Duncan looks like a s of his earlier self

[Agloco]

I'd be more worried about the fact that Ginobili's turned into one of the worst shooters in the league.

This. Manu has got to score more and consistently, especially with Tony's situation.

[Big Empty]

Duncan isn't the problem. He's not playing bad at all. At this age, we can expect him to score 35 points everynight. He's gonna be that 20 and 10 guy which is great. We need everyone else to step up. I hate to say this, but Tony actually needs the rest. I say leave him out till after the allstar break if we can. Richard Jefferson doesnt seem to be an upgrade so far over Bruce Bowen. , I think I would rather still have Bowen. Lastly, we need to quit playing Matt Bonner so much. He has zero D and rebounding capability. He should see limited minutes. Manu seems to be doing better but still hasnt found his shot. The good news is there is still room for improvement. We have all the tools we need. I like the Duncan, Blaire and and Mcdice rotation. we're alright there actually in my opinion. But when Bonner is in there its like 5 on 4. Parker will comback healthy and find his rythem. Hopefully Gino finds his shooting touch. We are still a great team. We just arnt firing on all four cylinders yet.

[Galileo]

Duncan had decent stats for the game:

5-10 FGs
6-6 FTs (he has made at least 20 in a row now)
10 rebounds
0 turnovers

not bad for a bad game.

[Sean Cagney]

Duncan isn't the problem. He's not playing bad at all. At this age, we can expect him to score 35 points everynight. He's gonna be that 20 and 10 guy which is great. We need everyone else to step up. I hate to say this, but Tony actually needs the rest. I say leave him out till after the allstar break if we can. Richard Jefferson doesnt seem to be an upgrade so far over Bruce Bowen. , I think I would rather still have Bowen. Lastly, we need to quit playing Matt Bonner so much. He has zero D and rebounding capability. He should see limited minutes. Manu seems to be doing better but still hasnt found his shot. The good news is there is still room for improvement. We have all the tools we need. I like the Duncan, Blaire and and Mcdice rotation. we're alright there actually in my opinion. But when Bonner is in there its like 5 on 4. Parker will comback healthy and find his rythem. Hopefully Gino finds his shooting touch. We are still a great team. We just arnt firing on all four cylinders yet.

This sounds great! But very optomistic and might not happen with Plantar and Gino being older now. If it does look out, if not they are going to be a decent team all year and get bounced in rounds one or two. I hope they pull it together and get that dagon 5th ring, that however sounds LIKE A LONGSHOT RIGHT ABOUT NOW! Peace.

[siraulo23]

well,its been a while since he shot 50% from the field

if he didnt have that 20-20 game, I'd be pretty concerned right now

hopefully he's just in a shooting slump

[UnWantedTheory]

Didnt he just have a 21 27 the other night?

[UnWantedTheory]

This is a little premature IMO.

[Man In Black]

Tim against Utah .314 11/35
Tim against Hou .765 26/34
Tim against Chi .394 13/33
Tim against Atl 1.10 38.5/35
Tim against Mem .667 22/33
Tim against Den .597 21/36

Total For the 6 games 131.5/206 = .638 All-Star Level Play for numbers ac ulated / Minutes Played

For the season Tim is playing at a
1042.5/1366 = .763 Superstar Level

For Comparison's sake. Tim's best MVP season was 2001-2002
2449.5/3329 = .736 Over .700 Is Superstar Over .575 is All-Star

Again...it ain't Tim.
So I think you're way off OP. He killed it 4 out of 6 games and for the week was All-Star Level. The blame is elsewhere.

[Man In Black]

I'd be more worried about the fact that Ginobili's turned into one of the worst shooters in the league.

Also, upon observation, it would seem that the refs of the league aren't giving Manu any modi of respect with regards to trips to the free throw line.

It's part of equation that people talk about here. If Manu gets his trips to the line, his FG% goes up. It's that simple.
For those that don't know and I know many of you already do, so this is for you that do not...
When a player takes a shot and he gets fouled while taking the shot, the FG attempt doesn't get registered UNLESS that player makes the shot, then it's the "and 1".
So, when watching these last few games, we get a lot of incredulity from both Manu & Pop because they both feel he's attacking the rim and throwing up shots with no whistle. No whistle means...the attempt is registered.

Taking a look at Ginobili's FT attempts per Game so far.
157/40 =3.925

In 07-08, Ginobili made 3rd team All-NBA. His FT attempts per game were 5.97. We might as well 6.
442/74 =5.972

So why is it that he averages 2 less FTs per game now? It could be because he takes more jump shots but he has been attacking more so...

I would like to see what happens if he get the respect back.

[jjktkk]

1) maybe a trade for an enforcer like Maggette or Nocioni ?

Since when did Maggette become an enforcer? Or what exactly does Maggette enforce? Not passing up a shot? Plus with his bloated contract, I don't think RC and Pop want to take on Maggette.

[vander]

we've got to sit Duncan out for the rest of the season so that he's back to early-season form come playoff time.

[SpurNation]

Of course he's not. But he's still one of the top 5 PF/C in the league and earned (not just popularily voted into) yet another All-Star appearance.

If you're meaning he has gotten older and not the same Duncan that could defend on the perimeter or quicker bigs like he used to...yeah...I'll give you that.

But your OP suggests you think he is done. That would be absurd.

[SenorSpur]

In no way is Duncan the problem with the Spurs. In fact, he's been better than advertised for most of this season. One of the main issues, as is always the case, is the fact that Duncan STILL has to carry the majority of the offensive and defensive responsibilities for this team - at both ends of the court. He has very little help.

Blair has been a godsend in the rebounding department, but now Pop has demoted him. The Spurs still badly need more help in the rebounding, shotblocking and scoring areas. They're still too reliant on Duncan to provide these things every night.

[Chomag]

I wonder if it has anything to do that the Spurs expect him to guard the paint all by himself. The FO once again failed to give TD help leaving him to do it all by-himself once again. TD could get by like that before but he is older now. No one to blame about this other then the FO wearing down their star player expecting him to hold the fort all by himself once again.

Those who are expecting the old TD and old s Manu to carry the team to a trophy are just living in the past. These guys have the heart but their bodies just will not allow it. Spurs need a trade or else they wont make it to the finals until they do. Love Manu, TD, TP however they are no longer a big 3.

[Spursone]

Am I missing something........
21 points and
27 rebounds!
He's the least of my worries.

[TDfan2007]

Tim didn't look good against Utah, and has shot poorly in almost every game since then.

His shot selection is poor right now, because he's thinking too much due to his slump. He's hesitating more on outside jumpers whereas earlier in the season he'd just catch, fire, and score. His post moves are still good on the left block, but on the right block he's putting up his awkward one-handed shot more and more. It's a shot that he used to make all the time, but now his footwork on the shot is noticeably different and poor.

Basically, Tim is getting into his own head and taking stupid shots.

He needs to bring back the bank shot and start using his left hand more. He does that and his shooting percentage jumps back up.

What many people forget is that if his knees were really bothering him again, his FT stroke would be suffering the most. But if you look closely at his FTs, he's getting good lift and the shot is not as flat as before.

Oh and btw people, the guy only took 10 shots against Denver and he's been a "step slow" on D since 2008. If Tim actually touches the ball in the 4th his numbers go up and we have a much better chance at winning. I still don't get why we tend to shy away from Tim in the 4th quarter so often.

Pop: Tim's my best percentage shooter. Hmmm... it. Manu, Tony, let's pick and roll to the death!

[E-RockWill]

Richard Jefferson, Roger Mason, Jr., Matt Bonner not hitting shots is a problem. Spurs overall lack of defensive ability is a HUGE problem. Manu not getting a whistle even if his life depended on it is a problem. Not playing Hairston, Ian or Theo for even a millisecond is a problem. Pop not knowing how the to coach this team after halftime is a problem.

Spurs are not playing Spurs defense that we have grown accustomed to.

Tim Duncan is not the problem. Manu's shooting % is not the problem.

[Admidave50]

The turning point will be the few games following the ASG! He'll be able to rest a little bit, we'll know if it's about fatigue or further health concerns.

Anyway, if Tim is really hurt this season is over... better trade all the losers and build for next year