3/5 ESPN Analysts pick Marc Gasol as 1st Team NBA over Timmy

[mikec]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/5-on-5-130411/2012-13-all-nba-first-team

Chau: Marc Gasol (http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/3206/marc-gasol). Perhaps it would be a different story if Dwight Howard (http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/2384/dwight-howard) were completely healthy, but at the same time, it feels a bit unfair to put an asterisk next to Gasol's name. He has legitimately been an awesome force on both ends of the floor, and should walk away with Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Gutierrez: Tim Duncan (http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/215/tim-duncan). The best case against Duncan is that he has played in only 66 games this season as of Wednesday night, but that's more than enough to earn him this spot. He's having his best season in five years, and that includes a 2.7 blocks average he hasn't put up since 2003-04. Marc Gasol and Brook Lopez (http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/3448/brook-lopez) have pretty good cases of their own.

Herbert: Marc Gasol. He's not the most ferocious Grizzly, but he's by far the most important and intelligent on the floor. With Dwight Howard injured and inconsistent, he's had the best season of any center. He sets up everything that Memphis tries to do on offense and is the biggest reason why it has the league's second-best defense.
Soriano: Marc Gasol. Tim Duncan and Dwight Howard (http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/2384/dwight-howard) would be fine choices as well, but Gasol has earned the honor through stellar play. Beyond the production, he has become the best big man at doing all the little things to help his team win. From the passing to the defense to everything in between, his contributions are too hard to ignore.
Wade: Tim Duncan. Sincere apologies to Marc Gasol, but the tie goes to old man river. (See answer No. 2.) Even with injuries to most of the Spurs' core contributors, Duncan has led his team to the best record in the West. Just a remarkable season from a remarkable player for a remarkable franchise

[Spur|n|Austin]

3/5 "analysts" jabronies.

[crc21209]

I laughed more at the Chris Paul over TP pick to be honest.....

[Brunodf]

Who cares, ESPN is garbage

[hater]

WGAF

[cd98]

A 37 year old is the best big in the NBA...sad.

[ThaBigFundamental21]

Marc Gasol's stats are QUITE a bit worse than Tim's and Marc is playing 35 minutes a game!!! Where the hell is logic????? Is this some kind of a joke?

[timtonymanu]

Gasol is one of the most overrated players in the NBA today but still it's just ESPN.

[MSPaint]

Is anyone else even a little surprised Gutierrez picked Duncan? Given his track record, I would have figured him to write in Bosh, as ridiculous as that would be. Especially after BoshSpice had a night against the Spurs.

[Richie]

To be fair Gasol has been pretty good this year. I'd obviously take Duncan though, better numbers in fewer minutes, better team record.

More ridiculous is them taking Westbrook over Parker.

[Arcadian]

This is confounded by the fact that some people still (erroneously) consider Duncan a forward. So it's possible that the people who picked Gasol didn't even consider Duncan for the position. (Looking back I see that one did, but the other didn't mention him.)

[TD 21]

There's no argument for Gasol over Duncan. But one or two respected stat geeks are obsessed with him, so now it's become fashionable for the lesser respected stat geeks to pretend they are too (as if they think it'll make them sound smarter and more knowledgeable than they actually are). How hypocritical for people who constantly reference advanced stats to pretend as if there's even a credible argument for saying Gasol has been better than Duncan.

[EVAY]

This is pathetic.

[cd98]

Gasol is one of the most overrated players in the NBA today but still it's just ESPN.

It's all part of ESPN's effort to try and cover up the absolute robbery of the Pau Gasol trade. The better Marc Gasol, the more the trade doesn't look as lopsided and as shameful as it was (no one ever thought fat boy Marc would ever amount to much in the NBA).

[Marrow]

There's no argument for Gasol over Duncan. But one or two respected stat geeks are obsessed with him, so now it's become fashionable for the lesser respected stat geeks to pretend they are too (as if they think it'll make them sound smarter and more knowledgeable than they actually are). How hypocritical for people who constantly reference advanced stats to pretend as if there's even a credible argument for saying Gasol has been better than Duncan.

Depending on which stats you look at I think wins produced is a good indicator of a player's performance

Duncan wins produced per 48 mins = 0.24
Gasol wins produced per 48 mins = 0.17

Duncan still wins out...i guess it will always come down to the personal bias of each expert analyst

[BatManu20]

Yea who cares, TMZSPN is wack these days anyways.

[coachmac87]

Just imagine if they switched teams....seeds would probably flip. BSPN just desperately looking for something new

[Kidd K]

A 37 year old is the best big in the NBA...sad.

I agree. It's sad because it's true.

When Duncan is gone, there will be no more real big men left. Blake's not a real big man imo (defense is mediocre, crap post game), Dwight is a soft, overrated mound of steroids, and after that everyone's basically just above average dudes who would be hugely overshadowed by any real big man.

Anthony Davis is pretty much the last hope for big men, and he's been a bit of a disappointment so far.

[Sean Cagney]

Who cares, ESPN is garbage

Pure Garbage!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BSPN.

[sasffl]

They'd better ask hollinger

[racm]

That's because Gasol isn't called a PF.

Timmy's way ahead of him on NBA Rank and is the only player above 6'10" to make the top 10, tbh.

[Cry Havoc]

Gasol's averages are 14.3, 7.7, and 4 with 1.8 blocks in 35 minutes per. Duncan's numbers are 17.7 and 9.9 with 2.7 assists and 2.6 blocks in THIRTY minutes. Duncan is FIVE POINTS AHEAD OF HIM IN PER. WHAT THE FUCK.

[racm]

Gasol's averages are 14.3, 7.7, and 4 with 1.8 blocks in 35 minutes per. Duncan's numbers are 17.7 and 9.9 with 2.7 assists and 2.6 blocks in THIRTY minutes. Duncan is FIVE POINTS AHEAD OF HIM IN PER. WHAT THE FUCK.

That's because positional labels, silly.

Gasol is a "pure" center.

[KaiRMD1]

I don't take ESPN's opinion very seriously. Now if it was the TNT or NBA TV crew, then I'd be like "damn yo"

[MI21]

Duncan is better than Gasol on both ends of the floor, has lead his team to a better record, has better statistics and has intangibles as good as any player in NBA history, tbh.

There is no argument.

[Pasta Batman]

I agree. It's sad because it's true.

When Duncan is gone, there will be no more real big men left. Blake's not a real big man imo (defense is mediocre, crap post game), Dwight is a soft, overrated mound of steroids, and after that everyone's basically just above average dudes who would be hugely overshadowed by any real big man.

Anthony Davis is pretty much the last hope for big men, and he's been a bit of a disappointment so far.

Why is it sad? Duncan is one of the greatest big men to ever play. Guys who have good work ethic and good diets like Duncan and Kobe, are showing stuff at older ages. This is less about the current big man and more about how Duncan has changed his game to remain dominant. The fundamentals (footwork, smart decision making, etc) keep him relevant and at the top!

[Kidd K]

Why is it sad? Duncan is one of the greatest big men to ever play. Guys who have good work ethic and good diets like Duncan and Kobe, are showing stuff at older ages. This is less about the current big man and more about how Duncan has changed his game to remain dominant. The fundamentals (footwork, smart decision making, etc) keep him relevant and at the top!

It's sad because there will be no real big men left when Duncan leaves, not sad that Duncan is deservedly listed high as one of/the best big in the NBA at 37.

[will_spurs]

I laughed more at the Chris Paul over TP pick to be honest.....

Parker didn't even get one vote out of 10... smh.

[AaronY]

This is why I laugh when people say Duncan could be this years DPOY. He has zero percent chance st that. Zero.

[CubanMustGo]

4/5 ESPN assholes put Gasol over TD for DPOY, too.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/5-on-5-130412/2012-13-nba-award-selections

[DieMrBond]

Stein had Duncan for DPOY as well...
http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/weekenddime-130412-13/awards-ballot



Defensive Player of the Year
Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs


Duncan
We've been saying it pretty much since Thanksgiving: Dwight Howard's subpar season, by Dwight Howard standards, has thrown this category w-i-d-e open. As open, really, as it's ever been.

From almost every team that ranked in the top 10 in defensive efficiency as of Friday morning, I could present you with multiple DPOY candidates. Notable tag teams include Roy Hibbert and Paul George in Indiana, Marc Gasol and Tony Allen in Memphis, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng in Chicago, Kevin Garnett and Avery Bradley in Boston, and Al Horford and Josh Smith in Atlanta.

The push for LeBron as DPOY is likewise gaining steam ... and I can't forget to mention another handful of defensive stalwarts: Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka, Denver's Andre Iguodala, Milwaukee's Larry Sanders, the L.A. Clippers' Matt Barnes and Eric Bledsoe, and reigning DPOY Tyson Chandler in New York.

From that jumble, though, Timmy Duncan has still managed to stick out. The Spurs are up to third in the league in defensive efficiency this season after slipping all the way down to a very un-Spurs-like 11th last season. And Duncan, in this turn-back-the-clock season of his at 36, is where it all starts.

The fact that Duncan, unlike Gasol, isn't joined in the Spurs' starting lineup by an Allen or Mike Conley helped nudge him to the front of the line. Ditto for the fact that Noah, who led this pack after each of the first two trimesters, is flanked by the likes of Deng, Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler and faded largely because of his late-season injury woes.

Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green are fine defenders -- and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich knows a thing or two about implementing a defensive system -- but Duncan was the unquestioned anchor of a unit that made a significant leap while putting together his best-ever season as a shot-blocker. And that bumped him to the top of a race that's always so hard to call with so little available statistical data to help us.

Stein's ballot: 1. Tim Duncan; 2. Roy Hibbert; 3. Marc Gasol