One of the last of his generation of announcing greats, Hundley could be calling his final games after 35 years as the voice of the Jazz. He said it was quot;pretty muchquot; decided he would retire after the playoffs in advance of his 75th birthday Oct. 26.

Hundley, who was honored with the Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Media award in 2003, celebrated his 3,000th Jazz broadcast in January and learned last weekend that his old No. 33 will be retired by West Virginia.

quot;All these nice things seem to have just fallen in place,quot; Hundley said. quot;I said, 'What else can I do to beat all of this?' I think I've done as much as I can do, and have enjoyed it actually the whole time.quot;

Jazz president Randy Rigby put the odds of Hundley's return for next season at 50/50, adding that he quot;deserves to leave when he wants to and the way he wants to.quot;

quot;It's hard to see an institution like that, and one of the great ones in all of sports, but in Basketball particularly, to see that chapter maybe come to an end,quot; Rigby added.

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan first met Hundley when he was a college star at Evansville and Hundley was a Converse representative. quot;He's a fixture here in this community and all around the league with our organization,quot; Sloan said.

Longtime Cleveland Cavaliers announcer Joe Tait, who has called games since 1970, praised Hundley's style -- quot;You didn't need to have anybody say that was 'Hot' Rod Hundley, you knewquot; -- and added that Hundley always would be identified with the Jazz.

quot;It's something that a number of the modern owners haven't figured out,quot; Tait said, quot;that radio announcers still have a very close identification between a team and its fans, even as so much emphasis is made on TV and Internet, things of that nature.quot;

Hundley, the only remaining member of the original New Orleans Jazz staff, had discussed the possibility of working a schedule of home games next season, but the organization was not as receptive.

quot;I think that's a difficult arrangement,quot; Rigby said. quot;I think for both of us as we've talked about that, we've really kind of ruled out the home-only arrangement.quot;

Hundley recently built a home in Peoria, Ariz., and would like to see more of his 9- and 6-year-old grandsons. He would have commuted from Phoenix for Jazz home games, but was not looking forward to another Utah winter.

As much a the Jazz are on the road also has taken its toll. quot;I was thinking about that over in L.A.quot; Hundley said. quot;I was sitting there for four days. 'Why am I doing this?'quot;

Hundley has broadcast 3,048 Jazz regular-season and playoff games, as their simulcast voice on radio and television for 31 seasons and radio alone for the past four seasons. Hundley is under contract for 2009-10, but it is the team's option for him to return.

The NBA also hasn't made Hundley's job any easier in recent seasons. No longer are teams required to provide courtside seating for radio broadcasters, forcing Hundley to call games from the very top of the lower bowl at EnergySolutions Arena and elsewhere.

quot;I don't like to make a mistake and you make mistakes up there,quot; Hundley said. quot;I used to fly with it. The referee hadn't even blown his whistle, I've got the foul when a guy's going in.

quot;Now I've got to wait. I play off numbers more than faces up there because it's easier to see a number and to put it to the uniform.quot;

If Hundley does not return, the Jazz could turn to two in-house candidates for the job. David Locke, who hosts an afternoon show on 1320 AM, formerly worked as the Seattle SuperSonics radio broadcaster before returning to Utah.

Rigby also mentioned Steve Klauke, who calls Salt Lake Bees games on 1230 AM, as another possibility. Locke filled in March when Hundley did not travel to Toronto for the Jazz's game against the Raptors.

quot;There will be a myriad of interested parties,quot; Rigby said. quot;We've got a great stable, I think, of talented people who work for us in various capacities in broadcasting.quot;

The Jazz also have not made any decisions about whether they would replace Hundley with a single broadcaster or a separate play-by-play voice and analyst.

quot;Economics are going to come into play,quot; Rigby said. quot;We all realize that right now. I think the person and their style comes into play with it. So there's a lot of options.quot;

For his part, Hundley said he was quot;kind of scaredquot; to face life without Basketball. He collected his first paycheck as a player with the Minneapolis Lakers in 1957 and hasn't missed one in the 52 years since.

rsiler@sltrib.com 'Hot' Rod Hundley

Thirty-five years as Jazz broadcaster, 31 on simulcasts and last four on radio alone.

Celebrated 3,000th Jazz broadcast with Jan. 7 game against New Orleans.

Honored with Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Media award in 2003.

Only remaining member of original New Orleans Jazz staff dating to franchise's founding.

Second player after Jerry West to have his number retired by West Virginia.