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Man, I'm still nervous about those knees...
So glad to have a guy like TD on the team though...
All-Star Tim Duncan leads the Spurs in scoring average, rebounds and blocks.
Duncan continues to fuel Spurs' engine
Jeff McDonald
Two months ago, Richard Jefferson arrived for the start of his first Spurs training camp and opened with a joke.
Somebody asked about the benefits of playing with a future Hall of Famer like Tim Duncan. Jefferson went straight for the punchline.
“His game is pretty much trash now,” Jefferson cracked. “I've told him that multiple times, that's why they brought me in here — because of his deteriorating body.”
Apprised later of Jefferson's ha-ha moment, Duncan smiled — and agreed.
“I'm just along for the ride,” Duncan said at the time.
Funny thing, though: A month into his 13th NBA season, No. 21 is the one driving the bus for the Spurs.
Through 15 games, Duncan leads the team in scoring (18.5 points per game), rebounding (10.8 per game) and blocks (26). He has topped 20 points in seven of the past eight contests, his most consistent scoring stretch since opening last season with nine 20-point performances in 10 games.
During the Spurs' five-game winning streak, which they extended with Sunday's victory over Philadelphia, Duncan has averaged 20.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists, all while shooting 58.6 percent.
“He's been impressive, making the key plays,” Manu Ginobili said. “He's one of the big reasons we've won five in a row.”
This was supposed to be the season Duncan took it easy, backing off a bit and letting his superior supporting cast carry more of the burden. With more scorers on the roster, the Spurs planned on leaning less on Duncan and his sore knees.
Instead, with injuries to key players and on-court chemistry issues slowing his team's retooling effort, Duncan has had to be the lighthouse at the eye of the Spurs' storm.
“He's done that for 13 years,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “It doesn't matter who we've traded for, who we've signed, who we've drafted. Tim Duncan is the common denominator that makes everybody feel comfortable.”
Jefferson played against Duncan in the 2003 NBA Finals, when the Spurs power forward torched New Jersey for 24.2 points, 17 rebounds, 5.3 assists and a record 5.3 blocks en route to earning MVP honors. He also played alongside Duncan in the 2004 Olympics.
In many ways, Jefferson says, Duncan hasn't changed much from his prime.
The face is older. The big, black brace on his left knee looks like something out of RoboCop. Yet in certain stretches, Duncan is the same at age 33 as he ever was.
His classic mid-range bank shot is still there, for one.
“He still does a lot of the same things,” Jefferson said.
Duncan was dominant at the start of last season, too, before his knees began to ache and his scoring began to plummet.
In one regard, Jefferson was right. The Spurs did have Duncan's deteriorating body in mind when they went on their summer spending spree.
Aside from ankle soreness that cost him two games, Duncan has been relatively healthy this season. The goal is to keep him that way.
That's where Duncan's supporting cast comes in.
Jefferson was born in Los Angeles, at about the time Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's Lakers were beginning the transformation to the “Showtime” era. Abdul-Jabbar was 32, a year younger than Duncan, when Magic Johnson arrived in 1979. He lasted nine more seasons.
“Look at how Magic Johnson, James Worthy and those guys prolonged the career of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,” Jefferson said. “They allowed him to take some nights off, so down the stretch in the playoffs, he could be a dominant player.”
Eventually, the Spurs hope to get there with their own All-Star big man.
For now, Duncan continues to pile up the 20-point games, continues to be the centerpiece, continues to be more than just along for the ride.
“Just doing what he always does,” Popovich said.
And that's no joke.
Last edited by duncan228; 12-01-2009 at 02:25 AM.
Man, I'm still nervous about those knees...
So glad to have a guy like TD on the team though...
Tim's been great and I'm ecstatic he's looking as good as he is but:
I can't help but get a sick feeling reading that.This was supposed to be the season Duncan took it easy, backing off a bit and letting his superior supporting cast carry more of the burden. With more scorers on the roster, the Spurs planned on leaning less on Duncan and his sore knees.
Instead, with injuries to key players and on-court chemistry issues slowing his team's retooling effort, Duncan has had to be the lighthouse at the eye of the Spurs' storm.
It's just too early for them to be depending upon and riding the ol' warhorse; this team needs to get and maintain healthy asap.
if only duncan has a completely healthy knees!
One good thing thus far is that Tim is averaging 31.8 minutes per game through 15 games. At the end of November last year (16 games), he was averaging 34.7 mpg, and went on to average 36.5 mpg in December and 34.2 mpg in January.
If Pop can keep Tim's minutes in the 31-32 mpg range (or even lower it to 30 mpg as McDyess/Blair/Ratliff become more acclimated), then Tim should have a much better shot at remaining in top form.
Eventually one of the other bigs has to be able to provide consistent productive minutes when Duncan is out in order to help keep Timmy's minutes limited throughout the season.
Out of the other bigs I only see Blair as a possibility to help provide that relief. He(Blair) will have to step up to a level during this season that is usually reserved for experienced players in the same position and rotation.
Here's hoping Blair is able to accelerate to that level and exceed what most rookies in that position are able to learn and accomplish in their first year.
Duncan still can play
I'm still waiting for the big playoff moment where Duncan doesn't get the jump he needs on a block, yells in a mighty fit of rage, rips his knee brace off and throws it into the stands, then proceeds to go off for 40.
even with the injuries already, duncan's MPG are already 2 minutes lower than last year, and 1.5 minutes lower than the previous low of his career (2005).
he's carried the team thus far by being more efficient with the minutes he has played (he's shooting 54%, which would be the 3rd highest total of his career), not by doing more.
factor in two things: 1) the team is getting healthy. 2) dejuan blair's MPG are only going to go up as he gets more comfortable with the system.
there's nothing to worry about at this juncture.
I believe one critical key to Pop limiting Duncan's minutes will be the play of DeJuan Blair. If Blair can continue to get better, stay out of foul trouble, and make a consistent impact from game-to-game, Duncan can continue to play a limited number of minutes.
but.. but... duncan is over the hill, duncan is not an elite player anymore, duncan is just serviceable at best...
Agreed that Blair will need to step up. So I wonder, if Blair had not fallen to us in the draft, which big man would we have leaned on instead to help limit Duncan's mins? (and it's not Dice since he shouldn't be playing 30+ mins night in and night out either)
Good points.
Duncan entered December last season with 556 minutes played. This year he is at 414. Blowouts against weak teams really help keep his minutes down. There have already been three games in which he sat down in the third quarter and didn't play for the rest of the game and one more game where he only played 3 minutes in the 4th.
Last season TD needed to do all by himself in the 1st month with TP and Manu out, this season he's shooting a lot of Js and working the PnR very well with TP and playing less minutes. Hopefully his knee will be fine until the end
His jumpshots look smooth, extra-smooth and that will keep his body health.
timmeh!
tearin it up on one leg
http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/ba...yerrater091202Player Rater
By Seth Landman
ESPN
Nice beginnings
(rankings based on per-game averages)
Tim Duncan, PF/C, Spurs (14): Those of us who believed Duncan's minutes would go down this season were entirely correct; he's averaging just 31.8 minutes, down from 33.6 minutes last season. However, Duncan is outperforming his average draft position because he has been much more efficient. He's putting up basically the same numbers as last season, but is blocking more shots and shooting higher percentages. In particular, he's shooting 54 percent from the floor, which would be the highest percentage he's posted in a season since his rookie year. Perhaps that number will fall a bit as the season goes on, but it's also possible that Duncan, with a greater complement of offensive weapons around him, is simply getting better looks. Either way, it looks so far as though the great decline many were expecting is at least another season away.
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