The older generation of players are leaving us. They don't play the game like they used to anymore. Kobe, Duncan, Garnett, Dirk, I can't believe they're all gonna be gone from the game soon. I'm losing interest in this generation of star players who care nothing about defense and like to team up with each other like cowards.
I think this is the right decision for Duncan. He's done it all and his body has clearly broken down at the end of last season. I hate when aging star players drag it out at the end of their careers when they are clearly finished. I'm talking about you KG.
I would say there is an argument once you include all other factors. Otherwise, I think Shaq peaked higher than Duncan for sure. Lebron too. I think Shaq's peak matches Jordan honestly. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Career plus-minus including playoffs since 1996:<br><br>Tim Duncan +10,000<br>Dirk Nowitzki +6,725<br>LeBron James +6,658<br><br>Yes, exactly 10,000.</p>— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) <a href="https://twitter.com/tomhaberstroh/status/752545823553048576">July 11, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Combine the career +/- of Ray Allen (+3,551), Dwyane Wade (+2,941), and KD (+1,964), it would still fall short of Duncan's ... by about 500.</p>— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) <a href="https://twitter.com/tomhaberstroh/status/752544609591373825">July 11, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
KG should hang it up so the Hall of Fame Class in 5 years would be an all-timer: KG, Duncan, and Kobe
The ultimate all steak, no sizzle player. He just made the Spurs better, even in the end when his offensive game has greatly deteriorated. His on/off numbers were top 10, and usually top 5 every freaking season. He was the ultimate in doing everything right without having a flashy stat to show it, the anti-Terrance Jones if you will.
i'm gonna miss his battles with phoenix most. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/trdsKp94Io0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Overrated. He played on good teams and he was the anchor, but the hype around him is too much. Great player? Yes. Top ten? That's a big ****ing stretch. People seem to forget players like the Big O or Jerry West when they say stuff like that. I think at least one of his teams was in the top ten teams of all time, but he is not. The respect should be pointed at his coach and his organization.
Loved Timmy's demeanor. Not a lot of guys truly care about winning and winning only, not even Kobe. Gotta respect that.
Not necessarily overrated. You have to overrate fundamentals because very few people really give it credit in the public. It is all flash, highlight plays in the media.
It could be argued the other way. His coach and his organization are overrated because of him. Anyway, I think the winning culture in the Spurs organization is the perfect marriage of Pop, Duncan, and their management. In addition, I actually think that David Robinson is very underrated in terms of his contribution in creating the Spurs unselfish team-first culture.
If you can absolutely distinguish where system ends and Duncan begins then maybe you have a point. Until that system spends one season without him, and even then, so much of HIS tree still plays for that team, this is just pure guesswork that he's propped up by the system rather than being the system.
