Duncan2177
10-05-2009, 04:48 PM
NBA At 2: Duncan Feels End Is Near
By: Bill Ingram Last Updated: 10/2/09 2:01 PM ET | 3111 times
The 1996-97 season was not a good one for the San Antonio Spurs. All-Star center David Robinson was sidelined for all but six games, and without him the Spurs were among the worst teams in the NBA. In retrospect, however, that season was arguably the most important season in the history of the franchise. It was, after all, the year that enabled them to get Tim Duncan. Their 20-62 record landed them the top pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, and with that pick they took the man who would power them to four championships . . .and counting. Now, with twelve NBA seasons and more postseason games than most under his belt, Duncan can feel his body starting the gradual breakdown that ultimately leads to retirement.
"I've only got a couple years left in me," Duncan told ESPN's Marc Stein recently. "The history of basketball says that more than anything else. ... The window for me is closing. It's towards the end of my career, I have slowed down, all that stuff is true."
With that in mind, Duncan made the decision to drop some weight and ease the burden on his aching knees. His traditional playing weight has been 260 pounds, but this season he checks in at a svelte 240.
"Just trying to change my body a little bit, take some stress off my knees," Duncan said. "I've got a lot of miles on me … and I thought losing a little bit of weight would be better for the knees and for the body throughout the year."
Duncan is under contract with the Spurs for two more seasons, and the front office staff has made the right moves this summer to make sure their star player isn't taxed too much as the team pursues the fifth championship of Duncan's tenure. Richard Jefferson will shoulder a large share of the scoring load, enabling Duncan to do more passing and thus take less of a beating in the low post. Antonio McDyess, draftee DeJaun Blair and Theo Ratliff can also take up some of the minutes Duncan would normally play, especially during the regular season, allowing head coach Gregg Popovich to limit Duncan's minutes and keep him fresh for the playoffs.
All good things come to an end, and as with David Robinson, Duncan will soon be the one sitting in the box and waving to the crowd. Before that happens, however, he has every intention of hanging another banner or two from the rafters of the AT&T Center. The Spurs have certainly put the right pieces in place to help him do it.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=13948
By: Bill Ingram Last Updated: 10/2/09 2:01 PM ET | 3111 times
The 1996-97 season was not a good one for the San Antonio Spurs. All-Star center David Robinson was sidelined for all but six games, and without him the Spurs were among the worst teams in the NBA. In retrospect, however, that season was arguably the most important season in the history of the franchise. It was, after all, the year that enabled them to get Tim Duncan. Their 20-62 record landed them the top pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, and with that pick they took the man who would power them to four championships . . .and counting. Now, with twelve NBA seasons and more postseason games than most under his belt, Duncan can feel his body starting the gradual breakdown that ultimately leads to retirement.
"I've only got a couple years left in me," Duncan told ESPN's Marc Stein recently. "The history of basketball says that more than anything else. ... The window for me is closing. It's towards the end of my career, I have slowed down, all that stuff is true."
With that in mind, Duncan made the decision to drop some weight and ease the burden on his aching knees. His traditional playing weight has been 260 pounds, but this season he checks in at a svelte 240.
"Just trying to change my body a little bit, take some stress off my knees," Duncan said. "I've got a lot of miles on me … and I thought losing a little bit of weight would be better for the knees and for the body throughout the year."
Duncan is under contract with the Spurs for two more seasons, and the front office staff has made the right moves this summer to make sure their star player isn't taxed too much as the team pursues the fifth championship of Duncan's tenure. Richard Jefferson will shoulder a large share of the scoring load, enabling Duncan to do more passing and thus take less of a beating in the low post. Antonio McDyess, draftee DeJaun Blair and Theo Ratliff can also take up some of the minutes Duncan would normally play, especially during the regular season, allowing head coach Gregg Popovich to limit Duncan's minutes and keep him fresh for the playoffs.
All good things come to an end, and as with David Robinson, Duncan will soon be the one sitting in the box and waving to the crowd. Before that happens, however, he has every intention of hanging another banner or two from the rafters of the AT&T Center. The Spurs have certainly put the right pieces in place to help him do it.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=13948