Popovich is coming back until he decides otherwise

Seven weeks later, the “inappropriate” question has an answer, or at least a presumptive one. Given time to get out in the world and think about where he wants to be at the age of 73, Gregg Popovich still hasn’t declared his coaching career finished.

To be fair, on the subject of basketball, he hasn’t declared anything since the April night his team lost a play-in game. But it’s not as though he or the Spurs would see any reason to notify the public of a planned return for a 27th season.

“Has there ever been an announcement before?” a team official asked rhetorically last month, and that pretty well summarizes the organizational approach to addressing speculation. Barring some huge surprise, the Spurs’ first comment on Popovich’s retirement will come after it’s already happened.

And now, just like in April, all signs point to that happening in 2023 at the earliest, even with a possible successor becoming available. Popovich enjoyed the heck out of himself last season, and the combination of three first-round draft picks plus a ton of salary-cap space should pique his interest this summer.

Then there’s this: As powerful and as well-received as his “Get off your ass!” speech to Texas politicians at a downtown “Stand for Uvalde” rally was last week, it’s probably too late for him to jump into this year’s governor’s race.

A run at next spring’s playoffs looks more realistic, and among those monitoring his progress might be a former protégé. Quin Snyder, who rehabilitated his career with the Spurs and stepped down as head coach of the Utah Jazz