Over the past two seasons, the San Antonio Spurs have been able to defy to odds and hold off Father Time by clinching the top seed in the Western Conference in consecutive years.
One of the main reasons for the Spurs’ success over the last two years has been coaching. Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich is one of the best in the business and continues to add to his legacy by mixing promising young talent in the form of Gary Neal, Daniel Green and Kawhi Leonard with the likes of veterans Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.
Popovich has created a winning combination of players in San Antonio once again, but it remains to be seen how much longer Duncan and Ginobili will be around at their advanced age.
Heading into the 2012-13 NBA season, Ginobili is set to make $14.1 million and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. If the Spurs fail to reach the NBA Finals this season and are clearly outmatched by the Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder, the veteran guard might ultimately decide to call it a career.
Reportedly, Ginobili may be closer to retirement than once thought after hinting at calling it a career according to Jeff McDonald of San Antonio Express-News via Twitter:
In last year of contact, Ginobili drops “if” bomb:”If I play another season, I’m pretty sure it will be here.”
— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) October 1, 2012
Duncan recently re-signed with San Antonio for three more years and may be able to convince Ginobili to stick around for one or two more seasons, but it seems like retirement is an option that he’s seriously considering after making this statement.
The outcome of the upcoming season may very well sway Ginobili one way or the other. The Spurs will likely be reaching out to Ginobili to keep him around for a little while longer, but this could ultimately be the last season for the three-time NBA champion.
