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Well, he's not lying. Not like you can put your fingers in your ears and act like it's not happening.
NBA At 2: Duncan Feels End Is Near
By: Bill Ingram Last Updated: 10/2/09 2:01 PM ET | 3111 times
The 1996-97 season was not a good one for the San Antonio Spurs. All-Star center David Robinson was sidelined for all but six games, and without him the Spurs were among the worst teams in the NBA. In retrospect, however, that season was arguably the most important season in the history of the franchise. It was, after all, the year that enabled them to get Tim Duncan. Their 20-62 record landed them the top pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, and with that pick they took the man who would power them to four championships . . .and counting. Now, with twelve NBA seasons and more postseason games than most under his belt, Duncan can feel his body starting the gradual breakdown that ultimately leads to retirement.
"I've only got a couple years left in me," Duncan told ESPN's Marc Stein recently. "The history of basketball says that more than anything else. ... The window for me is closing. It's towards the end of my career, I have slowed down, all that stuff is true."
With that in mind, Duncan made the decision to drop some weight and ease the burden on his aching knees. His traditional playing weight has been 260 pounds, but this season he checks in at a svelte 240.
"Just trying to change my body a little bit, take some stress off my knees," Duncan said. "I've got a lot of miles on me … and I thought losing a little bit of weight would be better for the knees and for the body throughout the year."
Duncan is under contract with the Spurs for two more seasons, and the front office staff has made the right moves this summer to make sure their star player isn't taxed too much as the team pursues the fifth championship of Duncan's tenure. Richard Jefferson will shoulder a large share of the scoring load, enabling Duncan to do more passing and thus take less of a beating in the low post. Antonio McDyess, draftee DeJaun Blair and Theo Ratliff can also take up some of the minutes Duncan would normally play, especially during the regular season, allowing head coach Gregg Popovich to limit Duncan's minutes and keep him fresh for the playoffs.
All good things come to an end, and as with David Robinson, Duncan will soon be the one sitting in the box and waving to the crowd. Before that happens, however, he has every intention of hanging another banner or two from the rafters of the AT&T Center. The Spurs have certainly put the right pieces in place to help him do it.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=13948
Well, he's not lying. Not like you can put your fingers in your ears and act like it's not happening.
The day Tim Duncan retires is going to be a sad day for any true Basketball fan.
I don't want to think about this right now. I am focused on having a blast supporting this team for the next few years and I really hope at least one more le shot is in the cards for Duncan & Co.
Last edited by DPG21920; 10-05-2009 at 05:06 PM.
The Marc Stein piece is in the Duncan Forum.
http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/group.php?groupid=7
He will win atleast one more before he is gone!
but yeaaa itd be pretty said when he retires, spurs wont be the same.. lets hope we get another franchise saving pick like him.
It's hard to ever think of Duncan not wearing a white and black jersey, when he retires, it will be a very sad day.
with duncan on da team there always gna be a feeling of as long as hes playing we can still win its gna be weird ta see spurs run on da court wit no TD
Been watching Tim play since the 96' Dream Team scrimmage game. The man has been a rock for this franchise for so many years, you sometimes take for granted how consistently dominant he's been over the years.
There have been a lot of one dimensional players being tabbed with the "franchise" label over the years, but very few are able to dominate a game on both ends of the floor like Tim. From his rookie season until he retires, I personally feel privileged to have witnessed it all.......
i really hope duncan will get 6 rings like jordan...i mean 1 more than magic, more than oneal & bryant and like jordan because he is the same kind of player...a WINNER!!
i hope he wins more les, but not because of michael jordan, magic johnson, shaquille o'neal or kobe bryant
What can you say, he's one of the best of all time, he's All-World and for sure the best Spur of all time. Hopefully this group of Spurs we are lucky to have now will be able to land a le before TD retires, a repeat would be icing on the cake and fitting for a guy like TD.
So has Duncan pretty much concluded he's not playing any more after his current contract, or does anyone think there's a chance he might go a year or two more after that?
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