Gregg Popovich mocked the rebuilding Spurs' season outlook in a preseason media conference

• The San Antonio Spurs have stripped down their roster and are entering a rebuild.
• On Monday, Gregg Popovich joked to reporters that nobody should bet on the Spurs to win the championship.

The San Antonio Spurs are not going to be very good this season.

This is mostly by design: The Spurs enjoyed a nearly unprecedented two-decade run that featured 22 straight playoff appearances and five championships.

Now the team is coming out of that run by stripping down the roster for a rebuild. This off-season, San Antonio traded its best player, 26-year-old All-Star guard Dejounte Murray, for three first-round draft picks. The Spurs landed at the bottom of our power rankings this year, as they look set to lose a lot of games and vie for the No. 1 pick in the draft.

Gregg Popovich is well aware that the Spurs aren't going to win many games this year.

Speaking to reporters at the team's media day, the NBA's winningest coach gave some advice to those in attendance.

Indeed, Vegas Insider has the Spurs at 1,000/1 odds to win the championship.

Such is life for a team whose roster currently consists of six rookies, two second-year players, and two third-year players.

Popovich expanded, saying the goal of the season is to develop young players to have "long NBA careers." He said some of these players will find themselves playing bigger roles than expected as part of their development.

The Spurs do have some reliable veterans, like Doug McDermott, Jakob Poeltl, and Josh Richardson. It wouldn't be surprising if the team trades those players later for more draft picks, however.

It's a far cry from what the NBA world is used to seeing in San Antonio. The last time the Spurs tanked was in 1996, when David Robinson was injured and they landed the No. 1 pick in Tim Duncan, who spurred (pun intended) two decades of excellence.

It's unknown how much longer Popovich will stay on board as head coach. He is 73, has won a gold medal with the US Olympic team, and the Spurs don't seem likely to compete for a championship for several years.

Asked on Monday what keeps him coming back, Popovich quipped, "My paycheck."