The broadcasting VP has said it privately. So have the team counsel and others of retirement age in the front office, such as the Spurs' president, Rick Pych.

Why not leave when Tim Duncan does?

His expected departure date coincides with a Spurs roster that has almost every contract, including Duncan's, expiring in two years.

By 2015, who's left? R.C. Buford and the Coyote?

But there are no plans for the oldest to join the exodus. Even with new assistants upsetting his routine, Gregg Popovich isn't hinting at retirement.

According to those who know him: Don't be surprised if Popovich continues to coach until he's about 70 years old.

That might change as soon as this week, when Popovich again fields media questions. He will be reminded he doesn't enjoy everything about the NBA.

The first trip will be poignant, too. This week, the Spurs open training camp at the Air Force Academy, where he was a cadet; for a man who turns 65 this season, this is an undeniable circle of basketball life.

But his staff has been looking for such clues for years, weighing his moods and his actions, and for good reason. What Popovich does always affects them.

That's why the events of this summer are telling. Mike Budenholzer, for so long Popovich's strategic sidekick, might have seen himself as a possible successor. Or Brett Brown, closer to being Popovich's emotional equivalent, was another likely candidate to become the next coach of the Spurs.

If either thought Popovich might retire in the next few years, wouldn't they have stuck around? Both were embedded in San Antonio family life. Instead, both left this summer for other NBA opportunities.

Replacing them has worried Popovich this summer, according to those with the franchise. He doesn't want to spend too much time coaching the coaches, and there's some question whether he can recreate the chemistry he had with Budenholzer/Brown.

They had it down. Popovich would delegate, and they knew how far to go. Popovich trusted them and liked them, and this is the kind of work environment that would have encouraged him to coach another five or six seasons.

Living without Duncan will be another wild card eventually. Popovich would miss him on the floor and in the locker room; no one has made Popovich's job easier.

Still, those close to Popovich say Duncan's exit wouldn't stop him from continuing. Popovich is a people person. He can reach players with or without Duncan at his side.

Instead, Popovich will mostly miss Duncan's friendship. Maybe when Duncan leaves, said one, Popovich will feel alone.

Then there's the rest of the roster. Almost everyone comes off the books in the summer of 2015, including two who signed this summer — Marco Belinelli and Jeff Ayres. Only Cory Joseph, Kawhi Leonard and Tiago Splitter will be tied to the Spurs in two years, and only Splitter is locked in.

So will Popovich see possibilities, such as re-signing an older Tony Parker to a newer mix? Or a rebuilding project that might require some losing?

Those are reasons he might retire. But the reasons he might stay are stronger, and this is about Popovich.

Said an assistant: “It's in his DNA. He loves the road, he loves the process, he loves the challenge. The guy is a coach. Period.”

For further verification, listen to Popovich himself. In June, just before Game 7 of the NBA Finals when he should have been emotionally spent, he was asked about his future. And he said:

“I think vacation is overrated ... I'll take some time. I'll walk the streets someplace, and I'll travel, and I'll spend time with my family in other places. But after a little while, just getting up when you want to in the morning, and not having challenges, gets a little boring. You can only grow so many tomatoes and read so many books ... you want to get busy and get competitive again ... when I stop feeling butterflies around September, then I'll hang it up.”

Popovich confirmed this month he's still feeling butterflies. And there are signs he will continue to.

bharvey@express-news.net

Twitter: @Buck_SA