Perhaps after all this time he has lost his way? People and their interactions can be different. So just because you think that, I must think that aswell? I'm sorry but this seems like one of those pep talks, nba used to have in their nba action (stopped watching those some time ago). Where they used to take one of those average stars and let their player friends or teammates talk about them. Obviously they had to say he was "one of the best, if not the best at that" on camera. Sadly one of the best would end up being one of 100.
Don't get me wrong, you are still allowed to think of him as a friend and a the strongest positive influence of this game. I just have witnessed him suggesting something he would use, what anyone actually being that successful would never do to a team at that level. A lot of people take the "big boys" words as law and tend to follow them blindly. That's why the more famous managers tend to sell their lesser/greater players successfully at a higher price.