3/5 ESPN Analysts pick Marc Gasol as 1st Team NBA over Timmy

[Pasta Batman]

I agree. It's sad because it's true.

When Duncan is gone, there will be no more real big men left. Blake's not a real big man imo (defense is mediocre, crap post game), Dwight is a soft, overrated mound of steroids, and after that everyone's basically just above average dudes who would be hugely overshadowed by any real big man.

Anthony Davis is pretty much the last hope for big men, and he's been a bit of a disappointment so far.

Why is it sad? Duncan is one of the greatest big men to ever play. Guys who have good work ethic and good diets like Duncan and Kobe, are showing stuff at older ages. This is less about the current big man and more about how Duncan has changed his game to remain dominant. The fundamentals (footwork, smart decision making, etc) keep him relevant and at the top!

[Kidd K]

Why is it sad? Duncan is one of the greatest big men to ever play. Guys who have good work ethic and good diets like Duncan and Kobe, are showing stuff at older ages. This is less about the current big man and more about how Duncan has changed his game to remain dominant. The fundamentals (footwork, smart decision making, etc) keep him relevant and at the top!

It's sad because there will be no real big men left when Duncan leaves, not sad that Duncan is deservedly listed high as one of/the best big in the NBA at 37.

[will_spurs]

I laughed more at the Chris Paul over TP pick to be honest.....

Parker didn't even get one vote out of 10... smh.

[AaronY]

This is why I laugh when people say Duncan could be this years DPOY. He has zero percent chance st that. Zero.

[CubanMustGo]

4/5 ESPN assholes put Gasol over TD for DPOY, too.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/...ard-selections

[DieMrBond]

Stein had Duncan for DPOY as well...
http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/p.../awards-ballot

Defensive Player of the Year
Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs


Duncan
We've been saying it pretty much since Thanksgiving: Dwight Howard's subpar season, by Dwight Howard standards, has thrown this category w-i-d-e open. As open, really, as it's ever been.

From almost every team that ranked in the top 10 in defensive efficiency as of Friday morning, I could present you with multiple DPOY candidates. Notable tag teams include Roy Hibbert and Paul George in Indiana, Marc Gasol and Tony Allen in Memphis, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng in Chicago, Kevin Garnett and Avery Bradley in Boston, and Al Horford and Josh Smith in Atlanta.

The push for LeBron as DPOY is likewise gaining steam ... and I can't forget to mention another handful of defensive stalwarts: Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka, Denver's Andre Iguodala, Milwaukee's Larry Sanders, the L.A. Clippers' Matt Barnes and Eric Bledsoe, and reigning DPOY Tyson Chandler in New York.

From that jumble, though, Timmy Duncan has still managed to stick out. The Spurs are up to third in the league in defensive efficiency this season after slipping all the way down to a very un-Spurs-like 11th last season. And Duncan, in this turn-back-the-clock season of his at 36, is where it all starts.

The fact that Duncan, unlike Gasol, isn't joined in the Spurs' starting lineup by an Allen or Mike Conley helped nudge him to the front of the line. Ditto for the fact that Noah, who led this pack after each of the first two trimesters, is flanked by the likes of Deng, Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler and faded largely because of his late-season injury woes.

Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green are fine defenders -- and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich knows a thing or two about implementing a defensive system -- but Duncan was the unquestioned anchor of a unit that made a significant leap while putting together his best-ever season as a shot-blocker. And that bumped him to the top of a race that's always so hard to call with so little available statistical data to help us.

Stein's ballot: 1. Tim Duncan; 2. Roy Hibbert; 3. Marc Gasol