Friday, January 29th, 2010...5:56 am
On Tim Duncan as Artist
J.D. Salinger is dead. And his passing has me thinking of Tim Duncan.
Decades ago the champion novelist did a weird thing. He retreated from public life, but not from his work. Although his last published work appeared some 40 years ago, we’ve not seen the last of J.D. Salinger. We’ll be hearing from him now, even after he’s gone.
According to literary folklore, Salinger continued to write. In fact, there are accounts that he was sitting on a treasure trove of novels and stories, the sum product of his self-imposed exile. They’re meticulously organized and edited; they’re ready for publication. Time will tell.
I like to think of basketball players as artists-or, at least I like to think that basketball’s chief contribution to the public good is its aesthetic one. In this way, J.D. Salinger has it all over Tim Duncan. Who knows, maybe Salinger’s best work will not become public for decades. Salinger’s art lives and breathes even as he doesn’t. Not so much with Tim Duncan. His best work lives and breathes with him, but will pass from view long before he does. He’ll outlive it by decades.
Basketball artists write their poetry in the sand. And when the tide comes in, it’s gone. To whatever extent we can say that Tim Duncan plays beautifully, this is me saying drink it in.
8 Comments
January 29th, 2010 at 6:19 am
Salinger and Duncan were somewhat similar personality wise too, in their own respective worlds. Salinger a recluse, Duncan not very flashy on the court or seeking attention. Not the perfect comparison but neither really bask in his fame.
January 29th, 2010 at 7:17 am
Woah…. that’s like, deep, man.
January 29th, 2010 at 11:55 am
i see your point, but many still revel in old Dr J or MJ highlights, so i don’t think you’re totally correct there.
to the others, if you’re a fan of literature, please read some or all of the “nine stories” towards the end of the page here: http://www.freeweb.hu/tchl/salinger/
I wasn’t a huge fan of Cather in the Rye, but most of these blew me away
January 29th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Although he’s not my favorite author (that would be Kurt Vonnegut, who also died relatively recently in 2007), I’ve enjoyed what I have read, that being The Catcher in the Rye and “A Perfect Day for Bananafish.” I still need to read the rest of his nine. I got a bit off topic here, but I enjoyed the article.
January 29th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Raise the Roof Beam, Carpenters!
January 29th, 2010 at 5:32 pm
Wow, great article Tim.
Duncan’s game will certainly be remembered for a long period of time.
January 29th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Terrific.
January 30th, 2010 at 12:10 am
Salinger and Duncan. I’m floored. What an insight into all that is good and beautiful (fuck the detractors).
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