Tim Duncan

[Six Assets]

And he asked the Lakers to trade him like ten years back. Had the Lakers and Chicago been able to agree on a deal then "loyal" Kobe would have been gone as was his wish.

Pretty sure the Lakers also had a deal lined up for him but Kobe vetoed it because they weren't one of the destinations he requested.

Kobe's still a much, much better player. I like Duncan but people who say he's top 5 or better than Kobe are out to lunch.

The Lakers promised they'd build Kobe a contender after Shaq was gone. They didn't live up to their end of the bargain. Loyalty is a 2-way street.

 

[darko]

Kobe's still a much, much better player. I like Duncan but people who say he's top 5 or better than Kobe are out to lunch.

The Lakers promised they'd build Kobe a contender after Shaq was gone. They didn't live up to their end of the bargain. Loyalty is a 2-way street.

He's not even top-10.

 

[Elvis P]

In the regular season the Mailman was better.

 

[le_sean]

You can't really compare Kobe and Duncan. Kobe was able to win you games outright, he had the ability to completely takeover. He also had the ability to go 6 for 24 in FGs and lose the game. Duncan was just ridiculously consistent. Sure he had some dominant games, but you knew what you were getting with him day in and day out. Their contributions were completely different.

I don't think the Spurs win 5 championships with Kobe instead of Duncan, that just wouldn't have worked. But I do think Duncan and Shaq together would have dominated the NBA.

 

[Voight]

Kobe's still a much, much better player. I like Duncan but people who say he's top 5 or better than Kobe are out to lunch.

The Lakers promised they'd build Kobe a contender after Shaq was gone. They didn't live up to their end of the bargain. Loyalty is a 2-way street.

Huh? They won twice & went to 3 straight finals..... Sure it took 3 seasons but they did it.

 

[Voight]

The difference being that Kobe was handsomely paid to be loyal while Duncan took paycuts for the team to remain a contender.

He was paid big towards the end. He had every right to do so, given how underpaid he was during the Shaq era.

Season; Bryant's salary.

1996-97; $1,015,000;
1997-98; $1,167,240;
1998-99; $1,319,000;
1999-00; $9,000,000;
2000-01; $10,130,000;
2001-02; $11,250,000;
2002-03; $12,375,000;
2003-04; $13,500,000;
2004-05; $14,175,000;
2005-06; $15,946,875;
2006-07; $17,718,750;
2007-08; $19,490,625;
2008-09; $21,262,500;
2009-10; $23,034,375;
2010-11; $24,806,250;
2011-12; $25,244,493;
2012-13; $27,849,149;
2013-14; $30,453,805;
2014-15; $23,500,000;
2015-16; $25,000,000;

Career: $328,238,062

And he asked the Lakers to trade him like ten years back. Had the Lakers and Chicago been able to agree on a deal then "loyal" Kobe would have been gone as was his wish.

Pretty sure the Lakers also had a deal lined up for him but Kobe vetoed it because they weren't one of the destinations he requested.

Can you blame him? Jackason had left the Lakers, his marriage was still on the fritz and the media wouldn't leave him alone. Very tough time for him.

 

[Morozov]

Can you blame him? Jackason had left the Lakers, his marriage was still on the fritz and the media wouldn't leave him alone. Very tough time for him.

I don't blame him, but I'm also not going to hold him up as some pillar of loyalty. Like I said, if Chicago and LA had worked out a deal, Kobe isn't a lifelong Laker and nobody would be saying how loyal he was.

 

[Six Assets]

Huh? They won twice & went to 3 straight finals..... Sure it took 3 seasons but they did it.

I was referring to how he was feeling at the time of his trade request.

 

[Voight]

I was referring to how he was feeling at the time of his trade request.

Ahh, then I totally agree with you. Especially because the Spurs were now the cream of the crop in the west & the Mavs were in the midst of their playoff streak.

Much like BB being was hired right before the Pats drafted Brady, Duncan is very fortunate that Pop was hired the season before they had the chance to pick him. Crazy to think none of it would have likely happened if The Admiral was healthy that year.

 

[KaylaJ]

Ahh, then I totally agree with you. Especially because the Spurs were now the cream of the crop in the west & the Mavs were in the midst of their playoff streak.

Much like BB being was hired right before the Pats drafted Brady, Duncan is very fortunate that Pop was hired the season before they had the chance to pick him. Crazy to think none of it would have likely happened if The Admiral was healthy that year.

Pop was the GM of the Spurs at the time and fired Bob Hill, a move that pissed off many fans and media who didn't think he was any better. For many years people argued Pop was the one who was lucky.


Also, Kobe confirmed he also asked for a trade in 2007 after Phil had come back to the Lakers. And let's be honest, sometimes the bed Kobe had to sleep is was because he made it that way.

 

[Voight]

According to Jason Kidd he gave the Spurs a verbal agreement to join them in the summer of 2003. So something slightly worse than what KD did

He came in 2nd in MVP voting both years Duncan won (2002 & 2003).... imagine adding him to a 2 time champion already. Best PF on the league, 2nd best PG in the league.... damn.

 

[Vamos Rafa]

According to Jason Kidd he gave the Spurs a verbal agreement to join them in the summer of 2003. So something slightly worse than what KD did

He came in 2nd in MVP voting both years Duncan won (2002 & 2003).... imagine adding him to a 2 time champion already. Best PF on the league, 2nd best PG in the league.... damn.

Who was the best PG in those years?

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

Mike Bibby, obviously.

 

[darko]

Who was the best PG in those years?

Steve Nash?

Gary Peyton was a very good player still but he was starting to decline. B-Diddy was ripping it up at that time too.

 

[darko]

Mike Bibby, obviously.

It was clearly White Chocolate.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

It was clearly White Chocolate.

Obviously.

This talk about Kobe and loyalty is awfully funny.

 

[kurt]

why is loyalty such a positive thing?

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

why is loyalty such a positive thing?

It depends on the context.

It's one thing to be loyal to your spouse or your friends, but it's different between worker and job. Workers owe their employers about as much loyalty as they give them, which in most cases is none.

 

[weastern bias]

why is loyalty such a positive thing?

Because sports fandom is really weird and people latch onto and idolize very specific traits that have almost nothing to do with sports

 

[KaylaJ]

One of the reasons Kidd supposedly didn't sign with the Spurs was because his wife at the time was doing sideline reporting, err fluff pieces about her husband for some gossipy news show (Extra maybe?). SA isn't as big of a market, so that helped push him back.


Their whole PR thing going on back then made be beyond happy he didn't sign with the Spurs

 

[Vamos Rafa]

One of the reasons Kidd supposedly didn't sign with the Spurs was because his wife at the time was doing sideline reporting, err fluff pieces about her husband for some gossipy news show (Extra maybe?). SA isn't as big of a market, so that helped push him back.


Their whole PR thing going on back then made be beyond happy he didn't sign with the Spurs

Jason Kidd in his prime over Tony Parker any day.

 

[Hadoop]

A bit late to this thread, but bittersweet to see the GPWOAT (that's greatest power forward of all time) finally hang up his sneakers.

 

[Hadoop]

At Wake Forest, Tim Duncan published a paper in a psychology journal. Look at the title. https://t.co/XwcsRN3H9T https://t.co/e1YIl8Nqec

WOW great find!



I will also add that I loathed that he played a huge role in denying my Pistons back-to-back championships in 2005, but in hindsight (seeing Ben Wallace leave for more money, Larry Brown's constant wishes to go elsewhere, etc.) I realized the Spurs just deserved it more.

 

[Voight]

Who was the best PG in those years?

Bleh, had a brainfart and forgot A.I played SG.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Bleh, had a brainfart and forgot A.I played SG.

I think he was asking seriously. Iverson in his prime in Philly was as much of a shooting guard as James Harden is right now, which is not much of one at all.

Nash didn't hit his prime until mid 2000's. AI vs Kidd is very close, IMO. Kidd was an elite defender and rebounder, AI was an elite, albeit ineffecient, volume scorer.

AI carried a squad of scrubs in Philly and even took them to the Finals where they won a game in LA. For that, I'd take Iverson over Kidd.