If Popovich had coached the Rockets this year I can almost guarantee you our main guys would still receive heavy minutes. It's a function of the personnel and trust in his players.
I think you're right on all points here, I would also add winning consistently to that formula. A player would look like a total jackass going to the media demanding touches on a team that won 60 games. Whatever the formula is, it works, and has worked. When you don't have stretched of losing 5 or 6 games in a row for seasons at a time that goes a long way towards tamping down dissent in the ranks.
