Duncan is OK
But his problem is he played a very weak era.
I mean, would he be playing at his age against a day in day out pownding vs the likes of Lucas,Mc Hale,Cummings,Barkley,Rodman,Karl The Mailman? c´mon, be serious.We all expert posters know the real answer...at least those who followed the game from 1980...
His numbers would lower dramatically.And he owes so much to the admiral...
That said, he is a great player, probably the only real inside player deserving respect from the older generation who watched, day in day out, those inside battles that young fans have ever missed...
Au contraire, I would claim that The Admiral owes much of his accolades to the Big Fundamental. D-Rob was ringless before Duncan joined those late-90's Spurs. And Timmy was the one who took home the finals MVP in his second year, not Robinson.
There are a ton of reasons he has been so longevous. Pop has managed his minutes masterfully. I guess he clued in that it would probably be an astute move to limit his superstar's minutes in the regular season when 50+ wins are already guaranteed. Last years Spurs were the first team in NBA history to not have even one player average 30 MPG.
More importantly, Dunc is one of the hardest working players of all time. You can attribute his long career to a relentless work ethic. If Robert Parish could play about 18 years at a high level, going against a slew of big body centers/stud big men, why couldn't Duncan? Remember that he got the better of Shaq multiple times in the playoffs, most notably in '03 when he anchored a team that DESTROYED the Lakers in the latter half of the WCSF. I believe they won the last two games by an average of 30 points. Those were the 3-time defending champs. He then went on to have one of the greatest finals I have ever witnessed -- 25/18/5 with 4 blocks, and a near QUADRUPLE DOUBLE in the series clinching game.
His style of play and ability to acclimate is often overlooked. After a mid-career knee injury, did you know that Duncan actually CHANGED his running stride? That's some next-level stuff. He plays in such an efficient, minimalist way. No wasted motion. This is similar to Fed playing top-notch tennis into his 30's because of how he ends points quickly with his attacking game. TD blocks shots by tipping them to his teammates rather than foolishly swatting them into the third row, a la Dwight Howard. His defensive positioning on the low block is flawless. Metrics such as Defensive Win Shares, RAPM and Defensive Rating rate him as the best or second best defender of his era, DESPITE not relying on brute force to be the disruptive defender that he is. On the offensive end, he employs a bundle of low-post moves, including a neat baby hook over both shoulders. He's effective from mid-range, is a willing passer, and doesn't try to force the issue. He gets his points while playing within the flow of the offense.
Basically, he has a young mans skills and an old mans game. And lastly, when all is unwinding, he has his INSANE length to fall back on. Duncan has never relied on dynamic athleticism to succeed -- but a big reason why time is kinder to skilled big men than skilled 2-guards (well, duh), is that once a perimeter players skills start to erode, they don't have a leg to stand on. Duncan isn't an awe-inspiring athlete, but his 7'6 wingspan is ridiculous. The correlation between physical length/size and longevity is very underrated. Why do you think Kareem won a finals MVP's 14 years apart? NOBODY could ever block his skyhook. Duncan has never had to worry about getting a clean look, and as a rim-protector his verticality is a huge asset.
..............bottom line, a "weak era" doesn't begin to explain it. Duncan's long career is laudable, and not even remotely due to luck or lack of opposition. Duncan roasted prime Shaq in '03, consistently out-performed Garnett at his apex, won finals MVP playing against the best peak defender of his era, Ben Wallace, on arguably the best defensive team ever, those grizzled mid-2000s Pistons teams. He then maimed the LeBron-led Cavs in 2007, and made first-team all-NBA at 37 over Dwight Howard. Yao Ming? Outplayed him in their h2h. Chris Webber? Ditto. Nowitzki? Beat him 4 out of 6 times in the playoffs, posting much better stats. One of the times his team lost to the Mavs, it was because Ginobili committed what will go down as the most bone-headed foul in postseason history. And, needless to say, Duncan bested Nowitzki in the regular season too.
Malone? Interesting that you bring him up, because in the Mailmans second MVP year, his team flamed out in the second round. Malone folded in the playoffs. He was still in his prime, and it was only Duncan's second year. Who went on the championship that year? That's right, the Spurs. Duncan averaged 28/14/2.5 with 2.2 blocks and 1.2 steals, on 54% shooting from the field and 79% from the line. Was the unanimous finals MVP.
AND his odometer includes a legendary four year stint at Wake Forrest, three as an all-American. Duncan was close to being a finished product at 19 -- YET he opted to stay in college instead of getting an early start to pad his stats. Impressive or what? Duncan hit his stride early, and in a move so diametrically opposed to what you would expect, waited an additional three years to join the pro ranks. Try to comprehend that for a second; Tim Duncan has been an NBA-caliber superstar since he was 19 years old. He's 38 now.
Heck, when he was 16, he played NBA vet Alonzo Mourning (MVP candidate in his prime) to a draw in a game of 1-on-1.
No, there is no truth to the "weak era" smear. Duncan's longevity is nothing short of INCREDIBLE.
