Chris Bosh and other phases that will/should pass
SLC Dunk — ... And while we are on the subject of Pau Gasol, there are only 4 big men I would pay max money to in the league.  Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan, and ...

Orlando Magic Ranked #15 in John Hollinger's All-Time NBA Franchise Rankings
Third Quarter Collapse — ... Shaq and Penny left. Goodbye dynasty. Hello mediocrity. Credit former general manager John Gabriel for trying to "reboot" the team, shrewdly maneuvering the Magic roster to clear space for Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady, and Grant Hill. Of course, Orlando could only have two of the three free agents and we all know the story there. Duncan stayed in San Antonio. McGrady came and Hill limped in. Talks of a dynasty being reborn were replaced quickly with talks of a franchise in despair. Things got so bad that the Magic were threatened with the possibility of being ...

The PtR Curse Strikes Again! NBA Finals Game 5 & Weekend Loser Thread.
Pounding The Rock — ... without Lebron. The beginning of a lot of trash talk from a few co-workers who are LA transplants. Sasha Vujacic gets to win a title in this game. Maybe. Feeling nauseous yet? Now, most of us around here don't particularly like the Lakers. You don't have to like a team to respect them. But let's consider something: The record books are going to say Phil Jackson is a better coach than Red Auerbach. That Kobe Bryant won as many titles through 2009 as Tim Duncan.   That Pau Gasol is a championship PF. That Joey ...

Jump Ball Statistics
Third Quarter Collapse — ... Emeka Okafor 56.0% 75 (44.1%, 67.3%) Erick Dampier 52.6% 76 (40.9%, 64.1%) Tim Duncan 50.7% 69 (38.5%, 62.9%) Marc Gasol ...

Deal with it... Kobe Bryant is a top 10 player of all time
The Dream Shake — ... 5.  Tim Duncan.  Simply put - the greatest power forward of all-time.  And there really isn't a legit competitor to this title.  Anyone who even mentions "Karl Malone" gets punched in the nuts for being dumb.  Timmy has 3.5 rings (the 1999 season does not count), multiple MVP awards and if you look at Duncan's 2003 supporting cast, you'd be amazed how that team won the championship that year. ...

The Rebound Guy
At The Hive — ... had the highest rebound rate among draftees, posting 5.1/9.8/14.8 offensive/defensive/total per 40 minute, pace adjusted split. He led the NBA in offensive rebound rate last year, and finished with Tim Duncan-esque defensive rebounding totals. ...

Spurs acquire Richard Jefferson from Bucks for Bruce Bowen, others
Fear The Sword — ... of their contracts, taking some $15 million dollars off the books for Milwaukee next summer.  Even better, Bowen and Oberto are guaranteed only $3.9 million of the $6.35 million they project in contract salary.  That means the Bucks can release them, giving them even more flexibility this off-season. For San Antonio, Jefferson provides the type of wing scoring threat they really haven't had.  Now the Spurs have a dynamic scoring threat to go along with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.  The rich do ...

The Richard Jefferson trade proves RC Buford and Gregg Popovich passed Business 101
Pounding The Rock — ... of cap space in 2010. So the analysis of this deal is not about what they gave up in the trade -- Bowen, Thomas and Oberto are worth Jefferson, for sure. But for this deal, in the summer of 2010, the Spurs would have been Tim Duncan, ...

The San Antonio Spurs, Their Roster, and The Draft
Pounding The Rock — ... San Antonio Spurs pulled off the big trade on Tuesday opening up a bunch of roster positions that need to be filled.  The next step in this here offseason is the draft and it could be interesting for us Spurs fans. Where is the roster right now? Thin.  The roster is thin.  We really only have 8 guys under contract (Marcus Williams is on a non-guaranteed deal and I think the Summer League will be the determining factor on him). Tim Duncan - C Tony Parker - PG Manu ...

Why Ricky Rubio could be BETTER than advertized
Bullets Forever — ... Well if the First Law of Tim Duncan states that the more college basketball experience a player has, the more polished his skills are, the more seasoned his character is and the more prepared for NBA success he will be. - - - - ...

Is Blake Griffin a Sure Thing?
Clips Nation — ... But a prototypical NBA physical specimen AND incredibly accomplished on the court?  That's a much smaller subset.  Here are some statistics from the final college season for a well known NBA player :  14.7 rebounds per game and 20.8 points per game on 60.8% shooting.  Who put up such gaudy college numbers?  Tim Duncan, the college player of the year and first overall pick in the draft in 1997.  Shaquille O'Neal put up 14 rebounds and 24.1 points on 61.5% shooting his final season at LSU before becoming the first overall ...

San Antonio Spurs Guide To Free Agency and Free Agent Primer
Pounding The Rock — Free agency kicked off Tuesday night at 11:01 SPURS time.  At this point, all they can do is talk and make offers.  No contracts can be signed.  Here's my rundown of the situation.   What we have?  What we can spend?  Who we want? What do we have? With Michael Finley exercising his player option, we have upped our current roster to 10. Tim Duncan Ian Mahinmi Matt Bonner Richard Jefferson Marcus Williams (unguaranteed) ...

The Bar Has Been Raised
Pounding The Rock — ... The Spurs definitely got better with this move, but they tipped their hand by pulling the trigger on this so soon. Within 24 hours, news broke about the next big trade. Another consequence of this was a severe reduction in frontcourt depth and salary flexibility. The Spurs frontcourt now consists of Tim Duncan(GOAT), ...

Spurs Hire Dream GM
Pounding The Rock — ... go out on a limb to gt an older guy.  If he wants to play for a chance at a ring for two years on the cheap, I'll take him. Ok ATS, we have Rasheed and Marvin, where does that leave us for 2010? Let's assume I gave up Bonner, Mason, Marcus, and a #1 for Marvin.  I'd be willing to throw Tiago or DeJuan in to this deal to make it work.  I'd have to be bowled over with Marvin to put George in it.  Our 2010 roster is: Up front Tim Duncan Manu Ginobili ...

Spurs Reach Agreement With Free Agent PF Marcus Haislip
Pounding The Rock — ... and Veteran's minimum contract offers.  The Express-News is reporting that the deal is assumed to be at the veteran's minimum, which is around $1.3M/yr, and does not impact the MLE or BAE.  That means the Spurs are still free to pursue marquee free agents like Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess, among others. So, here's how the roster is shaping up so far: Players Currently Signed or Pending contract offers Center:  Tim Duncan, Ian Mahinmi Power Forward: Matt Bonner, ...

If the Clippers Wanted Shawn Marion...
Clips Nation — ... and Tim Duncan come to mind - but we tend to use the term to describe players that don't at first appear to be great at the individual aspects of the game, especially scoring.  So a 'glue guy' should be able to do everything else well and should be happy doing so: defense, rebounding, spacing, hustle, passing - the things you do without the ball in your hands. ...

How the Wizards can use the lower-than-expected 2010 cap projection to their advantage
Bullets Forever — ... 1.  The Wizards will not become true title contenders unless they go over the luxury tax: It doesn't matter that there have been teams that have won titles while staying under the tax.  The fact of the matter is, the Wizards are not built like those teams.  They don't have their best player on a rookie contract (Dwayne Wade).  They don't have the two best players in the league on their team (Kobe and Shaq).  They don't have Tim Duncan and the superior management of the ...

Orlando Magic News for July 9th: Otis Smith Making and Mulling Moves; a Look at Data Samples
Third Quarter Collapse — ... Paine of Basketball-Reference takes a historical look at how the #1 pick in the lottery era fared vs. the top players from the year before over the following 3 seasons. For Magic fans, take note of Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Webber, and Dwight Howard. The results are interesting but not surprising.  As fans, we like to think holding the #1 pick in the draft is the key to an instant turnaround, pointing to examples like the Spurs in ‘98 with Tim Duncan, the Cavs with LeBron James, and even the Magic last ...

At the Clippers First Summer League Practice
Clips Nation — ... It may seem like he's losing something by not using that elevation on his jump shot, but let's be clear.  This is Blake Griffin - his perimeter shot only needs to set up the rest of his game.  He'll have a significant quickness advantage over almost any opponent, and the jump shot just needs to keep defenders honest.  A smaller, more efficient shooting motion is exactly what he needs - Tim Duncan doesn't elevate more than 3 inches on his bank shot.  If Griffin can make the 18 footer consistently (and what I saw today was very ...

How We Define a Point Guard, Part II
Sactown Royalty — ... #26. Boy, I’m sure we don’t have any of those chuckers (note sarcasm).  Is Derrick Rose not thought of as a pass first PG? Isn’t Tony Parker Robin to Tim Duncan’s Batman (and does that make Manu Alfred or Commissioner Gordon?)? ...

Breaking down Carlos Boozer's interview with ESPN 1000 in Chicago
SLC Dunk — ... Rose is probably one of the most athletic guards I've seen in a very, very long time. Especially at the point guard position. Maybe the most athletic guard I've seen at the point guard position. Grew up a lot during the course of the season. Had a monster playoff series, that series we all remember with Boston. But very good. A bright future. Very talented, very humble. I love his demeanor. You never see him shaken, you never see him too excited. He always has the same, kind of that Tim Duncan look, where you never know if you're up by 20 or down by 20. ...

Mercury Update
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... Personally, I've never lost sleep over all star voting. There's way too many things about it that don't make sense (like why was Cappie listed as a forward and Diana guard or Tim Duncan a forward?) ...

So Yao is out... what next for the Rockets?
The Dream Shake — ... ... maybe even Tim Duncan.  Here's the thing -- none of those guys are a center.  They may be forced to be listed as centers.  But they are all power forwards... and in the case of Amare and Chris Anderson, they might even be small forwards.  The point is that you just don't go out and "get a center" anymore.  Most teams in the NBA fulfill the center position via smoke and mirrors.  It's been done before.  For the Rockets, however, it is further complicated because you don't just replace Yao ...

My Team Is Better Than Yours: Sacramento Kings Edition
Pounding The Rock — ... his first game of the season over 20 points.  Duncan was himself with 20 pts, 10 rebs, 3 blks and 4 asts.  Hill had an off night but the JV came in with 10 pts and 6 asts in 23 minutes.  The Kings were without Kevin Martin, but the real story of this game was our draft pick not named Beno Udrih, John Salmons, going 10 of 13 for 31 points on us, 1 point shy of his career high. Tim Duncan Drive + Bank Shot Game Winner!! Spurs Vs Kings! (via ...

The Spurs Aren't Done Making Moves This Summer - What Comes Next?
Pounding The Rock — ... the fold. Oh, Yawn, we hardly know ye. [photo from Ridiculous Upside] The Frontcourt Logjam Why do the Spurs have to make a trade? Because there are now 7 big men on the Spurs roster, and even though we don't yet have the details on what Ratliff is getting(likely the minimum), there's no way in hell the Spurs head into next season with all of these guys: DeJuan Blair Matt Bonner Tim Duncan Marcus Haislip (not a SF) Ian Mahinmi ...

The Spurs Roster and Front Office - Method? Or Madness?
Pounding The Rock — ... Now, About That Roster With the signing of Theo Ratliff, the Spurs have 15 guys under contract for the 09-10 season.  However, the common belief is that Malik Hairston and Marcus Williams have unguaranteed contracts.  Odds are, the Spur have the option on these until after training camp.  However, that is just speculation on my part.  I'm not sure when their contract guarantee dates are.  The current roster is: Tim Duncan Tony Parker Manu Ginobili ...

This Week In San Antonio Spurs Basketball: Monday Edition
Pounding The Rock — ... News' 50 greatest coaches of all time John Wooden #1, but who's that guy down at #49 telling Herb Brooks and Tommy Lasorda to get off his lawn? The BS Report: Simmons, Bucher, and Stein We didn't have to call them on their BS, they did it for us. Oh, and Simmons + Stein pick the Spurs for the title IF Lamar Odom went to Miami. Oops? WNBA.com: WNBA.com Power Rankings: July 30, 2009 Silver Star Sophia Young took a page out of Tim Duncan's book. I need to find that clip. WNBA.com: Rookie ...

How I Became a Clippers Fan
Clips Nation — ... got Tim Duncan out of the deal, so don't get me started.)  The early part of this decade was of course full of promise.  Those teams were young and talented and fun to watch and there's no question that my fanaticism reached new heights during those years.  It helped that I could honestly make a case that they were a more interesting team than the Lakers.  I mean, sure, the purple and gold were winning back-to-back-to-back rings - but they were so boring.  Dump the ball to Shaq and let him overpower people.  Give the ball to ...

Offseason Boredom: Top 20 edition
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... to come up with a list of the Top 20 most valuable players (as in current + potential future value) in the NBA.  I've found that it's pretty much ridiculously difficult.  I mean, to me, it seems that there are 11 players that would be on almost everyone's list even if they're not necessarily the top 11.  They are (in no particular order): Kobe Lebron Chris Paul Dwight Howard Kevin Garnett Tim Duncan Kevin Durant Brandon Roy ...

Yet another "How will the Rockets do?" Post.
The Dream Shake — ... stated issues with boxscore stats, proponents of WoW seem to end up advocating basically what Morey advocates: there's a lot more than scoring in a basketball game, and certain players (guys like Iverson, Ben Gordon, Von Wafer, or any other "pure scorer") tend to be overvalued by NBA teams (evidenced by their contracts) and fans (evidenced by popularity). Correspondingly, there are many players (Guys like Chuck Hayes, Dennis Rodman, or even some star players like Tim Duncan or Chris Paul) who tend to be undervalued by the same ...

My Team Is Better Than Yours: Toronto Raptors Edition
Pounding The Rock — ... every stat, but if Belinelli really starts I think he will see a jump in minutes.  Mason played almost 10 more per game last year. SF: Richard Jefferson versus Hedo Turkoglu: Advantage Raptors: Hedo is better and is coming off a career year.  I think he will continue playing good basketball and really improve this team. PF: Antonio McDyess versus Chris Bosh: Advantage Raptors:  Chris Bosh is better. C: Tim Duncan versus Andrea Bargnani: Advantage Spurs:  ...

BDL: KG Is Top Defensive Player Of The Decade
CelticsBlog — ... KG stands alone because he pitches nearly as many perfect games, while combining Tim Duncan's length and frame with a guard's ability to move his feet. Garnett has become a bit more showy about things after getting traded to the ...

Why the Wizards need an in-season trade to upgrade the frontcourt
Bullets Forever — ... 2007/08 Pistons Rasheed Wallace Antonio McDyess Jason Maxiell 2007/08 Spurs Tim Duncan Fabricio Oberto Kurt Thomas ...

Windows 2010
CelticsBlog — ... Kevin Garnett is coming off his first major injury, so it remains to be seen how this affects him. Tim Duncan is a good comparison because they play a similar style and are the same age, although Garnett entered the league two years earlier and almost has an extra 3,000 minutes worth of tread on his tires. Duncan has looked like he's been slowing down for some time now, but that hasn't really affected his productivity. ...

30Q: Can Tyreke Evans and Kevin Martin Co-Exist?
Sactown Royalty — ... will be in the same boat. But that's not the question in question. Don't be worried about Too Freaky and Speed -- Martin doesn't need a Nash, and there will be plenty of shots between them. (On that note, don't be worrying about sharing the offensive load. Last year, Tim Duncan, ...

Around the Association: 2009-2010 Boston Celtics- Sheed in Green + Another Answer
Golden State Of Mind — ... Sure Sheed has never even reached 20 ppg and been a fairly mediocre rebounder and shot blocker over his 14 year career, but there's something about this guy that I can appreciate. In terms of raw physical ability I'd put him up there with the KG's and Tim Duncan's of the world. He's in an elite crowd and can seemingly turn it on when he wants to. Sheed has collected wins and his defense (the kind that doesn't show up in the box score) is a big reason why. I hate to rely on what can usually be dismissed as a hoops platitude, but this guy is better than what ...

2008/09 Player Evaluation/Projection: Andray Blatche
Bullets Forever — ... , but at least 49% of them were assisted upon. Also, Andray Blatche is no Tim Duncan (especially considering Duncan's 43.4eFG% on jumpers compared to Blatche's 35.6%) ...

30Q: How Much Will Injuries Affect the Kings?
Sactown Royalty — ... Jameer Nelson in the stretch run. Every team suffers major injuries; that the Kings injuries have kept the team under water isn't particularly noteworthy. The specific issue is that Sacramento has a shallow talent pool. When the [redacted] lose Bynum, they can start Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom up front. When the Kings lose Kevin Martin, Rashad McCants is getting 30 minutes a night. When Manu's out, the Spurs have Tony Parker and Tim Duncan (and now Richard Jefferson). When Martin's out, Andres ...

Around the Association: 2009-2010 Dallas Mavericks: The Curse of the Dampier
Golden State Of Mind — ... version) on Kobe, Melo and Billups get stuck in a snowstorm for all of the playoffs, and Tim Duncan gets suspended for fighting that bald ref. ...

30Q: Will This Be Geoff Petrie's Final Season in Sacramento?
Sactown Royalty — ... fourth most important employee of the franchise. After Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, after Phil Jackson it was Jerry Krause who had to fill in the gaps with reasonable talents. In L.A., isn't Mitch Kupchak -- who traded for Pau Gasol, who signed Ron Artest and Lamar Odom and had previously traded for Trevor Ariza -- pretty danged important? Who's to blame for the Knicks' bad run? A GM. Who's to credit for San Antonio's long-term success? Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, yes ... but also ...

Breaking Down the Bobcats' Top Ten Plays from NBA.com
Rufus on Fire — ... 3 -- One of my favorite attributes in examining NBA bigs is the ability to put the ball on the floor from twenty feet out and beyond. And then, when they do, I love that move--like Tim Duncan does at times--where they palm the ball while taking two power steps through the key and then throw it down almost like a hook shot at the rim. Boris has that move, as you can see. ...

Phoenix vs San Antonio. Playoff Preview. Time for me to panic?
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... The Suns suffered through the 2008 defeat at the hands of Tim Duncan's three point shot. We had our hearts ripped out by ...

Revisiting the 2002 World Basketball Championships
CelticsBlog — ... would have fared even worse without him. What was humiliating at the time, is perhaps less so in the context of what happened over the next few years.  Many of the players that contributed to wins over the Americans made it to the NBA and became better players than several of their opponents from that 2002 American team.   Perhaps even more tellingly, the next few incarnations of Team USA didn't fare any better without Pierce.  Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan led a team of youngsters featuring Carmelo Anthony and ...

30Q: Will Kevin Martin Be an All-Star?
Sactown Royalty — ... the selection process, one could imagine he would have gotten the nod over David West, an iffy selection by the Western coaches. So what about this season? Here are 2008-09 Western All-Stars who are locks to return to the All-Star Game, assuming no major injuries: Kobe Bryant Chris Paul Brandon Roy Here are 2008-09 Western All-Star veterans I would not bet against in 2009-10: Tim Duncan Dirk Nowitzki Steve Nash ...

30Q: Which Path Will Jason Thompson Take?
Sactown Royalty — ... , Tim Duncan -- there's a sincere trade-off to be made. Even Kobe, an exemplary scorer and defender, has to balance his energy on each side of the court. When Kobe is at his truly best on offense, someone else is guarding to opponent's top dog. When Kobe is in shutdown mode on defense, he noticeably drags a bit on offense. (Of course, because so few NBA writers pay attention to defense before marking up their award ballots, Kobe -- who hasn't consistently performed at All Defense team level for at least four years now -- still gets honored for his ...

Take Me To Your Leader
Sactown Royalty — ... have a ton of company. By my count, there are only eight teams with truly defined leaders – go-to, buck stops here, the ball is in my hands when the game is on the line, the rest of the team answers to me, opposing fans hate and fear and respect my game -  leaders. They are (in no particular order) LeBron James, Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Steve Nash. There are other players (that I will ...

Around the Association: 2009-2010 San Antonio Spurs: An Apple A Day...
Golden State Of Mind — ... They drafted DeJuan Blair who should be able to step in right away and give Tim Duncan a quick breather every now and then. He's got the girth to take up space in the lane, grab boards, and maybe get some easy, garbage buckets. ...

Get To Know Your New San Antonio Spurs #7: Keith Bogans
Pounding The Rock — ... Between the additions of McDyess, Bogans and RJ, the Spurs have addressed last season's defensive weaknesses in pretty convincing fashion.  Add Manu, Hill, Tim Duncan, and Theo Ratliff to the mix, and this has the potential to be one of the best defensive squads the franchise has ever had.  Any defense from Haislip, Blair or Mahinmi will simply be a great bonus.  My only hope is that the coaching staff puts a laser focus on defense from the very start of training camp.  That's what the L*kers did last year, and we all saw how that ended. ...

Phoenix Suns Season Preview Series, Part 1: Looking Back
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... We were all there. We saw it coming from a mile away yet we could do nothing about it. It seemed like nearly a full minute had elapsed since Tim Duncan had received the ball. He stood, alone, sizing up the rim from way beyond his normal range . We watched in disbelief, there was no way this guy could down a three pointer, not with all the pressure, the clock running down, and too much time to think about the shot-but it was over. That moment, that shot, ...

An Ode to Gregg Popovich
Pounding The Rock — ... Caveat: This rule only applies to certain players and only in the playoffs.  If you’re named Tim Duncan or ...

Division Matchup Preseason Preview: The Spurs
Mavs Moneyball — ... , and Tim Duncan. While Tim Duncan has left the best years of his career behind him, he is still one of the leagues best. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili can by themselves give the Mavericks nightmares! ...

Brandan Wright - Injury Prone :: 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Player Recaps and Previews
Golden State Of Mind — ... can be tossed around with him since that injury can be reoccurring. Think about his rebounding abilities…he can easily get knocked by someone bigger and BAM it pops out again. This would not (or will not) be a problem if Brandan was bigger. Remember back in the day when everyone was complaining that he was stick and needed to put on muscle? This is the reason why. Injuries like this rarely happen to big beefy guys like Zach Randolph, Eddy Curry, Shaq, Tim Duncan….BIG MUSCLE = good for PFs! Big ups to my anatomy ...

2009 NBA GM Survey and Predictions
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... Eastern Conference? 1. Boston - 50.0% 2. Cleveland - 42.9% 3. Orlando - 7.1% Last year: Boston - 74.1% Which team will win the Western Conference? 1. L.A. Lakers - 75.9% 2. San Antonio - 24.1% Last year: L.A. Lakers - 66.7% Who will win the 2009-10 MVP? 1. LeBron James, Cleveland - 69.0% 2. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers - 17.2% 3. Dwight Howard, Orlando - 6.9% Also receiving votes: Tim Duncan, San Antonio; Dwyane Wade, Miami Last year: ...

Phoenix Suns Season Preview Series, Part 4: The Competition.
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... Remember the times when the Spurs had their offensive droughts like around the third quarter? Well, I don't think that's going to happen anymore. The addition of Richard Jefferson gives them instant offense. He can be that spark on offense the Spurs needed. He can take advantage and score easily when Tim Duncan is double teamed. ...

PtR Preseason QuickCap: Olympiacos is Not an NBA Team
Pounding The Rock — ... less?), 107-89.  One look at the box score will tell you a few things: The Leaders George Hill is awesome.  Cubits had 17 points, 3 board, 2 assists and shot 5-8 from the field in his 22 minutes of play.  Rock on, Cubits, rock on. Josh Childress is still a really good player.  If he ever decides to come back to the states, the Spurs would be wise to provide a home for him. The Rest Tim Duncan(10 points, 5 boards, 3 assists) and Tony Parker(12 ...

San Antonio Spurs Season Preview
Pounding The Rock — ... The Spurs have seven players on the roster for the two front court positions.  Of those seven players, two played in a game for the Spurs last season:  Tim Duncan and ...

Preseason Game Thread #3: San Antonio Spurs @ Miami Heat
Pounding The Rock — ... Princess Peanut   Rehabbed & Ready   Tim Duncan   PF Udonis Haslem Timmy should start again, ...

Preseason Game 3: Spurs @ Heat GAMEDAY
Peninsula is Mightier — ... can stay out of foul trouble for the first time this preseason against Tim Duncan, who never seems to have trouble drawing fouls (and complaining about the ones that don't get called). ...

The Importance of Post Effectiveness From Spencer Hawes
Sactown Royalty — ... stronger, so that he can do what he wants to do around the rim. That's really, really key ... ... because Hawes already spends quite a bit of time around the rim: he's just not been particularly effective down there. As I detailed during the offseason, Hawes took 48% of his 2008-09 field goal attempts near the basket. In comparison, Jason Thompson took 53% of his FGAs near the hoop. Hawes's inside share was larger than guys like Amar'e Stoudemire, Tim Duncan and Al Horford -- players seen as post weapons. ...

Preseason Game Preview #4: Los Angeles Clippers @ San Antonio Spurs
Pounding The Rock — ... Make me love you   I'm on the Clippers?  *@%#!   Tim Duncan   PF Marcus Camby Camby is an injury ...

Clippers @ San Antonio (Pre-Season) - Open Thread
Clips Nation — ... has been tearing up the pre-season.  But don't kid yourselves - as always the Spurs will be all about Tim Duncan, ...

Phoenix Suns (Mid)Preseason Practice Report: Defense is Coming Along
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... "I think we have to try and force turnovers. We've got an athletic group of guys and we don't have that big long Tim Duncan back there to protect the basket for us. Especially with Robin (Lopez) out. With Robin out we play a little bit differently with that second group defensively. But right now, Earl (Clark) and Louis (Amundson) have been terrific on that second unit there and we're really undersized but they've done a great job of just being active and talking and getting in rotations so I've been real pleased with the way they've played," Gentry said. ...

Preseason Game Preview #5: Cleveland Cavaliers @ San Antonio Spurs
Pounding The Rock — ... I Can Makez it Big 4?   Coming Soon to New York   Tim Duncan   PF Anderson Varejao Varejao is ...

Orlando Magic News for October 16th: The Orlando Magic Say "Thank You"; a Look Ahead to the 2009-2010 Season
Third Quarter Collapse — ... during the preseason. To try to answer that question, we turned to the past and the referee lockout of 1995. Using the incomparable Basketball-Reference.com database, Justin Kubatko was able to pull statistics that compare games officiated by the replacements (through Dec. 12) with the remainder of the season called by the regular referees. adidas TS Commander LT Aron Phillips of Dime Magazine examines what shoes Dwight Howard (as well as Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett) will be sporting on his feet this ...

Pre-Season Game #5 - Cleveland Cavaliers at San Antonio Spurs
Fear The Sword — ... Anthony Parker Richard Jefferson SF Jawad Williams Tim Duncan PF Anderson Varejao ...

PtR Quick Cap: Spurs survive attack of the sword wielding puerco adobado, Win 105-98
Pounding The Rock — ...   Spurs Tony Parker looked like LeBron.  22 points on 7-14 from the field and 8-8 from the line.  He kicked in 7 assists (with 1 TO) and 3 rebounds in his 25 minutes. Tim Duncan had 13 and 9 in 20 minutes.  He didn't shoot great, 5-11 from the field and 3-6 from the line. George Hill was outstanding.  Again.  He had 13 points -- 11-12 from the line -- 3 assists and 0 turnovers in 25 minutes.  Add it all up and our point guards had 35 points, 10 assists, 1 TO, 5 rebounds, and ...

NBA Live 10 Simulation Preseason #6: San Antonio Spurs @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Pounding The Rock — ... be a shootout tonight.  Oh and by the way, I got Blair in the game!!!!!! He did pretty damn good.  Oh and I also got a nice little treat for all at the end too. Okay enough rambling here we go. The starting lineups of the game that I had during my simulation: Us PG - Tony Parker SG - Manu Ginobili SF - Richard Jefferson PF - Tim Duncan  C - Antonio McDyess ...

PtR Quick Cap: Spurs fall to the Indiana Grangers, 112-114 in the Preview-less Final Preseason Game
Pounding The Rock — ... Tim Duncan was a rock out there, nearly finishing with a triple double of 15 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. I don't even want to highlight his free throw shooting. If not for Timmeh baiting fouls on Hibbert, I couldn't imagine what would've happened to Ian if he had to guard that giant. ...

Pacers 114, Spurs 112: Pacers Finish Preaseason On Winning Note
Indy Cornrows — ... Roy Hibbert fouled out in 18 minutes but did chip in 16 points and 3 blocked shots. He also had a few nice finishes including a baseline reverse dunk on Tim Duncanthat drew quite a reaction from Mark Boyle and Austin Crosher on the radio call. Timmy repaid the favor quickly by quietly draining a shot at the other end to even things up. ...

Micro-Warriornomics :: GSoM's 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Preview (Part 1 of 2)
Golden State Of Mind — ... Jackson Scouting Report Strengths Bamboozling Warriors President Robert Rowell in contract negotiations that don't need to be happening in the first place For the most part doing all that's asked of him on the court by Nellie and to his credit that's a lot because of the many holes on this roster Wanting to win... as long as he gets paid (e.g. leaving the San Antonio Spurs after winning a ring with Tim Duncan and company to pursue lottery dreams with the Atlanta ...

NBA Live 10 Regular Season Simulation #1: New Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs
Pounding The Rock — ... DNA was up to date for this game. The starting lineups for both teams going into this game were as follows: Them: PG - Chris Paul SG - Morris Peterson SF - Peja Stojakovic PF - David West  C - Emeka Okafor The Good Guys: PG - Tony Parker SG - Roger Mason SF - Richard Jefferson PF - Tim Duncan  C - Antonio McDyess As you ...

San Antonio Spurs 2010 Season Preview
Pounding The Rock — ... Tim Duncan.  King of the Spurs universe.  In some ways, I expect this to be a down year for Tim statistically for anybody keeping an eye from a distance.  I expect his points will be lower and you know that is 90% of what people pay attention to.  I think his shot attempts and free throw attempts will be down.  I think this will largely be because his minutes will be down AND that the team will run very little offense through him.  HOWEVER, I think Tim is going to step up as a great garbage man.  Expect his ...

Yeah, Let's Not Remember the Alamo
At The Hive — ... Emeka Okafor was very, very impressive. Between the nice spin cycle he put Tim Duncan through, his active hands on the glass, and general athleticism getting up and down the court, he provided a lot more than I anticipated. It's hard not to be excited about him getting in rhythm with West and the rest of the offense. 18 pts, 10 rebs, 0 tos in 29 mins is a good start. ...

Game Preview: Kings At Spurs
Sactown Royalty — ... Theus dressed up as an NBA head coach. Happy  Halloween! The Kings wrap up their season opening three game road trip at San Antonio this evening, with a 5:30 (PDT) tipoff against the San Antonio Spurs. Likely Kings starters: Sean May, Jason Thompson, Desmond Mason, Kevin Martin, Tyreke Evans Likely Spurs starters: Tim Duncan (but don’t call me a center!), Antonio McDyess, Richard ...

Can Chris Kaman be an All Star?
Clips Nation — ... This is a major consideration in the west, where Tim Duncan is essentially the top center in the conference despite being listed as a power forward on the ASG ballot.  Duncan is the obvious crossover from the four position, but it's entirely possible that seven footers ...

Game Preview #4 - San Antonio Spurs @ Utah Jazz - Back from Vacation
Pounding The Rock — ... Andrei Kirilenko Schoolboy Hair Tim Duncan GOATPUFF Power Forward Even with his down numbers this year, Timmeh is ...

Game Preview #6: Toronto Raptors @ San Antonio Spurs
Pounding The Rock — ... Hedo Turkoglu Slightly Less Overpaid Tim Duncan Where's My Ice Thrown? Power Forward Timmy ...

Just Follow the Portland Model, Right?
Canis Hoopus — ... However, the next step is talent.  The NBA is a superstar league, and in most cases, the potential to be a superstar that wins multiple championships (a Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal or Tim Duncan) come from a Top 3 pick  That now means not just picking well, but winning a lottery, and unfortunately, teams can't control lottery balls.  The more unlikely way is to trade for a true superstar.  Teams rarely trade a player of this level in his prime, so like drafting, a GM needs to predict who has the potential to ...

PtR QuickCap: Manu is back, Spurs Slash Raptors 131-124, Pop Suffers Brain Aneurysm
Pounding The Rock — ... About an hour before the game, the Spurs sent out word that Tim Duncan would not be playing.  At that moment, the fate of tonight's boxscore was sealed.  Without Tim Duncan, the Spurs had no chance of guarding Toronto's frontcourt tandem of Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani.  Luckily, the ...

Prowling the NBA: Nov 10
Canis Hoopus — ... It's something I noticed in their game last week against the Blazers. Their defense isn't at a championship level, and worse yet, doesn't appear to have the potential to get there by March. Antonio McDyess is a shell of what he was just last year in Detroit, Richard Jefferson has played unispired basketball thus far, and Tim Duncan is really starting to show his age. ...

Mavericks Vs Spurs:Game 8 Preview
Mavs Moneyball — ... good as Jefferson can be offensively the defensive prowess of Marion is that good as well. Power Forward Dirk Nowitzki: Dirk continues to struggle from the field, but he well makes up for it by getting to the line, and it is his energy that is keeping him and the team in games. Dirk has been somewhat quiet since his 29 point 4th quarter explosion, tonight could be the night that he flips the switch again. vs. Tim Duncan Antonio McDyess: While I have McDyess listed as ...

NBA LIVE 10 :: Regular Season :: Dallas Mavericks @ San Antonio Spurs
Pounding The Rock — ... What's up guys this simulation is going to be that of our hated rivales the Dallas Mavericks.  As much as I loved playing this game they sure as hell gave me a damn scare. I have stuff to do around today so this is not going to look like previous posts I have had.  I do hope you stil will enjoy. Let's go! George Hill gets the start at point for San Antonio. With Tony Parker and Tim Duncan sitting out the game do to injuries the San Antonio Spurs did manage ...

Oh right, Manu Ginobili plays basketball for a living...
Pounding The Rock — ... 2. Tim Duncan - He was engaged, if not particularly effective. Later we found out he was doing it on a bum ankle, so kudos. ...

Dallas Pretty Horsies at San Antonio Spurs - The Game Thread
Pounding The Rock — So, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are unavailable for a second straight game.  Last game, we played defense for about 1 minute, but we can't get away with that tonight. So, how is Pop feeling after that defensive "performance" on Monday night?  Let's take a look at his game plan. ...

Mavericks Vs Spurs: What Went Wrong?
Mavs Moneyball — ... mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} The Mavericks rolled into San Antonio last night with a full head of steam after throttling the Houston Rockets the night before. The Spurs came into the game missing their two top players in Tony Parker (ankle), and Tim Duncan (ankle) Mavericks roll to victory right? Not so fast. The Mavericks shot ...

Prowling the NBA: People Gettin' Hurt
Canis Hoopus — ... out, the Magic have dropped two very bad losses, first to the Oklahoma City Thunder, then last night to the Cavaliers. The Thunder blew the Magic out by 30 in fact. An interesting sidebar is that Anderson was considered a throw-in to the Vince Carter trade, but Stan Van Gundy actually specifically demanded him. When later asked, he simply said "Contending teams don't go picking players willy-nilly". Guess Cavs GM Danny Ferry missed that memo... Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are both day to day: Both with ...

Polling GSoM: What exactly won't Monta Ellis do?
Golden State Of Mind — ...  (destroying WE BELIEVE) to build around him, Monta Ellis has shown to be none of the above. Do you think Tim Duncan or even ...

OKC Cowboy Thunderclusters @ San Antonio Spurs: Game Thread
Pounding The Rock — ... basketball one. Starting Lineups Oklahoma City Russell Westbrook Thabo Sefolosha Kevin Durant Jeff Green Nenad Krstic   San Antonio (Wayne said Tony and Timmeh are playing tonight, so the following is my best guess.) Tony Parker Keith Bogans Richard Jefferson Tim Duncan Antonio McDyess   ...

The new Suns bring this thousands-miles-away fan back to the good ol' days
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... as your starting center? Or Lou Amundson as your backup PF? (No disrespect for Lou, I love him, but he's doesn't exactly posses Tim Duncan skills). ...

Mavericks Vs Spurs: Game 12 Preview
Mavs Moneyball — ... o:title="" />                                                                 vs. Tim Duncan: Duncan is stil  l a walking double double but his game has ...

NBA Live 10 Simulation (4):: San Antonio Spurs @ Dallas Mavericks
Pounding The Rock — ... .  Tim Duncan was not much of a factor; he was in foul trouble all game long after picking up three in the first quarter. He didn't see much of the floor after that. ...

Prowling the NBA: Nov 20 - Who Authored This Rewrite?
Canis Hoopus — ... G/F Tony Allen, F Brian Scalabrine, F Kenny Thomas Word is the Celtics' resent losses have freaked the team, and they're quietly but desperately looking for help, particularly in the shooting department. Getting Andris Nocioni for Tony Allen and JR Giddens certainly would qualify as help (and a theft), but shouldn't the Celtics be primarily concerned with their lack of a backup point guard? And here's another team with worrying losses... Tim Duncan and Tony Parker returned to the Spurs' lineup, and the Spurs ...

Open Thread: Washington Wizards vs. San Antonio Spurs, Regular Season Game 12
Bullets Forever — ... Antawn Jamison PF The man we passed on for $2.5 million Brendan Haywood C Tim Duncan   Note: Jake's chatting on ...

Wiz @ Spurs: Game Thread #11
Pounding The Rock — ... I reserve the right to revert back to my depressed, suicidal (figuratively), alcohol-drinking self. And now I present you with something that makes absolutely no sense but should get you up and moving for the game.   Now for the important stuff. Likely Starters San Antonio Spurs Tony Parker Keith Bogans Richard Jefferson Tim Duncan Antonio McDyess Washington Wizards ...

Game Thread #12 - Milwaukee @ San Antonio: The Bucks Stop Here
Pounding The Rock — ... gives us fits.  Thankfully, the Bucks don't resemble the past iterations that have given us trouble, but they're still a tough team to beat.  The Spurs are gonna have to work hard for this one. Possible Starters Bucks Brandon Jennings Michael Redd Carlos Delfino Dan Gadzuric Ersan Ilyasova Spurs Tony Parker Keith Bogans Richard Jefferson Tim Duncan Antonio McDyess Officials Steve ...

My Soft Spot is Super Athletic Combo Forwards
Rufus on Fire — ... he would choose Walton as his franchise center over David Robinson, who missed significant time once in his career, was All World for his first seven seasons, merely really, really, good for four more and passable for two more. You can't convince Simmons otherwise, because Walton gives him fuzzy feelings. He was, essentially, as good as Robinson was for the Admiral's second title, but because Walton did it for the Celtics, that's a bonus, and Robinson was just riding Tim Duncan's coattails. I think he's utterly wrong about a lot of ...

OPEN THREAD: Warriors @ Spurs - 2 Peat
Golden State Of Mind — ... game.  But that's the problem.  They're going to be tired.  Back-to-back games with 8 active players is not a recipe for success.  CJ Watson's flying in, but he's still recovering from the swine flu.  Chris Hunter will probably see some time tonight as he was kept on the bench the whole game yesterday (...why?  I have no idea.)  No matter.  We always take the Spurs in San Antonio, right? Since drafting Tim Duncan with the No. 1 overall pick in 1997, San Antonio has yet to lose ...

Game Thread #13: Warriors @ Spurs
Pounding The Rock — ... State has done(shorthanded, I might add) in their last two contests:  They beat Portland and Dallas.  The boys in silver and black better not take this game lightly. Probable Starters Warriors   Stephen Curry Monta Ellis Anthony Morrow Vladimir Radmanovic Mikki Moore Spurs   Tony Parker Keith Bogans Richard Jefferson Tim Duncan Antonio McDyess Officials Bennett ...

Game Thread #14: Spurs @ Rockets
Pounding The Rock — Yeah, it's almost game time. First road win of the season?  We can dream... Starting Lineups Spurs Tony Parker Keith Bogans Richard Jefferson Tim Duncan Antonio McDyess Rockets Aaron Brooks Trevor Ariza Shane Battier Luis Scola Chuck Hayes Officials Bob Delaney Eric Lewis Mark Lindsay

PtR QuickCap: Spurs Shoot Down Rockets, 92-84
Pounding The Rock — ... As good as they were at chasing us off the 3-point line, there's only so much an undersized frontcourt can be expected to accomplish against the Combo of Tim Duncan and Antonio McDyess.  Along with Tony Parker, Timmy and Dice carried the load on offense tonight.  Honorable mention to Dejuan Blair - The Beast was hampered by foul trouble, but still managed 7 points and 5 rebounds in 10 minutes of play. ...

Briefing: Down Goes Public Enemy No. 3
Bullets Forever — ... to make tough shots. He's emotional, and he's going to be there when you need him." Jamison Leads Wizards Past Heat - Dave Johnson, CSN Washington Midway through the third quarter Jamison reached 17 points by wiggling in position to tip-in a missed jump shot by Young. With the basket the Wizards went up 61-53 and Jamison reached 16,000 career points. Jamison along with Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan, are the only active players with at least 16,000 career points ...

Austin Toros beat Rio Grande Valley Vipers 93-82 in season opener
Pounding The Rock — ... For the Toros, Alonzo Gee was doing his Adrian Dantley impression.  The team would give him the ball in the left block/wing -- think Tim Duncan's position about 12-15 feet from the basket and cleared out the side for him.  They started the fourth going to him and just kept going.  He was 4 of 5 for the quarter.  He hit a fadeaway, he powered into the paint for a pull-up, and lastly hit a step back from about 18 feet.  Those weren't his only touches though.  The Toros were basically running their offense through Gee in the post ...

We Interrupt This Program; A Review of Bill Simmons' The Book Of Basketball
Canis Hoopus — ... if" section (What if Len Bias didn't overdose?; What if Memphis instead of Cleveland landed LeBron?; etc), and the lists of top players and teams in league history.  These are the parts of the book where you can read for 10 minutes, put the book down, and then go argue with a friend about what you just read.  It's a fantastic collection of conversation starters.  Simmons does a good job of giving guys their due credit (Scottie Pippen), overrating a few modern players (Tim Duncan is not the 7th best player in the history of the league and 3 ...

Game Preview #15: Philadelphia 76ers @ San Antonio Spurs
Pounding The Rock — ... Thaddeus Young Unrealized Tim Duncan All-Time Great Power Forward Timmeh is Timmeh, as ...

Game Thread #15: Sixers @ Spurs
Pounding The Rock — ... a nice little roll.  What better time to honor The Admiral than tonight?  Let's keep the good play going, guys! For those who might have forgotten his greatness Feel free to put any special Mr. Robinson memories in the comments.  Go Spurs Go!   Lineups San Antonio Spurs Tony Parker Keith Bogans Richard Jefferson Tim Duncan Antonio McDyess Philadelphia ...

PtR Quick Cap: Spurs Ease Past Sixers
Pounding The Rock — ... 1 - Tim Duncan:  22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks.  8-14 from the field.  6-6 from the line.  The only knock on him tonight would be that he somehow only managed 2 defensive rebounds. ...

A Couple of 5 Game Win Streaks on the Line
CelticsBlog — ... Average Weight: 224 Probable Starters Rajon Rondo/Ray Allen/Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett/Kendrick Perkins Coach: Gregg Popovich Average Age: 28.7 Average Height: 6-7 Average Weight: 224 Probable Starters Tony Parker/Keith Bogans/Richard Jefferson/Tim Duncan/Antonio McDyess Key Matchups ...

Game Preview # 17: Attack of the Moonmen (Nuggets @ Spurs)
Pounding The Rock — ... Carmelo Anthony 31 PPG Tim Duncan As Good As Ever Power Forward Timmeh is playing the ...

Paul Pierce Deserves (Some) MVP Consideration
CelticsBlog — ... a tomahawk dunk by LeBron James both count as two points.   However as great as Paul is, and even though he means so much to one of the top teams in the league, he is nowhere to be found in the MVP discussion. NBA.com's Top 10 MVP candidates as of yesterday: 1) Kobe Bryant...2) Lebron James...3) Dirk Nowitzki...4) Carmelo Anthony...5) Dwight Howard...6) Steve Nash...7) Kevin Durant...8) Dwyane Wade...9) Tim Duncan...10) Brandon Roy ESPN.com's Top 10 MVP ...

Nuggets @ Spurs: The Game Thread
Pounding The Rock — ... He'll deserve the nickname today if he plays half as well as Carmelo's been playing.  Until then, he will only be "RJ". Starting Lineups Nuggets Chauncey Billups Arron Afflalo Carmelo Anthony Kenyon Martin Nene Spurs Tony Parker Keith Bogans Richard Jefferson Tim Duncan Antonio McDyess Referees Ron Garretson Tony Brothers Phil Robinson ...

Game Preview #18: San Antonio Spurs @ Utah Jazz
Pounding The Rock — ... Andrei Kirilenko Found his way Tim Duncan Rock Power Forward We all know what Timmeh ...

Spurs @ Jazz: The Game Thread
Pounding The Rock — ... Here's a little something to get you going for the game: Go Jimi Go!   Starting Lineups Jazz Deron Williams Wesley Matthews Andrei Kirilenko Carlos Boozer Mehmet Okur Spurs Tony Parker Keith Bogans Richard Jefferson Tim Duncan Antonio McDyess Referees Eddie ...

Preview: Kings at Spurs
Sactown Royalty — ... Tim Duncan 16 32.3 7.6 13.8 55.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 4.0 5.2 77.1 3.1 7.7 10.8 3.4 2.0 0.5 2.1 1.9 19.1 ...

Game Thread #19: Sacramento Kings @ San Antonio Spurs
Pounding The Rock — ... of Artis Gilmore 1 Future HOF Power Forward 2 Guards who drive to the basket + 1s 1 Center for rebounds/blocks/putbacks 1 SF for outside jumpers BAKE FOR 82 GAMES Starting Lineups Kings Andres Nocioni Jason Thompson Spencer Hawes Donte Greene Tyreke Evans Spurs Richard Jefferson Tim Duncan Antonio McDyess Keith Bogans Tony ...