Manu Ginobili recently attended Gregg Popovich‘s annual retreat for Spurs coaches, but the recently retired guard has no immediate plans to enter the coaching ranks, as Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News details.
[RELATED: Manu Ginobili announces retirement]
Relaying a column that Ginobili wrote for Argentine newspaper La Nacion, Orsborn notes that the 41-year-old enjoyed the opportunity to “learn and see basketball from the other side” during Popovich’s coaches retreat. However, Ginobili says he has “no intention” of becoming a coach at this point, opting instead to happily settle into his retirement.
Although Ginobili isn’t about to accept a coaching role with the Spurs or any other team, he has been in attendance at training camp this week, Orsborn points out. The longtime San Antonio guard wrote in his La Nacion column that he believes the Spurs – who added one of the league’s best scorers in DeMar DeRozan – will be better offensively than they were last season, but will be tested on defense.
In a previous column for La Nacion, Ginobili said that he’d be open to a role with the Spurs, albeit perhaps not in an official capacity: “My children have already started classes and while I’m in town I’ll be close to the team and the franchise. Maybe I can’t help (anymore) by taking a (charge) or (with a steal) or something, but I’ll try to add in what I can. … If I can help from the outside, I will do it with pleasure.”