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I have no idea what this means, but actually found it mildly humorous.
I wonder if Tim, with 10's of $Ms in the bank, will just lose interest in basketball in a few years.
There are certainly games, like the first half last night, where it seems he'd rather be somewhere else (as opposed to playing basketball for its own sake, figuring out how to make a meaningless Nov game against a sucky Sixers into something he really wants to do), and needs to kick in his motivation by Pop to play like he did after halftime. While he know doubt enjoys the playoffs, I wonder if he will wake up one day and decide the pain of the season is not longer for him worth the playoff payoff.
I have no idea what this means, but actually found it mildly humorous.
a man named Hakeem comes to mind.Dude name one big that was in his prime in his mid to late 30s?
I thought the same thing last night.There are certainly games, like the first half last night, where it seems he'd rather be somewhere else (as opposed to playing basketball for its own sake, figuring out how to make a meaningless Nov game against a sucky Sixers into something he really wants to do), and needs to kick in his motivation by Pop to play like he did after halftime. While he know doubt enjoys the playoffs, I wonder if he will wake up one day and decide the pain of the season is not longer for him worth the playoff payoff.
But then you watch during timeouts and during free throws, him joking around with Barry, Bowen, Parker, Rasho,
he seems to be having fun out there still.
When your so much better than anyone else, it prob gets damn boring sometimes.
This guy is on to something. Duncan clearly played better when he was younger. However, I don't know if he couldn't bring back his younger moves if he tried. Last night was like a retro game with his left handed dunk and spin move.
It very tough trying to figure out how to balance out getting your teammates involved and then stepping it up when you need to be dominant. Jordan and Iverson's game plans were/are try to dominate from the get-go, then get their teammates involved secondarily, and I think that's an easier thing to do mentally.
That's why, if I was a run-of-the-mill NBA player, I would always have preferred to play with a Magic, Larry, or Tim rather than a Jordan or AI. You just work your butt offf, fill the lanes, play good BB and they'll get your good shots.
Playing with Jordan or AI consists of staying out of their way until they decide they want your participation.
That's a Great Post. Thanks for the read.
Kareem A-J, Robert Parrish, and Kevin Willis all played past FORTY.
Bigs just last longer. Their games are rarely predicated on quickness or leaping ability. As they get older, they learn little tricks about how to play the game, box out, shove guys at just the right time to get rebounds.
Honestly, with all of the young 7 footers coming into the league wanting to play SF, Tim could play until he was 40 and still be a 20/10 guy. If Tim retires, it will be because he wants to, not because he can't do it anymore.
Don't minimize what Kareem, Parish, Willis, and Malone accomplished.
They were three of the best-conditioned athletes ever in the NBA. Those guys all were extremely diligent about keeping in shape all the time. Tim seems to maybe making some strides in that regard.
Only if he "chooses"... feel the powa!!!
ducan is a spur for life
The Spurs should trade Duncan to the Blazers after this season. We will give you Zach Randolph who is younger and clearly has his best years ahead of him.
Tim proved he was someone who is more involved with the quality of his life than the opportunity to shine in a media-rich big city when he signed his last contract with San Antonio, a contract that will carry him close to retirement.
Like many Spurs players, he's come to appreciate the ambiance and great living conditions of San Antonio and the recent birth of a child will only solidify his afffiliation with the city and the Spurs.
I don't think he'd leave voluntarily, but you never know what the FO office might do if he were 35/36 and some idiot GM like Isaiah offered the team their lottery pick or a great young player. If they could trade Gervin, they could trade anyone.
Yes! He's definitely changing. He's more mature. He's more efficient and that means he doesn't need speed as much and he's never needed excessive agression for his game. Evolving? Yes. Declining? No.
TIm looks the best THIS YEAR than he has in previous years. He is in shape and still has the skills to take over the game at anytime! So I dont see him declining anytime soon.
He will be a Spur 4-life. I would hope he would do like David and in his later years, take a lesser role and help a younger player take over his position. But there is no need to think about that for a while. Lets just enjoy these championship years!
Tim's line has always been that he'll stay put as long as the Spurs are really committed to winning, and I don't think that's going to change until Tim retires and the Spurs might need to take a little time to rebuild properly. Besides, Tim seems to like it here, and he has a family now. When it comes time to sign his final contract he'll probably just want to avoid having to pull up stakes or spend the season completely away from his family.
Sidney Duncan Anyone?
Duncan is not declining...not hardly.
Don't confuse the Spurs athleticisim and options around Tim as Tim in the decline.
The Spurs simply do not HAVE to rely only on Timmy to win anymore.
If anything, this will lengthen TD's career.
You need to realize that when Tim was younger...like in '99, he HAD to make his move faster so he could beat the double team. Remember, back then the Spurs had unathletic spot shooters out on the perimeter who couldn't really put the ball on the floor and go past anyone (see 2001 WCF against the Lakers for evidence).
Over the last two years we have seen Tim go into that slower "back his man down, and kick out to teamate mode".
Take a look at the 4th quarter of game 7 against the Pistons and you will see exactly that. Before Tim HAD to beat the double team with a quick move, whereas now he can let the doubleteam come then kick out.
I look at it as more of a voluntary evolution in his game...not a decline.
Quick Olympic trivia fact for ya:
Did you know that the numbers bear out that most Olympic athletes have had their best individual performances of their careers at 29-30 years of age?
Yes. When Tim came to the Spurs, David Robinson made a remark to the effect that it sure was nice to see YOUNG legs running up and down the court. That did not take anything away from David as a basketball player, and it did not mean that he stopped running up and down the court. What it did mean was that some of the pressure was off him, and sharing made both of them better players. It gave David an opportunity to explore other aspects of the game, and that is what Tim is enjoying right now.
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