Pop never wants Ginobili to retire: 'I'm gonna use him like a bar of soap'

The Big Fundamental, Tim Duncan, was the first of Gregg Popovich's legendary Big 3 to call it a career, and it looks like Manu Ginobili may be the next to go should he elect to retire at the end of the 2016-17 campaign.

In Popovich's ideal world, Ginobili would remain in his rotation until his last days on Earth, even though he's accepting of the fact that this season could very well be the Argentinian guard's last in the Association.

If that's the case, the three-time Coach of the Year is going to get the most bang for his buck out of Ginobili until there's nothing left.

"I don't want him to ever retire. I'm gonna squeeze every last ounce of juice out of him," Popovich said Wednesday prior to the San Antonio Spurs' game against the Golden State Warriors, according to the Washington Post's Tim Bontemps. "I'm gonna use him like a bar of soap."

Ginobili, 39, is averaging the fewest minutes of his career in his 15th season with the Spurs at 18.8. With his playing time down, so are his numbers across the board, as he's contributing 7.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 63 appearances.

Popovich has done his best this year to find Ginobili rest and give him days off when applicable to preserve him for San Antonio's always-inevitable postseason run, which was also the case last year with Duncan.