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I'm liking this. If the new additions to the front court pan out and do well, 2010 will end with the Spurs hoisting up a new trophy.
SA express news
Tim Duncan has lost 15 pounds, as well as Jack Nies. The longtime NBA ref has retired.
Duncan has also lost pain in his knees. This summer, he returned to his first sport, swimming, when he hasn't been on an anti-gravity treadmill that was recently added to the Spurs' practice facility. He didn't play five-man basketball until this month, and then for a handful of days.
Still, as he reports this week for his 12th season, additions mean more. Their names are Antonio McDyess, Richard Jefferson, Theo Ratliff and DeJuan Blair.
They can save Duncan as he enters the next stage of his career.
It's likely the final stage, too.
The stages are blurred, beginning with the first one. How long was he a rookie? It seems as if he never was one.
He went to the full-blown MVP stage about a month into his career, and that didn't recede because of age. Twisted ankles slowed him in 2005, and plantar fasciitis was an aggravation in 2006.
Even then, the injuries made the Spurs optimistic. He was never much of a leaper. So if Duncan could hobble and still be effective, then that suggested his intelligence and fundamentals would serve him well as he aged.
Gregg Popovich has always tried to slow the aging. As long ago as the 2005 season, Duncan was averaging only 34 minutes a game, and that stunned Rick Carlisle, the Mavericks coach who ran the Pistons at the time.
“That's unheard of for a great player!” Carlisle said then.
He explained it's the ulative that wears down players. “Every minute beyond 34 or 35 are the ones that matter,” Carlisle said.
But then came last year. Duncan had spent the summer flipping tractor tires; the only anti-gravity aspect was the possibility the tires had some air in them.
Popovich admired how hard Duncan had worked. And when the Spurs started the season without Manu Ginobili, and after Tony Parker fell early, Duncan averaged 37 minutes a game in the first 30 games.
“I don't think I would have done it differently,” Popovich said recently. “I would have liked to have done it differently, but you can't start in a big hole. We had to keep our head above water.”
Drowning was possible. In November, with both Parker and Ginobili out, Duncan sat down during a game against the Heat. Jeff Van Gundy, announcing the game for ESPN, said the Spurs on the floor represented the least talent of any group in the league.
Popovich figured he would cut Duncan's playing time as the season went along, and he did. Duncan's average minutes ended up being lower than any of the four previous seasons.
Still, he played fewer minutes mostly because his knees were hurting. Until he broke down, Duncan looked lively and young, as fit as his MVP years. Until he broke down, the Spurs had treated Duncan as they no longer will.
There can be other stages past this one. But Duncan likely won't stick around as a role player, or put up with pain that stops him from playing well. That's why this level is probably his final one.
It can go on for a few years, and it can be productive. After all, in the series finale last season against the Mavericks, he ended with 30 points.
To maintain that, Popovich will ration him, and he says he would like Duncan to average 32 minutes. Because of McDyess, Jefferson, Ratliff and Blair, that is possible. Because of them, there might be nights when Popovich tries to win without Duncan at all.
So Duncan lost some things this summer. But this week, as the new Spurs come together for the first time, on display will be what he has gained.
Namely, another chance to win.
I'm liking this. If the new additions to the front court pan out and do well, 2010 will end with the Spurs hoisting up a new trophy.
If he is feeling pain free, then this is the best news all summer.
Couldn't have been added in 2005?
15lbs is not much but it will help
How come Wilton could play every minute of the game and was able to be productive?
I always understood pop in this less minutes, but it seems like other guys from other teams can survive more.
Walton was injury-plagued his entire career.
Does this mean that we will have Tim for only three more seasons before he retires?There can be other stages past this one. But Duncan likely won't stick around as a role player, or put up with pain that stops him from playing well. That's why this level is probably his final one.
1986 he combined with Bob Parish and Kevin McHale to give the Celts the best alternating C-PF combo in history.
But right you are. Walton and McHales injury along with Lenny Bias death the only reason the Lakers escaped in '87.
Hmm, and?
I was talking about Wilton Norman Chamberlain
And I'm also talking about playing time not injuries.
spurs
Buck Harvey
Here's the link - http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/s...ext_stage.html
Well, there's probably 20 more and1 calls that Tim gets. Now if only Joey would disappear...Tim Duncan has lost 15 pounds, as well as Jack Nies. The longtime NBA ref has retired.
They said that the minutes past 34 or 35 per game are the killers. But is there a difference between averaging 34 mpg while playing all 82 and averaging 38 mpg while sitting out 9 games? Same total minutes either way. Or is the idea for Tim to average 34 mpg *and* sit out a dozen games or so?
My personal guess is 32 minutes per, and 75 games. He'll sit out some halves of B2Bs when there's a compression in the schedule, like a 4 in 5 or a 5 in 7.
I don't know about 75, I can see less than that..hopefully a lot of blowouts with Tim playing 20 MPG, no reason we shouldn't have a number of those with all the talent..
good news maybe he can come back the way he was last year before the tendonosis
i think that's kind of missing the point. He was so good early on last year because he'd worked his ass off(tractor tires) in the offseason; he looked more athletic and (relatively) more explosive around the basket. This year the plan is for him to build up to being in that kind of shape and peaking at a time that doesn't leave too much time for him to just start getting worn out.
but a positive early on might be the retention of some of that quickness due to the weight loss instead of the weight training.
It hadn't been invented yet...
http://alter-g.com/alter-g
Are you really seriously trying to compare the conditioning of Duncan and of a guy who played 40-50 years ago? I mean, seriously?!?
I'm hoping for some blowouts, too, but even those 20-minuters count as a game played. I'm talking about Pop sitting Tim for the game. We've already had a LONG thread about Duncan and Ginobili and what games they might sit. I won't re-hash the whole thing, just ask you one question: The season starts with a B2B. Do you sit Tim one game and Manu the other? If your answer is no, then you're already evaluating on a case by case basis. I think if Tim is healthy, he'll fight tooth and nail to keep his benchings to a minimum. I went through the schedule and looked at where I thought he really HAD to sit, 4 games in 5 days or 5 games in 7 days, or just an overall compressed schedule around a B2B, and came up with like 7-9 games in B2Bs that would benefit Tim and Manu to alternate sitting. YMMV.
But I think Fabbs may be right... it seems like it was during the bout of PF that they put in some fancy schmancy treadmill.
Yes.Does this mean that we will have Tim for only three more seasons before he retires?Pop and Peter have basically said he's only playing another 3 years, so he's probably made his intentions clear to them.
It's more, honestly, than I would have thought Duncan could lose without looking puny. Will be interesting to see the pics from media day.
No doubt in my mind, other guys from other teams have other ideas about using steroids and other performance enhancing drugs.
With the floods in my country, this is probably one of the better news.
I hope this results to more dunking! How many dunks he do last season? 7? lol.
i hope duncan found his rodman
without the at ude
I researched this when I read about it. This machine is incredible.
We're talking about 75% body weight, 18 mph for some people (of course it's not all about speed).
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