Coach Pop's gift to the Spurs organization has been better than anyone imagined

When Gregg Popovich named Mitch Johnson as the next steward of the Spurs, it felt surreal. Some fans have known him as Coach Pop and only Coach Pop for so long that it felt like it was part of his government name. Naming his successor was a big deal, and not everyone was in love with his and the organization's decision. But they've been proven right the whole way.

When the NBA announced Mitch Johnson would lead one of the USA teams on All-Star Weekend, it felt like the cherry on top to silence the outrageous criticisms San Antonio's leader has been getting from within Spurs Nation lately. You should have seen some of the arguments I found myself in.

January wasn't their best month, but it was like that across the league. Now, the ship has steadied, and the Silver and Black look primed to continue an unreal journey, and he's a huge reason why.

Johnson has done pretty much everything right

Allow me to reveal some of the criticisms I heard about Mitch recently, as the Spurs hold the second seed in the Western Conference at the All-Star Break. I'll also quickly rip apart the arguments one item at a time. (And if you want to delve into the comment section where many of these debates took place, here's the post.)

1. "He plays around with too many weird lineups."

An NBA season is 82 games long. It is the coach's responsibility to experiment with his roster to figure out what works best and what doesn't. There is no way to know that without throwing out different combinations. Coach Pop was almost famous for using different lineups during the regular season. Rotations will be stricter once the postseason draws near.

2. "The team is winning because the roster is good. It has nothing to do with the coach."

Yes. I promise you that someone said this to me. Quickly, it became crystal clear that an alarming number of people don't know what a head coach's job is or how important they are. All you have to do is watch more than just your team in various sports to understand that talent does not equal winning. It's an important piece, but skill needs structure and direction.

If coaches weren't important, you wouldn't see so many of them get fired. Phil Jackson changed Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant's lives. The Spurs don't win five rings without Pop. The Patriots don't win 50 Super Bowls without Bill Belichick. The Eagles went from 4-12 to a trip to the Big Game two years later once Nick Sirianni was hired.

The Rams were nothing until Sean McVay showed up. Mark Dagneault was the architect who took the Thunder to the championship last season. The list goes on, and the theme is the same across all sports. Coaching matters. Period.

3. "He spends a little too much time developing and not enough time on winning."

Are you ***** kidding me? This team was projected to win about 43 games across the board, no matter where you looked. They're on pace for 55 wins, and they have the second seed in the most difficult conference. Coach Johnson has led this success while dealing with injuries to almost every single rotational player.

It is his job to both develop the players on his team and steer the organization to wins. He's doing both at a high level and, as everyone loves to point out, ahead of schedule. Accusing him of not valuing winning enough when he's already winning more than everyone thought he would makes me question your intelligence on a very disrespectful level.

I think I've gotten my point across. Coach Pop was the man for over 20 years, and when he was done, he gave the Spurs the perfect next man up. One who wouldn't be shaken by the responsibility of following in his footsteps.

Mitch has stepped right in and taken command of this team. They trust him, and they should. Players are improving, and the team is winning... a lot. It's truly a wonderful gift from the greatest to do it.