Why We Can Forgive Tim Duncan for All-Star Game Indifference
There's still no better spokesman for a franchise that famously eschews pomp and circumstance.
At least Tim Duncan is polite about it.
The 38-year-old may not embrace his 15th All-Star invitation with conventional enthusiasm, but he appreciates the gesture nonetheless.
Amid a season in which other Western Conference studs have amassed gaudier numbers, Duncan will forgo a little extra time off as the San Antonio Spurs' lone selection at the All-Star Game this weekend.
"It's an honor to be there, I'm happy to go," Duncan told reporters late last month. "Would I have loved a couple of days off? Maybe, but it is what it is. It will be fun. My kids will love the experience and they will enjoy it."
We should view the 18-year veteran's confession to the San Antonio Express-News' Dan McCarney that he'd "rather be laying on a beach somewhere" through the appropriate prism.
Stars of this caliber are entitled to take these kind of things in stride.
Duncan is an iconic big man, and that's really the only way to put it. He's transcended the center/power forward divide throughout his career, drawing historical comparison to everyone from true 5s like Hakeem Olajuwon or Shaquille O'Neal to more traditional 4s including Karl Malone and Kevin Garnett.
Somewhere in the distance, one can't help but compare his impact to that of legends like Russell or Kareem. The former made 12 All-Star appearances while the latter has almost certainly surpassed Duncan's eventual tally with 19.
Like other greats who helped transform the game, Duncan won't be remembered for his All-Star legacy.
But it's a tangible and, yes, fun way to celebrate a career that's always preferred modesty to all manner of glitz and glamor.
Big on Fundamentals
After gracing the All-Star Game with double-figure scoring in seven consecutive appearances, Duncan's production and playing time during the big game have declined since 2006. The things that distinguish him most these days aren't the same ones that excite the masses during the highlight-heavy festivities.
Not unless sound, team-centered basketball is your idea of a good time.
"He's having a good year," head coach Gregg Popovich told reporters last month. "We've been a little up and down, but he's been really steady. He's carried us to this point with his consistency, which is what's really impressive. I'm really thankful to the coaches for seeing that and putting him on (the All-Star team)."
There was a time when Duncan frequented said team with double-doubles, and even enough heroics to be named the game's MVP in 2000.
| Season | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | BLK | STL |
| 97-98 | 14 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 99-00 | 33 | 24 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 00-01 | 28 | 14 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 01-02 | 29 | 14 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 02-03 | 40 | 19 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 03-04 | 26 | 14 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 04-05 | 16 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 05-06 | 20:55 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 06-07 | 14:38 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 07-08 | 22:23 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 08-09 | 18:01 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 09-10 | 13:07 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 10-11 | 11:40 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 12-13 | 8:03 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
But odds are this All-Star trip to Madison Square Garden will more resemble Duncan's very first back in 1998—a two-point, 11-rebound outing that hardly did justice to his capabilities. The Spurs would go on to win their first title a year later, laying their legacy's foundation during a season in which the All-Star weekend itself was cancelled on account of the lockout.
The bottom line in San Antonio has always been collective success—winning, losing and doing things the right way as a team. Individual accolades are interesting but irrelevant according to such a barometer.
Sometimes, however, they're still well-deserved.
The 2014-15 Credentials
Don't let the basic metrics fool you.
Duncan's defensive real plus-minus (4.73) ranks as the league's third-best, according to ESPN.com, an indication that his all-around impact as a rim protector surpasses even that of more prolific shot-blockers like Anthony Davis and Serge Ibaka.
With premier stopper Kawhi Leonard and fellow big man Tiago Splitter missing a combined 42 games, Duncan has shouldered much of the defensive burden this season.
His 14.6 points per contest may not impress when compared to past production, but it's only part of a story that's evolved along with an organization that no longer scores quite so many of its buckets in the post.
Duncan spoke with reporters about his changing role in January:
"I've been blessed, I've been healthy. The last couple of years I've made it through an entire season healthy. My role has changed over the years. I'm just trying to be a positive on the floor. That's all I want to be and be consistent at what I have to do for the team as possible.
"
The stability Duncan affords has been no small thing, not with offensive spark plug Tony Parker sitting out 14 games of his own even as reserve floor general Patty Mills missed 31 games while recovering from offseason should surgery.
While San Antonio's offense has struggled accordingly—by its own standards anyway—the defense has only allowed 99.6 points per 100 possessions, the league's third-best mark, according to ESPN.com.
As Sports Illustrated's Rob Mahoney put it earlier this month:
"Duncan has held San Antonio together to this point to avoid a Thunder-like standing on the precipice of playoff disqualification. The Spurs' offense has been unusually mediocre on balance thus far. It's the defense—and Duncan's, in particular—that has given San Antonio the luxury of working out its problems without sliding out of the West's top eight. The buoyancy that Duncan has given the Spurs has dramatically changed their season, and with it the complexion of the entire conference.
"
Indeed, the Spurs remain within striking distance of a top-four seed that would guarantee them home-court advantage in the postseason's opening round. And more than anyone else on this roster, Duncan has been the reason this team has so far survive an increasingly competitive conference.
Measuring Up
Though it's too soon to officially label this All-Star appearance as Duncan's last, it would be thoroughly surprising to see another one.
Even if age and ability permit such a thing—which is less doubtful—Duncan would have to fend off the allure of retirement and play enough minutes to elicit this kind of recognition.
So assuming this is his last All-Star campaign, how does his All-Star resume stack up to those of other elite bigs?
As the only two players to tally at least 25,000 points, 14,000 rebounds and 2,500 blocks in their careers (h/t NBA.com), let's start with Duncan and Kareem.
At age 41, Abdul-Jabbar's last All-Star Game was also his last season. He posted just 10.1 points in 22.9 minutes per contest, but he averaged 14.6 points per game the season before, mirroring Duncan's offensive production pretty closely late into his career.
Appropriately, Abdul-Jabbar recorded double-figure points in 15 of his All-Star Games, rising to the occasion and showing off his unstoppable offense.
But despite his more prolific scoring numbers during the regular season, Abdul-Jabbar never averaged a double-double after age 33. Duncan is now fifth all-time in double-doubles, ahead of Olajuwon, Russell and Malone. The only other active player among the top 10 is Garnett.
It's a testament to Duncan's interior presence. While his rebounding averages trail Russell's lofty career mark of 22.5 boards per game, few in the modern game have approached Duncan's ability to control the painted area.
Russell averaged 9.9 points, 19.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game en route to his final All-Star Game (also in his final season) at age 34. It took him a remarkable 42.7 minutes per contest to get there, but one can't help but note the similarities to Duncan's all-around game.
Adjusted for their different eras and competition, the numbers might be more comparable as well.
O'Neal finished his career with 15 All-Star appearances, and one suspects Garnett will do the same. Malone had 14 to his credit. Olajuwon was selected 12 times, and former Spurs center David Robinson tallied 10 trips to the All-Star Game.
So Duncan has firmly entrenched himself in the upper echelon of All-Star big men invitees.
Perhaps most impressively, he's done so particularly late into his career. Garnett and O'Neal's last selections both came at age 36. Robinson's came at 35 and Malone's at 34.
To whatever extent Duncan really has peers to speak of, their All-Star windows consistently succumbed to age earlier. It's but one measure in a potentially expansive discussion of their respective merits, but it's also an appropriate one for a guy who's added a rare longevity to his most defining traits.
After all these years, he may not want the All-Star recognition all that much—but that hasn't stopped Duncan from earning it.
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