Tim Duncan's role..

[HarlemHeat37]

Are we finally seeing the much needed tweak to Tim's role?..

Ideally, Duncan should be playing the same role KG plays in Boston IMO, where he anchors the D and rebounds, while taking what the offense gives him(obviously their style of play is different on both ends though, but it doesn't matter here), and allowing the perimeter players on the team(Manu, Parker, Jefferson/Allen, Rondo, Pierce) to shoulder more of the offensive load..

Duncan's FGAs per game are down by 3 a game compared to last year, his minutes are 2 minutes less per game(or more, after this game), his usage % is down by more than 4%(which is a huge decline)..

This has probably been the plan for a year or 2 now, but it wasn't possible due to injuries to key players, particularly Manu/Tony..

The Spurs' D is currently 10 points better with Duncan on the floor, he's currently averaging over 2 blocks per game in less than 30 MPG..the most important part of all, his minutes are down, the plan to save his body for the playoffs is finally starting to work..

2010 first 9 games: 32 MPG, including games of 41 minutes, 39 minutes and 37 minutes..

2011 first 9 games: 29 MPG, with only 1 game over 35 minutes..

Now hopefully, the other key players stay healthy and allow him to keep his minutes down, and hopefully he won't be needed to carry the offensive load at any point..

[DesignatedT]

Very promising that were able to limit him like this and still come out with wins, especially on the road.

[Nathan89]

I want to see some dominate games out of Tim, just to reassure me that he still has the goods. I'm concerned at the moment because he is vital to the Spurs success vs. contenders.

[jason1301]

Timmy is a huge asset to this team... his numbers are down only b/c others have stepped up. Timmy rested for the playoffs --instant hard on LOL...

[Stringer_Bell]

I want to see some dominate games out of Tim, just to reassure me that he still has the goods. I'm concerned at the moment because he is vital to the Spurs success vs. contenders.

I think the dominant performances will come against contenders, but he needs to stay fresh and with the way they are preserving him I don't doubt he will have great games left in him. It's a good team, I'm pumped.

[TD 21]

To an extent, I agree he should be playing the same role as Garnett, but he should be more involved in the offense than he is now. I'm not surprised this team is shooting the three well, but at the same time, I highly doubt they're going to continue to shoot it at more than 43% as a team.

In the meantime, I don't want to see them become too perimeter oriented. There's preserving him and then there's minimizing him. It's a fine line. You play a full season almost exclusively as a perimeter oriented attack, at some point that just becomes what you are.

If this is Duncan's role now, I have a hard time believing it's going to all of a sudden revert to 15-17 shots a game in the playoffs.

[HarlemHeat37]

I agree..

Timmy doesn't seem too aggressive right now anyways, though..I'm pretty sure he's pacing himself offensively, at least that's what it looks like..he doesn't look too comfortable or aggressive in the post right now..he's stopping his dribble too early, he isn't attacking the opposing body as often as you usually see..

I'm betting that he'll get more touches in the 2nd half of the season, but I would rather he become the clear #3 option and focus on D, at this point..obviously the Spurs will need a post up game though, which I'm sure they're well aware of..

[ducks]

duncan still has a cold

he should be resting
spurs do not need his o just his d

[peskypesky]

Tim is pacing himself. With all these other players stepping up, he can down-shift a bit. And that's exactly what the Spurs need.

[itzsoweezee]

I wish Tim would shoot that 15-18 foot jumper more often.

[duncan228]

Duncan struggling through historic slump (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2010/11/14/duncan-struggling-through-historic-slump/)
by Tim Griffin

...Despite weathering flu-like symptoms last week, Duncan’s statistical production has fallen to levels unknown in his 14-season NBA career.

...Duncan saw David Robinson go through the same changes late in his career. Robinson was able to morph into a different kind of player who helped the Spurs win an NBA title in his final season in 2003.

...Duncan’s offense is nice to have, but Gregg Popovich can turn a lot of ways to get points from this team. His most important role for the team will be as a leader, along with exhibiting the same formidable defensive and rebounding skills that have helped the Spurs win four NBA titles in his certain Hall of Fame career.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2010/11/14/duncan-struggling-through-historic-slump/

[xtremesteven33]

Right now Tim is the #3 or #4 option but come playoff time or important regular season games, TD will be THE #1 option for the Spurs offense. The Offense has always and will always run thru Duncan when it matters. Especially in playoff games when the pace of the game slows down.

So right now it appears hes not the "Main Guy" but he still is overall..

[duhoh]

Right now Tim is the #3 or #4 option but come playoff time or important regular season games, TD will be THE #1 option for the Spurs offense. The Offense has always and will always run thru Duncan when it matters. Especially in playoff games when the pace of the game slows down.

So right now it appears hes not the "Main Guy" but he still is overall..

[Spurs Brazil]

Last 2 seasons TD started great and needed to carry the team because of injures but after the All Star break he had a big decline. I hope we see the opposite this season.

The good thing is the O is doing great even with TD scoring much less; it'll give him more stamina to anchor or D

[Roger Freemason Jr.]

I want to see some dominate games out of Tim, just to reassure me that he still has the goods. I'm concerned at the moment because he is vital to the Spurs success vs. contenders.

I'd consider the Suns game, a dominant game for Tim. He was fantastic throughout that entire game, and the Suns are contenders, regardless of what the standings say. Maybe Pop has the playoffs in mind for Timmy's health, but imo I believe Pop is providing the much needed minutes to other bigs who will be here for years after Timmy's gone. I think Pop is much more concerned about the wholeness and fluidity of his team and their emerging talents.

But anyways, Duncan is not rusty, and his legs are fine. He's still the greatest PF in history, so we need not worry come playoff time.

[RobinsontoDuncan]

Why have Tim bang down low when scoring is coming so easy for this team.

Look the Spurs are scoring at will (or as much as that would be possible for a team Pop coaches), and Tony Parker is facilitating a very formidable offense. TD is supposed to be playing elite defense and scoring when the offense is stagnant, otherwise you want the ball in the hands of your best player (this has been TP since 08-09, you just couldn't tell because he had Plantar Fiscaitus last season, and it goes without saying that a PG with a brand new team would struggle with a chronic foot injury).

Remember what all of you were complaining about last season--"this was supposed to be Parker's team, why didn't he step up and pass the ball, facilitate the offense, etc." Duncan's diminishing importance on the offensive end is merely a reflection of exactly this occurring. This is what the Spurs are today, a team with the best backcourt in the league (because Manu is obviously almost equal to Tony in importance to the team), and a smallish but quick front line. They like to play small ball, and subsequently give up many more points than they did in their early dynasty years (99-05), but the Spurs have been making this transition since their last title in 2007 (the year TP won finals MVP). It's not a bad thing.

Plenty of NBA championship teams have won with this form of lineup. Think the Jordan Bulls or the Showtime Lakers (the Phoenix Suns would have won an NBA championship or two if not for the Spurs). I mean these teams still played elite level defense, but they did so with aging, highly intelligent centers who could play elite level post defense and rebound the ball with impunity. The reason as to why you are noticing an increased number of steals in TP's stat line is that he has assumed the most prominent defensive position on the team--what is meant here is that when a team transitions to a guard oriented offense, the backcourt is the place where teams place their primary defensive emphasis. The reason for this is that a team which is going to be perimeter oriented needs to get deflections in the passing lanes and steals in the backcourt in order to get the flashy, highlight reel plays you see in the form of fast break points. If a team has solid enough pivot play to protect the rim, this form of strategy still allows a team to play elite level defense, but this will be seen in the form of point differential and defensive efficiency rating, not fg% or blocked shots. This strategy can be much more effective than a traditional inside-out as long as the team employing it has the offensive capacity to impose its will on another team.

The Spurs have been built to run a combination pick and roll/ball rotation game in the half court, but they would now prefer to run where they can get easy 3's from their wings and easy points in the paint for their guards. Manu's position in the starting line up is based on this new team identity. In a point guard oriented team it is really important to have your best players on the floor at the same time. You do not want a good shooter like Manu sitting on the bench when your best player's position is primarily assigned with passing the ball. RJ and Manu are shooting so many 3's because Parker is facilitating an offense which opens up quite a few open looks on the perimeter as teams attempt to cut off his penetration. Manu and Jefferson are proving to be a very effective group of wing players next to Tony in terms making open shots, and penetrating to create their own shots. Manu and Tony's coexistence depends upon a degree of unselfishness and team chemistry that few NBA backcourts have ever developed in NBA history. The number of playoff games, championships rings, and seasons played together by Manu and Parker makes their coexistence so harmonious that you can not isolate either of them on defense. Manu is now the primary scorer in half court sets for the Spurs as his passing, penetrating, and shooting ability result in the highest probability of a FG in when Parker is unable to free something up off his penetrations. It's working well thus far. RJ is learning how to play a better small ball 4, and Neal, Bonner, Anderson, and Hill are all capable 3 point shooters.

[The Truth #6]

I think a subtle paradigm shift has occurred. This is more than just Tim taking a break right now. Pop has handed the keys over to Tony and Manu and let them play very loose. In fact, Pop seems to be in favor of Tony and Manu playing pesky, gambling defense in the hope to get steals and easy fast break points. Pop has always avoided gambling for steals and chose to play a very safe style of defense in the past.

But this year, he has let Tony and Manu take over. And whereas many might have thought the two can't co-exist, because Tim is no longer a focus of the offense, Tony and Manu are both given freedom and they are playing off each other amazingly well. They both get the shots they need, and because of that they both are very sharing with the basketball.

I can see Pop shifting back to more 4 Down style of play for the playoffs, but for now this is the best way to play that accomodates everyone's skills.

[HarlemHeat37]

Another game where Duncan's team defense was elite..would everybody agree that Duncan is playing the best defense he has played since 2007ish?..hopefully the knees stay up..

[EricB]

Another game where Duncan's team defense was elite..would everybody agree that Duncan is playing the best defense he has played since 2007ish?..hopefully the knees stay up..


Yes and I think the talk of him "not being able to guard the rim anymore" can be put to rest.

The key parts of the season are the dog days of January and February when Tiago will need to step up and hopefully Anderson is back by then to help with the scoring load.

[TD 21]

Another game where Duncan's team defense was elite..would everybody agree that Duncan is playing the best defense he has played since 2007ish?..hopefully the knees stay up..

Yeah, he is. He should have won the Defensive Player of the Year that season. I wouldn't go quite that far this season, but I'd say he's been the second best rim protector in the game.

With how limited his role is offensively now, the fact that he's playing next to a fellow glass cleaner and playing under 30 mpg, he can afford to expend more energy defensively than he could, not just in recent seasons, but maybe ever.

I thought he played pretty good individual defense tonight on Howard. He can only do so much when he's facing a guy 20-25 pounds heavier, quicker and now with a fairly expansive repertoire in the post, at least compared to what he used to have (or not have). His length bothered Howard quite a bit, particularly in the first half. Looked to me like he had more than the two blocks he was credited for.

[DPG21920]

I also think the slump is somewhat faulty. If you look at his averages, of course it is low, but in about half the games he is playing around 18 MPG.

He looks solid. He is out of rhythm at times offensively, but he has another gear defensively.

[EricB]

I also think the slump is somewhat faulty. If you look at his averages, of course it is low, but in about half the games he is playing around 18 MPG.

He looks solid. He is out of rhythm at times offensively, but he has another gear defensively.


I'll state what I always state.

In the realm of problems with the Spurs, Duncan never enters the equation.

[crc21209]

Another game where Duncan's team defense was elite..would everybody agree that Duncan is playing the best defense he has played since 2007ish?..hopefully the knees stay up..

+1. Not only is his man defense great, but his overall team defense has been awesome so far. That block on Duhon was nasty! :lol. But seriously, his defense has looked like his best D in about 2-3 years...

[mingus]

There were a couple of times where the offense was stagnant and for whatever reason Parker was just ignoring him. I would like to see him get the ball more.

[mingus]

And the Spurs won't win a championship if Duncan isn't getting 18 ppg in the playoffs.

[duncan228]

Buck Harvey: Ginobili outlined Duncan’s new era (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2010/11/22/buck-harvey-ginobili-outlined-duncan%e2%80%99s-new-era/)
Buck Harevy

...If anything, this might be easier for Duncan than it even was for Robinson. Duncan takes the game seriously, just not himself.


...Duncan’s ego, instead, is as solid as his footwork. He still plays the game with the same analytical approach, but now Spock understands the equation has changed. If anything, Duncan loves playing with a starting backcourt that can combine for 49 points and 19 assists.

The Spurs can’t contend without this Duncan, and he will have a few big scoring nights as the season goes along. He will likely finish third in scoring on this team, not fourth.

Still, Parker was being diplomatic Monday when he said, “Timmy is taking a little bit of a back seat so we can save him for the playoffs.” Duncan is taking a back seat because that’s the way this team is built.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2010/11/22/buck-harvey-ginobili-outlined-duncan%e2%80%99s-new-era/

[duncan228]

Tim Duncan logs 28 minutes in Spurs win over Orlando (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/)
by Timothy Varner
48 Minutes of Hell

I don’t know what it all means. The Spurs are an offensive machine this season, something we wrote about during preseason play (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/spurs-fast-break-tea), and Tim Duncan is not the focal point of the offense. Duncan only played 28 minutes against the Magic. A mere 28 minutes in a game someone on Twitter described as NBA Finals level play in mid-November. It was a great game, and the Spurs edged the Magic through a furry of perfect play in the final minutes.

Keep reading → (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/tim-duncan-new-role-san-antonio-spurs#more-11331)

[SA210]

I love what I see from Tim on defense. He's seems more active and I see hustle this season. I'm sure the offense the Spurs have allow him to really focus on defense and I like that. Now add in Splitter next to him and we should really improve defensively.

[Spurs Brazil]

TD defense has been great. I hope TP and Manu can keep their pace on O so TD can focus on D