Top 50: Tim Duncan, no. 14

The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.

by Dennis Tarwood / @tuffyr

Think about the last time you drove to work. What did you notice?

Yes yes; there was a convenience store on the left 15 minutes into the drive. The red light at 5th Ave. caught you like it always does. You parked in the same spot you usually take.

But that’s what you expected to happen. What did you actually n Tim Duncan otice?

You were thinking about your 11 a.m. conference call or that you forgot your packed lunch at home. Perhaps, if you’re of a certain age and disposition, you squinted your eyes and rubbed your temple to try to shake the hangover.

You didn’t notice anything during the drive, though. You anticipated the parts of the drive and moved on when they occurred. You might have seen them, but you didn’t notice them.

And so it is with Tim Duncan. Last season, you saw Tony Parker collapse under the long-term fatigue of a professional playing career, at least for one year. You saw Richard Jefferson completely fail at being Richard Jefferson and it stuck in your craw. You saw George Hill and Garrett Temple and then saw them for what they actually were.

They were new. Or, if they weren’t new, they weren’t acting the same. You made the green light on 5th. You noticed. Not so for Timmy.

There he is, setting up on the right block after two shoves to his defender with that elongated right arm extended to the sky, parrying a hapless defender with the left elbow. There he is, one dribble and then two. Step over, shoot, score. Shuffle downcourt.

There he is on the left block, executing the same move in a mirror. Step over, shoot, score. Shuffle downcourt.

Now he’s back on defense, undermining his opponent’s center of gravity with his knees and that massive base as counterweight. Never having the skill to leap out of the gym, he doesn’t leave the ground for the first nor the second pump fake. Tim Duncan waits.

Help doesn’t come. Help doesn’t have to come. The Merlin Wall has been erected. None shall pass, except perhaps his opponent. Force them to settle for an outside shot. Shuffle downcourt.

The only change you might have noticed in the last few years is on the help defense. Tony Parker has undoubtedly noticed. His way to work has dramatically altered on the defensive end without Duncan to bail him out. Fewer blocks lead to more drives. Not a million: just more. It might even be unnoticeable if you haven’t looked up recently.

Otherwise, Tim Duncan is unchanged. He still has those sharp elbows. He still holds the same disdain for the media. (Even in an otherwise-empty locker room, claustrophobia sets in when approaching him.) He still harbors the same smart and silly sense of humor when surrounded by his inner circle.

And so we take him for granted. General managers drop him down their ranking. SLAMonline drops him down their ranking. He grows older. Slower. (Though, since he didn’t start out blazingly fast, he didn’t have to find an old man’s game at 29; it was already present and accounted for.)

This season, tap the brakes at least once and notice Tim Duncan. There will be fewer opportunities to do so, assuming Tiago Splitter pans out as Spanish gold and DeJuan Blair continues to mock human physiology. Gregg Popovich will follow through on his plan to play Duncan less nightly and fewer nights overall, nursing him to June for the last two seasons of his contract.

After the 2012 season ends, Tim Duncan will be 36 years old with four or more rings to his credit and possibly zero interest in chasing any other career totals. He says he’ll “play until the wheels fall off“, but who knows when that will happen?

Perhaps he’ll take the opportunity to retire and open a swimming pool just outside San Antonio. Or maybe he’ll tour with the Renaissance faire, winning jousts daily because no one can knock him off his massive base.

And you? You’ll be driving to work and notice briefly that the convenience store went under over the weekend. You went in that store once when you forgot donuts for a meeting. It was a good store, you’ll think.

And then you’ll drive on and you won’t notice again.

SLAMonline TOP 50 PLAYERS			OVERALL RANK		POSITION RANK
Player	Team	Position	2010	2009	2010	2009
Ray Allen	Celtics	SG	50	36	10	9
Gilbert Arenas	Wizards	SG	49	34	9	8
Lamar Odom	Lakers	PF	48	33	14	10
John Wall	Wizards	PG	47	NR	13	NR
OJ Mayo	Grizzlies	SG	46	46	8	12
Al Horford	Hawks	C	45	NR	6	NR
Jason Kidd	Mavs	PG	44	45	12	10
Joakim Noah	Bulls	C	43	NR	5	NR
LaMarcus Aldridge	Blazers	PF	42	39	13	12
David West	Hornets	PF	41	31	12	8
Monta Ellis	Warriors	SG	40	NR	7	NR
Andrew Bogut	Bucks	C	39	NR	4	NR
Yao Ming	Rockets	C	38	NR	3	NR
Brandon Jennings	Bucks	PG	37	NR	11	NR
Zach Randolph	Grizzlies	PF	36	NR	11	NR
Stephen Curry	Warriors	PG	35	NR	10	NR
David Lee	Warriors	PF	34	NR	10	NR
Brook Lopez	Nets	C	33	NR	2	NR
Gerald Wallace	Bobcats	SF	32	NR	7	NR
Manu Ginobili	Spurs	SG	31	29	6	7
Tony Parker	Spurs	PG	30	15	9	3
Kevin Garnett	Celtics	PF	29	13	9	3
Rudy Gay	Grizzlies	SF	28	44	6	9
Josh Smith	Hawks	PF	27	40	8	13
Andre Iguodala	76ers	SG	26	26	5	6
Al Jefferson	Jazz	PF	25	23	7	7
Russell Westbrook	Thunder	PG	24	NR	8	NR
Chauncey Billups	Nuggets	PG	23	19	7	5
Tyreke Evans	Kings	PG	22	NR	6	NR
Danny Granger	Pacers	SF	21	21	5	5
Carlos Boozer	Bulls	PF	20	32	6	9
Paul Pierce	Celtics	SF	19	17	4	4
Joe Johnson	Hawks	SG	18	20	4	4
Rajon Rondo	Celtics	PG	17	27	5	8
Amar’e Stoudemire	Knicks	PF	16	16	5	6
Steve Nash	Suns	PG	15	22	4	6
Tim Duncan	Spurs	PF	14	6	4	1

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’10-11 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jeremy Bauman, Maurice Bobb, Erildas Budraitis, Sean Ceglinsky, Ben Collins, Bryan Crawford, Sandy Dover, Adam Figman, Manny Maduakolam, Eddie Maisonet, Ryne Nelson, Doobie Okon, Ben Osborne, Charles Peach, Branden Peters, Quinn Peterson, David Schnur, Todd Spehr, Kyle Stack, Adam Sweeney, Dennis Tarwood, Tracy Weissenberg, Lang Whitaker, Eric Woodyard, and Nima Zarrabi.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

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Tags: Feature Too, San Antonio Spurs, SLAMonline Top 50, Tim Duncan

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http://www.need4sheed.com Tarzan Cooper

Cosign whooo! Timmy was a BEAST, still very good now. Will put up 18 10 in his sleep. …….. No doubt tim is the best pf ever, top 20 center ever too.
http://slamonline.com Allenp

I agree with Jukai’s list. Defense is what puts Garnett over Barkley.
xplor

TIM LOWER THAN BOSH? THAT’S NOT RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Fresh Prince of Nsam

Good write-up Dennis and Jukai 4:07, I like ur list and ur arguments.
BBaller

I would like to know who Shaq thinks is better? Tim or Kevin? I can remember when interviewed in the locker room he said ” this is the greatest front-line of all time ” when he lined up with TD and KG in the 2001 All Star game.Those 3 at their primes, maybe not the most odd thing to come out of Shaq’s mouth. The outside shooting would take a hit but if they were the big three on a team week in week out damn it would of been hard to get an easy lay up against them.Scary on defense.Throw a good 3 point shooter in and i could have run the point.I’m dreaming now i’ll stop
BBaller

Just a suggestion for SLAM, for next year can you do a top 50 by position ie C, PF, SF, SG,PG x 10 spots. I have always preferred to compare players in their defined roles that they master over a career rather than to rank a guard over a center when a guard’s required strengths and supposed weaknesses are different to a Centers.Howard is an Obviously more effective shot blocker than Kobe but Kobe is a far superior perimeter defender so depending on the in game scenario (a) down by 2 (b)down by 3, who would you prefer or use? The opposing team would adjust their strategy accordingly and whether Howard or Kobe strengths would become more relevant. This list is about how much a player will affect his team and have the biggest impact on their teams success this season so like i said before Tim is properly placed by this method, if you took Dirk out of Dallas their fortunes would be altered more so i can accept Dirk above Tim Duncan but not for Bosh who will be 14/12/1.5( stellar) in Miami but is not as important to Miami’s success as Tim is to S.A. At 36 Tim Duncan is still a better player( in a play off game) than those two.
BBaller

To clear that up, If the Spurs lose to Miami it would be because of Wade and Lebron, not Bosh, Duncan will handle, but if the Spurs lose to Dallas then it usually is because of that tall German pulling a 36 and 10.
Luiyo

I have to admit that I used to hate Duncan, but that was because of the TD vs. KG comparison when they were in their prime. I’m the biggest KG fan, and I know I may be a little biased, but I respect the hell out of TD know. My point is that I always had wonder what would happened if Timmy and Kid changed teams on their primes… Think about it, TD in Minny and KG in SA, maybe the winning and awards advantage will be on DA KID side. Don’t believe me? Think about all the good teams that Duncan was part of, he played with Robinson (who was fading, but what a better veteran big man to learn from?), Johnson(future coach, great lider), Ginobili, Parker, one of the beast coaches in th league (Popovich), great organization… Now think about the Wolves, idiotic management, only ONE decent team in all his years with them (Cassell & Spree, and quickly made a deep run in the playoffs), an averaged coach and always delivered the better numbers of the two and make it to the playoffs with the least… If we trade them, maybe Duncan was the one always getting out of the first round everytime and Garnett getting the recognition and awards for winning…. What you think? I know that doesn’t change nothing but, it makes for a good argument that for me personally, Garnett has always been on Duncan shadow, for things out of his hands
BBaller

KG’s first 3 years in the league were out of his control but when Minny offered one of the biggest sports contracts ever, KG chose to take the money and stay while also limiting Minny’s ability to sign other marquee players becoz of the salary cap.So only KG can say whether the money was worth those later years of disappointment at Minny.The question of whether KG would have won more with better players is answered by his success at Boston but of course you win more with more, anyone does.TD could have gone to Orlando or Boston, but decided to stay with the Spurs so he deserves some credit for that aswell as making personal financial sacrifices to accommodate teammates. Sorry I’m biased too but TD is the winner. Both Awesome.
http://www.facebook.com B-Moore

I think it needs to be said that if it weren’t for a certain player named Michael Jordan.. Malone would have had a ring..

Malone = Better than Duncan.. But mad love for Timmy D.
Luiyo

@BBaller good point and I respect that… I was just wondering, how he would be judge today… because of all the elite PF of all-time (Duncan, Malone, Barkley, McHale) he was the only one without a good team in his prime
BBaller

@ B-Moore , Malone could of, should of won in 99, 00, 01,02 or 03 when Jordan was gone but he didn’t or couldn’t and Tim did. And TD won without a PG like Stockton to boot( Avery was good but not a general like Stockton).Which is a major reason Malone put up better scoring figures than Duncan, but in every other department Tim was better than Malone.My personal top 5 PF ever, players i would pay to see, 1. Tim Duncan 2. S. Kemp ( there is currently no one who can eat the rim like Kemp did )3. C. Webber 4. C. Barkley 5. K. Garnett .The most effective top 5 PF i believe are 1. TD 2. K.Malone 3.K. Garnett 4. Dennis Rodman 5. C.Barkley
http://www.need4sheed.com Tarzan Cooper

I always wonder what if timmy didnt spend so many years in college. Who had no 1 pick in 95? Where would ai have gone at no2 in 96?……… .. .. Also, spurs were very close to titles in 04 & 06. Would have been tied with la in 08 if it werent for the president of the ‘i hate duncan and spurs club’ joey crawford. But, timmy still won 4 rings. One of best defenders of all time, top 3 easy.
AJ

You know what makes somebody great at basketball? Of course not, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this. The most important thing is not winning championships if you want be considered the greatest but the role you played when winning or at the very least competing for championships.

For example, MJ is the greatest because nobody could shut him down in the playoffs. He cropped on magic, dumps, clyde, miller, stark, payton, and any one else who stood in his way. On other words, he want the best player on the floor in the playoffs that year. So it figures he got 6 finals mvps in his 6 trips there. Even Kobe knows this. That is why he threatened to leave la after Shaq wrapped up 3 finals mvps in a row……

And Tim Duncan is in the same class a MJ because he couldn’t be stopped by any body on his way to the rings. He schooled Marcus Camby, Shaq, Horry, Sheed, Ben, Gasol, Webber, Amare, Shareef, K-Mart, Dikembe, Dirk, Damper, zone d, nobody to this date has shut down timmy in the playoffs except tony parker who Tim allowed to take the finals mvp trophy because for timmy, abusing varejao and illgiskas was not a something he needed to do because just like Shaq let wade get a finals mvp timmy does the same for his young guy. Give the man some props even though he never asks for it.

Karl Malone was always shut down in the postseason some way or another. Whether it was Dennis rodman, luv longley, or Brian grant and Sheed. If MJ was the only obstacle standing in his way, how come Karl couldn’t take even take his team to the finals after MJs retirement? Simply because anybody could shut him down in a playoff series if they had to.

Some people say Karl has better stats than Tim. True. But no please compare postseason stats. Yeah, the only ones that ever matter.

Karl Malone like Amare have no inside game unless someone feeds them off a pick and role. TIM has the best back to the basket game other than Wilt. TIM in general is only second to the dream when it comes to post moves and that is without any gift of any quickness at all. When Karl had his back to the basket…..MJ came around and asked him what u doing boy and he replied nothing and let MJ take the rock and seal his fate forever as always second best. peace.
AJ

So in the history of the game, only Wilt, and Kareem dominated the game in the post as much as Duncan did. And those guys are centers who got way more shit opportunities than Timmy. Let this issue rest in peace and I don’t wanna hear about that softie in la who has supposedly caught up to timmy now that timmy is 35 and he is 29. And Timmy is still better playing 30 minutes being the 3rs option on his team than softie playing 40 minutes as the #2 option.
Anthony

co-sign AJ, nothing else to add.
BBaller

Very well put AJ, that reminded me, Tim Duncan sure has faced many battles over his career against some quality opposition.I think he went to the same school as Shaq though the others mentioned were definite students.
smooth

i believe that tim duncan is still a top ten this year. this article is very true tim never stops doing his thing awsome player but boring to watch
AJ

People are such hypocrites. Mark Jackson or some former baller said lebron should not have left Cleveland because if he won even one championship in that small market it would equal three in the large Miami market. Hmmm. Very interesting. There is a man by the name of TIM Duncan who also plays in a small market. He won 4 rings there. So by Mark Jacksons math….let’s see 4 x 3 is 12. So Timmy has the lebron James equivalent of 12 rings. And bron has the bron equivalent of 0. But why will Lebron….change that……why do only lebrons, kobes, carters, mcgradys, wades, birds, magics, Oscar Robinsons, jerry wests, and bob couseys have the right to be involved in the greatest player of all time talk? Why a man like Wilt who scores 100, Bill Russell who has 12 rings, Bill Walton if he never got hurt, all time leading scorer Kareem, Olajuwon with his guard like quickness, Shaq with his pure dominance for a decade plus some, five tool player KG, TIM “nothing else needs to be said” Duncan get in that discussion? Let’s explore…..with as many ring as Bill Russell has, how come nobody gives him his dues? Heck even Bill Russell who won his 12 rings in Boston doesn’t get his dues. Still all you hear is tony parker, bob cousey, heck even may near Eva longoria. But you don’t hear TIM Duncan nor Bill Russel nor Wilt but you do hear jerry west. Big men no matter what they accomplish get the recognition they deserve. I have nothing against guards but other than MJ every major superstar guard player with an equally superstar big. West had Wilt. Cousey had Russell. Bird had McHale and Parish. Magic had Kareem and Worthy. Kobe had Shaq. Wade had Shaq. Pierce has KG. The best big man MJ ever played alongside in his whole nbatv career was Dennis rodman. The point is people remember the flash (guards) but forget the substance (bigs).
AJ

So Shaq is really saying something when he says he doesn’t compete with guards because they take 30 shots a game. He only competes against other bigs. It’s Shaqs way of acknowleding that if a big scores a 100 and a small scores 81, the 81 is celebrated more due to the guard bias over the bigs. That’s why David Robinson 71 is something that people beloved only happened in the matrix along with the Wilt 100. But the MJ 63….or was it 69…..that will live on forever.
jakenobili

in an interview of Kareem here in the Philippines, he said he wants to play one-on-one against TD.. that’s how the legends respect a fellow legend.

a lot of ballers rely in their hops, and thinks that a dunk is the only way to score. they tend to skip the Basketball Fundamentals Lesson.
TD mastered none other than the BASICS.
the footwork, the hook shot, the signature BANK SHOT, the outstretched-arm layup, and even 3-pointers (when game is on the line against the suns on a Playoff game)

TD is the definition of Consistency and Efficiency at the hardcourt.
Tommy

way to high.
http://www.twitter.com/jtrain73 Jono

Maybe abit high. But for sentimental reaons, let him be and stop bashing. Best PF of all time.
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Top 50: Tim Duncan, no. 14

The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.

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