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Timmy is the man! I will be sad when he stops playing.
Give credit to Mike Monroe for landing an interview with Tim Duncan in the offseason. It's rare to hear a peep out of TD between the end of the playoff run and the start of training camp. Well done
It was obvious Duncan felt really good last season. Let's hope that carries over into next season. Oh, and I think it's awesome that he still has that sort of passion for the game -- even after all this time.It was what Tim Duncan felt after the Thunder eliminated the Spurs from the Western Conference finals on June 6 that reinforced his resolve to continue his career beyond the 15 seasons he already has played in San Antonio.
“There was only one thought: ‘I can’t wait to get back on the court,’?” Duncan said
As fans, we can get depressed after the Spurs got so close yet crumbled in horrific fashion. At the end of it all, us fans are the ones who really care the most about how many championships the Spurs have and their legacy. Don't get me wrong, the players and coaches care but it'd be unhealthy for them to put the amount of emotion into it as fans do.“We’ve been lucky enough to win four championships, more than most people do in their careers,” Duncan said. “The disappointment of an end to a season happens to most players every season. You just get back up and get ready to go again.
“I loved what our team did last season. We had a great run and I’m real excited to do something special all over again.”
With that in mind, it's good to see that Duncan didn't meltdown after the OKC backdoor sweep. His job as an athlete is to brush it off and prepare for the next attempt. And it sounds like he's doing that.
And in the big picture, what the Spurs accomplished last year was awesome. I know we are all spoiled and have a championships-or-bust philosophy but the 2011-12 Spurs were damn good for a damn long time. And it was a of a ride. It still sucks how it ended but the ride was amazing.
Spur for life, indeed. Personally, I'll treasure the next 2/3 years no matter the results. Sure, I hope beyond hope beyond hope that the Spurs can win a fifth championship -- but if they don't, I'm not going to consider it an abject failure.“I’m happy to be on board for another couple of years and more than happy to be a Spur for life,” said Duncan. “The plan is to evaluate how I feel after (two seasons) and then make a decision.”
If healthy, I expect Duncan to come back for that third year. But a bigman staying healthy this late in their career is no gimme. Hopefully he does, obviously.
It sounds like the "having fun" aspect is covered. As long as the Spurs don't massively underperform and Duncan doesn't have a debilitating injury, I can't imaging him not having fun.“I love to play the game, and as long as I’m still having fun and still contributing I plan to keep going,” he said.
As far as contributing is concerned, I really don't see an end in sight. I mean, even if his scoring slips further, he still brings a lot to the table. His post defense is still elite. He's coming off arguably his best defensive rebounding season. His passing is as good as ever. His outside shooting is better than ever. He always knows where to be on the court. On top of that, he's a great teammate who doesn't care if he's not in the spotlight. He's not at risk to have a Hakeem-like tantrum when he gets further and further phased out of the offensive attack. I've never seen a superstar get so much joy out of seeing his teammates do well. That's an underrated aspect of what makes Duncan so special.
If he can stay healthy, Duncan really should be able to remain a legitimate elite starting center for the duration of the deal. And those, as evident by the many obscene contracts held by mediocre bigs that litter the league, are invaluable.
It really seems like Pop has perfected how much to use Duncan. It's a difficult balancing act because Duncan is still so good when he's on the court but Pop is masterful with the way he manages TD's minutes. Honestly, that ability by Pop to cajole the best out of Duncan and to keep him fresh may be Pop's biggest value to the team.After being held out of eight of 66 games in the truncated post-lockout season, Duncan expects his coach to ask him to skip even more games in his final seasons.
“Despite my not liking the decision a lot of the time, I have to admit it’s worked,” he said. “Pop’s the boss and is going to do what he believes is right. He’s been right a lot of the time. I did get to the playoffs this last time in pretty good shape.”
Having a healthy lineup made falling to the Thunder more difficult for Duncan to accept, but it piqued his interest in what would follow. For the first time in years he watched the NBA Finals.
“Usually, I can’t stand watching a minute of the Finals,” he said, “but this time I was so curious to see how Oklahoma City would do.
“I have to say it was a little disappointing watching some of the guys who played so well against us struggle against the Heat.”
My thoughts exactly. The Thunder couldn't miss against the Spurs. Against the Heat, James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Thabo Sefolosha I'm not going to name any names but they went from playing like superstars against the Spurs to playing like hot garbage in the Finals. Part of it (okay, probably most of it) was the fact that the Heat's defense is so superior, but it really was odd to see the Thunder fall flat on their face when they were hitting on all cylinders against the Spurs. Ah, well.
Welcome back, the Big Foundation.
Timmy is the man! I will be sad when he stops playing.
I have to say it was a little disappointing watching some of the guys who played so well against us struggle against the Heat.
Timmy OKC is overrated
Here's to few more years of manning the middle for the Big Fundamental!
True, but that game 4 (where the Spurs essentially could have won the series) where the Thunder bigs went 22-25 - those 3 guys couldn't do that again in the pre-game layup line.
That is a superb piece of writing about a HoF basketball and life guru. Given his decline in 2010-11, I thought last season would be his swansong. Couldn't be more happy to be wrong though, as he played a completely rejuvenated 2011-12 season, and what's more the FO have once again built a compe ive team around him.
Timmy is already in the conversation about the greatest players and leaders of all time, and it'll be fascinating to experience the Final Chapter to his storied career. And, as LJ mentions (take notice!), when you've got 4 rings it's about the journey, people. Actually, life is always about the journey.
Peace.
Exactly! That and an unstoppable 16pts in the 4th by Durant, both freak performances, ended our season. Win that game the series is over.
Interesting statement....you didn't say 'only' I suppose.
Love TD21, for 18 years (after this contract) have been the best experience I've had in any professional sport. The professional and leave everything on the court mentality have been a pure enjoyment. Combine that with David Robinson and since I started watching basketball everything has been a damn fun ride.
I would love to have been a "fly on the wall" during private conversations with Duncan, Pop and Buford prior to the contract signing, when they were laying out their plan to contend for the next couple of years. That said, I'd love to know whether Duncan ever asked the brass how they planned to get him help with the rebounding, shotblocking and post defense over the next couple of years?
Love it, thanks! Lets get this next season started!
Love Tim Duncan. The sports world would be a much better place if every pro had his at ude, character and work ethic.
I hate that my son won't get to ever see him play since he's only 18 months old. I'll definitely have a TD collection for him so he can see what real teamwork and work ethic is supposed to look like.
Timmy's the best tbh, hopefully the next season the Spurs will reach the finals.
Problem is OKC looked like they believed they were a better team than San Antonio. Having that mindset does wonders for a bball player. Spurs don't intimidate squads like they used to.
Don't take these last couple years for granted. Watch every game and appreciate everything Timmy means to this franchise.
Tim is A+, but I could have written that interview. The answers were as canned as possible, like always. Only the coach is allowed to go off script.
Duncan isn't dumb. He knows the odds are stacked heavily against him winning another one.
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