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This ain't gonna help his case tbh:
If he hasn't won one yet, there's not a shot in Duncan wins DPOY. Just take a look at Mark Stein's trimester nominations for DPOY. Joakim Noah is the front runner along with the usual suspects, HOward, Ibaka, Tony Allen, no mention for TD. Not surprised in the least.
This ain't gonna help his case tbh:
Duncan politely rejects the shot attempt with a certain delicacy that undoubtedly loses him macho points
Duncan isn't cherry-picking against lesser players either. Duncan remains the only player in the NBA to block MVP candidates Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony each on multiple occasions. Poor Al Jefferson has been victimized by Duncan six times this season; Paul Millsap and DeMarcus Cousins have been rejected by Duncan three times.
Marc Stein votes Duncan for DPOY
http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/p.../awards-ballotDefensive 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, with San Antonio's defense four points better when TD's on the floor (97.0 points per 100 possessions compared to 101.0 points per 100 possessions without him).
The fact that Duncan, unlike Gasol, isn't joined in the Spurs' starting lineup by an Allen or a 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 sort things out.
Stein's ballot: 1. Tim Duncan; 2. Roy Hibbert; 3. Marc Gasol
October prediction: Dwight Howard
The award usually goes to the flashiest blocker.
gotta give Dwight his props on the first dunk. that was a shaq-like post up. bullied Tim on that playThis ain't gonna help his case tbh:
the second one was Tiago's fault, and thats why you see Tim and Kawhi visibly upset and Pop called an immediate timeout. Tim was on Dwight, Tiago on Pau (as he was all game), and both were near the rim. For some odd reason, Tiago suddenly left Pau and chased the shooter in the corner, forcing Tim to slide over to cover Pau (since he was closer to the passer than Dwight was). Once tim slid, it opened up Dwight.
Tim deserves it. But the ESPN Forecast Panel says Gasol. http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/...ve-player-year
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