Gregg Popovich believes he made a mistake in trying to change LaMarcus Aldridge as a player when he first signed with the San Antonio Spurs.

"I did talk with him several times during the summer. He just didn't feel comfortable," said Popovich. "It's 98.75 percent on me, and whatever's left - because I can't subtract that much - on him. But I tried to change him. I thought back to when Timmy [Duncan] came, and people said, ‘What are you going to do with Tim Duncan?' I said, ‘Nothing. I'm just going to watch him for about six months, see what he does. He's a pretty good player, and if there's something I think I can add, then I'll do it.' With LaMarcus, he got here and on Day 1, I said, ‘OK, you're going to do this, and you're going to do this pump fake.' I tried to change him. I tried to make him a different player, and I think that really affected his ability to feel comfortable and confident on the court. And we took care of that, basically by me letting him know that we were going to do it differently, and that it was on me, not him."

Aldridge agreed upon a three-year contract extension before the start of the season.