Long after the Spurs’ famed Big Three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are done playing, head coach Gregg Popovich will be stalking the sidelines in San Antonio.
With stars like LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard being groomed to take control of the franchise, Popovich knows that the Spurs are well-positioned for sustained excellence.
Duncan, the reigning Teammate of the Year and perhaps the funniest dude in the L, jokes that San Antonio will continue to roll if Danny Green stops being terrible at his job.
Per NBA.com:
“My life will stay the same,” Pop said last week. “When those three guys leave, my life will stay the same. It’s basketball. It’s not my life. It’s basketball.” […] “I thought about it five years ago,” he said. “So I think about it all the time. Mostly that I’ll be sad not to have them around, more than anything. When you’ve been with somebody as I have with those three guys, I’ll miss walking in the gym and seeing them there. But, you know, life goes on for everybody.”
Of course they will endeavor to win another ring this season, merging the old with the new. But Aldridge, Leonard and Green is the trio that will try to carry on the tradition that Duncan (Hall of Fame center David Robinson had more than a little hand in it as well), Parker and Ginobili created, one that has lead to five NBA titles since 1999. […] “You assume I care about what’s going to happen after I’m gone,” Duncan says, as only he can, deadpan and with exquisite comic timing.
He continues: “We’ve got a good core here. We’ve got a good bunch of young guys. And, obviously (we’re) adding L.A. to that. As long as Danny stops sucking” — Green, seated next to Duncan, was waiting for the zinger — “and Kawhi is obviously on his way up and is going to be incredible, there’s going to be a good team here for a long time. We’ve done that over the years. The organization has continued to put people into place where they’re coming along, and there’s no lull in what we do.”
