NBA lockout won’t speed Tim Duncan’s retirement: Fan’s take
By Lisa Mason, Yahoo! Contributor Network 2 hours, 32 minutes ago
It's the worst-case scenario for San Antonio— this NBA lockout swallows all of the 2011-2012 basketball season and then star Tim Duncan(notes) retires. It's been said and said before, but will it happen?
While no one can say for certain (except Duncan himself and perhaps his agent), it doesn't look like this will happen, at least not anytime soon. Duncan's contract is set to expire after this season and many have questioned time and time again if he will retire at the end of the contract.
While most would deem it perfectly acceptable for Duncan to accept retirement after the many great years he has put in, Spurs fans are not eager to see him go, especially when the team still so desperately needs its aging stars.
If Duncan resigns after this contract ends, he will be 36 years old. This is not old at all by normal standards but in the pro basketball world, he is getting on up there.
The topic was brought up back in May and Coach Pop said he didn't think such a thing would happen. He offered his opinion that Duncan had most certainly not played his last game in a Spurs uniform and that he would be back for future seasons.
But Pop isn't the only one convinced that Duncan isn't going anywhere just yet. His point guard for the past 10 seasons, Tony Parker(notes) said at a basketball clinic in San Antonio on Saturday, October 1st that he doesn't think Duncan will be retiring so soon either.
"I don't know. I don't think so," Parker said. "I see myself playing at least two or three more seasons with Timmy."
That's good news from Parker for Spurs fans and while it's definitely unofficial news, it's good nonetheless.
More good news from Parker is that he believes the NBA will be back in action soon, despite much of the doom and gloom talk coming from others in regards to the labor talks and the NBA lockout. Perhaps Parker was just feeling a little extra peppy this Saturday or maybe, just maybe, his predictions will be right and we'll all get to witness some great basketball soon!
Lisa is a youth basketball coach, resident of Texas and long-time fan of the San Antonio Spurs and Silver Stars.