Spurs’ Ginobili talking gold medal, retirement & Father Time

San Antonio Spurs’ Manu Ginobili will be going for another medal this summer at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

And while many are looking at Team U.S.A. and Spain as the two teams likely to capture gold and silver, Ginobili says Team Argentina will also be gunning for the gold in what will likely be the last Olympic run for what is considered Argentina’s “Golden Era” of basketball.

Obviously, we’re going for the gold medal again against opponents who may arrive in better shape.

The teams have to play everyone and anything can happen, surprises occur at all times.

Indeed anything can happen in Olympic play considering a loss here and there and a team can find themselves out of medal contention. But for Argentina, they may have a decent shot at getting a medal with Team France, considered one of the top-three teams, coming into the tournament not at full strength with Joakim Noah, Ian Mahinmi, Mickael Pietrus, and Rodrigue Beaubois not playing. Argentina could sneak in and challenge for a medal.

However, in the end, this will perhaps be Manu’s last time at the Olympics. He is 35-years old and says it will be impossible for him to continue Olympic play considering he will be 39 by the next Olympic Games in 2016.

It will be difficult for those games. I’ll be 39, and at that age, is difficult to play at this level. I see it as impossible.

But it’s not just Manu’s Olympic playing days that will be ending this summer, he also sees his time in the NBA coming to an end soon as well and says he will finish out the final two years of his current contract before retirement.

If all goes well, I will play to 37-years old, because I have a contract with San Antonio for two more years.

This is probably painful for Spurs fans to hear Manu has two seasons left with the team considering he is probably one of the most well-liked players in franchise history. But Manu can see that time is catching up to him which also is lending to his playing days coming to an end.

In the physical part, especially because I do not jump so high and feel the difference when I have to face opponents who are 15-years younger and are full of energy.