As he stashed the last items from the locker in a travel bag, McDyess reflected on his two seasons in San Antonio, adamant he had made up his mind to retire and without regret for having chosen the Spurs over other teams that vied for his services in the summer of 2009.
“This was not at all how I wanted it to end, but signing here was one of the best things I did in my career,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade these two years for the world, one of the greatest times of my whole career. I just wish we would have gone farther.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is going to miss McDyess, as a player and person, but will respect his decision.
“We’re not going to fight him,” Popovich said. “If he does retire, as much as a player, we would miss him more as a person. He’s one of the finest human beings I’ve ever been associated with. He commands huge, huge buckets of respect from his teammates, just from the way he conducts himself. He’s just a wonderful man. So if he does retire, we’ll really miss him in that leadership role.
Crappy way for such a great player and person to end his career. But the sad fact is very few players end their careers on a high note. Dice was a class act through and through in his time as a Spur and throughout his career. He'll be missed next season.