Tuesday, January 5th, 2010...3:34 pm
Dwyer: ‘Duncan Best Big Man in Game Today’
Via Ball Don’t Lie:
Duncan’s about to turn in a career year at age 33.
Career year, kids.
Sure, he may have scored more or rebounded more per game over the course of his career, but pound for pound, minute by minute? This man has never played better.
The guy rarely turns it over. His rebound percentages rival his 24-year old version. He’s hitting his free throws, he’s passing the ball, and he’s scoring, scoring, scoring. Dwight Howard can slap the top of the backboard and leave his man to pile up those blocks, but Tim Duncan is the best big man working in this game today.
Honestly, it’s not close.
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Kelly Dwyer’s work. And this post is exactly why. I love that, despite the naysayers, he is willing to show Duncan the praise he deserves. I love that he gives Coach Pop a small but meaningful amount of credit for Duncan’s development. But most of all, I love that, rather than pit Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan against each other, insisting one is superior, he chooses to celebrate the sustained brilliance of both.
So many people waste their time prophesying Duncan and Kobe’s demise. But why masquerade the inevitable as analysis when we can appreciate what we have now.
23 Comments
January 5th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Graydon, a small typo. “So many people WAST their time prophesying Duncan and Kobe’s demise.”
January 5th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
I take that back!
January 5th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
Reading that article almost makes me like Kobe, and certainly makes me appreciate Duncan so much more. Although Manu will always be my favorite Spur, I can’t imagine where we’d be without Timmy. Timmy as a Celtic? That notion always makes me shudder.
January 5th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
When you know how to play the game (think The Admiral, John Stockon, MJ) you can play for as long as your body allows. Its the players who rely heavily on their athleticism that decline sharply in their 30s, at least from what I’ve seen.
Also just curious, did Hollinger put Timmy on his all decline team this year? I don’t have insider, but the preview picture for the article showed Timmy and a couple other players I can’t remember. If so, way to show him Timmy!
January 5th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
[...] Originally posted here: Dwyer: 'Duncan Best Big Man in Game Today' | 48 Minutes of Hell [...]
January 5th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
Wow, consider me SHOCKED. Kelly Dwyer is one of the biggest Kobe haters i’ve seen in the NBA community. The guy has Kobe bashing article after Kobe bashing article. He even ADMITS to being a Kobe hater, of course he says that the Kobe fans are “over-reacting,” to what he says.
And then he writes this article praising Kobe? Call me SKEPTICAL, but something is not right here. Perhaps a ghost writer stepping in for Ms. Dwyer? (btw, i know Kelly is a man, i’m just joking). Perhaps he wrote this article on Kobe because everyone who reads “ball don’t lie” and talks on forums regarding the NBA, has become aware of just how much of a Kobe hater Dwyer is?
I’m not sure, but i doubt that it is legitimate. I dislike Kelly Dwyer very much. He is a consumate Kobe hater / Laker hater, and never gives them any credit…until today, lol…
PS: Kobe > Duncan…perhaps wrong site to make that proclamaition? lol.
January 5th, 2010 at 7:29 pm
Um, I’m on the record as counting Kobe as, perhaps, my favorite player in the game today. So, not sure why I would “admit” to something like that.
And I don’t think I would put a hyphen in “overreacting.”
January 5th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
I also remember Kelly Dwyer mentioning that he loves watching Bryant play. Obviously, the so-called Kobe fans took offense (a BIG offense might I add) to him not ranking Kobe as the player of the decade, and quickly labelled him as a Kobe-hater. It’s weird, but these guys seem to think any one that doesn’t blindly worship Kobe Bryant as a basketball god is a Kobe hater.
January 5th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Kaveh,
Tim Duncan > Kobe Bryant. Why? because Kobe always needed a team off all-stars. Duncan has truly carried this Spurs team to championships. Duncan didn’t need to mature into a TEAM player like Kobe. Yes Kobe is the most brilliant scorer since MJ, but he is NO Timmy.
January 6th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Kaveh
tim duncan >>>>>kobe
just read what “the red&black” said over and over until you grasp the meaning of team work. i know its hard, but kobe only plays team work when there is potential to be elite. when shaq left it was disgusting in l.a, when david robinson, left it was a sad day but 2 yrs later we won a championship! have been 500 + evert year for the past 10yrs, what about kobe?
January 6th, 2010 at 1:19 am
Well done piece. I saw the headline on the original site and bypassed it, thinking I’m tired of the silly comparison pieces. I know TD is the NBA player of the decade. I would actually rank Shaq #2 before Kobe, recalling his dominance in the early half of the decade while Kobe still had sloppy moments.
Yet as GMT said, this piece almost made me like Kobe. I certainly respect his game and unwillingness to bend to competition. It certainly makes beating him all the more fulfilling. He and TD should be appreciated for what they have done and are still doing, yet I know only one of the two will get the ink. He’s the same one who likely needs it.
January 6th, 2010 at 4:07 am
Kaveh, you can dislike a player, but still acknowledge how great he is. Personally I don’t like Kobe, and I wouldn’t want him in a Spurs uniform because of his attitude. However, he’s a great player.
I didn’t care for Michael Jordan either, but he’s highly likely to be the best player ever.
I am a big John Stockton fan, but I know a lot of people (including my family) who hate him because they consider him and Malone dirty players, but that’s fine with me.
Every one has their own opinion, and with so many great players, so many ways to rate those great players, there’s really no way to decide on the greatest ever.
Getting upset because someone doesn’t like your favorite player, or team, is just immature.
January 6th, 2010 at 5:28 am
Tim Duncan #1 of Kelly Dwyer’s Top 10 players of the decade.
Finally someone who gets it right. Nearly everywhere else people chose Kobe #1.
But he’s not. Except maybe by his individual stats which seem more impressive but mean nothing. Kobe can’t compare to the consistency of Duncan and what he brought to SA for the last 10+ years.
Like others said, Timmy didn’t need a team of All Stars to win a ring, he won with what he was given and adjusted his play to it. And if it didn’t work out some years, he certainly didn’t blame the team/management for it like Kobe did. SA built their title-winning teams, LA bought’em.
I have never and will never appreciate and respect a player as much like Tim Duncan. He is everything a true basketball fan who understands the game just a little bit (someone like me) can possibly wish for.
Don’t get me wrong though, Kobe is a phenomenal player with unique skills. He can turn around games by himself like nobody since MJ, but right here I am just paying tribute to the greatest PF/C ever.
No disrespect Kobe, but I go with Timmy every time.
Btw, what do all of you think about the “team of the decade-ranking” ? LA is #1 in every ranking I found so far.
January 6th, 2010 at 5:44 am
KD,
kaveh is our token troll. Every site needs one.
I would hve to say that if it wasn’t for Kelly Dwyer I would have always hated Kobe and thought of him a a tool. Now, I respect him. I have to admire the amount of work that Kobe has put into his game and I really appreciate Dwyer’s analysis which helped me with that.
That being said, I’ll be a fan and say, I love Duncan more than I see how good Kobe is.
January 6th, 2010 at 7:06 am
WOW! I can’t believe that someone finally said it! I was thinking (in 2007), that Duncan could go down in history as the best power-forward of all time. When you look at his number per minute… this is practically his best year ever! He is my second favorite big man however. I was/am a true David Robinson fan, and damn did they make and insatiable duo… unstoppable!
January 6th, 2010 at 8:08 am
Long time reader, first time commenting. So, thanks for the insightful analysis about my home team. Amen, to that last paragraph, especially that closing line: “why masquerade the inevitable as analysis when we can appreciate what we have now”.
As much of a Spurs homer as I am, and as much as I worship at the throne that is TD’s, with Manu at his right hand, I am shocked by how one line can make me appreciate Kobe and the NBA, despite its flaws.
Although, this latest incident with Gibert Arenas makes me wonder why they changed Washington’s team name to the Wizards, when the ‘Bullets’ is more apropos than ever.
January 6th, 2010 at 9:21 am
…I’ve just got a general basketball question.
Why is 30 points per game considered more impressive then 20 points/10 rebounds?
If someone gets 10 points a game and someone else gets 10 rebounds a game (ceteris parabus); we’d consider Someone 2′s feat more impressive, right?
So then surely 20/10 > 30 points per game?
This is not a cheap way to prove Duncan is better then Kobe or anything xD. Its just a genuine question I’m a bit confused about…
January 6th, 2010 at 10:42 am
Mr. A,
I agree with you. I think this is just another reason why Duncan is better. He also didn’t need to learn to become a complete basketball player. Kobe did have a learning curve, and yet still doesn’t do it as well as TD. Duncan has ALWAYS played lock down DEFENSE. Kobe more recently has come around on that, but still Kobe is only a shooting guard.Timmy has not only been a consistent scorer, but he rebounds, assists his TEAMmates, steals/blocks (creating your own offense through defense) Tim Duncan Has always done it all.
I am a professional musician. I play the trumpet, and the one thing I am always trying to do is come up with ways that can make my playing more efficient.Why? because playing shows all the time, is demanding, and in order to make it through the night to get my paycheck and furthermore have a lasting career I need to do things correctly. Fundamentals are a huge part of brass playing, and this rings true for basketball and many other things. TD=THE Big Fundamental Kobe= A snake… with Timmy playing so efficiently this season, it puts me in awe of what a truly pure basketball player he is. 50% from the field! This why if Duncan can keep shooting like that, I have no problems seeing his career continue till he is late 30′s-40.
Yes Kobe will score 30, but how many shots does he take away from everybody else to get them? How many does Duncan take to get his 20? furthermore does anybody know Kobe’s % for this year vs. Timmy’s? I am kinda feeling that TD is SHOOTING?! more efficiently than Kobe this year?
January 6th, 2010 at 11:58 am
Ivander - People ranking LA #1 is as reflexive as chest bumping after a made shot. People do it because everyone else has. If you asked most of these people who is #2 they either couldn’t answer or would say “LeBron and the Cavs” or “Pistons.” The Spurs are always forgotten by those who have little to no appreciation for the game. The numbers say Spurs were the team of the decade and the Lakers the TV ratings team of the decade. Perhaps two awards is the best way to settle this.
January 6th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
@ Mr. Anonymous:
I’m not even suggesting 30pts/game is better than 20/10. It just seems that the large majority of people is just looking at scoring and therefore consider it more impressive. I say it because I know some (apparently ignorant) people who like to watch the game and say Kobe is the best.
So I totally agree with you and can’t understand if some think 3o pts/game are more impressive than averaging a double-double. I have to laugh while I’m writing this. To me it’s totally crazy.
January 6th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
@SpurredOn:
I just hoped that maybe some journalist somewhere would watch the game and write articles not only for those as you say who “have little to no appreciation for the game” but for people who do care about it.
But it seems I was wrong for hoping and that being the winningest team of the decade isn’t enough to be selected as the best. Only two teams ever have managed more wins in a decade.
We should then consider introducing a second award as you suggested. One for the fans, one for the phoneys.
January 6th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Kaveh, it’s not that KD is a Laker hater, or a Kobe hater. Laker’s fans DO overreact to Kobe comments. Dwyer simply calls your man out on some of his issues. If I were to write in a post, “Kobe Bryant is one of the three greatest players in the game today, but…..” and proceed to list some negative aspects in his game, or list Duncan or James superior, Laker fan would immediately respond with “you’re a hater” (though more often it comes out like “ur a haterz”). From a basketball standpoint, I’d favor the Lakers over the Spurs right now but if I were starting a team I’d take Duncan over Bryant right now.
January 7th, 2010 at 11:13 am
[...] chances of challenging the Lakers in the West. Despite the excellent season we’ve talked about Tim Duncan having here, the ESPN.com guys were a little less [...]
Leave a Reply