Manu Ginobili will miss the next two games with hip tightness.

Ginobili will be re-evaluated before Saturday's game against Memphis.

In nine games this season, Ginobili is averaging 11.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals.

Gregg Popovich said Brett Brown is the most positive person he knows, which is a great attribute to have in his third season coaching the rebuilding Philadelphia 76ers.

"I'd last about a month," Popovich said. "And he, honest to God, loves coaching that team."

Brown spent 12 seasons in San Antonio and was a part of four championship teams before taking the Sixers job in August 2013.

"You get a little bit jealous," Brown said. "You want what they have. What they have has taken time. The culture that they have built is amazing."

Brown has no regrets leaving the Spurs for the 76ers.

"I have not one regret in taking the Philadelphia job," he said. "I see daylight all the time, and it's hard lately. I can see that in Year 3, it's most definitely hard."

The San Antonio Spurs have recalled forward Jonathon Simmons from the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League. 

Simmons, 6-6/195, has yet to appear in a game this season for San Antonio or Austin.

Pat Riley received a meeting with LaMarcus Aldridge last July during free agency, but the Miami Heat didn't have the necessary cap space to sign him.

Riley's wish was for Aldridge to sign a one-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers and sign with the Heat in 2016.

Riley's words actually went a long way toward validating the San Antonio Spurs' case instead of the Phoenix Suns.

“He told me, ‘You’re a good player, but you can be great,’” Aldridge told Yahoo. “I’ve had good seasons on my own, but to win, you’ve got to have other big-time guys with you. When you have other guys who are willing to take that sacrifice with you – maybe you all go from averaging 23-24 points to 18-19 points – and you can all do it together.

“He was saying, ‘Hey, you might have to take a lesser role, but at the end of the day, you want to be known as a champion. Champions have to do different things.’ He brought up Chris Bosh, how he was averaging 21 in Toronto, and came to Miami, and people tried to say he wasn’t important. He told me, ‘We don’t win any of those championships rings without him,’ [and] that [Bosh] wouldn’t trade those rings for anything.

“Eventually, it becomes a road in your career, whether you have to decide whether you want to keep having these crazy stats, or do you want to win a championship?”

The Spurs soon closed the deal with Aldridge after the Riley meeting.

“Yeah, the things [Riley] said were definitely more positive for me coming to San Antonio,” Aldridge said.

Tim Duncan believes the San Antonio Spurs are overthinking things this season as they work to incorporate LaMarcus Aldridge into the team.

“Everybody is trying to think the game,” said Duncan. “They’re trying to think the right way, they’re trying to make the right decision every time, and when you’re thinking too much, your normal reaction comes secondary. That pause and that hesitation takes something away from your game. We just have to get through that.”

Said Aldridge: “(Against the Wizards) I definitely went backwards as far as thinking. I got on the block and I was overthinking my moves and things like that. It’s going to be nights like this when you don’t make shots and you don’t play as well.”

Duncan believes the Spurs will figure things out in time.

“It’s a playing thing,” said Duncan. “It’s an experience thing. It’s a situational thing. It’s all those things. You can watch film and do all you want to, but the bottom line is when you’re out there on the floor and get put in those situations, you don’t know what to expect.”

Added Duncan: “That’s what the 82 games are for. We’re going to figure it out and guys are going to come around.”

R.C. Buford was responsible for crafting a plan for the San Antonio Spurs to sign LaMarcus Aldridge.

The Spurs were able to keep Danny Green, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili while signing Aldridge.

“Give R.C. Buford credit,” Peter Holt said. “Pop is a great coach, but R.C. came to us with this plan three years ago, four years ago — seriously. And we’ve worked at it ever since. He, by far, was the general. We wouldn’t be where we are, in this position, if it hadn’t have been for R.C. Buford.”

“The ownership group has given us the opportunity to build a great team,” Buford said. “With Pop and Manu (Ginobili) and Tim (Duncan) and Tony (Parker), you knew we had to be prepared for that to end someday. And this (signing Aldridge) gave us a chance to be competitive now and prepare for whatever is next — hopefully not anytime soon.

“But the ownership group and Peter have given us every opportunity (to bolster the team for years to come).”

Gregg Popovich has an unusual bond with Brad Stevens.

Stevens often gushes about how the San Antonio Spurs run their franchise.

"I really respect what he does. I'll still watch his Butler tape, trying to learn some stuff he did there, to be honest with you," Popovich said of Stevens after Sunday's game. "I really respect the hell out of him. He's a really fine young coach, great demeanor. His team executes really well, and they're just going to keep getting better. So I enjoy him."

"Obviously great coaching, great players, great system, great way of playing, complete buy-in, and a willingness to sacrifice across the board," Stevens said. "All of those things stand out and what makes them great is they've got all that. Take away any part of that and it wouldn't be as good as it is. It's obviously been special to watch from afar."