probably be better time spent for me than watching Bradley or anybody else. I’m not trying to be a wise guy. It’s just the truth. Why would I spend my time watching him when I gotta watch my own guys who are trying to grow and trying to form a team.

...

You wanna ask me about John or anything else? [laughs] It’s really true. I started thinking like that way back when, I don’t know, 10 years ago, Jerry Sloan said that. I was talking to him. He said, “What are you watching film for? What does that do?” He said, I watch my time and I watch what we’re doing well and horribly. We’re never gonna be perfect but we’re trying to get better and blah blah blah. It seemed to make sense.

...

Yeah, everybody just tries to stroke everybody. It’s the way of the world. You don’t say anything bad about anybody, right? So, everybody just strokes everybody. ... It’s all baloney. It doesn’t mean anything, doesn’t do anything. That kind of stuff.

You can almost hear Jerry Sloan saying that by following it up with a “you can’t put diapers on one day then expect them to step up the next” lines. This is definitely a Sloan-ism. It’s amazing how much the Spurs and Jazz organizations have influenced each other over the past three decades.