The San Antonio Spurs appointed Becky Hammon as their head coach for Thursday’s scrimmage game against the Milwaukee Bucks, with Gregg Popovich masked as his assistant, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times.
Popovich wants the Spurs to rotate their coaches for scrimmage games:
The Spurs have appointed Becky Hammon as their head coach in today’s game against Milwaukee … with a masked Gregg Popovich as their assistant.
– Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 23, 2020
Coach Pop wants the Spurs to rotate their head coaches for these three games: Becky Hammon is training today. pic.twitter.com/X6HXNR7mkb
– Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) July 23, 2020
Many people believe that Hammon could be the first head coach in NBA history, although it is unclear when that could happen.
However, it’s great to see Popovich giving the former WNBA star more opportunities to grow as a coach. That is why Pop is a legend, both on and off the basketball court.
Once the seed games begin on July 30, the Spurs will face the Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans, and Houston Rockets. The Jazz and Spurs will play each other twice.
San Antonio faces an uphill climb to reach the playoffs for the 23rd consecutive season under Popovich. The team basically has to go undefeated in seed games and expect the Grizzlies, Kings, Portland Trail Blazers and Pelicans to falter.
The Spurs will be without LaMarcus Aldridge for the qualifying games as the All-Star forward is recovering from shoulder surgery. San Antonio legend Tim Duncan is helping Aldridge with his rehab, so the Hall of Fame isn’t with the Spurs in Orlando, Florida.
