SAN ANTONIO -- It's become widely known that forward David West declined to exercise the $12.6 million option of his contract for the 2015-16 season for an opportunity to join the San Antonio Spurs, where he now plays for the veteran minimum of $1.49 million.

Having earned approximately $87 million over 12 seasons before joining the Spurs, West can now safely say he harbors no regrets about leaving so much money on the table in favor of joining a legitimate title contender. With San Antonio prepping to make what’s expected to be an extended postseason run, we caught up with West on Monday at the team’s facility to discuss a variety of subjects, including how he feels now about his decision to join the Spurs:

The time of year you joined the Spurs for is approaching. How excited are you to get the playoffs underway?

West: Well, you know that’s what we’ve been preparing all year for. It’s just a matter of us staying sharp down the stretch these last [few games]. I’ve enjoyed the year. We’ve had a pretty good year. I’m proud of that, but ultimately everybody sort of gears [up] for the playoffs. This is why we play, really, for these last five games and leading into the postseason.

Has the season panned out the way you expected it to when you first joined the Spurs?

West: Well, yeah. I don’t know if I was expecting the type of year that we’ve had. But it’s definitely looking like what I anticipated of, just having a high seed and having an opportunity to legitimately make a run. That’s really, I guess, what I was looking for; so far, so good. It’s pretty much what I expected. We have a very open group. The communication is always open. We’ve got a bunch of basketball IQ in here, a bunch of basketball minds. So it’s been very good in that regard. It’s been a great, great learning experience. Obviously, we want it all to sort of come together as the playoffs approach, and hopefully we can put together a pretty good run.

How grateful are you that you had been so good with your finances over the years that you ended up in the position to be here in San Antonio, after turning down the chance to stay in Indiana for more money?

West: That’s a big component. A big key of it is just being prepared for the next step. I’ve always prided myself on that. I tried to be a step ahead in terms of my preparation. My financial security was something that we focused on very, very early in my career, so that we could make basketball decisions at the end as opposed to decisions based solely on needing to get more money.

Leaving that money on the table to come here, would you say the situation so far has exceeded your expectations?

West: Yes. I don’t know if anybody was expecting us to have this kind of year. It’s been great. Ultimately, it’s about the next step, which is the playoffs and trying to be as prepared as possible for that. It’s been great, and just being a part of this environment, being able to be around for some of these guys for an extended period of time and learn some things, even after 13 years [in the NBA]. I came into this environment and was able to learn a whole lot. Hopefully, we just continue to move in the right direction.

With lots of teams there seems to be a real shift at this time of year in terms of focus and intensity. In San Antonio, it seems the whole season the team has been pretty focused. Has that been your experience?

West: We’ve been pretty steady the whole year. We’ve got a very veteran group. So we’ve seen a lot, experienced a lot individually. Obviously, the guys that are here have experienced a lot together. We’ve sort of been in that mode, and the coaches have been a little bit more tedious in terms of sticking to details and making sure guys are paying attention, because the year starts really [now]. Really, what we all prepare for and play for is the opportunity to win.

Is there a real sense of urgency, sort of a now-or-never mentality?

West: I’ve always sort of felt like that. Nothing is promised. You have certain things that go on. So you just try to take advantage of the opportunity in front of you. That’s what I’m trying to do.