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00:00Greg Popovich, of course, who was not on the sideline for San Antonio for pretty much the majority of the year after all of his medical problems that he had early in November.
00:10Well, he is now stepping down as the Spurs head coach.
00:14He will stay in the front office, so he's still going to be involved with the team, but no more sidelines day to day.
00:21Mitch Johnson, who took over for Popovich for the entire season, he gets the job permanently.
00:28Permanent job for Mitch Johnson.
00:30I got to tell you that, you know, let's get down to business here.
00:37This guy had a stroke, and it obviously ended his career, and he's had other medical emergencies since the stroke.
00:49He was at a restaurant a month ago and collapsed.
00:52Like, I have serious reservations about the longevity of this plan to put him as the president of the team in the front office, if he can even do that.
01:04I respect him.
01:07I don't discredit his brilliant career in any capacity.
01:12I think he's been, you know, five titles.
01:14He's one of the greats.
01:15Without a doubt, one of the greats.
01:17And with USA Hoops.
01:19Fair enough.
01:20But I think that there has been some problems with him.
01:25I mean, the guy had a massive stroke, and he never coached again.
01:29Now you're telling me he's going to run the Spurs from the front office?
01:34I got to tell you, I have my reservations.
01:37I have doubts.
01:37I do.
01:38I don't question whether he can do it.
01:42I don't question his brilliance about basketball.
01:45He's no different than Pat Riley.
01:46He's on that same plane.
01:48But I do question his health.
01:51I don't know if he's in any kind of shape to go to work every single day.
01:56I mean, I've had open heart surgery.
02:00It's no joke.
02:01Like, you either, you know, you come back from it or you don't.
02:04Like, this guy had a massive stroke.
02:06Like, people act like he didn't have a massive stroke.
02:08Are you kidding me?
02:09He had a massive stroke.
02:10He never came back.
02:11He never coached again.
02:13Like, he didn't have some little mini stroke.
02:16He had a massive stroke.
02:18As far as I'm concerned, like, you can't explain it any other way.
02:22Everyone thought he was coming back and that he was going to be coaching this year at some point.
02:28He never did that.
02:29And now he's done coaching.
02:30Now you're telling me he's going to take some job, some stressful job?
02:34Now, I guess it isn't that stressful being the president where you just sit in your big, fat office and make phone calls and cut deals.
02:42But you know what they say about Pat Riley now?
02:46People want him gone.
02:48You know why?
02:49Because he's old.
02:50And so is Popovich.
02:52And he's a lot older than Riley when it comes to his health because Popovich has had all these extreme problems with his health.
03:00And Riley hasn't had that.
03:02Right.
03:03I mean, you know, Riley's actually, and this shows you the difference right here.
03:09Riley's 80.
03:11Like, you know, Riley's 80 years old now.
03:13I mean, and he looks obviously still, you know, he doesn't look 80.
03:18Let's just say that way.
03:19Popovich is 76.
03:21He's four years younger than Riley.
03:23And he looks 90.
03:25But he looks, yeah, it's just, and look, everybody ages differently.
03:29Everybody, and what, you know, it's just how it goes, you know.
03:34It's not saying guys can't do it at 75, 80 years old.
03:37But, as you mentioned, when you start racking up the health concerns.
03:41Yeah, I actually come from the school of thought that they don't.
03:45As you know, I am not a fan of 80-year-olds and 77-year-olds and 72-year-olds doing anything except drinking some scotch on the back porch and watching the sunset and having a good dinner and watching a game on TV.
04:01I just don't buy into all these guys working into their 80s.
04:07I think it's insanity.
04:08I really do.
04:10I think everything.
04:11Listen, and same with Belichick.
04:14I think that sports, frankly, is a young man's game.
04:20I really do.
04:21And these old guys, listen, no one has the stones to say it.
04:27But they don't want that Riley around no more.
04:30They're sick and tired of it.
04:31Like, Bam's, like, the silver-haired guy.
04:34Like, they even, like, believe me, they are behind his back.
04:37They want him gone.
04:3980, for Christ's sakes, call it a day already.
04:43Like, honestly, I think we have had this conversation on the show too many times.
04:47I'm not going to waste my time.
04:49Like, I just don't think the guys should be doing it.
04:51I don't think Popovich should be doing that job either.
04:53I don't think Popovich should be doing that job either.