Poll: Which, if any, NBA Players Were Better Than Tim Duncan?

[Galileo]

Poll: Which, if any, NBA Players Were Better Than Tim Duncan?

Note - this poll can be used to rank the top 20 players of all time based on total votes, in order, with those getting over 50% ahead of Duncan, and those below 50% behind Duncan.

No One

Jordan

Jabber

Magic

Russell

Bird

Cousy

Shaq

Chamberlain

Karl Malone

John Havlicek

Bob Pettit

Jerry West

Kobe Bryant

Hakeem Olajuwon

Oscar Robertson

Sam Jones

Elgin Baylor

Scottie Pippen

Some one else

Duncan

9 or 10 times; 1st-team, All-NBA

4 times; NBA Champion

3 times; Final's MVP

2 times; Regular Season MVP

12 times on All-Defensive Team; most of all-time

8 times 1st-Team, All-Defensive; behind Jordan & Gary Payton, tied with Garnett, Bobby Jones & Scottie Pippen

including this season, 12 times on All-NBA team, behind only Jabber, Karl Malone & Shaq, tied with Cousy, Hakeem, Dolph Schayes & Jerry West

4th all-time in playoff PER; behind Jordan, Mikan & Shaq

5th all-time in playoff Win Shares; behind Jordan, Magic, Shaq & Jabber

2nd all-time in playoff Defensive Win Shares; behind only Scottie Pippen

6th all-time in playoff Offensive Win Shares; behind only Jordan, Magic, Shaq, Jabber & Reggie Miller

10th all-time in playoff Points Scored

6th all-time in playoff Rebounds

4th all-time in playoff Blocks

4th all-time in playoff Offensive Rebounds

3rd all-time in playoff Defensive Rebounds

7th all-time in playoff Free Throws Made

3rd all-time in playoff Blocks Per Game

12 times in top 10 (regular season) for Defensive Rebounds; 2nd behind Karl Malone

11 times in top 10 for Blocks; 3rd behind Jabber & Akeem, tied with Mutombo, Ewing & DRob

11 times in top 10 for Defensive Rebound Percent; 1st all-time, tied with Mutombo & Karl Malone

12 times in top 10 for Defensive Rating; 2nd all-time, behind DRob

12 times in top 10 in Defensive Win Shares; 2nd all-time, behind Hakeem, tied with Karl Malone & DRob

11 times in top 5 in Defensive Rebounds; 1st all-time, tied with Karl Malone

11 times in top 5 in Total Rebounds; 3rd all-time, behind Russell and Chamberlain

10 times in top 5 on Rebounds Per Game; 4th all-time, behind Russell, Chamberlain & Moses Malone, tied with Bob Pettit

11 times in top 5 in Defensive Rating; 1st all-time, tied with DRob

11 times in top 5 in Defensive Win Shares; 1st all-time, tied with DRob & Hakeem

10 times in top 3 in Defensive Rating; 1st all-time, tied with DRob

10 times in top 3 in Defensive Win Shares; 1st all-time

Best bank-shooter of al time, with the possible exception of Sam Jones

Of the players usually in the discussion of the greatest of all-time, Duncan is the only one not to complie mind-boggling stats

Best team player of all-time, with possible exception of Bill Russell and maybe Magic Johnson

Arguably the greatest role model in NBA history

DISCUSS!

Timothy Theodore Duncan (Tim, The Big Fundamental)
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duncati01.html

[Brazil]

Jordan Magic Russel

[Hemotivo]

Scola

[TheSpursFNRule]

In terms of Poward Foward the only 2 players that could come close and may even be a little bit better are Karl Malone and Bill Russell.

[VI_Massive]

So tough to tell because the eras are so different. Different rules, expansion, pace of game, international players, back in the day they only let a few black guys play.........really tough to compare.

And what do we mean by "better"? Winning? Scoring? Carrying a team by himself?

Its impossible to tell, I'm satisfied to say that he's one of the best ever and close with Shaq for best player of the post-Jordan era. I give TD the edge over Shaq because of personality. TD never ripped his team (or anyone for that matter) in the media. No way does he dog it because he's in a bad situation like O'Neal did at the end of his Miami tenure.

[sa_kid20]

Its really only fair to compare TD to other big men so with that being said I would say possibly Hakeem in terms of flat out skills.

[Thomas82]

In terms of Poward Foward the only 2 players that could come close and may even be a little bit better are Karl Malone and Bill Russell.

Bill Russell was a center, and NO WAY IN HELL is Karl Malone better than Tim Duncan. Tim Duncan has accomplished twice as much as Karl Malone in a lot less time.

[SouthTexasRancher]

Scola


LOL, guuud'un...:lol:lol:lol:rollin:lol:lol:lol

[Ice009]

Bill Russell was a center, and NO WAY IN HELL is Karl Malone better than Tim Duncan. Tim Duncan has accomplished twice as much as Karl Malone in a lot less time.

Didn't anyone watch Tim totally kick Malone's ass almost every time we played Utah?

[SouthTexasRancher]

Didn't anyone watch Tim totally kick Malone's ass almost every time we played Utah?


I sure did. I'll take Tim over Karl any day of the week and twice on Saturday afternoon.

[Thomas82]

Didn't anyone watch Tim totally kick Malone's ass almost every time we played Utah?


I sure did. I'll take Tim over Karl any day of the week and twice on Saturday afternoon.

So did I. Good point, I forgot to put that in my last post. Let's not forget that Tim started getting mention as the best PF of all-time as early as 2003, after only 6 years in the league.

[Halberto]

Imagine what the Jazz would have been if Duncan were there instead of Malone. A combo of Duncan and stockton might have taken the bulls

[TDMVPDPOY]

tim duncan is top10 on the realgm top100 lists

wouldve been top8 if he had a few dpoy awards...camby and one of ben wallaces awards belong to tim....

[Thomas82]

tim duncan is top10 on the realgm top100 lists

wouldve been top8 if he had a few dpoy awards...camby and one of ben wallaces awards belong to tim....

Yeah, he should have 2 of those awards.

[sonic21]

jordan
kareem
magic
russell
bird
hakeem

[poop]

depends, the pre-injury (2000) Duncan could only be matched by Jordan and Olajuwon. he was perfect in every aspect of the game

[bus driver]

i selected jordan and kobe, but not sure if i would want them on the spurs in replace of duncun

i am talking about a better player not power forward. never seen the older guys play only highlights so i can say much about that.

[Gino]

LOL!

58 people voted yet only 47 chose Jordan.

[TheChillFactor]

Jordan, Russell, Chamberlain, Jabbar.

equal to Bird and Magic and ahead of Olajuwon on my ballot.

GTFOH Karl Malone....

[Horse]

In terms of Poward Foward the only 2 players that could come close and may even be a little bit better are Karl Malone and Bill Russell.
Are you out of your fucking mind? Russell ok although he was a little one dimensional but can't argue his rings and his impact on his team. But Malone give me a break he had Stockton for his whole career and did'nt win shit. Duncan only had Drob at the end of his career. And malone was as dirty as they come.

[Horse]

Wilt Chamberlain and it isn't even close.
He was great but played against mostly midgets compared to him.

[Horse]

So tough to tell because the eras are so different. Different rules, expansion, pace of game, international players, back in the day they only let a few black guys play.........really tough to compare.

And what do we mean by "better"? Winning? Scoring? Carrying a team by himself?

Its impossible to tell, I'm satisfied to say that he's one of the best ever and close with Shaq for best player of the post-Jordan era. I give TD the edge over Shaq because of personality. TD never ripped his team (or anyone for that matter) in the media. No way does he dog it because he's in a bad situation like O'Neal did at the end of his Miami tenure.
He's ahead of shaq and it's not close one-way players should'nt be on this list, yeah shaq was a great scorer but so was dominiqe wilkins where's he on the list. shaq never played D cause he's a lazy piece of shit.

[Gino]

He's ahead of shaq and it's not close one-way players should'nt be on this list, yeah shaq was a great scorer but so was dominiqe wilkins where's he on the list. shaq never played D cause he's a lazy piece of shit.

Duncan was never as dominant as Shaq.

During Shaq's prime (which included Duncan's prime), the general feeling was "why even play"?

Plus, Shaq has been to the finals 5 times post-Jordan (as opposed to Duncan's four) and with two different teams.

[z0sa]

Plus, Shaq has been to the finals 5 times post-Jordan (as opposed to Duncan's four) and with two different teams.

Getting to the Finals only to get curbstomped is a negative in my book. I'll take 4-0 over that kind of 4-1 anyday. Actually, 4-2 considering both times Shaq lost, his teams got rolled.

[Agloco]

Who exactly is Jabber? :wtf

[Thomas82]

Jordan, Russell, Chamberlain, Jabbar.

equal to Bird and Magic and ahead of Olajuwon on my ballot.

GTFOH Karl Malone....

I can't argue with that.

[mystargtr34]

Jordan
Magic
Kareem
Wilt
Russell
Bird

Those guys are generally considered as the untouchables - people seem to always make a case for Oscar, but i dont buy into the stat hype with the pace of games in those days.

[HarlemHeat37]

Jordan, Kareem, Wilt, Russell, Bird, and Magic aren't arguable..they are all clearly better than Tim from a career perspective..Hakeem and Shaq are arguable..that's where I would end it..I'd have Timmy at #9 all-time, and I'd have him at 7 with another ring..

[duncan228]

Jordan, Kareem, Wilt, Russell, Bird, and Magic aren't arguable..they are all clearly better than Tim from a career perspective..Hakeem and Shaq are arguable..that's where I would end it..I'd have Timmy at #9 all-time, and I'd have him at 7 with another ring..

Just curious, what's the criteria for Bird being above Duncan?

[Thomas82]

Just curious, what's the criteria for Bird being above Duncan?

IMO, that title in 2007 is what leapfrogged Tim over Larry.

[HarlemHeat37]

Duncan is my favorite player, but I really can't put him ahead of Bird..

While Timmy has consistently been at or near the top of the best in the NBA list since he entered the NBA, he never had the peak of a Larry Bird..Larry won 3 consecutive MVP's in the Golden Era of the NBA..he was arguably the best closer in NBA history, he has the titles to back him up..

Duncan has a clear defensive and rebounding advantage over Bird, but that's probably where it would end..Duncan is one of the best playoff performers of all-time, but Bird was even better..Bird has the statistics edge, and he was even more efficient than Timmy %-wise..

[duncan228]

Duncan is my favorite player, but I really can't put him ahead of Bird..

While Timmy has consistently been at or near the top of the best in the NBA list since he entered the NBA, he never had the peak of a Larry Bird..Larry won 3 consecutive MVP's in the Golden Era of the NBA..he was arguably the best closer in NBA history, he has the titles to back him up..

Duncan has a clear defensive and rebounding advantage over Bird, but that's probably where it would end..Duncan is one of the best playoff performers of all-time, but Bird was even better..

Thanks for the input.

Bird is the reason I'm an NBA fan, I started watching full time in his rookie year.

I try to be as objective as I can when placing Duncan on all-time lists, but when I get to Bird it gets harder for me. For most of Duncan's career I had him below Bird, but lately I've moved him above Bird.

Bird was incredible, I agree with your assessment of him. But I think the edge Duncan has defensively moves him over Bird. The extra Championship also helps, as does the extra Finals MVP.

I really don't care where Duncan ends up in the history books. His resume speaks for him, he's earned his place among the greats. I'm just thrilled to be his fan and to have had the opportunity to watch his amazing career.

[Thomas82]

thanks for the input.

Bird is the reason i'm an nba fan, i started watching full time in his rookie year.

I try to be as objective as i can when placing duncan on all-time lists, but when i get to bird it gets harder for me. For most of duncan's career i had him below bird, but lately i've moved him above bird.

Bird was incredible, i agree with your assessment of him. But i think the edge duncan has defensively moves him over bird. The extra championship also helps, as does the extra finals mvp.

I really don't care where duncan ends up in the history books. His resume speaks for him, he's earned his place among the greats. I'm just thrilled to be his fan and to have had the opportunity to watch his amazing career.


+1

[Sec24Row7]

Russel wouldn't even be a starter on some teams now.

[z0sa]

Russel wouldn't even be a starter on some teams now.

i don't think that's the case, although the whole 11 championships thing would never happen in a league with 30 teams as opposed to 8.

[HarlemHeat37]

Russel wouldn't even be a starter on some teams now.

:lol

[sananspursfan21]

just jordan, magic, and chamberlain

[symple19]

Scola
tools shouldn't post:flag:

[Galileo]

Note - This poll included all the NBA players who had a total of 10 or more MVPs, Final's MVPs, rings, and 1st-Team/All-NBA selections:

Jordan 27

11 total MVPs
6 rings
10 1st team selections

Jabber 24

8 MVPs
6 rings
10 1st team selections

Magic 20

6 MVPs
5 rings
9 1st team selections

Russell 19

5 MVPs
11 rings
3 1st team selections

Duncan 18 (could be 19)

5 MVPs
4 rings
9 1st team selections (could be 10)

Bird 17

5 MVPs
3 rings
9 1st team selections

Cousy 17

1 MVP
6 rings
10 1st team selections

Shaq 16

4 MVPs
4 rings
8 1st team selections

Chamberlain 14

5 MVPs
2 rings
7 1st team selections

Karl Malone 13

2 MVPs
11 1st team selections

John Havlicek 13

1 MVP
8 rings
4 1st team selections

Bob Pettit 13

2 MVPs
1 ring
10 1st team selections

Jerry West 12

1 MVP
1 ring
10 1st team selections

Kobe Bryant 10 (will be 11)

1 MVP
3 rings
6 1st team selections (will be 7)

Hakeem Olajuwon 11

3 MVPs
2 rings
6 1st team selections

Oscar Robertson 11

1 MVP
1 ring
9 1st team selections

Sam Jones 10

10 rings

Elgin Baylor 10

10 1st team selections

In addition, Scottie Pippen was listed as the most recent person with 9:

6 rings
3 1st team selections

Moses Malone also had 9:

4 MVPs
1 ring
4 1st team selections

So did George Mikan:

4 rings
5 1st team selections

It should also be noted that only Kobe and Duncan are active and can add to their totals.

Shaq is technically active, and could theoretically get another ring if he lands on the right team.

[duncan228]

Note - This poll included all the NBA players who had a total of 10 or more MVPs, Final's MVPs, rings, and 1st-Team/All-NBA selections...

Thanks for the list.

Just curious, why no All-Defensive selections?

[Galileo]

Thanks for the list.

Just curious, why no All-Defensive selections?

The list is for awards that supposedly weigh both offensive and defensive skills. That is also why NBA scoring leaders are not included either.

[Admiral]

Are you out of your fucking mind? Russell ok although he was a little one dimensional but can't argue his rings and his impact on his team. But Malone give me a break he had Stockton for his whole career and did'nt win shit. Duncan only had Drob at the end of his career. And malone was as dirty as they come.

Duncan had Robinson, Elliott, AJ, Elie, etc. for the '99 title. Playing with DRob was an outstanding benefit to Tim. That was a lot of talent and leadership Duncan benefited from - something David and few other stars ever had the luxury of. Plus, the above mentioned lineup plus some good bench players made for an outstanding supporting cast.

Later, Duncan had Parker and Ginobili. Again, those two guys help Tim a LOT. Simply having other players you can count on to step up and make big plays is huge as the go-to guy. When you don't have them, it makes it nearly impossible to play to your own capabilities. Anyone who was a Spurs fan through the 80s and 90s knows exactly how bad it can be when your superstar has an inadequate supporting cast.

Not to be ignored here is the importance of good coaching. Pop is an outstanding coach. He brings out the best in his players, and has also done a great job in the draft and via free agency also. Tim benefited greatly from his control and decision-making.

Tim's MVPs and clutch performances in the playoffs place him in an elite category of power forward. Did he ever lead the league in any statistical category? I can't recall one...

[nhan]

I put Jordan and Kareem at #1 and #2 on my list. Then, I have Russell and Chamberlain as the #3a. Magic and Bird as #3b. Then, Duncan, Shaq, and Hakeem as #3c. The reason for this is its hard to compare an era in which Russell and Chamberlain played with the era now. Regardless, all the players I mentioned are in the Top 10.

[Sean Cagney]

Scola

GOOD JOKE! :lol:lol Jordan.

[peskypesky]

Scola

:lmao

[Thomas82]

Tim's MVPs and clutch performances in the playoffs place him in an elite category of power forward. Did he ever lead the league in any statistical category? I can't recall one...

The only thing I can think of is double-doubles.

[Thomas82]

Very common misconception. Next someone will say that everyone who played in the 60s was 6 feet tall, white and un athletic. That also would be wrong.

People need to have a sense of history. Wilt went up against many great players who were in the 6'9 to 7' range, and every team had a tough forward/center that could play in today's game. Plus if a 25 year old Wilt Chamberlain played in today's game I can bet several things he would easily do off the top of my head and give good reasoning.

A) Wilt could lead the NBA in scoring- So long as he got the touches Wilt would dominate any low post defender in today's NBA. Wilt was the strongest player to ever play the game, there are other reasons he would lead the NBA in scoring but I'll bring those point up to them as I get there.

B) Wilt would lead the NBA in blocked shots and rebounds. Wilt Chamberlain had a 50 inch standing jump without trying. Plus his hands went on forever and his timing was near perfect.

C) Wilt would be the fastest player for his position and a top 5 fastest player in the NBA. Wilt ran track and field and was very good at it. This would be a reason he would lead the NBA in scoring because he would beat any NBA player down the court in the fast break and just lay in or dunk the ball with little defensive resistance.

D) The rules of today are much softer compared to the rules of the 60s. There was no hand checking and soft fouls that we see all the time today would not be called. If Wilt got his forearm pushed/grabbed while releasing a shot he would not even think about complaining about a no call in the 60s. Wilt often came out of games beat up from the opponents' fouls, today if those kind of fouls were committed the player who did it would be ejected, back then a hard foul with no attempt at the ball was common to slow a player down.

E) Wilt could lead the league in assists. Since Wilt was the only center ever to lead the NBA in assists I could see it being easier for him today. Spread the court with the 3 point line, let the double team come and then kick it out to the 3 point shooter for an easy assist.

F) Wilt could easily lead the league in minutes played. Wilt actually holds the NBA record which will most likely never be broken for minutes per game in a career (45.7) and a season (48.5, that’s more than an entire regulation game!).

Any other questions?

I think you covered it all. This is why I have Wilt as the best player of all-time in my book.

[mathbzh]

Very common misconception. Next someone will say that everyone who played in the 60s was 6 feet tall, white and un athletic. That also would be wrong.

People need to have a sense of history. Wilt went up against many great players who were in the 6'9 to 7' range, and every team had a tough forward/center that could play in today's game. Plus if a 25 year old Wilt Chamberlain played in today's game I can bet several things he would easily do off the top of my head and give good reasoning.

A) Wilt could lead the NBA in scoring- So long as he got the touches Wilt would dominate any low post defender in today's NBA. Wilt was the strongest player to ever play the game, there are other reasons he would lead the NBA in scoring but I'll bring those point up to them as I get there.

B) Wilt would lead the NBA in blocked shots and rebounds. Wilt Chamberlain had a 50 inch standing jump without trying. Plus his hands went on forever and his timing was near perfect.

C) Wilt would be the fastest player for his position and a top 5 fastest player in the NBA. Wilt ran track and field and was very good at it. This would be a reason he would lead the NBA in scoring because he would beat any NBA player down the court in the fast break and just lay in or dunk the ball with little defensive resistance.

D) The rules of today are much softer compared to the rules of the 60s. There was no hand checking and soft fouls that we see all the time today would not be called. If Wilt got his forearm pushed/grabbed while releasing a shot he would not even think about complaining about a no call in the 60s. Wilt often came out of games beat up from the opponents' fouls, today if those kind of fouls were committed the player who did it would be ejected, back then a hard foul with no attempt at the ball was common to slow a player down.

E) Wilt could lead the league in assists. Since Wilt was the only center ever to lead the NBA in assists I could see it being easier for him today. Spread the court with the 3 point line, let the double team come and then kick it out to the 3 point shooter for an easy assist.

F) Wilt could easily lead the league in minutes played. Wilt actually holds the NBA record which will most likely never be broken for minutes per game in a career (45.7) and a season (48.5, that’s more than an entire regulation game!).

Any other questions?

When you see what Dwight Howard can do it is hard to argue Wilt would not be absolutely dominant.

[DAF86]

From what I saw/read:

Jordan
Russell
Kareem
Chamberlain
Magic
Bird
Duncan
Shaq

Duncan and O'neal are practically tied (with a slight edge to Tim) for me 'cause Shaq at his prime was better/more dominant than Duncan at his, but Duncan's longevity and overall career acomplishments puts him ahead of O'neal.

[Riverwalkman]

IMO:

Only Jordan and Russell are definitely better.

Duncan is equal to Bird and Magic,he's even better than Olajuwon and Chamberlain.Coz Jordan, Russell, Duncan, Bird, and Magic have been championship competitors almost all through their careers.

[Kobe_MVP]

IMO:

Only Jordan and Russell are definitely better.

Duncan is equal to Bird and Magic,he's even better than Olajuwon and Chamberlain.Coz Jordan, Russell, Duncan, Bird, and Magic have been championship competitors almost all through their careers.

Easy, homegirl.
No way that Tim is better than Olajuwon, don't get too caught by "champion competitors"-bs. Duncan is without a doubt a great player but you can't rank him higher than Olajuwon just because Duncan's teams have been contenders for the most of the times when he had guys like Manu and TP by his side most of the times. First of all, Hakeem played in a tougher era and against some of the best big guys ever, guys like, Jabbar, Moses Malone, prime Ewing, prime David Robinson, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, Shaq, Daugherty and the list goes on.

No big guy in the league had the quality of those I just mentioned when Duncan played, besides Shaq. And Hakeem played in a MUCH tougher era, he had to go through the Lakers-Celtics era, the Bad Boys-era and the Jordan-era and still Hakeem was able to win 2 rings, 1 MVP, 2 finals MVP, 2 DPOY's and numerous of all-nba first team and defensive teams.

And if you compare the 2 of them as players it's even a bigger gap between the two of them. Lets just compare Hakeem's first 15 years in the league to Duncan's this far 12 years in the league (since it's not fair to compare Hakeem's 3 last years because he was washed up and injured and Duncan is still in his prime, at least almost.

Hakeem is both more dominant offensively and on defense. Hakeem during his career averaged 21.8 points vs Duncan's 21.4 (and Hakeem's 3 last years were crap) and Hakeem shot with a higher FG% from the court and from the FT-line. Passing is something that Timmy does better and this far reboundning too but beside those 2 things it's not even close. Hakeem is a much better defender and is number 1 on the shotblockinglist (Russell and Wilt's blocks were never counted) and he is top 10 in steals and Hakeem with Russell are generelly considered as the 2 best defenders in history of basketball from the the centerposition, something Tim doesn't come close too.

If you look at postseason average it's still adv Hakeem. Hakeem averaged 25.9 points (the highest for any center in league history) vs Tim's 23.3 points and while Hakeem's FG% went up Duncan's has gone down and still Hakeem is better from the FT-line. Assists (by .3 more) still goes to Timmy and rebounds too but again, I'm comparing it to Hakeem's 18 years and 2 crappy last years in the playoffs.

Say what you want but there's no way you can say that Duncan's a better player when Hakeem's stats are and game was better than Duncan's. Duncan winning 4 titles is great but he still had Prime-Tony in 3 of them and Ginobili in 2 of them and Drob in 2 of them. Hakeem won with less talent and dominated like Duncan never did or will do.

[samikeyp]

Oops...add Jordan to mine too.

[Riverwalkman]

Kobe_MVP:

1.If you want to compare Hakeem's prime years to Duncan's,the fact is that in playoffs Olajuwan lost in first round during his 25 to 28, and in his 29 he did not even make playoffs.While before Duncan had reached 29,he's already had 3 rings,with 3 Finals MVP.

2.Admittedly Hakeem played in a hard area, Spurs also played in a tough Shaq-area, Bad BoysII-area, and the upcoming LBJ-area.For instance you should respect NBA 05 Finals not noly because the 7 games was the toughest Finals since 98 Bulls VS Jazz,but also Pistons had just samshed Lakers the year before. Plus, although Hakeem was in the tough Bad Boys-area and Jordan-area, he did not even pass 1st round to meet Jordan and Bad Boys in finals within his best 5 years.

3.You should think why is that Duncan always had guys like Manu and TP by his side.The answer is crystal-clear: Duncan always make his teamates better, considering that Parker and Manu are respectively late 1st round and 2nd round picks.Duncan definitely did a good job,as a result his stats is not so outstanding, he really did not need to score 81 pts.That why I listed Duncan to top3, Kobe fans and stats fans may never understand it.

4.Olajuwan is a great defender, he's an excellent ball stealer and shot blocker,but when you look into the system, Duncan is the basic of Spurs' defense,that's why spurs have been league's best D team for a dozen years.Duncan does not have a DPOY but has been in the NBA All-Defensive team for 12 consecutive seasons, Which proves his contribution to Spurs Defense.

5.Duncan has 4 rings, 3 Finals MVP,2 MVP,which is obviously better than Hakeem.And I'm sorry your MVP Kobe has 3 rings,but 0 Finals MVP,being nothing but a loser without Shaq.

[mathbzh]

Duncan winning 4 titles is great but he still had Prime-Tony in 3 of them and Ginobili in 2 of them and Drob in 2 of them

In 2003 (and even in 2005), Tony was far from his prime
In 2003 DRob was not in his prime

In 1995, Olajuwon had Drexler, Horry, Cassel... you could imagine a worst supporting cast.

Actually I don't know if Duncan is better than Olajuwon. But make no mistake, the Spurs four titles start with Tim Duncan.