Is Duncan in Decline?

mikem1 · Post #1 » by **mikem1** » Thu Sep 16, 2010 7:59 pm

I know he's a step slow and can't finish like he used to, but is Duncan really in decline? I found this article that discusses Duncan's career trajectory, and it's pretty interesting. At least, statistically, he's still got it .... maybe not as dominant, but he's still got it.

http://3gotgame.com/kshiz/archives/1059

TAI8 · Post #2 » by **TAI8** » Thu Sep 16, 2010 11:04 pm

He's still really really good. He's just getting older so he's saving his body for as long as possible. Who gives a **** about stats? Stats are meaningless if your best guy goes down because he wanted to put up shiny numbers.

Donald Kaufman · Post #3 » by **Donald Kaufman** » Thu Sep 16, 2010 11:04 pm

He's 34 years old. He ages like the rest of humanity. Of course he's never going to replicate his MVP seasons anytime soon.

So by definition, and because he's a human like everyone else, he is in decline.

The biggest dropoff IMO is his defense. It's noticeably less effective than it was even two years ago. His offense is basically as good as it ever was.

DWadeno3 · Post #4 » by **DWadeno3** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 4:53 pm

At age 34, he's still amongst the elite of the NBA and that tells you a lot about his greatness. Is he still the player he used to be? No of course not. Does he still get a ton of respect anytime we face you guys? Oh yeah. Everybody knew he'd age well due to his great fundamentals and his high basketball iq but to be honest with you, he's doing it better than I expected him to. I barely know a big I'd rather have on my team now due to Duncan's efficiency on both ends of the court, yes even on defense.

Just look at the other high picks and star players from his draft. The no.2 pick, Keith van Horn, isn't even active anymore. T-Mac has fallen off dramatically due to injuries and he's younger than Duncan. In fact the only guy from his class who still play on a high level considering their abilities are Billups, Stephen Jackson and Anthony Parker.

With that being said, if you guys can stay healthy this season (especially Parker and Ginobili) another finals appearance is more than realistic and even a Tim Duncan on the decline will still be able to make a difference.

BFrizzy · Post #5 » by **BFrizzy** » Sat Sep 18, 2010 3:58 am

+1 Dwade. Everything will have to go right for the Spurs this year to make the finals but it's definitely possible, especially if TP has the year I think he is going to