at the end of tim duncan's career...

do you ever foresee him coming off the bench instead of starting during the season?
Other greats have chosen to do that such as Hakeem, and im sure there are others i just am too lazy to look 'em up. but can you really picture him doing that? idk if i can, imo he is just too good of a player to go out like that. Maybe im just being a homer in saying that, and no person is too good to come off the bench if it means for the greater good of the team, but the only way i can see tim duncan going out is like the great david robinson did, trophy in hand. it didnt matter that david robinson probably could have played another 2-3 years coming off the bench and getting little to no mpg, he left at the perfect time. its all any true spurs fan can really picture their team's hero end his career. Its what were used to and its what we expect. its the beauty of our organization haha.
i guess hakeem stayed in the game bc he knew that the two he won didnt really count bc jordan wasnt playing those two years and felt he needed to get another one to validate those two titles.
haha jk, but i mean really, how would you want tim duncan to go out?

nah, i think he'll be like Shaq or Karl Malone, always starting.

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Originally Posted by mabrignani

do you ever foresee him coming off the bench instead of starting during the season?
Other greats have chosen to do that such as Hakeem, and im sure there are others i just am too lazy to look 'em up. but can you really picture him doing that? idk if i can, imo he is just too good of a player to go out like that. Maybe im just being a homer in saying that, and no person is too good to come off the bench if it means for the greater good of the team, but the only way i can see tim duncan going out is like the great david robinson did, trophy in hand. it didnt matter that david robinson probably could have played another 2-3 years coming off the bench and getting little to no mpg, he left at the perfect time. its all any true spurs fan can really picture their team's hero end his career. Its what were used to and its what we expect. its the beauty of our organization haha.
i guess hakeem stayed in the game bc he knew that the two he won didnt really count bc jordan wasnt playing those two years and felt he needed to get another one to validate those two titles.
haha jk, but i mean really, how would you want tim duncan to go out?

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It will be a LONG time before Duncan comes off the bench.

First of all, basically the top 10 big men in the NBA make the all-star team, five years from now Duncan will still be in that catagory, barring a serious injury.

Then, after that, he's still a starter for two more years.

Have you seen the quality of big men in the NBA? Especially in the East? Ever wonder why 7 foot stiffs get giant contracts? Ever wonder why 7'3" players who suck get picked 2nd in the NBA draft? Ever wonder how players like Jamaal Magloire once made the all-star team? Ever looked at how few NBA big men get a double-double on a consistent basis? (last season only 9 big men had over 30 double-doubles).

Duncan's points will start to drop towards 10 per game. But even in 5 years, Duncan will still get you over 10 points a game and many double digit rebound games. Add in his passing skills, long arms on D, and leadership, and you still have an all-star.

Duncan will play as long as he is in the rotation. He might duck out a year early if his team really sucks (but I would bet he would be traded to a contender), or unless he has really serious pain or a health risk. Otherwise, he is still on the court past age 40.

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Originally Posted by Galileo

It will be a LONG time before Duncan comes off the bench.

First of all, basically the top 10 big men in the NBA make the all-star team, five years from now Duncan will still be in that catagory, barring a serious injury.

Then, after that, he's still a starter for two more years.

Have you seen the quality of big men in the NBA? Especially in the East? Ever wonder why 7 foot stiffs get giant contracts? Ever wonder why 7'3" players who suck get picked 2nd in the NBA draft? Ever wonder how players like Jamaal Magloire once made the all-star team? Ever looked at how few NBA big men get a double-double on a consistent basis? (last season only 10 big men had over 30 doubles-doubles).

Duncan's points will start to drop towards 10 per game. But even in 5 years, Duncan will still get you over 10 points a game and many double digit rebound games. Add in his passing skills, long arms on D, and leadership, and you still have an all-star.

Duncan will play as long as he is in the rotation. He might duck out a year early if his team really sucks (but I would bet he would be traded to a contender), or unless he has really serious pain or a health risk. Otherwise, he is still on the court past age 40.

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good take, i agree

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Originally Posted by Galileo

...five years from now Duncan will still be in that catagory, barring a serious injury.

Then, after that, he's still a starter for two more years.

...Otherwise, he is still on the court past age 40.

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Sorry Galileo, I don't see it. Duncan will retire at the end of this contract. Even Pop has said as much.

It's not a matter of if he'll be able to play, or how his game will hold up. It's a matter of if he'll want to, and if he'll want to deal with the pain of his knees and the grind of the schedule. His family will still be young. I think he's done in 2012.

I hope I'm wrong, I'd like to see him play forever. But I just don't see it beyond this contract.

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Originally Posted by Pop

“Our time is now. Timmy [Duncan’s] time is now. He has three years left on his contract. Something tells me that you don’t have to be too smart to figure out that the next three years are probably going to be better than the three after that.’’

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http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133385

I got sad just reading the title :depressed

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Originally Posted by ThePop

I got sad just reading the title :depressed

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yeah i know, thinking that in a couple years he might be done with the nba is a very sad thought.
if he announces before or during a season that he will retire at the end of it and the spurs win it all i will cry. real talk

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Originally Posted by duncan228

Sorry Galileo, I don't see it. Duncan will retire at the end of this contract. Even Pop has said as much.

It's not a matter of if he'll be able to play, or how his game will hold up. It's a matter of if he'll want to, and if he'll want to deal with the pain of his knees and the grind of the schedule. His family will still be young. I think he's done in 2012.

I hope I'm wrong, I'd like to see him play forever. But I just don't see it beyond this contract.



http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133385

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I think Pop is talking about Duncan as an elite player. Duncan will still be a second tier all-star after his contract is up. Duncan has the fire to play ball that DRob did not have. Duncan can stand around on D is still get you 1 block per game. He can still hit his bank shot in 5 years. He can still shoot it over the top. No, he won't be able to handle quick young players one-on-one, but will still be above average on D with his help D and intangibles.

The Spurs seem to have some young talent that will be around for several years, or will be traded for other talent. Who knows, Mahimni and Blair could develop into all-stars. Tony is still young, Splitter could be here, Hill could be an all-star, too.

The Spurs will see how things develop, Duncan is the type of veteran a contender may want to snap up in three years for draft choices or new young talent for the Spurs. Or, alternativly, a young star may want to come here and play with Tim. A lot of NBA players play with pain, I don't think Duncan's is that bad. Dr. J was in way worse shape most of his career.

If Duncan gets you 12 points, 9 boards, and 1 block per game, shoots a high percentage, and the Spurs are a 50-win team, Tim is an all-star. Even just a winning record or a playoff berth may do it.

Look at Bogut at Milwaukee. He would have been an all-star last year had he not missed so many games. He is gonna be an all-star this year getting you 15 and 9 for Milwaukee as a sub-.500 team, that is the state of quality big men. Bogut is a versatile team player, like Duncan. Unlike Duncan, he is not a shot-blocker.

Don't give up the ship!

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Originally Posted by duncan228

Sorry Galileo, I don't see it. Duncan will retire at the end of this contract. Even Pop has said as much.

It's not a matter of if he'll be able to play, or how his game will hold up. It's a matter of if he'll want to, and if he'll want to deal with the pain of his knees and the grind of the schedule. His family will still be young. I think he's done in 2012.

I hope I'm wrong, I'd like to see him play forever. But I just don't see it beyond this contract.



http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133385

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Oh, Will he retire so early? :wowI hope he won't. Without knees trouble, he could play till 40 if he want to.

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Originally Posted by Galileo

Don't give up the ship!

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:lol Not giving up, just going with my gut. I thought he'd retire at the end of this contract before the tendonosis was diagnosed.

Again, I don't think it's a matter of if Duncan's game can hold up. I think it can, and will. And he is a competitor, he loves playing. But I think he's going to call it a day at the end of this one. Like I said, his knees and the grind of the schedule are wearing on him. I think he'll want some time while his kids are still young.

I think he gives it his all (as he always has) the next few years and tries to bring another one, or maybe more, home. His resume is incredible, he's got nothing to prove. He'll go out while his game is still strong.

Just my opinion, and I do hope I'm wrong. :)

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Originally Posted by duncan228

:lol Not giving up, just going with my gut. I thought he'd retire at the end of this contract before the tendonosis was diagnosed.

Again, I don't think it's a matter of if Duncan's game can hold up. I think it can, and will. And he is a competitor, he loves playing. But I think he's going to call it a day at the end of this one. Like I said, his knees and the grind of the schedule are wearing on him. I think he'll want some time while his kids are still young.

I think he gives it his all (as he always has) the next few years and tries to bring another one, or maybe more, home. His resume is incredible, he's got nothing to prove. He'll go out while his game is still strong.

Just my opinion, and I do hope I'm wrong. :)

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If Duncan thinks his knees could cause him permanent problems or pain for life, yes, then he may retire early. But as I said, I don't think its that bad, and medical advances are quite amazing these days. His knees get sore from all the games. I don't think they are sore in the off season. Duncan's weight loss is good for the knees, too.

And did you see that Duncan had a playoff PER of 27.3 last season? 27.3 is elite status, and Duncan was not 100% (and he had one aweful game out of the 5). 27.3 is better than Duncan's career playoff PER. Duncan also led the team in Win Shares in the playoffs, not Tony. That's because of Duncan's amazing assist/turover rate, better than 2 to 1. Duncan knows what he is doing.

btw - I just looked up Bogut's passing stats last season, he had more TO's than assists.

Duncan also finished game 5 with 9 straight baskets, ever seen that happen?

We have covered on other threads that Duncan's stats per 36 minutes in 2009 are BETTER than in 1999 when he was in MVP. Duncan's stats are better than his career averages as well. As Duncan gets older, his passing gets better to offset his shotblocking which seems to be going down. His rebounding only went down because of the injury, don't forget his rebounding in the 2008 playoffs was nothing short of amazing. If you recall, he finished up the playoffs with 9 straight 14 rebound games and 10 straight 13 rebound games after coming off the flu. He had a double-double in 15 of 17 games but the two games with the flu. The 2007 playoffs is not that long ago either, only 2 year, 2 months, and Tim was head and shoulders better than anyone in the entire NBA in those playoffs.

The real question is whether Duncan will want to stick it out at SA. SA will sell tickets as long as Tim is here, even if the team suffers serious decline (The Green Bay Packers did the same thing with Brett Favre, milking him for ticket sales). There will still be some TV interest as well if Tim is starting.

But unlike GB, SA will not milk Tim for ticket sales. Management will sit down with Tim and discuss the plans. The Packers made no effort to get back to the Super Bowl when Favre was aging. SA may want to stockpile young talent and write off a season or two, but Tim must be on board.

As I said, barring serious injury, Tim is still an all-star calibur player in 5 years.

Love your numbers Galileo. I hope it plays out your way and we get to see Duncan play longer. No matter when he retires I think he retires a Spur. I think the relationship he has with the organization will make sure of that.

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Originally Posted by Galileo

If Duncan thinks his knees could cause him permanent problems or pain for life, yes, then he may retire early.

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Sorry Galileo, but I agree with 228 on this one. The tendenosis in his right knee is a degenerative condition. It's not going to get better. He can only hope to not play in back-to-backs and keep it from getting too sore by the end of the season. Also, if you'll read what Pop, RC, and Holt have been saying this summer, it sounds like Timmy's indicated to them he's going to finish his current contract and retire in 3 years. I just cannot picture him wanting to sign another contract with the Spurs, let alone another team, so that he can be half as productive as he used to be.

I also think he will be in done in 3 years time, he will play like D Rob till the end starting, and hopefully threepeating

man! it will be tough after Tim Duncan retire, NBA without Duncan will not be the same. i hope at least we could see him as a coach.

does anybody think at the end of duncans career he'll make the move to center?

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Originally Posted by mookie2001

does anybody think at the end of duncans career he'll make the move to center?

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I used to. Now, not so much. He is becoming much more of a face to the basket player offensively , a forward trait, and he's slimming down.

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Originally Posted by Summers

Sorry Galileo, but I agree with 228 on this one. The tendenosis in his right knee is a degenerative condition. It's not going to get better. He can only hope to not play in back-to-backs and keep it from getting too sore by the end of the season. Also, if you'll read what Pop, RC, and Holt have been saying this summer, it sounds like Timmy's indicated to them he's going to finish his current contract and retire in 3 years. I just cannot picture him wanting to sign another contract with the Spurs, let alone another team, so that he can be half as productive as he used to be.

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They have medical techiniques now for this. No expense will be spared to keep Duncan as nearly pain free as possible.

5 more years? 2 more years after that? That is more than wishful thinking. If he does extend his contract or sign on again(and I mean IF), it will most likely be for a year or two depending on the teams chances of contention. IMO. Now with saying that, I hope you are right. It just doesnt seem logical to me.

I think the sense of urgency this off season by the FO speaks volumes about Duncans future. Willing to take on so much salary so quickly is a big sign. Personally, I dont think Duncan will even make it the 3 years to finish out his contract. If the Spurs can win the championship this year, I think he walks away on top. His knees are in bad shape and it really showed last year. When they are having to sit him on back to backs, you know its bad. The man has a life to think about after basketball. He has a family to think of. Hes made enough money, he doesnt want to walk with a limp or need assistance at the age of 40 to get around. If Tim can grab his 5th this year...I think he walks away.

Duncan will always be good enough to start, so there is no way he will ever come off the bench.

It will be a very sad day when TD retires. :depressed

Feels like we just drafted him a couple of years ago and it amazes me just how many years we have been blessed with this humble and magnificent player.

IMO, I agree with duncan228 in that this is his last go around. He could retire today and his career would be hailed as successful, but I think he still wants at least one more ring before it is all over.:lobt:

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Originally Posted by Taking it to the Hole

It will be a very sad day when TD retires. :depressed

Feels like we just drafted him a couple of years ago and it amazes me just how many years we have been blessed with this humble and magnificent player.

IMO, I agree with duncan228 in that this is his last go around. He could retire today and his career would be hailed as successful, but I think he still wants at least one more ring before it is all over.:lobt:

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It will be a very sad day, I agree. Since ive been watching the Spurs, Duncan has always been on the team, some day him and the Spurs will just have to move on :depressed

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Originally Posted by duncan228

Love your numbers Galileo. I hope it plays out your way and we get to see Duncan play longer. No matter when he retires I think he retires a Spur. I think the relationship he has with the organization will make sure of that.

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I agree 100%, Duncan will retire a Spur, there is no doubt in my mind he wont. :flag:

I think if the Spurs can maintain a winning franchise during the twilight of Duncan's career AND if Duncan feels like he can still positively impact a winning team, he would come off the bench. He is a humble dude and a winner.

All I know is that when I watch Tim Duncan tell the world that he is retiring, I will break down and sob like a 6 year old girl.