NBA insider thinks Gregg Popovich will be surly again next year

Popovich seemed genuinely relaxed with last year's Spurs, a very young team that dealt away veterans DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray, Derrick White and Jakob Poeltl in the last two years. Pop is generally known for his prickly exterior - most in evidence during the in-game interviews he loathes, or whenever he thought he got a dumb question from reporters.

But last season, Coach Pop was downright light-hearted as the Spurs went 22-60. Probably because he expected them to stink.

When the Spurs were facing the red-hot Brooklyn Nets in January, Popovich joked that he had zero answers with his team.

Now, the Spurs have the first pick in the draft, which will almost certainly be used on French big man Victor Wembanyama. That likely means Popovich is going to care about wins and losses again, and his close friends expect much more intensity and far fewer smiles.

But it's incorrect to think that Popovich has no sense of humor, despite how hard he has been on players over the years. Tony Parker was famously coached extremely hard by Popovich during his 17 years in San Antonio. When the Spurs retired Parker's number, Popovich had jokes about the harsh treatment.

He was also willing to do the hard work with Parker, as a fellow "talent."

One reason Popovich can get away with his scowling intensity is that it's balanced out with genuine generosity and care for his players. Plus lots and lots of wine. Popovich often has the Spurs fly out in the morning rather than after games, to allow for elaborate team dinners where he selects all the wine and picks up the check.

And as much as Popovich cares about winning, he'll also sacrifice a foul just to prank an opposing player, like when he employed the "Hack-a-Shaq" five seconds into the 2008 season. Shaquille O'Neal was confused until he saw Coach Pop giving him a double thumbs-up from the bench.

Wembanyama needs to watch out for Coach Pop when he gets angry next year. But he also needs to watch out for hilarious pranks. That's the Popovich way.