Check out his per-minute stats. He's improved on every category over his career averages other than FTA. His PER is currently at a career high. It looks like the reduced minutes are helping him. Code: [SIZE=1][B]Season Age G MPG FGA FG% FTA FT% ORB TRB AST BLK TOV PF PTS[/B] 1997-98 21 82 39.1 14.5 0.549 5.4 0.662 3.1 11 2.5 2.3 3.1 2.9 19.4 1998-99 22 50 39.3 15.5 0.495 6.6 0.69 2.9 10.5 2.2 2.3 2.7 2.7 19.9 1999-00 23 74 38.9 16 0.49 7.6 0.761 3.3 11.5 2.9 2.1 3 2.6 21.5 2000-01 24 82 38.7 15.9 0.499 7.5 0.618 2.9 11.3 2.8 2.2 2.7 2.8 20.6 2001-02 25 82 40.6 16.3 0.508 7.6 0.799 2.9 11.3 3.3 2.2 2.8 2.3 22.6 2002-03 26 81 39.3 15.8 0.513 7.2 0.71 2.9 11.8 3.6 2.7 2.8 2.6 21.3 2003-04 27 69 36.6 16.8 0.501 8.4 0.599 3.2 12.2 3 2.6 2.6 2.3 21.9 2004-05 28 66 33.4 17 0.496 7.4 0.67 3.3 12 2.9 2.8 2.1 2.4 21.9 2005-06 29 80 34.8 15.3 0.484 6.9 0.629 3 11.4 3.3 2.1 2.6 2.8 19.2 2006-07 30 80 34.1 14.9 0.546 7.5 0.637 2.8 11.2 3.6 2.5 3 2.7 21.1 2007-08 31 78 34.0 16 0.497 6.3 0.73 3.2 12 3 2.1 2.4 2.5 20.5 2008-09 32 75 33.6 15.8 0.504 6.9 0.692 2.9 11.4 3.8 1.8 2.4 2.5 20.7 2009-10 33 22 32.1 16.6 0.548 5.7 0.759 3.7 12.1 3.7 2.4 2.2 2.2 22.5 Career 921 36.7 15.8 0.508 7.1 0.686 3 11.5 3.1 2.3 2.7 2.6 20.9[/SIZE]
He's still the best big man in the league if you ask me...Howard over Duncan? Not even freakin' close. I hope their are no homers here that believe Yao over Duncan either, because that's also false, but I would say Yao has a better case over Duncan then Dwight does, when he is healthy of course. Duncan is just a coach's dream player. Greatest Power Forward to ever play the game.
Duncan over Yao is easy of course. Right now I would even still take Duncan over Dwight for this season or next. But all time though? I raise you Hakeem over Duncan. Easy.
Hakeem was a center. Duncan is a center/power forward. As a center,Duncan is not in Hakeem's league. As a power forward, Duncan is the best of all time IMO.
That's the weakest argument ever. Tim Duncan's style has always been that of a center. Plenty of times, even when D.Robinson was still around he played the 5 and covered other teams centers. You could have Yao start at the 1 every game, that doesn't mean he plays a guard's game. Duncan is a center through and through, he ain't no 4.
Ok..It's not like I disagreed with you. Duncan over Yao, but It's not as easy as Duncan over Dwight. Hakeem is better than Duncan, Yes I know this too.
Yeah, Duncan is still probably for all intent and purposes is the best big man in the league, as a total package. And, most likely the greatest power forward (forward/center) ever. #1 - He's consistent. #2 - He's a very smart and skilled player, I'd like to say a taller, more skilled version of Shane Battier. #3 - He's at his best when he has to be, like what some argued in Duncan vs. Malone thread from a few years ago. TD numbers go up in the playoffs, while Malone's went down. That says alot about a player vs another one at similar position. Yes, he's a power forward that's what his position is listed as on official record sights, like Yahoo Sports, NBA.com, Basketball Reference, and etc. He does play at center often, but it is fair to say that he is a power forward player, since he most often will guard the other teams' power forward.
The truth is that outside of Jabar, Russell, and maybe a few others, he's by far the most accomplished big man ever. Sure Hakeem was probably a better overall p;layer, but you can't take away Duncan's accomplishments. Outside of Lebron, I can't remember another player that came in with an incredible amount of hype, a sure fire no. 1 pick, completely lived up to it. And what was said about him being a power forward is not the weakest argument ever, it is a fact that he has always played power forward.
Except for the fact that Duncan has played at the PF position his entire career, and he protested the one time the All Star ballot listed him as a center. Arguing that he is really a C is pretty silly considering that Duncan sees himself as a PF. With his resume, I believe he has a right to determine what position he sees himself at
Fine, for the sake of non-argument, he's the best center who has ever consistently played power-forward. Since it's debatable by your estimation, that means that you've come to accept that he was a power forward at times. Both sides have no remaining grief, and Duncan gets his due. What a wonderful board it is.
You sure about that? http://www.82games.com/0910/09SAS13.HTM#bypos http://www.82games.com/0809/08SAS17.HTM#bypos http://www.82games.com/0708/07SAS20C.HTM http://www.82games.com/0607/06SAS13C.HTM ...
If a dog thinks it's a cat, does that mean it's a cat? Before Duncan came along, the best PFs were probably Malone and Barkley. Now, do you think that Duncan's game is more similar to Malone/Barkley or Patrick Ewing?
LOL you must be one amazing person, able to discern what a power forward should or should not do. How dare Duncan call himself a PF while the great wekko368 has already determined his true position?!? While you're at it why don't you call Bosh and Dirk and tell them to switch to the SF position, and tell LBJ he will be known as the greatest PG of all time By its very definition, the "power forward" is someone who plays at the power forward slot. That's why you call him a power forward. Defining PFs and Cs by function is pretty silly because Pfs and Cs have a very diverse games nowadays. At the center position you have the traditional C's (Yao ming, Shaq), you have guys who would probably have been pfs in the old days (Dwight Howard, Tyson Chandler, Andris Biedrins), and you have perimeter oriented players (Bargnani, Okur). Same thing with PFs. Its not 1980s anymore when the big guys have defined roles. For every C that plays like Duncan, there's a C which doesn't If he says he's a PF, then that's that, esp. when he's played PF 90%+ of his career. If he was Center then he would have played at the 5. P.S. Your example is a "fail". Duncan is a dog whom you're insisting is a cat because he acts like a cat. Just because he acts like a C doesn't make him a C, in the same way that acting like a woman doesn't make gays women.
lol perfect post... anyway, like u said Cs and PFs nowadays have really changed their roles compared to the 80s/early nineties... TD is no doubt the best power forward to every play the game. IMO a prime TD could stand his ground against some of the all time great centers too. No doubt Hakeem is much more physically gifted and all round player, but TD's fundamentals along with his sound post moves could really pose problems for Hakeem too. So i really can't say that Hakeem is definitely better than TD.
I belive duncan and hakeem are really close when it comes to skill level of course duncan is recognized as the best foward foward of all time while hakeem should be recognized as the best center of all time unfortunily he was in the jordan era while duncan came at the end of the jordan era duncan gets the slight edge because of championships but skills could be arguable and maybe duncan has always had the better supporting cast during the championship runs then the rockets championship runs but that could be arguable also
