48MoH: Tim Duncan and the Ewing Theory; Duncan as the anti-Ewing

[duncan228]

Tim Duncan and the Ewing Theory; Duncan as the anti-Ewing
by Jesse Blanchard
48 Minutes of

“Lead, follow, or get out of the way.”

When speeches invoke the famous words of Thomas Paine, normally it is meant to inspire men to take charge and lead. Or, at the very least, shame them into following. Rarely does one manage to accomplish the first by doing the last.

In last night’s loss to the Portland Trailblazers, LaMarcus Aldridge put up one of an audition to replace Tim Duncan in the upcoming All-Star game. Even for someone most describe as humble and unassuming, giving up a career-high 40 points and 11 rebounds in a loss has to sting the ego a bit in such context.

A lesser man in Duncan’s situation would have responded with a 20 to 30-point night himself, and that man would be wrong for doing so.

For all the talk of Duncan’s decline (and he has) the man could probably still average his usual 20 and 10 a night, but the Spurs would be worse off for it. The precedence for such reasoning is called the Ewing Theory, and there is a reason Duncan will never join the ranks of men who validate it.

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[jjktkk]

Good read.

[tuncaboylu]

Good reading but there's a recent example which makes Ewing theory invalid: For Cavs and Lebron's leaving them.