Tim Duncan will start at CENTER for ASG

[Creation88]

the streak continues! :flag:

via Jeff McDonald on Twitter

[Creation88]

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/02/17/popovich-duncan-will-start-all-star-game/

[mando6599]

Good for him.

[JR3]

Sweet!!!!

[OrEmuN]

Wow .. i never though Pop will do that. Props for Pop !

[m33p0]

Pop will sit him on the first break of the game.

[timtonymanu]

A little surprised. But it's great to see.

Actually Pop will treat this like a regular game for Timmy. Give him a few minutes and then bench him for the rest of the game.

[duncan228]

:toast

[Mugen]

very nice, i thought he was going to go with Gasol.

But its nice to see Pop show some hometown bias. Now sit him at the first dead ball.

[Xevious]

Wow... I also thought Gasol would start.

[TDomination]

Good! :)

[TimmehC]

Cue Butthurt45 rant.

[DesignatedT]

haha yes!

[DesignatedT]

this is going to be hilarious!

[Mel_13]

Good for Timmy.

Bravo, Pop.

[FilSpursFan]

Pop should not overwork Tim and Manu... who gives a shit if we win or lose anyway...

[PublicOption]

thats for the celts getting 4 and us getting 2.....

[NASpurs]

Tim will probably do the jump ball, Pop will either instruct to foul or will call a timeout and that'll be it for Tim. :lol

[timtonymanu]

Tim will probably do the jump ball, Pop will either instruct to foul or will call a timeout and that'll be it for Tim. :lol

That would be epic.

[Texas_Ranger]

http://www.nba.com/2011/news/02/17/duncan-starter.ap/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt2

[ChuckD]

I'm secretly glad Pop did this, in spite of the fact that pundits will be decrying it as biased. This will likely be the last time Tim gets the opportunity to start. The fans have forsaken him, and Pop can't coach next year. :lol

[Josepatches_]

ASG is not a regular season game.It's an exhibition.

TD could play 20 minutes easily.He's not going to be exhausted.You are playing for fun.

[Tp9gospursgo]

Very happy for Timmy D

[TIMMYD!]

Good for Tim and like ChuckD said, this is probably going to be his last year he's going to start so might as well keep the streak going.

[Obstructed_View]

Good for Pop. I posted up that he should do it, but I wasn't optimistic about it.

[DPG21920]

Tim is going to be treated like the guy at the rec that only sets screens and never gets to shoot :lol

[TwelveGs210]

Inb4rapperpostsbsthreadaboutduncan

[janetcn12]

TP should be an AS with Manu and TD....

[DMC]

It's going to be the Kobe/Lebron show again. Big whoop.

[007nites]

The Streak Continues!

[ploto]

It was merely 2 seasons ago that the Spurs successfully petitioned the NBA to move Duncan from center to PF on the All-Star ballot. Seems pretty hypocritical to call him a center now for this purpose.

[Blackjack]

How is it hypocritical? It's an injury replacement and if it wasn't him it would have been Gasol - not a center.

Tim's the best center in the West. He plays on the team with the best record by a fair margin, a team that doesn't have representation in the starting five - they may be the only team ever to not get a third All-Star when donning a similar record (recent history, anyway).

Well-deserved as far as I'm concerned. Glad Pop decided to break character this one time, season.

[TD 21]

How is it hypocritical? It's an injury replacement and if it wasn't him it would have been Gasol - not a center.

Tim's the best center in the West. He plays on the team with the best record by a fair margin, a team that doesn't have representation in the starting five - they may be the only team ever to not get a third All-Star when donning a similar record (recent history, anyway).

Well-deserved as far as I'm concerned. Glad Pop decided to break character this one time, season.

Exactly.

I don't think Pop broke character, so much as he showed his true colors. All his "we're not the best team in the league" and various other quotes of similar ilk are nothing more than motivational tactics. He wants his players to see that or hear that and go through the proverbial wall to prove him wrong. He also doesn't want them getting complacent.

As far as Duncan's minutes go, I expect him to play only the first six minutes of each half.

[FilSpursFan]

It's going to be the Kobe/Lebron show again. Big whoop.

Its going to be BORING!!!!

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

I predict a lot of butthurt in this thread.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

It was merely 2 seasons ago that the Spurs successfully petitioned the NBA to move Duncan from center to PF on the All-Star ballot. Seems pretty hypocritical to call him a center now for this purpose.

Really? I mean really?

Did the Spurs petition the NBA to move Duncan to C this season for the All-star ballot? Oh wait, no, they didn't.

Who were the alternatives to start at C? Gasol - a PF, Griffin, Love, Dirk, hmmm no centers here. So it wouldn't have been hypocritical for any of them to start at C, but it would be for Duncan?

I bet you didn't even realize there's no C on the roster, but the butthurtness was too strong to resist, wasn't it?:toast

[Toni61]

:toast to Pop and Timmy

[Budkin]

Timmay!

[ploto]

Did the Spurs petition the NBA to move Duncan to C this season for the All-star ballot? Oh wait, no, they didn't.


You really did miss the whole point. Had the Spurs asked for Tim to be listed as a center on the All-Star ballot and then selected him to start at center, then it would NOT be hypocritical. But to insist (and it was just last season- not 2 seasons ago) that he be moved to PF on the ballot that had him listed at center and then to call him a center now to make him a starter IS hypocritical.

[duncan228]

Just to clarify, Duncan was listed as a Center for the 2008 All-Star game (the 2007-08 season). He was switched to Forward after the Spurs requested it because he's listed as a starting Forward for every game.


Duncan Moved to Forward on NBA All-Star Ballot (http://www.nba.com/nba_news/duncan_ballot.html)
Nov 21 2007

http://www.nba.com/nba_news/duncan_ballot.html

[spursfan09]

Who gives a crap that the Spurs asked the NBA all - star committee or whoever it was to move Tim to PF. This is the same All-star committee who lists Yao ming on the ballot year after year even though you know he's not going to play any games in the reg season much less an all-star game. They don't seem to know what they are doing anyway.

[Blackjack]

You really did miss the whole point. Had the Spurs asked for Tim to be listed as a center on the All-Star ballot and then selected him to start at center, then it would NOT be hypocritical. But to insist (and it was just last season- not 2 seasons ago) that he be moved to PF on the ballot that had him listed at center and then to call him a center now to make him a starter IS hypocritical.

The Spurs didn't ask the league to make him a center or convert him into a center to start. An injury replacement was needed and Pop started him over the likes of players none more suited to play the center than Tim.

And just to be clear, I wasn't all that enthused with Tim insisting on being called a PF in '09 - the year he officially became a C on the court - but it ultimately played out the way it should have given Yao's presence. Tim should have been starting as the West's center in '09 but the Chinese contingent wouldn't have allowed it.

But these days, Tim's getting his played called 5-Down a good amount. He jumps center and defends the opposing center. He is, in fact, the team's center; Blair and others have stated so in passing on multiple occasions.

[Obstructed_View]

It was merely 2 seasons ago that the Spurs successfully petitioned the NBA to move Duncan from center to PF on the All-Star ballot. Seems pretty hypocritical to call him a center now for this purpose.

Pop could have started a guard if he wanted to. Nice try, though.

[ploto]

Pop could have started a guard if he wanted to. Nice try, though.

I do not agree with the process. The starters for the All-Star game are chosen by fans. That is simply the way it is. The reserves are selected by the coaches and represent the "best" players.

Ideally, they would give the spot to the center with the second most votes but that is another issue I have with the process of choosing replacements because he is not even on the team.

Then, the reserve with the most votes should get to start to keep with the intent of the system. Yes, I realize that is Gasol, but he got more votes than Tim and that is how the starters are chosen. Who is the best has no bearing on starting an All-Star game as it is constructed.

[50 cent]

Pop owes Duncan everything and while I'm a little surprised Pop did this, I'm very glad he did.

Fuck what anybody else thinks.

[Obstructed_View]

I do not agree with the process. The starters for the All-Star game are chosen by fans. That is simply the way it is. The reserves are selected by the coaches and represent the "best" players.

Ideally, they would give the spot to the center with the second most votes but that is another issue I have with the process of choosing replacements because he is not even on the team.

Then, the reserve with the most votes should get to start to keep with the intent of the system. Yes, I realize that is Gasol, but he got more votes than Tim and that is how the starters are chosen. Who is the best has no bearing on starting an All-Star game as it is constructed.

Whether or not you agree with the process is irrelevant. In your initial attempt to troll Spurs fans you said it was hypocritical to call him a center. He's not because Pop could have started Ginobili at that spot if he wanted to. Fail.

[UnWantedTheory]

As unimportant as it is, this is slightly funny & awesome, for a streak that not even he cares about.

[rmt]

I do not agree with the process. The starters for the All-Star game are chosen by fans. That is simply the way it is. The reserves are selected by the coaches and represent the "best" players.

Ideally, they would give the spot to the center with the second most votes but that is another issue I have with the process of choosing replacements because he is not even on the team.

Then, the reserve with the most votes should get to start to keep with the intent of the system. Yes, I realize that is Gasol, but he got more votes than Tim and that is how the starters are chosen. Who is the best has no bearing on starting an All-Star game as it is constructed.

In your scenario, Bynum would have replaced Yao which is a travesty considering the (few) number of games he's played this season. Of the reserves, I thought Dirk was most deserving (and that Pop would choose him) but can Dirk guard Dwight Howard? And the West would be very small with Dirk, Durant, Carmelo, Kobe and Paul.

Of the others, Gasol is 18.8/9.1 in 37.3 mins while TD is 13.4/9.2 in 28.7 mins (more rebounds and 5 pts less in 8.6 fewer minutes). Don't think anyone expects Griffin or Love to start in the ASG - they're just happy they're there.

Dirk, TD, Gasol, Griffin and Love are all listed as PFs.

Pop/Spurs always do things the "right way." This time, he probably thought wth, I'm going with my guy. His privilege - the way the rules are.

[Avitus1]

Good ole Pops!

[LakerHater]

Wouldnt he have started anyway had he been listed as a Center?

[redskinfan]

Luck_The_Fakers_Luck_The_Fakers_Luck_The_Fakers_Lu ck_The_Fakers_Luck_The_Fakers_Luck_The_Fakers_