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great article, thanks
Duncan savors current status
By Jeff McDonald
On Halloween night 1997, Tim Duncan walked onto an NBA floor for a regular-season game for the first time.
He did so without expectation.
I think that was probably best for me, Duncan said. I could come in, and just play.
Eleven years later, the gym in which he made his debut Denver's McNichols Arena is a parking lot. The four players who joined him in the Spurs' starting lineup David Robinson, Avery Johnson, Sean Elliott and Vinny Del Negro have long since retired.
Meanwhile, Duncan has won four NBA les, two MVP awards, and in a blink has become the kind of grizzled veteran he once looked up to.
When the Phoenix Suns visit the AT&T Center tonight, it will mark Duncan's 12th season opener. At 32, he straddles the divide between two generations of dominating NBA big men.
One is on its way out, the other on its way in. The circle of NBA life.
As you get older, everybody else gets younger, Duncan said. I'm going to have to face a lot of young, very talented individuals over the next couple of years. That's how it's always going to be.
If he needed reminding of the short shelf life of an NBA big man, Duncan ought to get it before October is out.
Against Phoenix, he will often find himself wedged between Shaquille O'Neal, at 36 the last of the old guard, and Amare Stoudemire, who at 26 hasn't hit his career crescendo.
Before the week ends, Duncan will also be privy to Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden, one barely old enough to drink, the other barely old enough to vote.
In between the two extremes is Duncan. No longer a spring chicken, not yet an old man, he's snuggled in basketball's version of middle age.
Every year, you end up going back to basketball, and it's a little more fun, Duncan said. I probably enjoy playing now more than before, and I've been a basketball junkie all along.
Duncan is coming off a season in which he averaged 19.3 points per game, only the second time he finished below 20. Yet he remains the kind of showpiece big man every team covets, but few possess.
He's still one of the top three big men in basketball, and you can make an argument he's the best, said Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, who was on the Phoenix bench last season. His game is great. I don't mean good I mean great.
Duncan isn't unstoppable every night anymore, but he can be unstoppable any given night. Just ask the Suns, who saw him climb into the way-back machine and drop 40 points on them in last season's playoffs.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich traces the incremental decline in Duncan's scoring to the rise in Manu Ginobili's. Ginobili, the Spurs' leading scorer for the first time last season, was rolling so well at times that Duncan didn't need to impose his will on the scoreboard.
I think in some situations, he's entirely too team-oriented, if that's possible, Popovich said. He probably tries, overly so, to get other people involved.
With Ginobili out until at least mid-December with an ankle injury, the Spurs are expecting Duncan to accept more of the scoring load again.
You'll find him, I think, trying to be more aggressive on the offensive end, Popovich said. That's something we wanted to attack this year, whether (the injury) happened to Manu or not.
For a lesson in how quickly and cruelly Father Time can claim a dominant big man, Duncan need only to glance across the court tonight. Just two seasons removed from averaging 20 points for the champion Miami Heat, O'Neal scored just 13.6 per game last season the fewest of his career while playing on bad knees.
D'Antoni doesn't foresee the same kind of breakdown on the immediate horizon for Duncan.
He's got three or four more great years, for sure, D'Antoni said. Then it's really up to him and how long he wants to play.
Duncan's contract runs through the end of the 2011-2012 season, when he'll be 36. There's no telling what happens after that.
For now, Duncan is thinking only about this season. He will approach it like his first.
Without expectation, he will just play.
great article, thanks
nice read!
Good news. The more 4-down the better. The last few years, when the chips were down and they went to Duncan in the playoffs, it was like the team didn't know what to do since 4-down was run so sparingly during the regular season.You'll find him, I think, trying to be more aggressive on the offensive end, Popovich said. That's something we wanted to attack this year, whether (the injury) happened to Manu or not.
If Duncan can average ~22 points, that should help come playoff time and the team again realizes who their best player is.
duncan228, im in love with you, for posting such great articles all the time, albeit a little duncan-biased, they are all great.thank you.
The article referenced how the rise in Ginobili' scoring has led to a decline in Duncan's scoring.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich traces the incremental decline in Duncan's scoring to the rise in Manu Ginobili's. Ginobili, the Spurs' leading scorer for the first time last season, was rolling so well at times that Duncan didn't need to impose his will on the scoreboard.
It would be great if Duncan had a frontline running mate that could truly help neutralize the contributions of teams with dual big men (Suns, Blazers, Fakers). A backup big man who could help supplement the frontline scoring load, where the dropoff would not be as steep when Duncan is out of the game.
Hey dude.. i like your thoughts.. alot of hidden messages
I think the same too
I personally would like to see him average 25 a game. If he can do that, and the Spurs win 60 games, he could make a strong case for his 3rd MVP.
25ppg 12rpg 2bpg = MVP contender, thats what i want to see.....or a fukn dpoy would do.
I think 25 PPG would require nearly 40 minutes a night, which wont happen. I think the max we can expect is 22.
I wouldn't want him to average that much. There's a fine line between getting ready for the playoffs and burning out before the playoffs. About 21 or 22 points per game is optimal for Duncan at this point.
Great read. Duncan has looked good just moving at half speed during the preseason, so I think he can shoulder most of the load until Manu gets back. This will also make Tony more effective too.
Today, in a french interview :
It will only be good news if he is really healed and not just pushing it to get back as quickly as possible. I will be concerned if he comes back any earlier than 20 games.The good news is that Manu heals quickly. I think that he could be back after 15 games.
Duncan has showed in the pre-season that he is little more focused on scoring. That is great news. I just hate that he holds the ball for like five or six seconds w/out making a move.
All the time the 4-down was not apperciated by most of the posters here, now LJ want's Tim to b in that position more.
Hmm, that might make sense - I'm also on the 4-down, but now the stagnat one whee Tim just holds the bal and the defense just simply take advetnage of it knowing what the spurs gona do. So I was voting for motion offense (in last 3 years or so) , but I want to mix it up. And the 4-down with swings cutting to the lanes or wings changing their positions.
I wonder how the spurs offense will look like. Pop said in a pre-season they he might even suprise the players with few new things.
We'll see
I agree with timvp. I think this Spurs team was at their offensive apex in the '05 playoffs - everything went through Duncan, but Manu was able to play off him and be super unpredictable. If he hadn't been injured those few middle games against Detroit, we would remember that post season differently.
I still love the idea of Parker looking for his shot early in the clock and in transition, then pulling out if nothing gives and running the motion or 4 down (4 motion?) through Duncan, with the ball ending up in Manu's hands more often than not when Tim doesn't have a shot. I'd love to see a healthy Spurs team match up against an elite defensive team like Boston for a series.
Great read. Thanks for sharing.
Good read...
Curious that D'Antoni is so caring in his words for Duncan, considering the guy averaged about 25/12/3/3 over the past few playoffs against them
Well just doing the math, I think that Duncan and Parker are going to have to average 48 to 50 points combined for the Spurs to keep the offense from sliding.
And he always does it. And in the end someone shoots a 3. Hopefully he wont bring that to the table tonight and this season. Its been happening to many yrs in a row and without any help next to him. NBA teams kill us every time he holds that ball and waits.
And alot of hack a shaqs.....
With Manu out TD needs to get the ball much more and be agressive.
I'm glad Pop told him to to it
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