Tim Duncan sat in the “big boy chair” Tuesday night, earning his first victory as an NBA head coach, with Gregg Popovich out of action for what the Spurs called “personal business.”
Duncan only found out he was stepping in for Pop the morning of San Antonio’s 104-103 road win against the Charlotte Hornets.
The 43-year-old says he has no desire to become a full-time bench boss.
Per The AP and The San Antonio Express-News:
“It’s night and day to be in the big boy chair,” said Duncan, who normally serves as an assistant coach. “Truth be told though, I wasn’t in the big boy chair. I had (other assistant coaches) making the calls and I was the one standing there screaming at people.”
When asked if being a head coach is something he wants to pursue down the road, Duncan said, “Nope, Pop is going to be back and I will be happy to hand it right over to him.”
Popovich was on board the flight, but the players awoke Tuesday after arriving in North Carolina around 3 a.m. to learn he would not coach their game against the Hornets to attend to what the club called personal business.
“He was on our ass when we made mistakes,” said Dejounte Murray, who led the Spurs with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting. “But it was good. He motivated us, he pushed us, the whole coaching staff. Pop was down, our leader, and all of them stepped up from Tim all the way down.”
