It appears that Gregg Popovich will be returning for at least his 24th season as coach of the San Antonio Spurs. As first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Popovich is expected to sign a three-year deal that will keep him as the highest-paid coach in the NBA, but will still continue to evaluate his coaching status one year at a time moving forward.
A Popovich extension has been a foregone conclusion for months, but a new deal doesn't change the fact that he'll continue to take his coaching future on a year-to-year basis. Spurs ownership believes he’s entitled to manage his future how he wishes. https://t.co/4xlyua3SQK
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 30, 2019
Popovich's most recent five-year contract ended when the Spurs were eliminated but the Nuggets in in Game 7 of their first round series. Popovich, who has won five NBA titles and led the Spurs to an NBA record 22 straight playoff appearance, will coach Team USA in the FIBA World Cup in China in September and in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Per Woj: "There's a belief that he could use the Olympics as a final coaching act, but that remains unclear."
The Spurs finished as the No. 7 seed in the West this season with 48 wins. They had one of the best offenses in the league despite shooing a low volume of 3-pointers and relying heavily on the analytically maligned mid-range jumper.
"It's a perfect example of Pop's greatness," Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told CBS Sports earlier this season. "Whatever [personnel] he has, he's going to play to those strengths. Whatever direction the league is going, that's not going to affect the way they play, it's still going to be about the strengths. Shoot, The Spurs were one of the first teams that was maximizing the 3-point line, so I think it's just fitting and an example of Pop's genius is the fact that everybody's going one direction and they';re going another direction and they're still finding a way to win. It's brilliant coaching."
