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I always notice something rare when people talk about Tim Duncan.

The guy is obviously underrated by the media and the casual fan, but it seems that hardcore fans have him in high regard, perhaps too much (me included).

Just notice what happens everytime a thread is created comparing Duncan with any other player not named Jordan, lots of people seem to always pick Tim. For example, when comparing Duncan and Wilt, people say they would pick Duncan because of his attitude, loyalty and so on. Its a similar phenomena when they compare him to Shaq, Kareem...etc. Although at first you can tell Wilt, Kareem or Shaq are the slightly better basketball players, people always seem to take Duncan when its about starting a franchise.

Why is that? Should Duncan be ranked higher than he currently is (maybe top-5)? Is he the best big-man of all time (not saying this, just asking)?

There is certainly something about Duncan`s style of playing and approach about the game that attracts many hardcore basketball fans, myself included.

the best PF of all-time.....he deserves to be held in high regard

a lot of casual fans never saw him in his prime, all they know and remember is the Duncan from the past few seasons. In his prime there was no way to gameplan against Duncan, he had (still has mentally) basketball down to a science, everything he did was fundamentally sound, no extra, unnecessary movements just straight to the point post moves, and his defense was like watching a clinic, never reached often or rotated late/early etc.

well I think he is more of center, but anyways I think I'd rather have him than almost any center
I think rated as center he is top5, I mean who you can have there;
Shaq, Hakeem, Tim, Kareem
and some 5th guy from likes of Malone/Gilmore/Ewing/Robinson etc

top5 bigmen list would be more tricky but he probably be still there
and if you consider him a PF he probably best at that position

I'm judging only by my subjective measure of player ability.
I'm not counting guys from prehistoric period of NBA though (anyways after watching some games I do think they are subpar to 80s-90s-00s-10s players, my opinion)

Even during my peak frustration with the Suns/Spurs thing, I couldn't find any possible way to dislike Tim Duncan. Beast.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-H416OnHdw[/youtube]

Just watch 1:10-1:23 of this clip ...

ShabazzMuhammad wrote:Just watch 1:10-1:23 of this clip ...

that's why I say there is not a single player on the planet whose game doesn't rely on athleticism..
I don't think I ever heard worse in basketball video and that includes all **** rap songs.

I would go as far as to say tim duncan is the best fundamental basketball player of ALL time.

If they could create an encyclopedia of basketball, tim duncan would write it.

I'm almost positive he will be a coach / teacher when he retires.

All jokes aside tim duncan had the ability to make split second decisions.

He would look at a defenders feet and decide the move he will make based off that.

His run with the spurs is just proof of his ability. He took 2nd rounders and made them superstars.

I would take prime Shaq over prime Timmy

Flame me abd call me a hater all you want, but I think he is a tad bit overrated. Duncan benefited from having a guy like D Rob IMO. I acknowledge him for being probably the best fundamentally sound player in NBA history and being a beast though.

ShabazzMuhammad wrote:[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-H416OnHdw[/youtube]

Just watch 1:10-1:23 of this clip ...

What this video doesn't show (or maybe it does since I only watched the first 4 minutes) is his ability to read offenses and make passes from the post. Passing is usually what seperates good post players from big men who you can build an offense around. Duncan just had an elite package both offensively and defensively.

bigballa3jj wrote:the best PF of all-time.....he deserves to be held in high regard

This. I haven't heard him often compared to Wilt, though it isn't far-fetched. I also haven't heard him called the best big man ever, though IMHO, he is indeed the best power forward ever.

It's not just about his "attitude and loyalty." The guy is a proven winner.

I think Duncan is 6-7 greatest player of all-time.

The thing that people do forget about is that he did win 2 Championships without a star or superstar playing next to him. 1999 and 2003 essentially during his prime.

You can say Shaq probably had more of an influence, and was obviously more dominate. But he had the opportunity to win championships with all-time greats wing players like Kobe and Wade. Tim Duncan proved it in the 2003 playoff that he didn't need a legitimate wing or 2nd option to win a championship. He pretty much did everything for the team and more for the Spurs to be successful. it was amazing to see one player dominate like that. Especially against the 3 peat Lakers in that game 6 clincher in the semi finals. He truly showed how great he was.

I think honestly believe he should be hailed as the best player during this era. He's 100% in winning in the finals, and has 2 league MVP's along with 3 finals MVP's. Along with countless amount of other accomplishments.

Tim gets a lot of love in "who would you start a franchise with" threads because he will (very probably) retire having only played with one team with no major scandals or bad teammate stories for a small market team. Now, the Spurs are not your typical small market team because during Duncan's run they were one of the best run franchises ever, but still, that's very attractive to a lot of people. He also carried a weak (relatively) team to a championship in 2003 when he just went crazy all over the league.

In terms of peak, he's not better than Shaq or Wilt, but you see him being chosen over them because he comes damn close and without any of the drama.

Sinant wrote:Tim gets a lot of love in "who would you start a franchise with" threads because he will (very probably) retire having only played with one team with no major scandals or bad teammate stories for a small market team. Now, the Spurs are not your typical small market team because during Duncan's run they were one of the best run franchises ever, but still, that's very attractive to a lot of people. He also carried a weak (relatively) team to a championship in 2003 when he just went crazy all over the league.

In terms of peak, he's not better than Shaq or Wilt, but you see him being chosen over them because he comes damn close and without any of the drama.

Very well-put.

like everyone says, greatest PF of all time. two mvps, 4 rings, took a small market team like SA to heights, humble, no scandals (hell even Dirk had that one scandal with that crazy girl), winner. yeah he def deserves more credit than what people gives him. I got him at number 7 for GOAT,
the untouchable 6:
1. michael
2. kareem
3. russell
4. wilt
5. magic
6. larry

then
7. duncan
8. kobe
9. shaq
10. hakeem

Duncan is overrated because he is safe. Safe in the sense that he is a big, defensively great, and not polarizing. People aren't afraid to say good things about him because most people aren't going to care or be able to point out specific arguments against them. He deserves nearly all the good praise that he gets I just don't think he deserves his place as the go-to tool people use to cut down other great more popular players of his generation. A lot of people here think they are better than others because they value two way bigs more than most casual fans tend to do. Two way bigs are to the NBA what old movies are to the film snob.

Here is a complete compilation of Tim Duncan at his peak form (2003 NBA Finals). You got everything: passes, blocks, dunks, fade-aways...etc). Worth watching.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC8NapbDkes[/youtube]

ShabazzMuhammad wrote:[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-H416OnHdw[/youtube]

Just watch 1:10-1:23 of this clip ...

is that jonas valanciunas?