Tim Duncan has yet to decide whether he will return to the San Antonio Spurs in 2016-17 for a 20th season.
Because, duh.
The Spurs’ Game 6 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder is still fresh. The reality that San Antonio wont get its foregone Western Conference Finals matchup with the Golden State Warriors hasn’t yet settled in. And Duncan, 40, has no idea what the future holds for him, per ESPN.com’s Tim MacMahon:
Tim Duncan on his decision about whether to retire: "We'll get to that after I get out of here."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 13, 2016
Classic Tim Duncan.
Even if he knew what he was going to do, he probably wouldn’t announce it publicly. He doesn’t like creating spectacles. He is the anti-spectacle. He will likely make a decision, then let the news trickle out organically, probably via the Spurs organization itself.
For what it’s worth, if Gregg Popovich thinks Duncan has played his last game, he isn’t letting on:
"Do you know something I don't know?" Pop said when asked about the possibility of Tim Duncan playing his final game.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 13, 2016
My gut feeling is that both Duncan and Manu Ginobili will come back, and that the Spurs will make one last run with its original Big Three after making more upgrades to the roster. Something about Duncan leaving now just feels wrong. It seems like, given the way he played offensively in this series, he’ll feel a sense of unfinished business that compels him to return for another year.
Then again, I thought the Spurs were going to the Western Conference Finals, even after they fell down 3-2. So what do I know?
