Will Duncan be labeled a center for games now?

[dabom]

Discuss

[spurraider21]

yes

/discussion

[Ruler]

Nope. Aldridge and Duncan will both be labeled as F's. Haha. Guess Leonard will be as well, so 2 G's and 3 F's

[THE SAMOAN TD]

Tony Parker is the center tbh

[The_Klaw]

"Do you know who you’re going to start at the five tonight," ask San Antonio Express-News NBA beat writer Mike Monroe.
Without skipping a beat, Popovich took a quick sip from his Rock & Hammer limited release 2004 pinot noir and proceeded to, for all intents and purposes, throw his franchise cornerstone under a bus.
"Tim Duncan, like we have for 15 years," replied Popovich.
The moment was unexpected, and perhaps even a little surreal. Finally confirmation: Tim Duncan is a center, and has been for quite some time.
Stunned, a million questions ran through the minds of the medium scrum, almost faster than such thoughts could be processed.
And as if right on cue, in some terrible, wonderful awkward moment came Duncan himself.
"What are we worried about today, Pop?"
"We’re worried about how our center is going to match up with Al Jefferson," replied Popovich.
"That’s right,” Duncan stated with an oblivious smile, or at least what passes for a smile across his stone faced visage.
"That’s what I was just telling them."
And like that Popovich was off before the reporters and radio talk show hosts could recover, leaving Duncan before the vultures.
"What do you have to say regarding the rumors about you playing center," the reporters asked in unison.
"It’s not true. You tell me," an amused Duncan said."“You guys are the ones with all your 'sources'."
"But Popovich just said you’ve been playing center for the past 15 years."
"This interview is over."

Tim Duncan is a center. The source is management itself."
http://www.48minutesofhell.com/why-karl-malone-might-be-the-greatest-power-forward-ever


PFs don't want to play center. Tim didn't want in his prime but he has adapted his game throughout the years and flourished.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

If being a center means he will take on the oppositions largest player then yes. He did that with Bonner and Splitter. The way we run offense the term doesn't really make sense any more. High post/low post, horns, strongside/weakside or whatever the bigs move and are interchangeable.

[Spurtacular]

TD always played enough PF in his game to justify the listings. I supported it since it apparently helped his psyche of not being pigeon holed as a center. This season, we could see his game look more center-ish than ever though (or at least in recent memory).

[007nites]

TD always played enough PF in his game to justify the listings. I supported it since it apparently helped his psyche of not being pigeon holed as a center. This season, we could see his game look more center-ish than ever though (or at least in recent memory).

Exactly, I've posted this multiple times

1997-2003: Robinson
2003-2004: Nesterovic
2004-2006: Mohammed/Nesterovic
2006-2008: Oberto/Elson
2008-2009: Oberto
2009-2010: This was the year Duncan started at Center and McDyess played the 4.
2010-2011: Duncan (McDyess and Blair at 4)
2011-2012: Duncan also started at Center this year with Splitter coming off the bench
2012-2013: Splitter
2013-2014: Splitter
2014-2015: Splitter/Baynes (Total of 52 starts at C)

[Spurtacular]

Exactly, I've posted this multiple times

1997-2003: Robinson
2003-2004: Nesterovic
2004-2006: Mohammed/Nesterovic
2006-2008: Oberto/Elson
2008-2009: Oberto
2009-2010: This was the year Duncan started at Center and McDyess played the 4.
2011-2012: Duncan also started at Center this year with Splitter coming off the bench
2012-2013: Duncan at Center again (Splitter only started at C for 2 games)
2013-2014: Splitter
2014-2015: Splitter/Baynes

Nice... I roughly knew that. But thanks for doing the math.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Exactly, I've posted this multiple times

1997-2003: Robinson
2003-2004: Nesterovic
2004-2006: Mohammed/Nesterovic
2006-2008: Oberto/Elson
2008-2009: Oberto
2009-2010: This was the year Duncan started at Center and McDyess played the 4.
2010-2011: Duncan (McDyess and Blair at 4)
2011-2012: Duncan also started at Center this year with Splitter coming off the bench
2012-2013: Splitter
2013-2014: Splitter
2014-2015: Splitter/Baynes (Total of 52 starts at C)

No, McDyess was the center in the games he played/started with Tim. Tim was only the center when one of the turd towers was playing/starting. I'll give you 2011-2012 because McDyess was gone and we rolled with 3 bigs early on in the season, Tim and the turd towers (and thus started 12–9) but then Pop grew a brain and finally made Splitter a rotation player, sometimes starting sometimes off the bench, and eventually Diaw was made the starter (Diaw was the PF in that situation). Still, that was the only year in which Tim played center a decisive majority of the time.

[NameLess Scrub]

My impression has always been that he was always a C, since day 1. He was just drafted to play with DRob and DRob wasn't going to play PF.
Since he had the skills to play PF, it only made sense to keep him dominating at that position, similar to the way the Lakers used Pau with Bynum later on.

But Tim has always had the size, defense and skills to play C, and has done the job when needed.

I could be wrong though...

But I don't see how he won't be listed as C next season unless as said above they list the whole front line as Fs..

[T_L_P]

My impression has always been that he was always a C, since day 1. He was just drafted to play with DRob and DRob wasn't going to play PF.
Since he had the skills to play PF, it only made sense to keep him dominating at that position, similar to the way the Lakers used Pau with Bynum later on.

But Tim has always had the size, defense and skills to play C, and has done the job when needed.

I could be wrong though...

But I don't see how he won't be listed as C next season unless as said above they list the whole front line as Fs..

I don't know about that.

IMO Tim is simply a PF/C, because he had the skillset to play both positions and he spent almost his entire prime there, and more than half his career there.

Don't forget he played some SF back in 98/99, which tells you he's definitely not strictly a Center.

[Raven]

it surely would be time to do so..

[Raven]

No, McDyess was the center in the games he played/started with Tim. Tim was only the center when one of the turd towers was playing/starting. I'll give you 2011-2012 because McDyess was gone and we rolled with 3 bigs early on in the season, Tim and the turd towers (and thus started 12–9) but then Pop grew a brain and finally made Splitter a rotation player, sometimes starting sometimes off the bench, and eventually Diaw was made the starter (Diaw was the PF in that situation). Still, that was the only year in which Tim played center a decisive majority of the time.



mcdyess was the pf imo, he could only shoot jumpers, his leaping ability was gone.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

mcdyess was the pf imo, he could only shoot jumpers, his leaping ability was gone.

McDyess was still the center, jumpers are irrelevant (David always shot more jumpers proportionately than Tim). Also, the way the Spurs run their offense with two bigs, the center is usually the one in the high post at the top of the key (foul line extended) while the power forward is situated at one of the baselines near the paint, in the low post or waiting for a pass. McDyess was the offensive rebounder and had a lot of tip-ins when he was here as well.

[Phenomanul]

Exactly, I've posted this multiple times

1997-1998: Robinson
1998-1999: Robinson
1999-2000: Robinson
2000-2001: Robinson
2001-2002: Robinson
2002-2003: Robinson/Willis
2003-2004: Nesterovic
2004-2005: Mohammed/Nesterovic
2005-2006: Mohammed/Nesterovic
2006-2007: Oberto/Elson
2007-2008: Oberto/Elson
2008-2009: Oberto
2009-2010: This was the year Duncan started at Center and McDyess played the 4.
2010-2011: Duncan (McDyess and Blair at 4)
2011-2012: Duncan also started at Center this year with Splitter coming off the bench
2012-2013: Splitter
2013-2014: Splitter
2014-2015: Splitter/Baynes (Total of 52 starts at C)

You have to break it down season by season to drive the point home. Tim Duncan largely played as a PF - and Robinson, even in the twilight of his career, was the best big man that Duncan has been paired with.

[Clipper Nation]

Tony Parker is the center tbh

So he's going to be the French Oliver Miller?

http://i.imgur.com/dDGnBMF.jpg

[DJR210]

Aldridge labeled as C, demands trade immediately

[Obstructed_View]

Duncan played at small forward for a time with the Spurs. Can we just label him a three?

[buttsR4rebounding]

Duncan played at small forward for a time with the Spurs. Can we just label him a three?

When was this?

[T_L_P]

When was this?

98 and 99 before he tore his meniscus.

It was a Duncan-Robinson-Perdue frontline. Not often of course, but enough to show that Tim obviously isn't or wasn't strictly a Center.

[TD 21]

Exactly, I've posted this multiple times

1997-2003: Robinson
2003-2004: Nesterovic
2004-2006: Mohammed/Nesterovic
2006-2008: Oberto/Elson
2008-2009: Oberto
2009-2010: This was the year Duncan started at Center and McDyess played the 4.
2010-2011: Duncan (McDyess and Blair at 4)
2011-2012: Duncan also started at Center this year with Splitter coming off the bench
2012-2013: Splitter
2013-2014: Splitter
2014-2015: Splitter/Baynes (Total of 52 starts at C)

From the '06 WCSF against the Mavs on, he's almost exclusively defended centers, even when paired next to centers like Oberto and Splitter. Since both of them and Blair had/have no range though, he essentially played power forward offensively.



My impression has always been that he was always a C, since day 1. He was just drafted to play with DRob and DRob wasn't going to play PF.
Since he had the skills to play PF, it only made sense to keep him dominating at that position, similar to the way the Lakers used Pau with Bynum later on.

But Tim has always had the size, defense and skills to play C, and has done the job when needed.

I could be wrong though...

But I don't see how he won't be listed as C next season unless as said above they list the whole front line as Fs..

He was always truly a center and so was Gasol, but he still defended power forwards almost exclusively throughout his 20's.

The notion that he's either the greatest power forward ever or one of the greatest centers ever is foolish; he's both.


It's like a running joke that he always be listed as a power forward, particularly in box scores, so it'll probably remain. But with not only a legit, but elite power forward now next to him, he'll be referred to as a center.

[Join'orDie]

This is silly. Why does he have to be labeled anything? Hakeem is considered a great center, but old time basketball guys will say his true position was PF. What's the difference between a PF and a C in the modern game? Truth is the traditional center position doesn't exist anymore. In the days of Wilt it was easy to label a center because he was the guy who quite literally planted himself right in the center of the court under the basket on both sides of the ball. I think now a center is just code for defensive focused big man with little to no offensive skill.

[daslicer]

He will go down as being a PF since that's the position he played for most of his career. Duncan definitely could not be classified solely as a center at the start of his career since he was able to guard PF's unlike Centers. Centers tend not to have the foot speed to guard PF's. Duncan could also play center but didn't for most of his career simply because he had the edge at the PF position due to his size and strength. You could also say Magic is an SF since he could play that position at high level but just like Duncan he had a physical advantage at the PG spot.

[Arcadian]

Should be.

He also "should have been" labeled a center when Boris Diaw started games. Didnt happen.

[dweaver99027]

Tim was always mostly a C. A C who could play the PF position better than almost anyone who has ever played the PF position. Listings are semantics in this case.

[Spurtacular]

This is silly. Why does he have to be labeled anything? Hakeem is considered a great center, but old time basketball guys will say his true position was PF. What's the difference between a PF and a C in the modern game? Truth is the traditional center position doesn't exist anymore. In the days of Wilt it was easy to label a center because he was the guy who quite literally planted himself right in the center of the court under the basket on both sides of the ball. I think now a center is just code for defensive focused big man with little to no offensive skill.

No, they won't. When Hakeem came to town, the great 7'4" Ralph Sampson had to slide to PF to make way for the 6'10" Akeem Olajuwon to play center.

[T_L_P]

Tim was always mostly a C. A C who could play the PF position better than almost anyone who has ever played the PF position. Listings are semantics in this case.

Almost anyone?

[Obstructed_View]

Exactly, I've posted this multiple times

1997-2003: Robinson
2003-2004: Nesterovic
2004-2006: Mohammed/Nesterovic
2006-2008: Oberto/Elson
2008-2009: Oberto
2009-2010: This was the year Duncan started at Center and McDyess played the 4.
2010-2011: Duncan (McDyess and Blair at 4)
2011-2012: Duncan also started at Center this year with Splitter coming off the bench
2012-2013: Splitter
2013-2014: Splitter
2014-2015: Splitter/Baynes (Total of 52 starts at C)
Yet despite this, people still say he's a center. Duncan came up with a crop of really good, really tall power forwards: Chris Webber, Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal, Pau Gasol, Rasheed Wallace, Dirk Nowitzki. I'm sure there are others from that era I'm forgetting, but they were all power forwards.

[Texas_Ranger]

Dejuan Blair was a center so no.

[Kikoluna]

Tony Parker is the center tbh
Nice:bobo

[dweaver99027]

Almost anyone? He's undisputably no 1 in the PF rankings, based on skill and accolades. Depending on what each person's definition of 'ability to play the position' is, he gets ranked accordingly. I have him no 1, but I've seen many greats play the PF position, some winning accolades more than others. He's undisputably the 'Top PF ever', but 'Best player to play PF' is not undisputed. I have him at the top because of the 'who would I want to draft to my team' argument.

[NameLess Scrub]

I don't know about that.

IMO Tim is simply a PF/C, because he had the skillset to play both positions and he spent almost his entire prime there, and more than half his career there.

Don't forget he played some SF back in 98/99, which tells you he's definitely not strictly a Center.

Don't forget? Didn't even know :lol

Undeniably a PF/C for me.




The notion that he's either the greatest power forward ever or one of the greatest centers ever is foolish; he's both.


It's like a running joke that he always be listed as a power forward, particularly in box scores, so it'll probably remain. But with not only a legit, but elite power forward now next to him, he'll be referred to as a center.

Agreed..