Popovich adds Elie to coaching staff SAN ANTONIO -- Mario Elie, a former San Antonio Spurs player, has been hired by the reigning NBA champions as an assistant coach. Elie replaces Mike Brown, who was named the top assistant in Indiana. "He'll once again be an important part of our organization," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Elie on Thursday. "As a player Mario always exhibited a good knowledge of the game, and his attitude and work ethic will serve him well." During his 11 years in the NBA, Elie collected three championship rings. The first two came with Houston in 1994 and 1995 and the third in 1999 with San Antonio. He said San Antonio "is the perfect place for me to start my coaching career. I'll be able to learn a lot from Coach Pop and his staff." Elie played in 732 career games, averaging 8.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. In addition to the Rockets and Spurs, he played for Philadelphia, Golden State, Portland and Phoenix. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1609153
Don't worry! First of all we have all our assistant coaches. Second, look for Avery Johnson to become a player/coach for the Rockets this year to help the young guys (similar for what he did for Van Excel and others last year). After that becoming a permanent coach. I like that much more than Elie (not to say he won't make an excellent coach).
