Slamduncan

Who is the next Michael Jordan? The list of names might go on forever but this player I'm going to talk about is not likely to be a candidate. Jordan undoubtedly is the best player to play the guard position and perhaps Tim Duncan might be the best power forward to play in the NBA.. He's not one of the flashiest players like Vince Carter or Shaq or Kobe; he doesn't have Allen Iverson's stutter crossover and he's not even among the most popular faces in the league. That is why some NBA fans are surprised when told of his accomplishments in his eight-year career. Duncan embodies the philosophy of pure basketball yet inly a few could appreciate him. But who really is this player? Why is he underrated? And what is behind this silent unmovable force that placed the San Antonio Spurs as the 2005 champions? After Jordan's second retirement I lost interest in the NBA. But on May17, 2002, one week after my birthday, a man with a blank expression on his face caught my eye. I never got interested with the Kobe-Shaq tandem even though it was obvious the Spurs are the underdogs. They eventually lost the second round series and the Lakers went on to win the title. But that day changed my life forever. I didn't have good reasons back then why I was so impressed with Tim but after three years of crying and rejoicing with him I knew the answers. But before Tim entered the league in 1997, he did not play organized basketball until he was 13 years old. He concentrated on swimming as a youngster_-and at one point was a top competitor in his age group in the 400 meter freestyle- before his local pool was destroyed by hurricane Hugo in 1989. after his mother's death, he quit swimming altogether because it reminded him of her death. This Virgin Islands native answered the call of basketball and within two years he was among the top prospects in college basketball. Duncan attended Wake Forest University and graduated with a degree in Psychology. Then in the 1997 NBA Draft he was selected as the top overall pick. It turned out that the San Antonio Spurs got more than what they wanted from their employee number 21. After winning all six Rookie of the Month honors and the Rookie of the Year award, he established his name as one of the best big men in the league. In his sophomore year he piloted the Spurs to their first ever NBA title, against the New York Knicks, in the team's 26-year history. It didn't stop there, after winning back-to-back MVP trophies he and his team won a second title in 2003 against the New Jersey Nets. But the biggest challenge was yet to come in the 2005 Finals series against the Detroit Pistons who battled them to seven games. Their win in the series closed the mouths of Duncan's critics and attracted new Spurs fans. His accomplishments are products of pure hardwork and his belief on his teammates' talents. His talent overwhelms defenses and stuns his fans and critics. He's very deadly at fifteen feet with his bank shots. His post moves are eye-popping because his graceful moves are rare to seven footers. His defense is unquestionable and is among the most admired by NBA legends and fellow active players. He can shoot behind the arc if needed. He can pass, run the fast-break, rebound and do the dirty work. No doubt he is among the only ten players in NBA history to win two or more Most Valuable Players Awards. He is a consistent All-Star participant even in his rookie year. Despite all these accomplishments, most NBA fans still place him beneath the categories of media darlings especially Shaquille O'Neal. The only criticism Duncan gets however are his free-throw shooting and his aloofness to the media. Unlike other players, he is silent and sometimes he has that 1000-yard look on his face that most viewers find distracting. Are spectacular dunks, multi-million dollar shoe endorsements and extended television exposure the standards to measure the talent of a player? Few fans realize that Duncan has accomplished so much more than did the very popular Allen Iverson. If one looks at his statistics, he is clearly not average. He doesn't need to score thirty points every night however because he has teammates who could shoot the lights out in the game. If were to sum him up in three words, I will describe him as silent, powerful and deadly. He has the total package only that he doesn't seem to like being in the spotlight. Only blind men with great hatred in their hearts would deny him the place in NBA history as the best power forward ever to play. And besides there are no close contenders yet. For now he has to concentrate on one thing at the start of the new season this November: to defend their title. 
Sources: nba.com/playerfile/tim_duncan/index �Tim Duncan Speaks Up� by Henry Abbott. Hoop magazine. May 2002, pp.34-44