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Much of the past 24 hours has been spent pointing fingers, dissecting and prognosticating, after the Nets decided to part ways with head coach Avery Johnson. We've heard it all.
One interesting perspective, however, came by way of San Antonio where Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich weighed in on the firing and came to the defense of Johnson, who spent seven seasons playing for Popovich in San Antonio (and one season in Golden State).
Speaking to Mike Monroe, Pop didn't hold back.
Pop, on Avery: 'Avery is not a good coach, he’s a very good coach; he’s a hell of a coach. He’s proven that.'
— Mike Monroe (@Monroe_SA) December 28, 2012
More Pop on Avery: 'There aren’t too many of us out there who have ever won 67 games in a season. He’s taken a team to The Finals.'
— Mike Monroe (@Monroe_SA) December 28, 2012
More Pop on AJ:"Last month he was Coach of the Month, so it shows what a fickle, volatile business we’re in and we all know that.'
— Mike Monroe (@Monroe_SA) December 28, 2012
More Pop on AJ:"Oftentimes, situations like that have nothing to do with the ability of the coach; more to do with circumstances.'
— Mike Monroe (@Monroe_SA) December 28, 2012
More Pop on AJ: 'We’ve seen it before, but I can’t help but think that sometimes a little patience can go a long way.'
— Mike Monroe (@Monroe_SA) December 28, 2012
More Pop: 'We all understand circumstances, especially in NBA, have a lot more to do with firings than how well or how poorly a coach did.'
— Mike Monroe (@Monroe_SA) December 28, 2012
Final Pop on Avery: 'It’s unfortunate, but we all move on, including Avery."
— Mike Monroe (@Monroe_SA) December 28, 2012
I suppose you would expect to see Popovich come to his former player's defense, but then again, Pop isn't one to hold back or simply say "the right thing."
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