Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray will sit out one game of the team’s back-to-backs to help manage his recovery from surgery to repair his right knee, coach Gregg Popovich said Monday.

“As we move forward, he won’t participate in back-to-backs,” Popovich said. “So, we’ll just have to use the process and see what all the doctors and trainers and rehab people tell us, and live with that.”

Murray, 23, missed last season after tearing his ACL in the preseason. Popovich revealed after Saturday’s victory over Washington that Murray is on a minutes restriction.

“Five, five, five, five,” said Popovich of his plan for parceling out Murray’s minutes per quarter.

“There’s not much else you can do,” the coach added. “If you sit him too long, if you say, well, I’m gonna save him for the last five minutes of the game, and he ends up sitting too long, that’s probably not good for him. So, we just have to live with it.”

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Murray played 24 minutes in the season-opening win over New York last Wednesday and 23 in a victory over Washington on Saturday. He said after Saturday’s game he has no problem following the plan devised by the medical staff.

“I trust them,” Murray said. “They have been doing this a long time. They know what they are doing.”

Popovich also said he envisions Murray and fellow defensive-minded guard Derrick White playing together more after Murray gets healthy. With White on the second unit and Murray’s playing time limited, the duo hadn’t shared the court much before Monday’s game against Portland.

“You know it makes us deeper if we can do that,” Popovich said, “but that will take a while.”

Popovich: Gasol has a future as a coach

Pau Gasol, who joined the Blazers this summer in free agency and has yet to play this season while recovering from foot surgery, was back in San Antonio for the second time since the Spurs released him last spring.

Popovich was asked about Gasol’s future as a coach after the future Hall-of-Fame center took a turn guiding one of the teams in an intra-squad scrimmage Portland held in the preseason. Gasol joined the Blazers after ending last season with Milwaukee.

“I think he would be good,” Popovich said of the 19th-year pro from Spain, whose résumé includes six All-Star appearances, two NBA championships and three season with the Spurs.

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“He’s not just intelligent, but he’s got a really good feel for the game,” Popovich added. “He’s played long enough for enough people that he’s gained all sorts of knowledge, both here and in Europe. He’s got a vast store of knowledge to pick from, gets along with everybody, a class act. He would be good at developing relationships with people and he understands the game.”

Blazers coach Terry Stotts echoed Popovich’s comments.

“He’s a consummate pro,” Stotts said. “He’s smart, he’s been great talking to old guys, the younger guys. Even though he’s been unable to play, he’s been very connected with his teammates in terms of teaching. He’s been a joy to have around. Can’t wait until he can play.”

Players enjoy family time

Spurs forward Rudy Gay and a few other players got a much-needed break from basketball Sunday during an outing at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, where they celebrated the fourth birthday of Gay’s son, Dean.

“DeMar (DeRozan) brought his daughters, and Mezie (Chimezie Metu) came because he’s got nothing else to do,” Gay said. “It was good to get away from basketball, basketball issues, and do family things.”

torsborn@express-news.net