duncan228
10-24-2009, 09:59 PM
With upgraded cast, Duncan poised for final act (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/With_upgraded_cast_Duncan_poised_for_final_act.htm l)
Jeff McDonald
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x282/duncan228/temp%20duncan/lead206.jpg
Tim Duncan spent the offseason focused on reshaping his body for a long season, while the Spurs remade the team to lessen the load he carries.
The second-longest offseason of Tim Duncan's career began with basketball out of sight, if not out of mind. For three months after the Spurs' first-round playoff ouster against Dallas, he stayed away from the court.
In an attempt to save some wear on his knees, Duncan returned to his first sporting love, the swimming pool. He worked out on the Spurs' new space-age anti-gravity treadmill. He even took up boxing, sparring regularly with former prizefighting champion “Jesse” James Leija.
Instead of readying himself for his 13th NBA season, Duncan appeared to be training for some sort of bizarre triathlon.
“He wanted to do some cage fighting,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said jokingly, “but we wouldn't let him.”
There was a method to Duncan's offseason madness. When he finally returned in August to the sport that pays his bills, he did so 15 pounds lighter, light years healthier and with a message that reverberated throughout the entire organization.
“It shows me and his teammates that he's taking this thing seriously,” guard Michael Finley said. “It's not about coasting into retirement. He's still serious about being one of the best players in the league.”
In that, perhaps Duncan was simply repaying the favor to his front office. While Duncan was busy reshaping his body, Popovich and Spurs general manager R.C. Buford — with an eight-figure financial assist from Peter Holt's ownership group — were busy reshaping the team around him.
As the 33-year-old Duncan enters the third act of his career, in search of a fifth NBA championship that would put him in rare company, he does so surrounded by his best supporting cast in years.
In the span of 17 days this offseason, the Spurs traded for a dynamic wing scorer (Richard Jefferson), drafted an All-American rebounder in the second round (Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair) and signed a respected veteran post presence (Antonio McDyess). Added to a core that includes a still-rising star in point guard Tony Parker and a newly healthy Manu Ginobili, the Spurs have re-established themselves as prime contenders for the Lakers' Western Conference throne.
“We've put ourselves in a position to try and win this thing again,” Duncan said. “That's what it's all about. Every year, you want to come in here and feel like you have a chance to win it.”
The Spurs' makeover was swift, expensive and thorough. Only five players remain from the team that earned the franchise's fourth title in 2007.
That commitment to rebuild, no matter the cost, sent an important signal to Duncan, who is under contract for the next three seasons. Retirement isn't imminent for him, but he can definitely see the beach from here.
“I know the window for me is closing,” said Duncan, who averaged 19.3 points and 10.7 rebounds last season, but faded after the All-Star break. “I've got a couple years left on my career. Hopefully, I can end strong.”
With Duncan's body clock in mind, Holt dug deep for an unprecedented Spurs spending spree. The team waved bye-bye to the luxury tax threshold on June 23 — the day Buford swapped spare parts to Milwaukee for Jefferson — and never looked back.
They are likely to begin the season approximately $10 million over the dollar-for-dollar tax line, with little hope of getting under it in time for the Great Free-Agent Auction of 2010. For the Spurs, 2010 came a summer early.
“We didn't want to tread water this year and try to win a championship next year,” Popovich said. “While we've got this group together, we want to try to win it every year. That's one thing Peter understood.”
No amount of money, however, can turn back the years on Duncan's body, and he knows it.
The 12-time All-Star limped to the finish line last season on a pair of sore knees, putting up 19.8 points and eight rebounds in the Dallas series on guts alone.
Outside of the Lakers, health — particularly that of Duncan's knees and Ginobili's ankle — could be the biggest obstacle between the Spurs and a return to the Finals.
“We say it at the beginning of every year,” Duncan said. “If we're healthy, we think we have a chance.”
That's why Duncan rededicated himself to his body in the offseason, shedding pounds even though he wasn't exactly Eddy Curry to begin with.
For teammates who often take their cues from their team captain, nothing symbolizes the Spurs' offseason renewal like the sight of a rejuvenated Duncan.
“Tim is a guy who leads by example,” Finley said. “He's not going to broadcast it. He's just going to come in and do his job, and you see the results.”
The Spurs spent an entire offseason, and a truckload of money, constructing a championship contender around Duncan. He aims to be healthy enough to enjoy it.
“It's out of character for us,” Duncan said of the shopping spree. “What is in character is the front office putting a team together that has a chance to win. They stepped up and made that move.”
SET FOR ACT III
At 33, Tim Duncan hasn’t quite reached the twilight of his NBA playing days, but he can see them from here. At this point, it’s easy to say he’s entering the final act of his successful career and he does so with a Spurs team remade to give one of the best power forwards ever a run at winning an NBA title or two.
Act I would have been the six years he played with Hall of Fame center David Robinson, which produced two titles. Act II would be the six years he spent cultivating the “Big Three” with All-Star guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, which netted two more NBA crowns.
In the offseason, the Spurs added Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess and rookie DeJuan Blair to help ease some scoring and rebounding load.
A look at Duncan’s numbers in the first two acts:
Act I — 1997-2003
G MP Pts Reb As
Totals 451 17,726 10,324 5,548 1,447
Average 75.1 39.3 22.9 12.3 3.2
Act II — 2003-09
G MP Pts Reb As
Totals 448 15,413 8,922 4,999 1,400
Average 74.7 34.3 19.9 11.2 3.1
CHASING HISTORY
Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher open this season vying to join an elite group of NBA players who have won five titles with the same team.
11: Bill Russell, Celtics
10: Sam Jones, Celtics
8: John Havlicek, Tom Heinsohn, K.C. Jones, Tom Sanders, Celtics
7: Frank Ramsey, Celtics
6: Bob Cousy, Jim Loscutoff, Celtics; Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Bulls
5: Michael Cooper, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lakers; Don Nelson, Larry Siegfried, Celtics
Source: basketball-reference.com
FOR STARTERS
With the Spurs’ new additions this season, Tim Duncan now has had 100 teammates since joining the Spurs as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 1997. He has been in the starting lineup of every game he has played with the exception of one game in 2004.
A look at the yearly starters in the Duncan era:
1997-98: PG Avery Johnson, SG Vinny Del Negro, SF Sean Elliott/Jaren Jackson, PF Duncan, C David Robinson
1998-99: Johnson, Mario Elie, Elliott, Duncan, Robinson
1999-00: Johnson, Elie, Chucky Brown, Duncan, Robinson
2000-01: Terry Porter, Derek Anderson, Elliott, Duncan, Robinson
2001-02: Tony Parker, Steve Smith, Bruce Bowen, Duncan, Robinson
2002-03: Parker, Stephen Jackson, Bowen, Duncan, Robinson
2003-04: Parker, Manu Ginobili/Bowen, Hedo Turkoglu, Duncan, Rasho Nesterovic
2004-05: Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, Duncan, Nesterovic
2005-06: Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, Duncan, Nesterovic
2006-07: Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, Duncan, Francisco Elson
2007-08: Parker, Michael Finley, Bowen, Duncan, Fabricio Oberto
2008-09: Parker, Roger Mason, Finley, Duncan, Matt Bonner
2009-10: (Probable) Parker, Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Duncan, Antonio McDyess
TIM’S 100:
Blake Ahearn, Cory Alexander, Derek Anderson
Brent Barry, Mengke Bateer, DeJuan Blair, Keith Bogans, Matt Bonner, Bruce Bowen, Chucky Brown, Devin Brown, Mark Bryant, Willie Burton, Jackie Butler
Matt Carroll, Anthony Carter, Speedy Claxton, Austin Croshere
Antonio Daniels, Vinny Del Negro, Derrick Dial
Mario Elie, Sean Elliott, Francisco Elson, Melvin Ely
Desmon Farmer, Danny Ferry, Michael Finley
Alex Garcia, Andrew Gaze, Reggie Geary, Manu Ginobili, Dion Glover, Anthony Goldwire, Drew Gooden
Malik Hairston, Marcus Haislip, Jason Hart, Shane Heal, Carl Herrera, George Hill, Robert Horry
Jaren Jackson, Stephen Jackson, Richard Jefferson, Avery Johnson, DerMarr Johnson, Linton Johnson, Bobby Jones
Steve Kerr, Jerome Kersey, Gerard King
Keith Langford, Brad Lohaus
Ian Mahinmi, Sean Marks, Roger Mason, Tony Massenburg, Amal McCaskill, Antonio McDyess, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Ron Mercer, Nazr Mohammed
Rasho Nesterovic, Ira Newble
Fabricio Oberto
Tony Parker, Cherokee Parks, Will Perdue, Chuck Person, Terry Porter
Theo Ratliff, Jeremy Richardson, David Robinson, Glenn Robinson, Malik Rose
Melvin Sanders, Alex Scales, Shawnelle Scott, Charles Smith, Steve Smith, Felton Spencer, Damon Stoudamire
Kurt Thomas, Anthony Tolliver, Hedo Turkoglu
Ime Udoka, Beno Udrih
Nick Van Exel, Jacque Vaughn
Samaki Walker, Charlie Ward, Darius Washington, James White, Brandon Williams, Eric Williams, Marcus Williams, Monty Williams, Kevin Willis, Mike Wilks
Jeff McDonald
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x282/duncan228/temp%20duncan/lead206.jpg
Tim Duncan spent the offseason focused on reshaping his body for a long season, while the Spurs remade the team to lessen the load he carries.
The second-longest offseason of Tim Duncan's career began with basketball out of sight, if not out of mind. For three months after the Spurs' first-round playoff ouster against Dallas, he stayed away from the court.
In an attempt to save some wear on his knees, Duncan returned to his first sporting love, the swimming pool. He worked out on the Spurs' new space-age anti-gravity treadmill. He even took up boxing, sparring regularly with former prizefighting champion “Jesse” James Leija.
Instead of readying himself for his 13th NBA season, Duncan appeared to be training for some sort of bizarre triathlon.
“He wanted to do some cage fighting,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said jokingly, “but we wouldn't let him.”
There was a method to Duncan's offseason madness. When he finally returned in August to the sport that pays his bills, he did so 15 pounds lighter, light years healthier and with a message that reverberated throughout the entire organization.
“It shows me and his teammates that he's taking this thing seriously,” guard Michael Finley said. “It's not about coasting into retirement. He's still serious about being one of the best players in the league.”
In that, perhaps Duncan was simply repaying the favor to his front office. While Duncan was busy reshaping his body, Popovich and Spurs general manager R.C. Buford — with an eight-figure financial assist from Peter Holt's ownership group — were busy reshaping the team around him.
As the 33-year-old Duncan enters the third act of his career, in search of a fifth NBA championship that would put him in rare company, he does so surrounded by his best supporting cast in years.
In the span of 17 days this offseason, the Spurs traded for a dynamic wing scorer (Richard Jefferson), drafted an All-American rebounder in the second round (Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair) and signed a respected veteran post presence (Antonio McDyess). Added to a core that includes a still-rising star in point guard Tony Parker and a newly healthy Manu Ginobili, the Spurs have re-established themselves as prime contenders for the Lakers' Western Conference throne.
“We've put ourselves in a position to try and win this thing again,” Duncan said. “That's what it's all about. Every year, you want to come in here and feel like you have a chance to win it.”
The Spurs' makeover was swift, expensive and thorough. Only five players remain from the team that earned the franchise's fourth title in 2007.
That commitment to rebuild, no matter the cost, sent an important signal to Duncan, who is under contract for the next three seasons. Retirement isn't imminent for him, but he can definitely see the beach from here.
“I know the window for me is closing,” said Duncan, who averaged 19.3 points and 10.7 rebounds last season, but faded after the All-Star break. “I've got a couple years left on my career. Hopefully, I can end strong.”
With Duncan's body clock in mind, Holt dug deep for an unprecedented Spurs spending spree. The team waved bye-bye to the luxury tax threshold on June 23 — the day Buford swapped spare parts to Milwaukee for Jefferson — and never looked back.
They are likely to begin the season approximately $10 million over the dollar-for-dollar tax line, with little hope of getting under it in time for the Great Free-Agent Auction of 2010. For the Spurs, 2010 came a summer early.
“We didn't want to tread water this year and try to win a championship next year,” Popovich said. “While we've got this group together, we want to try to win it every year. That's one thing Peter understood.”
No amount of money, however, can turn back the years on Duncan's body, and he knows it.
The 12-time All-Star limped to the finish line last season on a pair of sore knees, putting up 19.8 points and eight rebounds in the Dallas series on guts alone.
Outside of the Lakers, health — particularly that of Duncan's knees and Ginobili's ankle — could be the biggest obstacle between the Spurs and a return to the Finals.
“We say it at the beginning of every year,” Duncan said. “If we're healthy, we think we have a chance.”
That's why Duncan rededicated himself to his body in the offseason, shedding pounds even though he wasn't exactly Eddy Curry to begin with.
For teammates who often take their cues from their team captain, nothing symbolizes the Spurs' offseason renewal like the sight of a rejuvenated Duncan.
“Tim is a guy who leads by example,” Finley said. “He's not going to broadcast it. He's just going to come in and do his job, and you see the results.”
The Spurs spent an entire offseason, and a truckload of money, constructing a championship contender around Duncan. He aims to be healthy enough to enjoy it.
“It's out of character for us,” Duncan said of the shopping spree. “What is in character is the front office putting a team together that has a chance to win. They stepped up and made that move.”
SET FOR ACT III
At 33, Tim Duncan hasn’t quite reached the twilight of his NBA playing days, but he can see them from here. At this point, it’s easy to say he’s entering the final act of his successful career and he does so with a Spurs team remade to give one of the best power forwards ever a run at winning an NBA title or two.
Act I would have been the six years he played with Hall of Fame center David Robinson, which produced two titles. Act II would be the six years he spent cultivating the “Big Three” with All-Star guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, which netted two more NBA crowns.
In the offseason, the Spurs added Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess and rookie DeJuan Blair to help ease some scoring and rebounding load.
A look at Duncan’s numbers in the first two acts:
Act I — 1997-2003
G MP Pts Reb As
Totals 451 17,726 10,324 5,548 1,447
Average 75.1 39.3 22.9 12.3 3.2
Act II — 2003-09
G MP Pts Reb As
Totals 448 15,413 8,922 4,999 1,400
Average 74.7 34.3 19.9 11.2 3.1
CHASING HISTORY
Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher open this season vying to join an elite group of NBA players who have won five titles with the same team.
11: Bill Russell, Celtics
10: Sam Jones, Celtics
8: John Havlicek, Tom Heinsohn, K.C. Jones, Tom Sanders, Celtics
7: Frank Ramsey, Celtics
6: Bob Cousy, Jim Loscutoff, Celtics; Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Bulls
5: Michael Cooper, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lakers; Don Nelson, Larry Siegfried, Celtics
Source: basketball-reference.com
FOR STARTERS
With the Spurs’ new additions this season, Tim Duncan now has had 100 teammates since joining the Spurs as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 1997. He has been in the starting lineup of every game he has played with the exception of one game in 2004.
A look at the yearly starters in the Duncan era:
1997-98: PG Avery Johnson, SG Vinny Del Negro, SF Sean Elliott/Jaren Jackson, PF Duncan, C David Robinson
1998-99: Johnson, Mario Elie, Elliott, Duncan, Robinson
1999-00: Johnson, Elie, Chucky Brown, Duncan, Robinson
2000-01: Terry Porter, Derek Anderson, Elliott, Duncan, Robinson
2001-02: Tony Parker, Steve Smith, Bruce Bowen, Duncan, Robinson
2002-03: Parker, Stephen Jackson, Bowen, Duncan, Robinson
2003-04: Parker, Manu Ginobili/Bowen, Hedo Turkoglu, Duncan, Rasho Nesterovic
2004-05: Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, Duncan, Nesterovic
2005-06: Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, Duncan, Nesterovic
2006-07: Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, Duncan, Francisco Elson
2007-08: Parker, Michael Finley, Bowen, Duncan, Fabricio Oberto
2008-09: Parker, Roger Mason, Finley, Duncan, Matt Bonner
2009-10: (Probable) Parker, Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Duncan, Antonio McDyess
TIM’S 100:
Blake Ahearn, Cory Alexander, Derek Anderson
Brent Barry, Mengke Bateer, DeJuan Blair, Keith Bogans, Matt Bonner, Bruce Bowen, Chucky Brown, Devin Brown, Mark Bryant, Willie Burton, Jackie Butler
Matt Carroll, Anthony Carter, Speedy Claxton, Austin Croshere
Antonio Daniels, Vinny Del Negro, Derrick Dial
Mario Elie, Sean Elliott, Francisco Elson, Melvin Ely
Desmon Farmer, Danny Ferry, Michael Finley
Alex Garcia, Andrew Gaze, Reggie Geary, Manu Ginobili, Dion Glover, Anthony Goldwire, Drew Gooden
Malik Hairston, Marcus Haislip, Jason Hart, Shane Heal, Carl Herrera, George Hill, Robert Horry
Jaren Jackson, Stephen Jackson, Richard Jefferson, Avery Johnson, DerMarr Johnson, Linton Johnson, Bobby Jones
Steve Kerr, Jerome Kersey, Gerard King
Keith Langford, Brad Lohaus
Ian Mahinmi, Sean Marks, Roger Mason, Tony Massenburg, Amal McCaskill, Antonio McDyess, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Ron Mercer, Nazr Mohammed
Rasho Nesterovic, Ira Newble
Fabricio Oberto
Tony Parker, Cherokee Parks, Will Perdue, Chuck Person, Terry Porter
Theo Ratliff, Jeremy Richardson, David Robinson, Glenn Robinson, Malik Rose
Melvin Sanders, Alex Scales, Shawnelle Scott, Charles Smith, Steve Smith, Felton Spencer, Damon Stoudamire
Kurt Thomas, Anthony Tolliver, Hedo Turkoglu
Ime Udoka, Beno Udrih
Nick Van Exel, Jacque Vaughn
Samaki Walker, Charlie Ward, Darius Washington, James White, Brandon Williams, Eric Williams, Marcus Williams, Monty Williams, Kevin Willis, Mike Wilks