Spurs' Popovich on Duncan: 'I haven't coached Timmy in years'

There are only so many things a coach can teach a player.

Those lessons run out sometime before the 18-year mark, according to San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. Popovich revealed Thursday that he's run out of coaching to offer Tim Duncan, with whom he's spent nearly two decades and won five NBA Championships.

"I haven't coached Timmy in years," Popovich said. "We talk occasionally but he does his own thing. You think I'm joking but I'm not."

Popovich may want to be less forthright about how little coaching he does, considering he commands a $6-million salary and has three Coach of the Year trophies, including one from last year.

The reality is that Duncan probably needs little coaching, as he knows and executes the Spurs' system as well as anyone. After 18 seasons, 14 All-Star appearances, five rings and two MVP awards, Duncan's earned autonomy on the court.

He also hasn't lost a step at age 38, somehow putting up numbers in line with his last four seasons.

You can't coach that type of longevity.