NBA Rumors: For the San Antonio Spurs, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan might be a package deal when it comes to their immediate futures
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For the San Antonio Spurs, the immediate future is anything but certain. They don’t exactly know if Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili will be back with the team next season, and their best player, Kawhi Leonard, is expected to hit restricted free agency.
Although, we figure that Leonard will be back on a max deal next season and that Popovich will likely be back, too. And, now, it appears that Duncan and Ginobili will be somewhat of a package deal.
In the translated words of Ginobili, he hints that if Tim Duncan comes back for another season, so will he.
"[via canchallena.com (translated from Spanish to English), H/T PBT]Pop said he wanted us to Tim and me in next season. They are words that make me the most difficult things. The truth is that if the franchise had said they did not want me or it was time to rebuild and wanted a younger team, I would have greatly facilitated the task. You may have done a little hurt because even though one is on the ledge, falling just want to not give you the push. So he had hurt a little but it had facilitated the decision. He went backwards, these words help you in the emotional, in confidence, feeling, but I’m not in a time when I need the job.Bypasses feel that if I want to follow, but if you really define feel like doing and get into all this bustle.In the team meeting I had a couple of nice conversations with Pop and Tim, because we are the ones who are in this particular situation a little, but what he said Pop has made clear what his idea. Well … Tim chatted with some of the possibilities and it’s like we’re on the same page saying we want to wait a little. We need time, see what happens, how we feel, what our families say. Our body is not the same, though in his case it is not noticeable. But other things start to happen mind. …I do not feel that San Antonio can feel a blow by the departure of some of us. If I were preparing a total reconstruction … it comes and goes Pop another coach Tim retires, Tony does not play anymore. That would change the situation much. I understand it’s time to change things on the computer, or the appearance of the whole and understandably so. But if Pop continues and Tim can follow, everything is different. Because one would have less commitment to colleagues and everything. I guess we’ll have a little talk with Tim, who seems to be on the same ledge as me. We’ll see where the wind blows."
If the Spurs can return the core trio (Manu, Tim and Tony Parker) while adding a LaMarcus Aldridge or Marc Gasol (it won’t be easy) to a Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio is going to be right back where they were this season — contending in the Western Conference.
Only, that hypothetical team, which is not out of the realm of possibility, probably wins their first round series.