Spurs CEO: No timeline for HC Gregg Popovich’s return

After struggling a stroke within the fall, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is “attacking his rehab with the identical resilience” that he has exhibited for many years on the crew’s bench, crew CEO R.C. Buford instructed reporters in Paris on Wednesday, in accordance with The Athletic’s Joe Vardon.

Whereas Buford isn’t ruling out the chance that Popovich will resume his teaching duties for the Spurs later this season, he mentioned it’s not possible to say for certain — or to undertaking a restoration timeline for the longtime head coach, who will flip 76 subsequent Tuesday.

“His enchancment continues to get higher, [but] I don’t know that we have now any solution to choose the clock,” Buford mentioned. “Predicting what’s to return is only a perform of the place Pop’s rehab goes.”

Popovich initially stepped away from the Spurs in early November because of what was described on the time as a well being challenge. The membership later put out a statement saying that Popovich had suffered a light stroke, and he subsequently issued a statement of his own in December that hinted he deliberate to return to the sidelines for the Spurs if and when his well being allowed.

Within the meantime, appearing head coach Mitch Johnson continues to guide the membership and has San Antonio inside putting distance of a play-in spot at 19-22. In line with Vardon, Johnson described his communication with Popovich as “constant.”

“He’s watching video games, nonetheless as opinionated as he’s ever been, and aggressive, and what you’d assume — giving reward and cussing me out, all on the identical time,” Johnson mentioned, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “Pop’s well being has been the precedence for the reason that begin of this and till dot-dot-dot. That’s form of how we, and I, take the method. We wish the most effective for Pop and I need the most effective for this crew and nevertheless I may also help is the place I’ll put my vitality.”

Chris Paul additionally mentioned he stays in touch with Popovich, telling the media in Paris that the Spurs coach is in contact with gamers by way of telephone.

“I’m not even certain if that is public, however he calls,” Paul mentioned. “He calls after video games and I discuss to him, and he tells me what he sees, and I respect that greater than something as a result of he doesn’t have to do this. And he does.”

As Vardon writes in a separate story for The Athletic, if Popovich had been in France on the present street journey, he doubtless would have taken the Spurs out to a fancy Paris restaurant for the form of “wine-soaked” team dinner he’s known for. As a substitute, it was second-year star Victor Wembanyama who took the lead on that crew dinner on Monday after the membership arrived in his native nation, per Vardon.

“We talked about it — Pop had a schedule right here, and he would have achieved one thing like that too,” Wembanyama mentioned. “Doing that on the primary day was essential for me to welcome [teammates] and to point out them, as a result of I do know if I went to any of those guys’ nation or metropolis, I’d have cherished to search out out about about the place they arrive from to study to know them higher as a result of they’re they’re all good human beings. So actually, it’s an actual probability to share these moments collectively.”