If they'd gotten Durant, he wouldn't have retired. I'm sure of that. Now? Eh. The road will be tougher and longer and who needs the aggravation? Call up Pau to take his spot and the team improves anyway.
Gasol would do well to replace him in that lineup. If that's it for Timmy... been a pleasure watching his solid career. edit: Well.. just read my twitter feed. Per Woj... Gasol to Spurs. 2 year / $30M plus. Good replacement for timmy
^lol Going to miss seeing him on the court, but it was time. I think he went out on a pretty good note, may not have resulted in another title this season but it was a good final run.
class act, phenomenal player. they'll miss him, even the shadow of himself that's been there the past couple of years. leadership, poise, big play ability, familiarity with teammates and system. gasol can do some of this, too, but i don't think it's the same.
Spurs aren't beating the Warriors, Pau just replaced him, I'd say yeah, call it a career. It was a damn good one.
perfect time for him to go out. he knows he's accomplished just about anything and with durant in the bay, another title wasn't happening class act and one of the all time greats. always was a huge fan of how he carried himself on and off the court. the guy just played the game
Great career and a great player. Must have seen KD to Warriors and called it. Pau fits in almost perfectly here if he can fight off father time a little. Still don't see how they get past GSW now though.
I agree. Kobe is ahead of Duncan for me. Kobe is a top 5 all-time player. He is not as good as MJ IMO but he is definitely the best since the mid 90s.
I think Duncan has to be in the top 10 because SA has been a consistent contender for most of 2 decades. He doesn't have jaw-dropping numbers but he is a team leader and team player through and through. Its an amazing accomplishment.
I could see the argument for either TD or KB. I would lean towards Kobe (Lakers bias)...but both are top 10
He's definitely top ten. One of the most fundamentally sound players ever. Incredible defensively even late in his career. Great rebounder. Versatile. Excellent passer. Unselfish. Duncan was so skilled on the block and had that patented bank shot. Made his teammates better. He was just incredible.
Duncan is top 10, but he rarely took over a game by putting his team on his back. Having the same coach and system served him well. Something no other player had for 19 years. When Kobe had stability at coach and good players around him they had parades.
If this is it, pretty awful final showing in the post season. Can't say I blame him, they're not beating a healthy OKC. But like @gcclaker said, Manu is staying. I thought Manu, TD, and Pop were all going out together. So we'll see. Pau's addition could save TD's legs even more. Pop could make a great rotation with those two, preserving and maximizing them both.
