The Big Fundamental

Tim Duncan, the Big Fundamental, is probably the 2nd best player I have ever seen play behind Michael Jordan and definitely ahead of all of his contemporaries including Shaq, Kobe, Iverson, Garnett, and anyone else. Why do I say this? Because he is not concerned about stats because the only stat he cares about is wins as in "How many championships can I win?" He is at 4 right now and with the cast that is around him, I can definitely see them making a run to get a 5th ring this year. Current ring totals: Duncan 4, Kobe 4, Shaq 4, Garnett 1. How many rings could Kobe and Shaq have won if they sacrificed both of their egos. 6? 7? 8? They were two of the five best players (Kobe, Shaq, Duncan, AI, Garnett) at the time but they wouldn't sacrifice for team. Both Shaq and Kobe each won a ring after separating and now they are realizing their legacy is related to rings not scoring titles. Now a word about the split with the two. Kobe gets painted as the main culprit and problem for the split with Shaq. While I do think Kobe is part of the problem, I think it is very telling that Shaq (as an elite one of a kind center) has been on 5 different teams and always seems to leave on less than cordial terms (Magic, Lakers, Heat, Suns). Look at some of the players he has been traded for and there is not an elite player among them. The problem why most don't appreciate Duncan's game is that it isn't "sexy" enough. Boring comes to mind but he is far from that. He does all the little things to help his team win. Last night during the Bulls game, it was no different. He put on a clinic against the Bulls with his shooting and cutting and positioning himself for the basket (13-19 FG, 28 points, 16 boards, 2 steals, 3 blocks). I counted at least 5 to 6 shots that were bank shots from the elbow. Although the Spurs did not win on this night, Duncan has made an environment where winning is the culture and self is sacrificed for the better of the team. Comments are always welcome and I would love to discuss further why I think Duncan is the best of his contemporaries and the 2nd best I have seen (I was born in 1981 so didn't get to see Bird or Magic at their primes and remember it).