Gregg Popovich doesn’t care that he was named NBA’s Coach of the Month for the Western Conference.
And if the league wants him to care, it better break open its piggy bank.
Because coach Pop won’t give a crap about monthly awards of any kind until they come accompanied with a car or yacht or private plane or at least a fleet of jet skis.
As the always-honest San Antonio Spurs head honcho said, per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News (h/t Bleacher Report):
Pop on winning Coach of the Month: "I think you should at least get a car. If you don't get a car, I don't give a damn."
— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) January 4, 2016
To be fair, coach Pop has a case.
Gifting large-sized, luxurious modes of transportation for monthly distinctions is outrageous, but that’s also kind of the point. Unless a contract includes incentives for getting these miniature nods, they’re kind of meaningless—especially to someone like Popovich, who has been helming the Spurs for 20 years, who has five championships to his resume and who always takes the long view, specifically with regard to sacrificing wins in the regular season so that his team of indomitable veterans can be fresh for the playoffs.
Though, here’s a thought: If the NBA wants to prevent Popovich from randomly benching key players during marquee or semi-marquee matchups, they could reward him, and only him, with a luxury station wagon each and every time he earns Western Conference Coach of the Month dap.
That might be enough incentive for him to never, ever abruptly rest his best players again.
