Something about the David vs Timmy thread that is going on caught my eye.
Someone mentioned about how David was still able to be effective at center, and was a key figure in helping the Spurs win the 2003 le, even at an advanced age, deteriorating skill set, bad back, bad knee, etc.
And how Shaq is currently able to make that adjustment now (although to a slightly less degree), not being the main focal point in the offense now, deferring to D-Wade, yet still make his presence on the floor, etc. And still able to win les and compete at a high level.
Tim Duncan is now 30 years old, and probably has another couple of years of superstar like max effectiveness. Eventually, his skill set will deteriorate as well, and the Spurs will not be able to depend on him in the same manner.
How do you all think Timmy will do in the advanced stages of his career? How do you think the Spurs will do altogther?
Discuss.
He'll do fine, since relatively little of his game depends on athleticism. Being so fundamentally sound, he'll be able to contribute with positioning, footwork, and overall excellence. It won't be a lack of athleticism that'll knock him out of the game, it'll be injuries.
If only he could make his goddam free throws! Maybe he should pay a fine for missing...that way they won't be free anymore...people don't value things they get for free right? I'ma call Pop right now.
I can see Timmy playing for a long time and not falling off Hakeem/Ewing style.
Despite being a legit Superstar and one of the greatest players ever, he seems to really enjoy the rest of the players having success and looks like he enjoys being part of a close knit team. I don't think it would bother him at all to be the 3rd or 4th best player on a team.
Those qualities combined with the fact he simply doesn't really on superb athleticsm but on his supreme understanding of the game to be effective mean he should play a good level for a long time.
I don't hink Duncan will have any probelm deferring to others. He never has before. Question is will he want a mega contract, a la Shaq, the next time he needs to regotiate and if he wants one will the Spurs be willing to sign it as it will carry into his declining years? Or will he settle for a lesser deal giving the Spurs the flexibilty to remain compe ve?
as long he wins finals mvp thats all it matters hhahahha td GOAT
Tim has ALREADY adjusted his game. He is not nearly as much the focal point as he was three/four years ago.
We won't see much deterioration of Tim's SKILL set at all. Age mainly diminishes athleticism/quickness. Strength and skill do not decline anywhere as quickly as speed and quickness. TD's game is based around strength and skill, so I think ge can have a long career as long as he looks after his body and doesn't get injured too much. hopefully his body holds up. Look at the superstars who were skilled rather than relying on pure athleticism, like Reggie, Stockton, Malone, they all played effectively into their "old age" because they relied on skill and smarts.
I see Tim being more like Kareem then other great bigmen that declined ala Dream,Drob,Ewing. Tim is a lot like Kareem already in the sense that he's still the focal point of the defenses along with being steady in the sense you can always count on him when everything else is going wrong. I see Duncan deffering more to Parker in upcomming years much like Kareem did with Magic when he got older. The reason for this will be to preserve his energy for the playoffs.
I was going to say what they all said. Now I won't bother.
Good question....I think he can.
I think Duncan retires before his skills really erode. I think he finishes his current contract and play maybe one or two more years. He'll be 34-35 and retire while he's still very much effective. I don't think Tim wants to play when he's not capable of being the best player on the floor. So, I don't think we ever find out how he handles being in his decline.
To be honest, I get the sense that the Spurs are already preparing for his departure.
In any event, Robinson was solid in his later years. Duncan should be too, because he's never had to depend on athleticism.
Your talking about the PF that has gone on to win 3 championships with 3 different lineups.....
Your talking about the PF that routinely gets 24 and 10 and people think something is WRONG with him when that happens....
Your talking about the man that even EVERYONE around the league calls the BIG FUNDAMENTAL.....
Your talking about one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, all-around PF to play the game.....
Do I REALLY need to spell out what I think about this?
I think Duncan eventually goes to a Shaq-DWade relationship with Parker; allowing Parker to dominate the ball while he still gets his touches.
hOpefully......
NO!
In my opinion Tim duncan has not pride. He try to sucess only for us. And to be honest Tony parker is not best. Maybe he is all star but he has never be Td or admiral
this is where greg oden comes in hahahhahaha
Will his ability erode? Certainly!
I can see his elevation on jumps going from 2" to 1"
Seriously, his shooting touch on the bank shot is already eroded and he has admitted as much, saying he doesnt' have the same confidence in the shot. So look for his scoring to go down.
If his skills go down to the point where he can't keep the Spurs in contention for a championship--eg. he 's geting only 10 points a game and 7 rebounds--he'll hang 'em up. He has too much pride to play at less than a championship level.
The drop in Tim's scoring average over the last 2 seasons has been directly attributed to Parker's emergence.Will his ability erode? Certainly!
I can see his elevation on jumps going from 2" to 1"
Seriously, his shooting touch on the bank shot is already eroded and he has admitted as much, saying he doesnt' have the same confidence in the shot. So look for his scoring to go down.
If his skills go down to the point where he can't keep the Spurs in contention for a championship--eg. he 's geting only 10 points a game and 7 rebounds--he'll hang 'em up. He has too much pride to play at less than a championship level.
I disagree to an extent. I say if Tim would hit his FTs consistently, his ppg scoring avg (currently 21.5) would go up considerably.
I mean seriously - 54.3% for a superstar of his caliber is just atrocious.
If he could up his FT% to around 85%, he could easily up his scoring average to around 25ppg. He would then be the team's leading scorer.
I'm sure Tim doesn't care about who leads the team in scoring, but his FT situation is only getting worse and is costing the team valuable points.
Last edited by SenorSpur; 11-14-2006 at 02:28 PM.
TDMVPDPOY - you say no and give no reason. thanks for contributing to the discussion
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