I just want to say...

[Marcus Bryant]

http://www.gxnu.edu.cn/Personal/szliu/tim08.jpg


Thank God for Tim Duncan. Has it been 9 seasons already? I remember uttering a select choice of expletives when it was announced the Spurs had won the #1 pick in the '97 draft (as I am sure those of you who were alive then did). Here was a young star willing to defer to someone else when he entered the league. Here was a player who helped David Robinson and San Antonio de Bexar win that ever elusive NBA Championship as well as enable The Admiral to leave his final game as a NBA Champion, again. A player who has taken his position seriously and one who has considered the impact of important decisions he faced not only to himself but to his team and its home city. Right now he is one of the Top 10 NBA players of all time and his career has five seasons left. Rare is the player who wins championships. Even more rare is the player who is humble and does not seek the limelight. The player who readily admits to his faults and that his success is not due solely to himself. The player who will foresake that which seems more attractive now for what is best in the long run. The player who will pursue personal goals, such as completing his undergraduate education, instead of doing what everyone else expects him to do. A player who is so good yet so humble and so unselfish that he is taken for granted and almost forgotten. Tim Duncan, this thread is for you.

[exstatic]

Ten seasons. Time flies when we're havin' fun.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

I still don't know if a lot of us who are under the age of 25 can truly appreciate the greatness of Tim Duncan until he retires.

He is one of the greatest athletes of our time, and not just in basketball


so yeah Tim, this one really is for you :toast

[GrandeDavid]

I would've taken Toine Walker.

[dknights411]

We should just retire his number right now. It'll look good seeing Duncan and Robinson together again in the rafters of the ATT.

[exstatic]

Actually, by NBA standards he's an average athlete. He is, however, one of the 5 best basketball players on the planet, a distinction some of you youngsters fail to make.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

We should just retire his number right now. It'll look good seeing Duncan and Robinson together again in the rafters of the ATT.


the thought that he is gonna retire one day is already too heartbreaking to even fathom :depressed :depressed :oops

[Marcus Bryant]

If he completes his current deal he will be a Spur through 2010, at which point he will be 34 years old. I wouldn't be surprised to see him retire then, though he could possibly play 2 or 3 more seasons (fingers crossed).

[Marcus Bryant]

Ooops. It's been 10 seasons. Damn.

[exstatic]

I think it depends on the fallout from the Crawford thing. The amount of FTs that the Spurs are NOT getting is ridiculous. They are shooting 16 per game, lowest of any playoff team. The next lowest team is 20, and there are several teams shooting over 30 per game in this playoff season. Tim doesn't need the money, doesn't need to play. He'll do it if he's enjoying it, and having the refs let players whack or a shove at him while shooting and call nothing wouldn't be that enjoyable. His career numbers are one FTA per six FGAs. Since Crawford-gate, it's been one FTA per ten FGAs. That's not an accident.

[Marcus Bryant]

Maybe he walks away from the game at age 34. It would make sense. Just like with DRob, Tim's life is not just about basketball. By then he will have a body of work fit for Springfield and then some. Then again, I thought he was going to Orlando in 2000.

[timvp]

Duncan has reclaimed his spot as the best player in the league this season. There's no one I'd want him traded for. He dominates both ends of the court but does so without much fanfare. He might not be able to drop 50 or dunk from the free throw line but no one player helps his team win more.

[Spursfan101]

:worthy: Tim Duncan

[td4mvp21]

After seeing Dirk's pathetic performance, I am never going to complain about Duncan's play ever again. Well, maybe every once in a while, but not nearly as much. I appreciate him so much more now. He's done everything for us and he almost always comes through when we need him to.

[slayermin]

Is it true he owns a mountain in Helotes?

[exstatic]

The thing that I'm most happy about? He's back to being durable Duncan. Even with the PF last year, he's managed to play 80 games both of the last two years, after playing 69 and 66 the two previous years.

[Clutch20]

Tim Duncan:
The Tip Of The Spear

[easjer]

He is my favorite player. He will always be one of my favorite players. And much of it has to do with who he is. Quiet, unassuming, doing his job, staying under the radar and simply getting it done. Amazing and poetic to watch him play - it's beautiful, artistic even, to watch him break down defenses and to watch him at work on defense.

[angel_luv]

Three cheers for Timmy- hurrah, hurrah, hurrah! :toast :)

[exstatic]

Texas had NBA teams with 3 of the best 4 records in the West. Dallas has Dirk, Houston has TMac and we have Timmy Ballgame. How great is that?

[td4mvp21]

Texas had NBA teams with 3 of the best 4 records in the West. Dallas has Dirk, Houston has TMac and we have Timmy Ballgame. How great is that?

And only 1 made it out of the first round....

[IceColdBrewski]

Remember that moment well. The same way I remember hearing that the Spurs landed D-Rob.

Yes, I'm getting old.

[spurspf]

:tu :tu
He is my favorite player. He will always be one of my favorite players. And much of it has to do with who he is. Quiet, unassuming, doing his job, staying under the radar and simply getting it done. Amazing and poetic to watch him play - it's beautiful, artistic even, to watch him break down defenses and to watch him at work on defense.
The sad truth is that so many non-Spurs fans don't think its poetic. Even people who follow the NBA and supposedly pro's themselves (albeit in journalism) think its "boring". What sad times we live in. Style over substance. Even if substance wins 90% of the time.

[ShoogarBear]

Anyone who thinks Tim Duncan is boring doesn't understand basketball beyond the SportsCenter level.

[Slomo]

I always knew about Robinson.
I really started following the Spurs when french TV started showing most of the Spurs games after Tony's draft and I fell in love with their game.
I started posting in here after Rasho was signed.

But the first jersey I ever bought was Tim's. He is the main reason the Spurs are what they are and why I am a fan of this team.



Anyone who thinks Tim Duncan is boring doesn't understand basketball beyond the SportsCenter level.:tu
Of all the statements about the Spurs and Tim the "boring" label is still the one that surprises me the most.

[jmard5]

I remember when the Spurs got the 1st pick (Duncan), people were dissing that twin towers do not work in the NBA.

I guess, Duncan and Robinson proved them all wrong. How sweet was it seeing the high post-low post play.

[Gaddabout]

When Duncan is inducted to the HOF, I think David Robinson should be his introductory speaker, and I think Robinson should start his speech with this sentence:


He's a power forward, dammit.

[duncan228]

He is my favorite player. He will always be one of my favorite players. And much of it has to do with who he is. Quiet, unassuming, doing his job, staying under the radar and simply getting it done. Amazing and poetic to watch him play - it's beautiful, artistic even, to watch him break down defenses and to watch him at work on defense.

You said it perfectly. Especially the words "poetic" and "amazing."

Duncan is the reason I'm a Spurs fan. The reason I tape every game so when he has a "performance" I will have it forever.

He has never disappointed me, even in his worst games or in losing seasons. (Losing as in no Title.) He remains true to himself, as a fan I could not ask for more.

I appreciate his game more than any of the chest thumping arrogance of most of the rest of this league.

As a fan I hope he plays forever. As a realist, and from watching him so closely for so many years, I think he will retire while he's still dominate. I can't see him coming off the bench or sticking it out for one more. It doesn't seem to be who he is.

He's given Spurs fans, and basketball, so much that whenever he decides he's done I will simply applaud him and thank him. He deserves to live his life out of the spotlight. To raise his family. To do whatever he wants.

Basketball has been made better because of Duncan. It's too bad they couldn't figure out how to market him better. It's a sad statement that the thugs in the league get more attention. I know that Duncan has been selective in giving his name to endorsers, but the league could have used him so much more than they have. Notice on the stupid ABC singing girls intro that none of them are in Spurs gear. How does that make sense? (Don't give me "small market." This is a billion dollar industry. You use anything you can to generate money. A player with Duncan's resume should be able to make you money.)

I apologize for the length of this post. I could go on for days when it comes to Duncan. He isn't how I found this game, (Larry Bird in his rookie season), but he is why I watch now. After he retires? I hope I can find a reason to keep watching.

[TheTruth]

I was watering my mom's plants outside to keep from having to watch the lottery. I was sure we were gonna lose, and was resigned to the fact that we were gonna end up with Billups. When my cousin came out and told me that we got the #1 I seriously almost cried. Timmy is the greatest player the NBA has seen the past 15 years, and there will never be another one like him.

Here's to another 5 years of drop steps, bank shots, and face ups.