SAN ANTONIO — Tim Duncan did not wrestle with the decision per se, but it is fair to say he sparred with it.

From the time the 38-year-old Spurs captain left the champagne-soaked euphoria of the AT&T Center on the night of June 15, an improbable fifth Larry O'Brien trophy in his grasp, he had nine days to decide whether he wanted to put his body through the rigors it would take to try for a sixth.

It took all nine of them for Duncan to decide, at last, to opt in for the final season of his contract.

“There was some hesitation there,” Duncan admitted.

In the end, Duncan's rationale was simple: An NBA career can only go on for so long, and he didn't want to tempt the regret of leaving a season on the table.

“It came down to, I'm not going to be able to do this again,” Duncan said Friday, at his 18th annual Spurs media day. “So as long as I'm feeling I can (play), and I feel good about it, this is where I want to be.”

Duncan's choice to return, at a $10.3 million price tag, crystallized the rest of the Spurs' offseason.

The so-called Drive For Five completed, the Race for Seis was on.

More Information Key dates Today: First practice Wednesday: Open scrimmage @AT&T Center, 6 p.m. Oct. 8: Preseason opener @Albin Berlin, 1 p.m. Oct. 28: Regular-season opener vs. Mavericks, 7 p.m., TNT Manu talks to Pop, clears air on World Cup ban. C9

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With their Hall of Fame-bound big man on board, Spurs brass moved swiftly to re-sign free agents Boris Diaw (three years, $23 million), Patty Mills (three years, $9.9 million) and Matt Bonner (one year, $1.45 million).

When backup center Aron Baynes finally put his signature to a new one-year pact worth $2.1 million Friday, it ensured every member of last season's NBA championship team would be back to defend the title.

“We had a pretty good year,” deadpanned coach Gregg Popovich, still sporting his white offseason beard. “So I didn't see any reason to kick them out of town and make trades and change things.”

If there is a change in the Spurs, from media day 2013 to now, it is a matter of motivation.

Last September, the Spurs emerged from the offseason angry and determined after squandering a Finals series against Miami, desperate for another shot at the championship that got away.

That fire fueled them until the final victorious seconds of Game 5 of June's rematch with the Heat.

Spurs players acknowledge that level of hunger might be difficult to match in the season to come, even as they seek the first back-to-back titles in franchise history.

“Of course you are not as hurt,” guard Manu Ginobili said. “Usually a hurt animal is more dangerous. We're going to have to work mentally to have the same desire.”

With a few temporary exceptions, the team that hits the practice floor Saturday beneath the 2014 NBA championship banner already hanging in the team's workout facility will look identical to the squad that earned it in June.

Diaw, 33, has been given the first part of camp off after playing for the French national team over the summer. He is set to join the team when it arrives in Germany next month for a series of practices leading up to an Oct. 8 preseason game against Alba Berlin.

Diaw's French teammate, All-Star point guard Tony Parker, was excused from Friday's media day responsibilities but is expected here in time for the first camp session.

Mills is out until at least January after offseason surgery on his rotator cuff. The 37-year-old Ginobili, meanwhile, is progressing in his recovery from a right leg stress fracture that bothered him throughout last summer's Finals run and kept him out of the FIBA World Cup tournament.

“It's a work in progress still,” Ginobili said. “I'm not at the same pace as my teammates, but I'm slowly getting in shape and getting ready.”

For Duncan, a similar build-up already has begun.

There will be times during the 82-game grind to come — say, February in Detroit — when Duncan will second-guess his decision to return.

Depending on what happens with free agent guard Ray Allen, Duncan will begin the season as the NBA's third-oldest player behind the Los Angeles Lakers' Steve Nash and Washington's Andre Miller.

Had he so chose, Duncan could be at home with his two children, or spending more time at his auto detailing shop.

On the eve of another Spurs training camp, however, Duncan could think only of doing what he's always done once October approaches.

“I look forward to getting out there and playing more basketball,” Duncan said.

Because of that, so are the Spurs.

jmcdonald@express-news.net

Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN