The Don of San Antonio: Tim Duncan as One of the Ten Greatest NBA Players of All Time

Matt Hoover

For those who don’t know, the Alamo isn’t really a super historically interesting location. Sure, there are some interesting tales associated with the old missionary that rose to prominence due to the battle it found itself engulfed in during the Texas Revolution, but the battle’s historical importance is exaggerated by crazy Texas “MURCA!!” people. My advice to the countless millions who think that the Alamo is the most historically important thing in San Antonio is this: Forget the Alamo; Remember Tim Duncan!

Tim Duncan has replaced this old building as the best
thing about San Antonio. The fact that a building was at
one point the best thing about San Antonio speaks volumes
to how miserable the city must be.

Duncan has, beyond any reasonable doubt, sealed his legacy as one of the greatest players in NBA history at this point in time. With almost 23000 career points, 13000 career rebounds, and 4 NBA Titles, Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal were clearly the two best bug men in the game from the late 1990s to the late 2000s (more on Shaq later). The scary thing about Duncan, though, is that he is currently in a position to add to his already rock solid resume. The Spurs remain one of the premier teams in the NBA, and Duncan, now 36 years old, has only declined mildly in terms of production at this point in his career. Through 15 games in the 2012-2013 season (Duncan’s 16^th), Duncan is averaging more than 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. The Spurs were in serious contention for another championship last year and will more than likely make another deep playoff run again this year. If Duncan can win another title before he retires (I imagine that he still has at least two full seasons in him beyond this year), than his Spurs’ dynasty has to be viewed with the same reverence that NBA fans view any of the other great dynasties of the NBA’s past (save Bill Russell’s Celtics dynasty of the 50s and 60s which is in a class of its own). It is also conceivable (though unlikely) that Duncan finishes his career in both the top 10 in points and rebounds in NBA history. No matter what his final years being, however, Tim Duncan’s legacy is one of greatness.

Before we go any further, let’s talk about greatness. It’s a word that’s thrown around a lot in discussions about sports (among other things) rather loosely. In my opinion, the criteria for greatness changes from sport to sport. In the NBA moreso than in any other major professional sports league in the United States, greatness is tied to championships. In baseball, one need not win championships to be considered great. If I said that Ted Williams, who never won a championship, was one of the three greatest position players of all time, you would not think that I’m crazy even if you disagree with me. In football, Dan Marino has proven that one needs not win a Super Bowl to be remembered as one of the all time greats. The NBA is different, though. If I said that Karl Malone, probably the best player (statistically) never to win a championship, was a greater player than Larry Bird because he scored way more points and collected way more rebounds, you would think I’m a crazy person. Maybe Malone was more talented than Bird, but I could never accept the assertion that Malone was greater than Bird. So, for our purposes, greatness in the NBA is defined by both championships and statistical performance. By these criteria, I will argue that Tim Duncan is one of the ten greatest NBA players of all time.

So where to begin? Let’s begin by acknowledging that by no stretch of the imagination is Duncan at the top of our list of great NBA players. In fact, there are eight players that Duncan is inferior to. The “Great Eight,” as I will refer to them, are (in alphabetical order) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, and Bill Russell. Ranking these eight is a daunting task that I will save for another time, but at least for the time being, Duncan does not belong in the company of the Great Eight. That means that there are two slots left in which Duncan could be placed on the list of the ten greatest NBA players of all time.

The way I saw things after a few hours of digging around on the internet, there is a group of seven players including Duncan who are vying for the final two spots. The seven players who make up “Tier 2” are all great, great players. I don’t mean to diminish the legacy of any one of them in this post, but for the sake of our list, we need to decide who the two we want to choose to close our top ten are. The seven players are (in alphabetical order) Bob Cousy, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Moses Malone, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Jerry West. (Apologies to Scottie Pippen, Julius Erving, and the aforementioned Karl Malone and other greats to never win championships, but I have my reasons for y’all not being Tier 2 players.) I will now go through Tier 2 player by player and explain why I believe Duncan is better than all but one of his Tier 2 peers.

Before I do that, though, this seems as good a time as any to apologize for how long this post is. Sorry. It’s also pretty counterproductive for me to be adding this little paragraph apologizing for how much you have to read, so I’ll just go ahead and stop now.

First up, LeBron. It’s very conceivable that by the end of his career, LeBron will have cemented a legacy greater than Duncan’s, perhaps even greater than some of the Great Eight’s, but for now, LeBron’s one championship in nine seasons pales in comparison to Duncan’s four in fifteen seasons. Perhaps one day, LeBron, but not today. Duncan wins this matchup.

Next, Jerry West. A similar story to LeBron’s. West was a more prolific scorer than Duncan, but only won one championship in his fourteen seasons. He also was never recognized as league MVP, an honors bestowed on Duncan twice. While it’s difficult to compare a point guard to a big man (How do West’s 5.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game compare to Duncan’s 11.3 and 3.1?), I give Duncan the advantage because of his greater number of championships and MVPs.

The road gets tougher for Duncan at this point, but it is slightly easier to compare him to most of the remaining players in Tier 2. Let’s move on to Moses Malone. Like Duncan’s first two peers, Malone suffers from having won only one championship in his career. He does, however, hold a slight advantage over Duncan in points (20.6 to 20.3) and rebounds (12.2 to 11.3) per game, and he leads Duncan in career numbers in both categories. Duncan’s status as the face of a dynasty helps make up these slight per game advantages, but where Duncan clearly separates himself from Malone is defensively. Duncan has thus far compiled eight NBA All-Defensive First Team awards. When compared with Malone’s grand total of one NBA All-Defensive First Team award, it becomes clear that Duncan, in addition to winning more titles, is a more complete player than Malone was. Advantage Duncan.

We are left with Cousy, Duncan, O’Neal, and Olajuwon on Tier 2. We’re going to talk about Olajuwon next because I am tired of typing his name. In fact, I am going to refer to his as Hakeem for the rest of this paragraph. Live with it. Hakeem was a slightly better scorer than Duncan, and Duncan holds a tiny per game rebounding edge (11.3 to 11.1) over Hakeem. Both are/were premier defensive players, best indicated by Duncan’s eight All-Defensive First Teams awards and Hakeem’s status as the NBA’s career blocks king. With similar credentials skill wise, we must again turn to Duncan’s four titles. Hakeem has two of his own, but his Rockets were never a power the way Duncan’s Spurs were and are. Duncan squeaks by.

Three players, two slots in the top ten. Bob Cousy, Duncan, and Shaq. Let’s look at Cousy first. While not as prolific of a scorer as Duncan, Cousy (18.4p, 5.2r, 7.5a) still claims what I view as better per game numbers than Duncan (20.3, 11.3, 3.1). His career assists total is more impressive than Duncan’s career rebounding total. Cousy was not the face of his dynasty (that honor goes to Bill Russell), but his six titles sill outshine Duncan’s four. While it is difficult to compare point guards to big men, especially ones from such vastly different eras, it is hard to find a way to suggest that Duncan is a greater player than Cousy. I think that Cousy deserves spot #9 on out list of the ten greatest NBA players.

The Big Aristotle and the Big Fundamental, familiar
foes, duke it out for the #10 spot on out
list. Here, they share a magical moment. 

So. We are left with Duncan and Shaq, familiar opponents, duking it out for spot #10. The two best big men from their era, Duncan and Shaq can both lay claim to four NBA titles, 3 Finals MVPs, and 15 playoff victories against the other. Yes, amazingly, the Lakers and Spurs were 15-15 when O’Neil and Duncan met in the postseason. In many ways, Shaq was the face of the Lakers’ dynasty of the early 2000s, a stretch in which he won three straight Finals MVP awards. Shaq was flashier than, more physically imposing than, and a more prolific scorer than Duncan (23.7 to 20.3). Duncan was a much better defensive player than Shaq (8 defensive first teams to 0) and a slightly better rebounder. I would already give Duncan a slight advantage based on his superior defense, but what seals Duncan’s case is his superior numbers when facing Shaq. Duncan has slightly high scoring and rebounding career averages than Shaq when the two were on the floor at the same time both in the regular season and in the postseason. He has not been on as many highlight reels, but Duncan is/was, ever so slightly, a greater NBA player than Shaq.

So if my math is correct, Duncan squeaks into the top ten as #10. It was a long, hard battle for Tim, but at least for now, his legacy is safely in the top ten in NBA history. The intriguing thing about Duncan is that he could seemingly play until he’s about 45; I’ve still yet to see anyone figure out how to stop his signature hook shot with any kind of consistency, and his smooth jumper hasn’t lost its touch. Having one of the league’s best point guards in Tony Parker helps take pressure off Duncan, and the plethora of role players surrounding these two stars makes Greg Popovich’s team dangerous year in and year out. Duncan could very conceivably keep putting up solid numbers and win another title or two. For now, though, he’s sitting pretty at number ten.

Thoughts from Games: (18)NC State at (3)Michigan (11/27/12)

Matt Hoover

Some of you might think that this game is sort of a random way to kick off our “Thoughts from Games” feature especially since it isn’t even the marquee college matchup of the night (UNC @ Indiana), there’s a top five matchup tomorrow night (OSU @ Duke), and the SEC Championship Game (‘Bama-Georgia) is this weekend. So why this game? Coming into the season, I circled this matchup because I felt that both of these teams were overrated in preseason polls. Like, Jim-Valvano-speech-level overrated. (Seriously, you don’t have to cry every day. Why would anyone think that’s a good idea?) NC State has already been exposed, getting crushed by Oklahoma State and barely escaping UNC-Ashville. Michigan has a weak non-conference schedule; their only close game thus far was with a somewhat decent Pitt team. This is their first and only real test until conference play. We’ll see what happens…

I guess Michigan is getting so hyped up early on this year because this is Beilein’s best three-point shooting team yet in his tenure at Michigan and his system is so dependent on long range shooting. They don’t really run sets; they just swing the ball around the perimeter and either take a three or drive if someone has a wide opened lane.

First half is in the books. This Stauskas kid lit it up. Really, Michigan’s whole offense lit it up, shooting 55% from the field, 39% from beyond the arc, and 6/6 from the line. While they have a lead tonight, this Michigan offense isn’t always going to be hitting such a high percentage of their shots. State’s defense was pretty bad at points, and if Beilein thinks that his team is going to get this many uncontested looks against Indiana, OSU, or Michigan State, he has another thing coming.

Also, how ugly are these neon puke shirts that the Michigan students are donning? Who decided on this color? Ray Charles? My eyes hurt.

NC State didn’t look too bad on offense (against an unathletic Michigan defense, granted), but their defense was abysmal at times. I can’t tell if they’re in a matchup zone type thing or really bad man, but it’s not working. Also, its almost unfair how much more athletic CJ Leslie is than everyone else on the court tonight. He’s the only disruptive rebounder on either one of these teams.

Would it really be too much to ask for there to be a third good team in the ACC one year? And I don’t mean a team like Florida State last year that comes on strong at the end. I mean a team that’s not Duke or North Caroline being consistently good all year. It’s absurd how much those two carry the conference. It’s going to be weird next year when Syracuse is in the ACC and there is another good team. But I digress.

So the game is over now. Let’s take a look at how bad State’s defense was. Michigan shot 50% from the floor as a team, and State only forced 6 turnovers the whole game. State does not deserve to be a top 25 team. This game was also way too close at the end for me to believe that Michigan is anywhere close to the third best team in the country. They’ll struggle in conference play, and their weak non-conference schedule won’t help them in the long run. They played pretty well at points tonight, but they’re offense looked abysmally bad at other points. I still don’t like this team, and while they’re not as overrated as NC State was in the preseason, I can’t imagine they’re one of the ten best basketball teams in the country.

Well that concludes our first “Thoughts from Games” thing. I think it went okay. Enjoy the rest of the ACC/Big 10 Challenge (I’m pretty sure no one else cares about it except me), and remember to never give money to the V foundation. It’s for chumps.

More Money, More Problems: The Tragic Fall of the Big East and Traditional BCS Conferences

Derek DeNote

The movement of Maryland and Rutgers to the B1G really got me thinking about what otherwise could have been regarding conference alignment. The ultimate conclusion that I reached is that  (drum roll please!!) Notre Dame is to blame for all this. With Notre Dame Football failing to signify any sort of commitment to the Big East, it left the other schools feeling about as uneasy as I feel after I eat a delicious meal at St. Joe’s miserable dining hall, Campion. With Notre Dame Football essentially screwing the Big East and opting for ACC (citing, of course, academics as the driving factor in their decision and not the millions more the sports team will generate), it left the Big East completely helpless.

Maryland’s and Rutgers’s moves to the B1G are quite perplexing. Rutgers hasn’t been relevant in football since…. ever. Oh my bad… I meant since 1869 when they shared the national championship! Actually, you’re correct reader, Rutgers does have the tradition along with Michigan, Ohio State, and Nebraska; they played in the first ever collegiate game against Princeton….so it only makes sense they join this storied football conference. In the end though I cannot be too upset about Rutgers leaving the Big East because of the shaky situation in the Big East, but Maryland fans on the other hand has to have you thinking “huh?”

You probably weren't expecting
Doak Walker to be mentioned in this article.
You were dead ass wrong.

Maryland has not really ever been relevant in football and I’m basing this solely off of the fact that they haven’t been in my lifetime and I have never heard my dad talk about Maryland football ever and he knows much more about sports than anyone else I have ever encountered (I’m confident enough to say that without using any hyperbole, sadly. In fact when I was 12 I randomly asked my dad who won the Heisman in 1948 and he looked at me, chuckled and responded Doak Walker. …sniff. Yeah… Doak Walker won the Heisman in 1948, so if that’s not proof enough that he knows more sports than you then you can go kick rocks. But I digress.) Maryland may have had their feelings hurt by the way the North Carolina schools dominated the ACC, but Maryland failed to realize that they were placed perfectly geographically, fit academically, and (most importantly) were backed by the most up and coming apparel company, possibly ever, Under Armor (learned that in Business Stat, thanks Professor Campbell). Maryland is good at lacrosse and had one of the most storied college basketball coaches of our era in Gary Williams, so the ACC just fits them well in just about any given sport. Also, with the addition of that school from South Bend, ACC academics were certainly looking strong especially considering they already have Duke and Wake Forest already in the conference.

Note to Maryland students: I love the bitterness I hear coming from you guys. You guys feel screwed. I’m not really sure why, but I’m all about brash decisions and boycotting things, so to you guys that wanna boycott all sporting events, I am fully supporting you! They screwed you guys (somehow) and you want revenge, so seek vengeance. But before you go completely off the deep end, ask yourselves, “Selves, what tastes better, vengeance with a glass of bitterness or a cold brew before a big football game or basketball game?” I know you’re losing your traditional rivals, but trust me you’ll get new ones…I’m sure some school will say something about how you don’t belong (the truth) and bam! There’s your new rival.

But back to the main reason everyone is reading this: Notre Dame. Everyone in America loves them; just look at my Facebook newsfeed or Twitter feed from Saturday! I’m sure all these Notre Dame fans realized that at one point Notre Dame basketball was also an independent, so I’ll stop boring them with facts they already know and just get to my point already. Digger Phelps, Notre Dame’s winningest basketball coach, (Fun fact for you new Notre Dame Fans!) not just the goofy fellow on College Gameday, and the Irish got screwed by the creation of this new basketball conference known as the Big East. How, you ask? Well it’s quite simple lad or laddet (for all you female readers out there), Notre Dame lost its glamour because the new, big, bad Big East received an awesome TV contract and Notre Dame was on the outside looking in. This affected recruiting greatly and Digger was never able to get another player like Adrian Dantley. With recruiting down, Digger and the Domers struggled toward the tail end of his tenure. By the time Notre Dame realized their basketball would finally have to join the Big East and actually share their revenue, it was too late. Notre Dame’s run to the final four was in the way back of people’s heads (even though my dad swears to this day if Dantley came back for his senior season it would’ve been the year and they definitely would’ve won the National Championship [haven’t heard that before, right actual Notre Dame fans?!]). In the end this is all quite ironic; the conference that screwed Notre Dame Basketball ultimately gets screwed by Notre Dame Football wanting to rather partake in the ACC for 5 games instead of their dreaded football league for 5 games.

The Big East is in need of some divine intervention
to get out of this mess. They won't get it from
Touchdown Jesus and the Notre Dame Fighting Levites.

So, in conclusion, the Big 12 has 10 teams. The Big 10 will have 14 teams, and the Big East will span as far west as San Diego State and include the military schools. The Big East will be a far cry from the big, bad bully of a conference that use to get 6 six fouls during conference games. Notre Dame has done a standup job of seeking revenge for setting back their basketball program. Notre Dame’s demeanor of being all mighty (though possibly true) killed the conference that my dad grew up loving and that was my favorite conference of my childhood. Notre Dame bailed because it didn’t want to share their revenue, but why should they? It’s not like they practice Catholic teachings like helping the needy and benefit greatly from previous graduate donors. The Big East was the needy and Notre Dame walked out of their lives like the Levite in the Good Samaritan…they saw the Big East needed help and kept on walking.

Bo’s Woes: The Futility of Wisconsin Basketball

Matt Hoover

There aren’t many absolute certainties in life. Most people try to assert that there are only two: death and taxes. I’ve discovered a few more in my time here on Earth, though. Nicholas Cage being in horrible movies, idiots enjoying Nicholas Cage’s horrible movies douchey college kids refusing to wear shoes unless absolutely necessary, and Kim Kardashian getting a buttload (pun intended) of likes on Instagram all seem like reasonably good candidates for the third spot on the traditional list of certainties in life. As a college basketball junkie, I’m able to think of a few more; Duke having at least two white people on the court at any given time, Rick Pitino getting his teams to play defense (and fornicating in restaurant bathrooms), John Calipari cheating, and Michigan State being underrated come tournament time are all pretty safe bets. But none of the aforementioned things, not even death and taxes, are as consistently true in the world as the college basketball universal Truth that transcends space and time: the Wisconsin Badgers annual late-March exit from the NCAA Tournament some time after the round of 64 but before the Final Four.

It's understandable that this picture
of Kim got a "buttload" of likes.

Ah, yes. Wisconsin basketball. A program that has always been plagued by futility. A program that has a grand total of one national championship to show for their 114 year history. Yes 1941 was a good year in Wisconsin. Since then, they have been a waste of space. In the last twenty years or so, they have become a true tournament staple. Every year on Selection Sunday, their name is announced (usually as about a 4 seed), and every year on Selection Sunday, Wisconsin begins a new road to its inevitable and eventual exit from the NCAA Tournament before its final two-day stint. It’s like clockwork, and it’s (surprise!!) getting on my nerves.

“But Matt,” some of you are probably saying, “There are lots of teams that, historically, are pretty safe bets to make a mid tournament exit in March. How come you’re not angry with Xavier or Gonzaga or whoever the third best team in the ACC is this year?” To you, I have to things to say. Firstly, stop interrupting me. I’m trying to write a God damn opinion piece over here. And secondly, I’m singling out Wisconsin for a few reasons. Wisconsin somehow seems to have gained a reputation as a model program because of their consistent play, and Bo Ryan is as household a name as any coach in college basketball. Wisconsin is also in the Big 10, a conference that perpetually produces overrated teams (for example, take any team in the conference and given year except most Michigan State teams and some Ohio State and Indiana teams), and has become the face of this overratedness. Wisconsin is unique.

College basketball, maybe more than any other sport, is defined by its postseason. I am of the opinion that the NCAA Tournament is the single greatest event in all of sports. The phrase “March Madness” is perfect. Year in and year out, college basketball provides us with stunning upsets, unexpected heroes, and all the buzzer beaters we can ask for. I absolutely love every single game second of it no matter what. Even if, hypothetically, 15 seeded Lehigh were to upset my primary rooting interest or if my least-favorite person in all of sports was to coach a seemingly unstoppable group of mega-talented freshmen past two coaches that I have tremendous respect for in the Final Four and claim the title of champion for his own, cheating self (again, we’re talking strictly hypotheticals here…), I would find it impossible to deny that I love March Madness. It is out of this love that my disdain for Wisconsin basketball was wrought. We have all given them chance and chance again to do something memorable in March, and they respond to each chance by losing in the Sweet Sixteen, give or take a round. It’s not that this isn’t an accomplishment; there’s something to be said for consistency. It’s just boring. Like, Bo-Ryan-offense-level boring. I know exactly what they are going to do in the tournament every single year, so what’s the point of them being in it? I propose that we ban Wisconsin from the NCAA Tournament forever and make room for more intriguing teams. It’s not for my sake that I want to do this; it’s for the sake of the tournament. Let’s keep it as awesome as we all know it can be. Wisconsin does nothing but detract from the tournament’s enjoyability factor year in and year out.

Here we see a confused Bo Ryan.
He's probably confused because he
has no idea how to win big in March.

I suppose I’m secretly happy that Bo and his program is falling out of favor with the mainstream sports media a little bit. I think that awareness that Wisconsin basketball is stupid is good for my crusade. In all fairness, though, Bo Ryan has to be doing something right. He gets talented players while recruiting against the likes of Tom Izzo, Tom Crean, Thad Motta, and Buzz Williams. His team wins big games fairly consistently in the regular season. He just can’t get over the hump that he needs to get over in order to be a great coach. If Wisconsin basketball ever wants to have a March to be proud of, then Bo is just not their guy.

I hope that Bo and his boys prove me wrong. I hope that Wisconsin wins a national championship this year, and I can shut up forever about them being a waste of space in the tournament. I want the NCAA Tournament to become even more exciting than it already is, and I can’t think of a better way to do that than by adding another consistently brilliant tournament team. Unfortunately, though, at least for the time being, I don’t think any of my hopes for Wisconsin or for the tournament are particularly likely to be realized. So for now, I am going to print out a blank bracket, take out my permanent marker, write “Wisconsin (4)” on one of the lines, and have them win two games. That will be about as thrilling as it sounds and about as thrilling as Wisconsin’s run in March will be.