FanPost

Are the Spurs a Cult?

I realize I’m heading into some dangerous territory here. But I watched a YouTube video last night that framed the Spurs as a cult-like organization headed Pop, the cult leader. While I can veins popping on some of your heads as you read this, I will say it offered the best explanation as to why Kawhi left. So here was the gist:

The Spurs are celebrated for putting the team ahead of the players, for bringing alsorans and making them valuable contributors, and for players being seen as "interchangeable parts". We know this, we celebrate this. We also know stars have had to lay their egos... but also their stats, and potentially paychecks (contracts and endorsement deals) at the door. So the video made the claim that Popovich is actually taking advantage of his players like a cult takes advantage of their members. They specifically seek out foreign players and D-leaguers who are more vulnerable to being "controlled" than say, high pedigree prospects and super stars. They talk about Pop’s need to keep stars in check to exert his own power/authority. They pose that him yelling and berating his superstars as a means of mind control.

They suggest Duncan was to the Spurs what Tom Cruise is to Scientology. He legitimized it in the eyes of other followers. The video then suggests that Tony Parker’s and Manu Ginobili’s brilliance and star power as players were sacrificed because the individual can’t be greater than the cult. They suggest this is he main reason Manu wa relegated to the bench.

Then I got to thinking about different situations I’ve heard about (some are alluded to in the video): Stephen Jackson being made to tell Danny Green that Green was better than him. Tracy McGrady playing 0 minutes. Could he have contributed SOMETHING for that team? Was it a form of control to keep him on the bench?

Then there’s Kawhi.

The video suggests Kawhi originally fit the mold of a player the Spurs could control. Quiet, history of personal tragedy. And it worked. But as he improved as a player he no longer liked how the Spurs treat their players. He wanted to not be controlled anymore. So he broke away from it in the same way people break away from cults. They leave and they have to break off all communication because their is fear of slipping back into that mind control.

And how did the Spurs treat Leonard? Maybe similar to how Scientology treated Leah Remini? They’ve upheld their position as a organization while leaking information slowly to suggest Leonard is unstable, incapable of making good decisions, ungrateful.

Have I convinced you? It’s the only explanation that really makes sense in terms of how and why Kawhi left.

But... here are a few counterpoints:

1) The Spurs/Pop are not THAT much of a deviation from the rest of the NBA. They’re paying similar salaries, they’re not blocking endorsement deals. Yes, guys have sacrificed paychecks... mostly towards the end of their careers (namely Timmy and Manu... but it was with the clear goal of being able to improve the talent and win more).

2) it’s difficult to argue whether the chicken or egg cane first. Would Parker and Manu have been as great on other teams? Statistics based on draft position say no. Would they have been remembered the same if they had left? It’s not an easy answer. If Manu/tony/Tim left in the prime of their career and never won another championship... would they have been celebrated the same way? I don’t think so. And we can now look in hindsight and see Parker and Manu are great... how many times do we hear of a Manu-esque player who flames out in a different environment? Mario Herzonga and D’Angelo Russell come to mind.

3) The Spurs develop a lot of players only to let them leave and get bigger paydays on other teams. There seems to be no ill-will or animosity in these situations. AND players usually regress outside of the Spurs. Even a guy like Jonathan Simmons. He boosted his scoring average from 6 to 14ppg... but that was on a 25-win team compared to a championship contender. He was their clear 6th man whereas he was maybe the 8th scoring option on the Spurs?

Anyways... it’s worth a watch.

https://youtu.be/TdcNrRuT2CE

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