Heartwarming Gregg Popovich update gives Spurs fans exactly what they needed

Gregg Popovich was spotted at the Spurs' shootaround earlier today, and it's always a pleasure to see the NBA's coaching GOAT. He's transitioned to the role of Team President, so he's still around, but fans don't get to see him as often. Today brought that gift. He looked good; he was alert and seemed to move well.

It was surreal to hear that Pop had a stroke last season. The hope for him to come back was unwavering for fans, but eventually that was no longer a possibility. He was the longest-tenured coach in the league, leading San Antonio for 29 seasons. Thankfully, he's still around to lend an ear to the staff and players and provide wisdom.

It's still not the same, though. Every season for 29 years, you knew that Gregg Popovich would be leading a buttoned-up group through 82 games, and that's no longer the case. It's weird. For the fans, and for the players. Keldon Johnson spoke to the media at shootaround, and he was open about that.

The players should be more settled this season

There's obviously going to be an adjustment period for this team to work through without Pop there, but the experience they got last season with Mitch Johnson leading the way should help. I would even imagine that it's weird for someone like Luke Kornet to sign in SA and not be coached by the five-time champion.

Kornet is 30 years old, so Popovich was the coach of the Spurs for nearly as long as he's been alive. You just sort of get used to that being the norm for that organization, no matter where you are. Coach Johnson has everyone's support, though. The players' exit interviews gave plenty of insight into how they felt about the young steward, and they all co-signed him.

Keeping that consistency by promoting someone that everyone was already familiar with is also important. There was plenty of speculation that the organization could look elsewhere to replace a respected leader like Pop, but it didn't really seem like they gave it much thought at all. This franchise believes in Mitch Johnson, and that's been made apparent by the moves they've made since.

Announcing the transition early in the offseason showed that they valued giving their new head coach enough time to prepare for the next campaign. Adding veteran depth, while keeping the young core, shows that they trust Mitch to take this team to the postseason now, while leading them into the future.

Pop has the most successful coaching tree in league history. It's pretty safe to believe that he probably kept one of the brightest young coaches by his side to be his successor. It's one of the things we love about the old jokester. He's thoughtful. He loves the city of San Antonio and that organization, so he's going to take care of them. And we love him back.