What is Tim Duncan"s Legacy?
Tim Duncan came into the NBA as an unworldly talented rookie big man.
Duncan came equipped with left hooks, right hooks, a bank shot, sweeping floaters across the lane, Hakeem Olajuwon like footwork, defense, and a strong hint of athleticism.
His skills immediately transcended the San Antonio Spurs into legitimate contenders for the championship.
The Spurs went from contenders to champions in just Duncan's second season and it looked as if Duncan may have been poised to take over the NBA for the next 8 years.
Number 21 seemingly had no weaknesses.
With the best post game the NBA had ever seen and a quietly fierce presence that overcame every opponent he faced in just his second season, Duncan could not be stopped 1-on-1, that is until the next year's playoffs when the Spurs were annihilated by the Los Angeles Lakers.
The one player that gave Duncan fits was Lakers behemoth Shaquille O'Neal.
O'Neals size and athleticism destroyed Duncan whenever the Lakers would switch O'Neal over to guard him.
That is until the Spurs second championship in 2003 when the Spurs and Duncan took the Lakers to task.
After the 2003 championship, Duncan's game began a fast transition into a less athletic, less diverse repertoire.
Although the Spurs were still successful, Duncan's game was never the same.
In the 2005 championship, Manu Ginobili took over as the Spurs best offensive option while Duncan struggled to put up points against Rasheed and Ben Wallace.
The 2007 championship against the helpless Cavs was Tony Parker's turn to shine and this fact is highlighted by the fact it was the first time the Spurs big man didn't win finals MVP.
From 2007 to the present, Duncan has continually morphed into a facilitator of the Spurs offense but his value has diminished greatly from his prime as teams have now started daring Duncan to score 1-on-1 rather than sending double teams at him.
Duncan's tumble started after he was injured completing a spectacular left handed dunk over Scott Pollard.
With his first major injury in his career, Duncan went into a different form of play.
He played tentatively and went to a game where he avoided jumping at all costs.
With less athletic prowess, Duncan tried drawing more fouls relying constantly on his once clever bringing his shot through his defenders arms.
At the same time, Duncan ditched his arsenal of post moves.
He no longer had rhythm and completely abandoned his left handed shots.
Unfortunately, many fans will only remember Duncan's latter career and not when he was dominant.
Hopefully his hall of fame induction and legacy highlights will focus when he was in his beginning years.
Duncan came equipped with left hooks, right hooks, a bank shot, sweeping floaters across the lane, Hakeem Olajuwon like footwork, defense, and a strong hint of athleticism.
His skills immediately transcended the San Antonio Spurs into legitimate contenders for the championship.
The Spurs went from contenders to champions in just Duncan's second season and it looked as if Duncan may have been poised to take over the NBA for the next 8 years.
Number 21 seemingly had no weaknesses.
With the best post game the NBA had ever seen and a quietly fierce presence that overcame every opponent he faced in just his second season, Duncan could not be stopped 1-on-1, that is until the next year's playoffs when the Spurs were annihilated by the Los Angeles Lakers.
The one player that gave Duncan fits was Lakers behemoth Shaquille O'Neal.
O'Neals size and athleticism destroyed Duncan whenever the Lakers would switch O'Neal over to guard him.
That is until the Spurs second championship in 2003 when the Spurs and Duncan took the Lakers to task.
After the 2003 championship, Duncan's game began a fast transition into a less athletic, less diverse repertoire.
Although the Spurs were still successful, Duncan's game was never the same.
In the 2005 championship, Manu Ginobili took over as the Spurs best offensive option while Duncan struggled to put up points against Rasheed and Ben Wallace.
The 2007 championship against the helpless Cavs was Tony Parker's turn to shine and this fact is highlighted by the fact it was the first time the Spurs big man didn't win finals MVP.
From 2007 to the present, Duncan has continually morphed into a facilitator of the Spurs offense but his value has diminished greatly from his prime as teams have now started daring Duncan to score 1-on-1 rather than sending double teams at him.
Duncan's tumble started after he was injured completing a spectacular left handed dunk over Scott Pollard.
With his first major injury in his career, Duncan went into a different form of play.
He played tentatively and went to a game where he avoided jumping at all costs.
With less athletic prowess, Duncan tried drawing more fouls relying constantly on his once clever bringing his shot through his defenders arms.
At the same time, Duncan ditched his arsenal of post moves.
He no longer had rhythm and completely abandoned his left handed shots.
Unfortunately, many fans will only remember Duncan's latter career and not when he was dominant.
Hopefully his hall of fame induction and legacy highlights will focus when he was in his beginning years.
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