SAN ANTONIO – Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is not with the team in Los Angeles to face the Clippers.
Popovich suffered a health issue before Saturday’s home game with the Minnesota Timberwolves and did not travel to California.
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Assistant coach Mitch Johnson will lead the Spurs for an indefinite period of time.
Details of what happened to Popovich are not known, but Johnson did address the media in Los Angeles during a press conference before the Spurs played the Clippers.
“Right now, his health is the number one priority,” Johnson said. “We support him in that 100%. I talked to him last night. He’s in good spirits, he’ll be okay. He is okay. And we can’t wait to have him back.”
Point guard Chris Paul, who’s in his first season with the Spurs, said he hasn’t talked to Popovich and that he doesn’t think any of his teammates have.
He added that they are trying to give their coach his space.
“He’d (Popovich) be the first person to tell you not to worry about him, and to go out and hoop,” Paul said. “Of course, all the guys with our team, the staff, everyone, definitely miss him, because he’s Pop. There’s a feeling when he’s in the room that just calms everybody.”
While Coach Pop is out, nothing changes on the court and Johnson is making sure things run the same.
“Regular-scheduled programming,” Johnson said. “Obviously circumstances are unique, but as much continuity, familiarity we can have I think is what we are looking for. That’s what Pop would want us to do, and he said he wants us to do.”
Paul wants to continue to build on the Spurs’ early season success and knows that Coach Pop will still hold him accountable.
“The guys on our team we are excited to go out and hoop, and play,” he said. “We know he’s going to be watching. He’s going to let us know what he sees, and we will control what we can.”
Per the Spurs, Popovich will not travel with the team to Houston for their Wednesday night game with the Rockets.
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