Don't look know but Duncan is top 5 in PER. By the time most other big men like Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson were done TD is going strong. It is kind of remarkable. He doesn't rely on his athleticism as much as other players so it is conceivable he could do well into his late late 30, but it is still rare for a big man.
yup really quite amazing on how effective he still is.. Hakeem took a huge dive of a cliff in his later years
Tim Duncan is 36. At age 36, Hakeem averaged 18.9 ppg, 9.6 rebs, 2.5 blocked shots and 1.6 steals per game. His PER was 23.1, but he only played in 50 games. But Duncan only played in 58 games last year. The big dropoff for Hakeem was at age 37. But even when Hakeem was 38, he still put up a PER of 20.7, but in much reduced minutes.
Strike year, that was a full season. He played 35+ minutes per game too. Playing with Barkley probably hurt his rebounding numbers in those later years, but he was definitely still a force.
I guess he did have a few good years after that. I just remember the year after they went to WCF he and rest of the team was breaking down. They were 41-41, but if CB4 was healthy they would have beat the Jazz I think.
and that 20.7 is one of only 9 seasons with a 20+ PER for someone 38 or older in nba history. much to seemingly even rockets' fans shock, hakeem did not fall off as quickly as most would have you think. based on his years at 36 and 38, and the fact he only played 44 games at 37 (and only started 28), it seems reasonable to conclude that the steepness of the decline at 37 was largely the result of injuries. his year at 38 paints a much more reasonable picture of his late career decline.
Pop knows how to manage him. Last year, Tim had significant breaks, playing every other game. The Spurs also have a great system that feeds off him when he's there but doesn't really need him to win. The Spurs just prove that a great coach matters more than a star. I still believe that, no matter how much is made to the contrary.
OFT. And the dropoff at 37 was primarily due to injuries. He was solid the next season in limited minutes and had some resurgent performances in March/April. Kept Kelvin Cato from seeing significant time on the floor, which was also a plus. There were plenty of threads on here with Rox fans clamoring to re-sign him for production reasons.
I absolutely agree. Head coaching, in any major sport, is the hardest position to find a good match. Unfortunately they also take the heat for any failures of the team (obviously the on court ones) as well as poor personnel decisions by GMs. The public pressure can become suffocating and the best bet to escape it is to fire the coach, since it's not as easy to trade players who often times the fans love. Pop is the best coach in the NBA currently. The Spurs have been relevant for ever, even making it to the freaking WCF last season. Who the heck saw that coming? Coaching is a patient investment most of the time, though, as it takes time for a coach to really implement their system and get their players to buy into it and have it show results. If you guys haven't read 7 Seconds or Less yet, it's a definite must read if you're into behind-the-scenes stuff in the NBA.
Transplant a young Hakeem in today's NBA and surround him with a comparable roster that Duncan enjoyed throughout his career including a HoF center, would love to see how many rings, wins share, statistical dominance etc he would have achieved. There's a great reason why MJ selected Dream in his starting five.
22 points 21 rebounds 6 blocks in 33 minutes. If you extract that to 48 minutes that is close to a 30-30-10 game.
No doubt he has declined. But he is still a big reason why the Spurs are still so good. Mr. Fundamental is a very smart player. He knows how to be effective even after he has lost some of his physical abilities. And he doesn't have the ego to insist on being the alpha dog. That's pretty rare among over-the-hill superstars.
You're an idiot. Hakeem had a 23.1 PER at equal age to Duncan http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/1999.html I am completely disgusted by your lack of respect to Hakeem at age 36. He beats Duncan's numbers this year, and you describe Hakeem like he was an aging icon who was only playing to make the fans feel all warm and fuzzy. THIS THREAD SUCKS SO BAD Where is tinman when I need him.
I just remember most big men drop off hard. I didn't mean to make a hakeem v duncan thread. Hakeem was good a lot longer than I remember. Don't need to call me an Idiot.
Duncan is the best power forward of all time, one of the most fundamentally sound players we will ever see, and a really down-to-earth and humble guy. If I ever have children blessed with the height of NBA player, I'm making him watch Duncan.
