Gregg Popovich says Spurs will return because of the paycheck

That’s one reason the San Antonio Spurs legendary core might not be done, and Gregg Popovich has a pretty good reason to come back.

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Consistently the best interview in sports, San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovich probably knew that questions about his future were coming following his team’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 7 of the Western Conference first round.

Popovich responded with one of his classic dry answers in an interview with Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.

"“People ask me about Tim [Duncan] and Manu [Ginobli] and myself for the last five years, what we’re going to do. It’s all psycho babble. I have no clue. We’ll probably come back. Paycheck is pretty good. You think I’m lying.”"

That probably doesn’t help clear things up much. Yes, the paycheck is very good for all three of them, but that’s probably not the highest thing on their priority list after long and fruitful NBA careers.

Duncan just turned 39 years old and Ginobli is 37. Both are in the final years of their current contracts with San Antonio. It’s long been rumored that Popovich will retire alongside Duncan.

The run to the finals in 2013-14 to get revenge on the Miami Heat took a lot out of the Spurs and they were unable to repeat the performance a year later. Even after what’s felt like an eternity of rumors that this could be San Antonio’s last year, it’s understandable that those questions would come up.

However, expect to see Duncan and company back with the Spurs next season. San Antonio just went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the NBA and can still compete at a high level.

In particular, Duncan just keeps putting up numbers in his old age. Duncan averaged 17.9 points on 58.9 percent shooting and 11.1 rebounds in the seven-game classic against Blake Griffin and company.

San Antonio has a lot of cap space to reload for the 2015-16 season. The Spurs are going to bring back Kawhi Leonard, who just keeps getting better and will soon be one of the very best players in the NBA.

A big-name free agent, perhaps LaMarcus Aldridge, is also likely on the way. Yes, Aldridge plays the same position as Duncan, but it’s not like the Spurs are going to force Duncan out. He and Ginobli will have a spot on the team as long as they want to play.

Yet again, it seems like it’s going to be “one more year” for the Spurs core. We can only hope Popovich sticks around for more classic soundbites.

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