What makes Hakeem Olajuwon better than Tim Duncan? the simple fact that when Dream gets the ball in the post he is able to spin to his right for a layup or turn to the baseline to shoot that famous fadeaway jumper. Does Tim Duncan ever go to his right. I have rarely seen it. His FG % percentage is so bad because he goes to his left every time and tries to shoot that little jumpshot over Shaq, and it never goes in. I have watched all three games very closely and there have been many opportunities where duncan could have spun to his right and gotten off either a layup or a baseline jumper. Duncan better work on that this summer or the Spurs are going nowhere, hell Duncan is going to Orlando after next season anyway. And David Robinson has no business being on the floor. He is the "Kevin Willis" of the Spurs. Remember when Willis brought down the Rockets chances to beat the Jazz in 97 and 98, well Robinson is doing the same thing in 2001, and now 2002.
Before I even begin to talk basketball, let's clear the myths: Duncan better work on that this summer or the Spurs are going nowhere, hell Duncan is going to Orlando after next season anyway. You may wish this to be the case, but realistically, it's not going to happen. Tim Duncan is Spurs basketball. The city loves him. His teammates love him. The chemistry there is fabulous, and like Chris Webber and the Kings last summer, the Spurs can pay Duncan significantly more than any other team. Furthermore, with Robinson retiring that offseason, the Spurs will be free to sign AT LEAST one max free agent in one of the deepest FA crops in history. Jason Kidd, Antonio McDyess, Jermaine O'Neal, Shawn Marion, etc. are all free agents. As much as some dislike the city, free agents will be beating down the door to play in SA for the maximum next to Tim Duncan. Anyway, Duncan really likes that jump hook toward the lane (going right), but it's hard to do against Shaq. Shaq has a pretty big size advantage, so Tim has to do more turnarounds to both create separation and use his quickness. The other thing is that against the Lakers, LA often has a man near the middle of the lane (should be called def 3 seconds) that sometimes won't allow Duncan to make that spin. If the Spurs (especially Parker and Smith) could make their outside shots for a change, you might see Duncan have more room to operate down low. Also, you're being really hard on David after one game. He's been out for two to three weeks, and is really showing a lot of heart by playing with what most consider a pretty significant injury. His timing was off tonight, especially on the jumpers in the fourth quarter, but the Spurs probably weren't going to win the game anyway. The Spurs need his defensive presence and his height on offense if they are going to win this series. Game 4 is now a must for the Spurs, but if Robinson continues to play, I think they'll find a way to win. The Lakers had almost no mistakes tonight, Kobe made some unreal fourth quarter shots, and the Spurs were still in this game until about two minutes to go. If Duncan could've just gotten a couple more easy looks to fall in, the Spurs would've been in it until the final seconds. After game 1, I was upset with Tim for making some poor decisions and a poor shot selection down the stretch... this time, I'm actually not. He had his shots today, and they just continually rolled in and out. It's unfortunate, but you have to think he'll rise to the challenge Sunday.
The Cat, you're right about Tim Duncan probably staying put. I don't know where these rumors came from that Tim Duncan does not want to stay. Living in San Antonio, I hear plenty about the Spurs. There have been some rumors, but Tim Duncan leaving is not one. He seems very happy to be in San Antonio, and is excited about the future. The fans support him all the way.
Yes, Cat, and I am gonna continue being hard on him until he produces something on the offensive end when it counts. Robinson airballed a wide-open jumper and missed two Ft's late in the 4th quarter. How are you gonna defend that? If he is that rusty, then he should be on the BENCH! Or, Popovich should stress to David NOT TO SHOOT THE BALL. Height on offense? Why does that matter since all he does is brick 15 footers and blow layups Defensive presence? Uh, that is overrated. Last time I checked the Spurs lone win against the Lakers in the last two years in the playoffs came without David Robinson. Yet you think he is not a liability. If I were a Laker fan, I would want Robinson to play because I know he would give the Lakers the game in the end.
Me, being a Spurs hater, was very happy to see Robinson logging the minutes in the 4th quarter. Rose has been playing really well in the playoffs, and I believe that him being on the bench definitely helped out the Lakers...
Gotta agree with Pued. Duncan's FG % is not low; 50% during the regular season is amongst the best in the NBA. He's the best player in the NBA, accounting for a healthy Shaq, and the Spurs just don't have the weapons rght now to do much. Whether Duncan leaves after next year remains to be seen. The rumors, obviously, wouldn't start until next year anyway.
Duncan's having trouble passing out of the Lakers zone that swarms him every time he touches the ball.
Duncan is shooting 38% in this series. No one to blame but himself, save the lame excuses. Dominating Seattle's lame frontcourt is one thing, but against LA is the true barometer and he's just not getting it done to this point. I think the world of Duncan as a player but 38% is 38%. "Tim Duncan is Spurs basketball. The city loves him. His teammates love him. The chemistry there is fabulous" -Wow, all that love from Duncan and he went and signed a 3 yr deal instead of a 7 yr one. Go figure.
The Lakers have, arguably, the best player in the game in Shaq. Plus, Duncan has put up the numbers in every other category, and the series has been very close...even while LA has had many more weapons for the entire series. A couple of plays here and there and this series could be 3-0 either way. Smart move on his part at that time; he'll be eligible to get MORE money after the 3 year deal is up because he will have greater tenure in the NBA, just over the level where the starting salary. Plus, the CBA is coming up again soon and at the time, there were questions over whether there would be an entirely new salary structure in place when it did expire. Not to mention that it allows him to explore the free agent market, should he so choose. At the time, the Spurs future after 3 or so years looked bleak; it looks better now, but there is no guarantee he'll stay. What next, are we going to get on him for his wife? Sheesh.
Actually it was a 4 year deal with a player option after the 3rd year. That option coincides with when the current CBA is set to expire. If the terms of the CBA stay the say, then Duncan is eligible for a new deal at a higher max level after that 4th season as he will have had 7 years of NBA experience. The Cat is right about the Spurs strategy. Currently they only have Duncan and Parker under contract for 2003-04 at a total of ~$14.5 million combined. That will give them roughly $30 million in cap space to use to build a supporting cast around Duncan and Parker. Some of that cap space will be used to retain Rose and Bowen this summer. Given that a max contract for a player with less than 7 years of NBA experience currently starts at 25% of the cap ($11.25 million assuming there is a $45 million cap in 2003-04), the Spurs will have about $18.75 million in cap space to use on other players (including Rose and Bowen) besides a max free agent. They will likely be bringing in Emanuel Ginobili this summer. He was a late second round pick in 1999. Supposedly this guy is the real deal according to a number of scouts and would be a lotto pick in this year's draft. They have guys like Daniels, Charles Smith, and Stephen Jackson to work with in filling out a bench. And they have their 4 picks in the next 2 drafts along with an additional second rounder in this year's draft. The front office has done fairly well in recent drafts, with Parker being the standout. Duncan has mentioned more than once recently that he is looking to recruit a max free agent to join SA in 2003-04. Most likely the Spurs' top targets among free agents in 2003 will be a young bigman. Brand, JO'Neal, and McDyess are currently slated to be free agents then. I seriously doubt that the Clippers will sign Brand to a max contract. My guess is that they trade him before the trade deadline next year for...yet more lottery picks. The current consensus seems to be that Jermaine O'Neal will stay in Indiana in 2003. Could be, but I don't think he's a lock. I think he would end up in Miami or Orlando. McDyess seems like the one player who is most likely to be available in 2003. If a bigman is not available, most likely SA will then pursue the best available player and work on filling out the lineup. Shawn Marion is slated to be a free agent in 2003 and there have been reports that the Suns are balking at giving him the max then. Personally, I feel that if Duncan was ever going to leave SA he would have done so in 2000. Duncan seems to be a fairly loyal individual. He gets along well with Pop and his wife has been clear about her preference for SA. Sure, nothing's for certain, but I wouldn't count on Duncan leaving SA.
He probably should've been on the bench, but that's on Pop, not David. Anyone who watches Spurs basketball knows that Robinson will say he's fine and try to play in practically any situation. It's Pop's job to recognize that while he needs "adjustment" time, it shouldn't come down the stretch in the fourth quarter... that one is on Pop, not David. As for his height, go back and look at that pick and roll early in the fourth with Duncan and Dave. David set the pick, went straight to the basket, and caught the lob from Timmy, slamming it in. It was one of those plays where his size was a huge factor, and as much as I love Malik Rose, he couldn't have pulled off a play like that. Sure, David missed his jumpers on his first game back, but I wouldn't count on it continuing. David's not a liability, either. Last I checked, he was on the 99 team that swept the Lakers. The only difference between game 2 of this series and game 3 were the shots that rolled in for TD in game 2 rolled out in game 3. There's the difference. You just have to hope that Duncan's shots fall in game 4.
I agree with that. David's not a liability, either. Last I checked, he was on the 99 team that swept the Lakers. [/QUOTE] I knew you would eventually bring up that series for your defense. Bringing up that series does not help your argument that Robinson is not a liability. That was FOUR years ago. Robinson still had game then. But most importantly, the Lakers were a totally different team with different role players like JR Reid, Derek Harper, and Sean Rooks and a young selfish Kobe Bryant. Robinson's game has deteriorated even more since then, and the fact remains that DRob is a liability. He is clueless on the floor. He is soft. He is slow. He gets stripped all the time. In fact David Robinson had a chance to use his supposed height advantage in Game 3. One one play late in Game 3 with the Spurs trailing 88-82, Robinson rebounded a Duncan miss and brought it down, when he could have easily pulled off a follow tip dunk. He went back up and got fouled, then he missed the two FT's. Yet, you still think he is not a liability. When are you going to realize that I'm right? I guess you will realize it after the Lakers wrap up the series next Tuesday in LA.
So you're willing to threow out an entire season of performance for one series? Who knows that Duncan isn't right, especially after his dad died at the end of last series? He took this team to an NBA title just a few years ago. He's no choker.
DRob a "liability"? No, I don't think he's a star anymore, but man, the hatred on this board for anything Spurs related has reached a certain level of lunacy.
I don't hate David Robinson at all or do I hate the Spurs. I'm just talking about his game, or lack there of, at this time of the year. I guess I feel the Spurs would be better off if D-Rob was not an offensive option late in the game. You could say I'm looking out for the Spurs. (although I dont really care about the team compared to the Rockets) You think this board hates the Spurs really bad? There is another team in the Midwest division that plays in Salt Lake City. Now that is hate my friend. The Spur treatment around here is like a minor dislike of something.
