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I have to agree with you.
If I'm constructing a team around one player for one year, I'm starting with Tim Duncan and it's not even a tough decision.
First off, on the defensive end, what Tim enables the perimeter defenders to be able to do is be aggressive. They can be so aggressive only because Tim is back there in the paint protecting the goal. Kobe and Lebron don't / can't protect the goal like that. You finish possessions off on the defensive end with rebounding. Tim is far superior to them as a defensive rebounder, naturally. You might argue that this is not surprising due to the position that Tim plays.
But this is precisely Pesky's point. A superstar Power Forward, in fact, the best to ever play that position, will have inherent advantages in these categories.
Next, on the offensive end. Tim will always give you the 20 points and 10 rebounds a game average. You can write it down. But it's more than that.
He spaces the floor in a way that the small forward and the guards don't.
That's because he posts up and he's so effective posting up, that the shooting guards who feed him the ball are often left with an open shot.
That's the type of spacing that guards simply can't create.
It's easier for a defender to go back and forth covering a player near Kobe or Lebron and then help out and double on Kobe or Lebron simply due to the areas in which they operate.
They aren't post players. Therefore, it's easier for defenders to help out without completely leaving their man wide open.
So, Kobe and Lebron for that reason don't create spacing in the same way.
Also, many times the pass out of post leads to one more pass which leads to the score. However, the critical pass was the one from the big man back out. Tim is a great passing big man. Because often there is a second pass needed to get the score, he does not get credit for an assist, but the score and the play begins with Tim Duncan.
We should also note that Tim shoots at or above 50% every season. Kobe doesn't. In fact, Kobe surprisingly, isn't even that great a 3 point shooter by percentage.
Finally, when Kobe has won a championship, he was never the best player on the team. Tim has been the best player on the Spurs team every year that we have won with the exception of the 2007 NBA Finals. Tim has proven that he can be that centerpiece that you build around and win a championship with. He has done it without any other allstars on his team (2007 and 2003). Lebron and Kobe have yet to prove what Timmy has already proven: build a team around me and you can and will win championships.
For me, this is a conclusive case.
