The NBA's most expensive head coach became an ATM, and Popovich played a big chess game and lost a record number of consecutive games.
16 games, 14 lost!The NBA's most expensive coach has been reduced to a cash machine, and Popovich is brewing a big gamble.
In the new year, in the new year, 30 strong teams are competing in the league, and one super dark horse after another has become a scenery in the NBA. For example, the Minnesota Timberwolves, after 20 years, finally got rid of the husky title and regained the first place in the West, and held the first position in the East for ten consecutive days. In contrast, Nottingham Forest has only finished 10th in the West for the past 34 years. In the East, the Orlando Magic also showed their talent, finishing second in eight games and becoming the longest-running team in NBA history, also starting in 2000. The winning streak is the strongest, while the losing streak is the weaker. With the rise of Minnesota and the Magic, there is a team in the East and West that has fallen into the mire of failure, and below, I will reveal what these two teams really look like.
In the East, the Detroit Pistons lost the most games in a row. As we all know, the Pistons didn't do well in the draft, they have the likes of Cunningham, Bagley, Wiseman, Ivey, 5th pick, Thompson, 7th pick, Knox, 13th pick, Duren, all potential stocks, but none of them have potential to tap. At that time, because the Suns fired Monty, the head coach who is best at training young players, their owner did not hesitate to give Monty a big deal of $78.5 million over six years. Obviously, the Pistons also know how to use their talents to the extreme, not talent, which is why they will spend a lot of money to let Monty turn gold into gold. But what is the current situation?Monty is still Monty, but the potential and potential of the Pistons cannot be compared to the former Phoenix Suns.
So far, they are only 2-17, which is the worst start in their team's history. Since losing to the Thunder on October 31, the Pistons have been beaten by the Trail Blazers, Pelicans, Suns, Bucks, 76ers, Bulls, Hawks, Raptors, Nuggets, Pacers, Wizards, Lakers, Knicks. According to NBA officials**, those 16 losses are the longest in the history of the Pistons. On another statistic, the Pistons went 0-15 in November, the worst November in NBA history, behind the 76ers. More than a loss, the Pistons' locker room was fraught with danger. According to the United States, Monty let him play without consulting Ivey, which surprised many people. Without an experienced veteran in charge, and a young captain - Cunningham, who has not yet grown up, Monty has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders!
In the West, the San Antonio Spurs are the team that has lost the most games in a row. This season's holiday has brought Spurs' new year ahead of schedule, bringing a series of surprises. They got the No. 1 pick, French star Wembanyama, and gave Popovich a five-year, $80 million gift. There is no doubt that the Spurs are fighting for their team, and they are counting on Popovich to repeat Duncan's glory with Wembanyama, and people expect to see Popovich's meticulous crafting of Wembanyama. But what is the current situation?Popovich wasn't going to make a big deal and wasn't going to focus all his energy on developing him, he just let Wembanyama "fly freely" like a child.
As of now, the Spurs sit 3-15 in the West, which is the worst start in the team's history. Since the defeat to the Raptors on November 6, the Spurs have faced the Pacers, Knicks, Minnesota, Miami, Thunder, Kings, Grizzlies, Clippers, Golden State, Nuggets, Hawks, suffered 14 losses, suffered a huge defeat, and lost one loss after another, giving them a taste of great pain. The 14 defeats are the second best record in Spurs history, following 16 losses in 2022-23. The Spurs will face strong teams such as Minnesota, Bulls, Rockets, Lakers, Pelicans, and Bucks. However, the Spurs' back-to-back losses also came with a surprise, as Wembanyama didn't call for nothing. Wemban, after 18 appearances, scored 19 all-around points, 97 rebounds 26 assists 13 steals 27 blocks, in this world, his ceiling is the blue sky.
Monty received $13.05 million this season, while Popovich received $16 million, and both became the most expensive managers in the NBA. Although they both lost, the mood of the two was still very different. In Monty's view, winning or losing is not an honorable thing, and if he wants to gain a foothold in Detroit, he must regroup this scattered team and find the key to victory so that he can survive. Popovich doesn't need to worry about his players because this team has too many weaknesses, so what he has to do is simple, one is to train the players and let them know what the NBA is like. Second, try and make mistakes to find the right solution for your language lesson. Wemban is only 19 years old this year, and he still has a long way to go, and he still has to prepare for a bigger game, winning or losing is not the point, the key is to let Wemban improve from setbacks. The Spurs can take the opportunity to get the 2024 draft pick, which is also a piece of his hard work. So, fans, what do you think it is?Tell me what you think.