SLAMonline Top 50: Tim Duncan, no. 3
The definitive ranking of the best players in the NBA today…
by Russ Bengtson
Tim Duncan is a better basketball player than you think he is.
Go ahead. Read that again.
Tim Duncan is a better basketball player than you think he is.
I offer that statement with no qualifiers. No matter how good you think Tim Duncan is, he’s better. Even if you think he’s the best basketball player who ever lived—well, OK, maybe he’s not better than that. So there’s one qualifier. Happy now? Sheesh.
Here’s the thing—it’s not what Tim Duncan does do as much as what he doesn’t do. And what he doesn’t do is make mistakes. He’s not a guy who’ll produce highlights for Sportscenter (unless you like 15-foot bank shots), he won’t be appearing in SLAMadamonth anytime soon. Yet, at 32, you can count his lifetime’s worth of mistakes on one hand.
OK, two.
Three?
April 25, 1976: Tim Duncan is born 14 minutes late.
August 15, 1988: Waits half a stroke too long before the turn in the 100-meter freestyle.
January 3, 1989: Takes up Dungeons and Dragons.
June 24, 1991: Picks up his pivot foot. Twice.
November 25, 1993: Doesn’t take shot in college debut against Alaska-Anchorage. Finishes scoreless.
April 3, 1995: Gets skeleton jester tattoo.
June 28, 1995: Isn’t drafted first overall because he doesn’t enter draft.
June 26, 1996: Isn’t drafted first overall because he doesn’t enter draft.
April 4, 1998: Fouls Erick Dampier.
May 27, 2003: Fails to set alarm.
March 14, 2005: Takes gaming magazine from Lang Whitaker.
January 31, 2007: Travels.
April 15, 2007: Laughs at Joey Crawford.
February 13, 2008: Fails to pick up screen-and-roll.
Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.
Their top 20 so far:
4. Kevin Garnett
5. Chris Paul
6. Steve Nash
7. Paul Pierce
8. Dwyane Wade
9. Amare Stoudemire
10. Dwight Howard
11. Deron Williams
12. Dirk Nowitzki
13. Carmelo Anthony
14. Manu Ginobili
15. Yao Ming
16. Baron Davis
17. Gilbert Arenas
18. Allen Iverson
19. Carlos Boozer
20. Tracy McGrady
Well, I know Tony Parker is #1
I know he is on your list.
I should have gone one more for their list.
21. Tony Parker
Good article, but Duncan is # 1 and Lebron is # 2.
Duncan is a two-way player, way more valuable on D than Lebron or Kobe.
On O, Duncan is very underrated. He is still the best low-post scoring threat in the NBA hich opens up the offense. He is also a great clutch player and his bank shot is the most unstobable move in the NBA since the dream-shake hung it up.
He also moves without the ball like Bill Russell and sets picks like Wes Unseld. This does not show up in the stat sheet, but does show up in the win column.
[QUOTE=duncan228;2848651]
June 28, 1995: Isn’t drafted first overall because he doesn’t enter draft.
[QUOTE]
Can anyone confirm that Duncan would have been # 1 in 1995?
I know the top four picks were Joe Smith, Antonio McDyses, Rasheed Wallace, and Jerry Stackhouse, with Garnett # 5.
I love 15-foot bank shots!
Still drafted first, ended up with SA, won ROY, became MVP twice, has 4 rings... doesn't look like a mistake to me...
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