End of the Road for Tex Winter

The Triangle Offense guru is likely to hang up his clipboard after this season: “Tex Winter is in his 63rd year of earning a basketball-related paycheck. It’s probably his last. The longtime Lakers consultant and the modern-day architect of the triangle offense said he didn’t expect to return next season because of health issues. Winter, 87, has been battling shingles since late 2007, making next season seem less and less likely. `I’m getting too old,` he said, smiling. `At one time I thought I would [return], but I’m not sure anymore. I would feel a whole lot better about it if I didn’t have these shingles. It’s really taken me downhill. The thing I don’t want to become is too much of a distraction if my health doesn’t hold up.`”