Knowledge
by Andrew Monaco | June 16, 2013
I would love to tell you I have all the answers, but I just can't. When it comes to talking Spurs basketball, I get an awful lot of help.
I value the time together with Coach Pop. To be able to sit down with him and get his thoughts on the Spurs, Spurs players, the opposition and the keys to the game, is always enlightening. He's not only generous with his time, but also with his information. Same goes for his coaches.
I enjoy getting to talk with Spurs coaches and get their insight on the game, which I then relay to the television audience, or use while working in-studio. That is not possible unless teams have coaches and personnel willing to share that information. And in my case, explain it so I can understand it.
The Spurs are fortunate to have that type of personnel and I would like to take the opportunity to thank them.
I had the good fortune to work a Spurs season ticket holder event with Chad Forcier and we had a great time talking about his career and the dynamics of the Spurs' coaching staff and Spurs' success. And he has been kind enough to continue that throughout the season.
So I cannot thank Chad enough for all the e-mails he responds to, the phone calls he answers and the one-on-one time he gives me. His generosity in sharing his knowledge has been invaluable to me.
I wish Mike Budenholzer nothing but success as the new head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, as he teams up with another former Spur, and current Hawks' general manager, Danny Ferry. I, for one, will miss him. Coach Bud has always carved out time for me coming though the tunnel at halftime, or meeting me on the court, to offer his thoughts and insights, on what to expect in the upcoming second half. He's also a terrific pre-game interview, as is Brett Brown. Sometimes they have come through in a pinch when a scheduled interview falls through, but mostly, they are so god in hat interview chair, we enjoy talking with them.
I have already been in touch with some of the Hawks' broadcasters, telling them they are getting a really good guy in Mike Budenholzer.
Whether it is Coach Bud or Brett Brown, Chad Forcier, Ime Udoka or Chip Engelland, they all are kind enough to share their knowledge and expertise, allowing viewers of our telecasts to gain valuable insights on this team.
Another Spur who has been invaluable to me is Sean Marks, my partner on select telecasts. I have learned a bunch from the Spurs Director of Basketball Operations. It could be on one of our telecasts, on the court pre-game, in the tunnel during the game, or on the phone, the knowledge he has passed along to me has been plentiful and extremely useful. And when I do Austin Toros' telecasts, the Toros' GM provided me with everything I needed.
And then there is Sean Elliott. He deserves an M-Blog of his own (which would probably be his highest honor). We know all about his made-for-TV personality. It is his combination of basketball IQ, ability to relay that to the audience, his expertise as a telestrator, and just one of the funniest - and kindest -- people I have ever met and worked alongside. I am constantly stealing information from him, especially when I am in the Fox Sports Southwest studios. And I am constantly learning the game from him and appreciating how players play, why plays succeed, why teams win.
To work with him is a true pleasure. But, as I wrote earlier, that is for another edition of M-Blog.
Thanks again to everybody on the Spurs for being so generous with their time, their knowledge, their insight. It is greatly appreciated by me, and I certainly hope, for our Spurs audience.