Spurs’ Tim Duncan doesn’t sound like he’s finished (Spears Yahoo)

[ace3g]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Tim Duncan was relaxing in the locker room after a win over the Sacramento Kings a week ago when teammate Stephen Jackson playfully popped him on the back of his head.

“Ooh, really?” Duncan sarcastically asked. “My bad. I was in your way. I was in your way. My bad.”

The two San Antonio Spurs enjoyed a laugh afterward.

While the 15-year NBA veteran with four championships and two league MVP awards has nothing more to prove in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career, Duncan’s passion for playing is higher than ever. He is still having fun and retirement doesn’t appear on the horizon as long as he’s healthy and effective on the floor.

“I love playing,” Duncan told Yahoo! Sports. “I’m a competitor. So my enjoyment level is real high.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AkSdn63Ny5MRY7ku6OyBtca8vLYF?slug=mc-spears_tim_duncan_spears_retire_return040512

[DPG21920]

I'm sure Tiago is thrilled

[DesignatedT]

Duncan’s bond with Popovich on and off the floor is also keeping him from calling it quits.

“He’s everything,” Duncan said. “He has been the perfect coach for me. He understands what I need even if I don’t understand as a player what I need health-wise and time-wise. He continues to push me. He gets on my ass. He allows me to be a player, and at the same time I’m learning every day.”

[celldweller]

I'm sure Tiago is thrilled
I have a feeling anything short of a Championship will be the end of Blair's starting gig.......thus, enter Splitter.

[Robz4000]

Pop needs to be fired. All he's doing is holding this team down from reaching it's true potential.

[therealtruth]

I have a feeling anything short of a Championship will be the end of Blair's starting gig.......thus, enter Splitter.

Why do we have to lose another year to find out?

[Arcadian]

Pop needs to be fired. All he's doing is holding this team down from reaching it's true potential.

How can you possibly know that? If all we have ever seen is the Spurs coached by Gregg Popovich, we have nothing to compare it to, so we don't know what the "true potential" is. You just have faith that it exists, but until a controlled comparison is made, we don't know.

[mudyez]

Did you know, that Timmy already has played more games than MJ?

[celldweller]

Why do we have to lose another year to find out?


-----------> :pop:

[DMC]

Tiago starting to feel like Rodgers during the Brett InDecision.

[jjktkk]

Great read. I hope that Tim will retire, when he no longer is effective. He doesn't seem the type to play just for a paycheck.

[Nathan89]

I have a feeling anything short of a Championship will be the end of Blair's starting gig.......thus, enter Splitter.

Not sure if I would be happy or even more pissed if I saw Splitter start next to Duncan next year. Probably the latter.

[therealtruth]

How can you possibly know that? If all we have ever seen is the Spurs coached by Gregg Popovich, we have nothing to compare it to, so we don't know what the "true potential" is. You just have faith that it exists, but until a controlled comparison is made, we don't know.

In 2009 when the team got Dice and RJ there were so many articles about how this was the most talented Spurs team ever. Pop, himself, said he should be fired if they didn't win a championship. The team got swept in the playoffs by a Suns team they had owned.

The next year the team got Tiago Splitter. A team that was one of the most talented Spurs teams got a quality big man in an area they needed help, the frontcourt. Pop refused to develop Splitter during the year and the team got bounced by the eight seeded Grizzlies that punished the lack of an inside presence.

This year Pop has begrudginly played Splitter and he has showed flashes of brilliance in his limited minutes. KL and DG have developed into good players. Parker's been playing at a high level and Duncan's playing well. The team traded RJ for an SJax. They picked up Diaw who's a multi-talented forward. They also picked up Patty Mills. People are again saying this is one of the most stacked Spurs team.

Pop has gotten more out of less. Why can't he do the same for a more talented team?

[Seventyniner]

How can you possibly know that? If all we have ever seen is the Spurs coached by Gregg Popovich, we have nothing to compare it to, so we don't know what the "true potential" is. You just have faith that it exists, but until a controlled comparison is made, we don't know.

Blue font means sarcasm. Notice that my post isn't in blue.

[mkurts]

Good - we still need him because otherwise we'd have no defense at all.

[Obstructed_View]

Great read. I hope that Tim will retire, when he no longer is effective. He doesn't seem the type to play just for a paycheck.

Duncan won't start if he's not effective. If anyone will go the route of Robert Parrish and play until he's not good enough to make a 15 man roster, it'll be Duncan. Charles Barkley said it'd be embarrassing to stick around too long in the NBA. What's truly embarrassing is watching him try to hit a golf ball.

[T Park]

Tiago starting to feel like Rodgers during the Brett InDecision.


You fucking people are posting from the loony bin now aren't you....

[TDMVPDPOY]

I have a feeling anything short of a Championship will be the end of Blair's starting gig.......thus, enter Splitter.

sorry to busts ur bubble, but splitter is leaving this shithole when his contract is up.....

[DMC]

You fucking people are posting from the loony bin now aren't you....
:lmao

[sventhedog]

it's good that tim duncan still feels good but he'd better retire if the spurs win or lose this year. it's quite tough to see great players actually declining. what better way to end a story with the protagonist on top.

refer to shaq, robert parish, etc.

you don't want to make the same mistake MJ made. david robinson was smart enough to retire after winning.

[TJastal]

I have a feeling anything short of a Championship will be the end of Blair's starting gig.......thus, enter Splitter.

Nah, we'll instead see Boner suiting up.

[Wild Cobra Kai]

it's good that tim duncan still feels good but he'd better retire if the spurs win or lose this year. it's quite tough to see great players actually declining. what better way to end a story with the protagonist on top.

refer to shaq, robert parish, etc.

you don't want to make the same mistake MJ made. david robinson was smart enough to retire after winning.

Shaq never kept himself in shape, EVER. Robert Parrish was like 41. Tim is like 36 this month. No tht same situations at all.

And "he'd better retire"? Really? Or what? He might displease you? So fucking what....

[capek]

it's good that tim duncan still feels good but he'd better retire if the spurs win or lose this year. it's quite tough to see great players actually declining. what better way to end a story with the protagonist on top.

refer to shaq, robert parish, etc.

you don't want to make the same mistake MJ made. david robinson was smart enough to retire after winning.

5-0 retired because of his back. If he didn't have those chronic back issues he could have helped the team in a limited role for a few more years. Knock on wood but Timmy's been taking really good care of his knee, and doesn't have any other chronic issues with his health. The idea of him retiring this year, win or lose, is ludicrous.

[therealtruth]

I can't wait till we get a starting lineup of Matt Bonner and Dejuan Blair. That'll guarantee 50 wins.

[bklynspursfan]

In 2009 when the team got Dice and RJ there were so many articles about how this was the most talented Spurs team ever. Pop, himself, said he should be fired if they didn't win a championship. The team got swept in the playoffs by a Suns team they had owned.

The next year the team got Tiago Splitter. A team that was one of the most talented Spurs teams got a quality big man in an area they needed help, the frontcourt. Pop refused to develop Splitter during the year and the team got bounced by the eight seeded Grizzlies that punished the lack of an inside presence.

This year Pop has begrudginly played Splitter and he has showed flashes of brilliance in his limited minutes. KL and DG have developed into good players. Parker's been playing at a high level and Duncan's playing well. The team traded RJ for an SJax. They picked up Diaw who's a multi-talented forward. They also picked up Patty Mills. People are again saying this is one of the most stacked Spurs team.

Pop has gotten more out of less. Why can't he do the same for a more talented team?

I agree with this. Pop waited so long to play Splitter last year vs Memphis. It's definitely frustrating. Can only hope this year he is being cautious with him. Should we run into a team like that again, Diaw/Splitter should be playing much more than Bonner/Blair. But I don't really trust Pop to do that.

[Leetonidas]

Tim Duncan is still a top 5 center in the league this season, he's not retiring

[SpurSpurSpurs]

Great read. I hope that Tim will retire, when he no longer is effective. He doesn't seem the type to play just for a paycheck.

...and not be ala Shaq. Jumping over to other teams for the 5th ring. Pretty sure DRob will have a word with him. :nope

[rasho8]

Jesus Christ. Im a huge Splitter fan and I am starting to see what Pop sees.

1) Splitter needs his minutes controlled because is prone to small injuries.
2) Before Diaw and SJax our bench lineup would have included Bonner and Blair together, which is terrble
3) Parker isnt as good at PnR as Manu is and Tim takes the space Tiago needs to cut to the basket

As it is I think they will play more together in the future as Tiago begins to take Timmys minutes, but I can kind of see what Pop is doing here.

[Paranoid Pop]

Jesus Christ. Im a huge Splitter fan and I am starting to see what Pop sees.

1) Splitter needs his minutes controlled because is prone to small injuries.
2) Before Diaw and SJax our bench lineup would have included Bonner and Blair together, which is terrble
3) Parker isnt as good at PnR as Manu is and Tim takes the space Tiago needs to cut to the basket

I disagree, when Manu was injured the Parker/Splitter PnR was our best weapon, it was almost unstoppable, we owned Philly by basically only running that play. I have not seen that kind of dominance with the Manu/Splitter PnR.

But I would add another reason : Tiago can defend great Centers (remember him doing great on Marc Gasol) but not really elite PFs (didn't do well vs. Dirk, Griffin injured him in 2 minutes...). Tim can't defend PFs either, to me it's the main/obvious reason.

[SenorSpur]

I agree with this. Pop waited so long to play Splitter last year vs Memphis. It's definitely frustrating. Can only hope this year he is being cautious with him. Should we run into a team like that again, Diaw/Splitter should be playing much more than Bonner/Blair. But I don't really trust Pop to do that.

It seems that Pop was giving Splitter the George Hill treatment during last year's playoffs. Perhaps because he hadn't gotten over himself.

[therealtruth]

It seems that Pop was giving Splitter the George Hill treatment during last year's playoffs. Perhaps because he hadn't gotten over himself.

It wasn't just that. Splitter played like somebody who didn't have that much chemistry with everyone else. That was the worse time to be trying to develop chemistry.