Popovich on Duncan's eventual retirement: 'It makes me sad, I'm going to miss (him) an awful lot'

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and power forward Tim Duncan have teamed up to dominate the NBA over the last 17 seasons, capturing five titles along the way.

But with Duncan cracking the age of 38, and age 65 for Popovich, the end is near. Popovich signed an extension this summer, but Duncan's contract runs out after this year. 

For Popovich, the thought of no longer coaching Duncan is sobering. 

“When he’s not at practice, I’m going to be little depressed, I think,” Popovich told the Washington Post. “It makes me sad. I’m going to miss it an awful lot …I’ll think about it when it happens and it’ll be tough, but until then I’m not going to start being unhappy now.”

It's believed that Popovich's deal runs five years, which likely puts him on pace to surpass Duncan in terms of tenure with the Spurs. Popovich wouldn't rule out the possibility of retiring along with Duncan, but there's Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker to consider as well.

I always said that (he'd leave with Duncan), because it’s kind of a funny line. It seems pretty logical and smart to do that. I know where my bread is buttered.

But I basically made the same commitments to Manu and to Tony that when they signed contracts, they wanted to know if I’m going to be here and I tell them I am, so it’s pretty tough to go ahead and leave.

As an aside, here's an even more sobering thought. There's a distinct possibility that Duncan, Nets power forward Kevin Garnett, Lakers point guard Steve Nash, and unrestricted free agent Ray Allen could retire within a year. Cherish this upcoming season, fellow fans.