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By Hadarii Jones (Lakers Featured Columnist) on October 2, 2010
I've never really cared much for San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan, but my dislike has nothing to do with Duncan's amazing talent on the basketball court.
I'm a big fan of the North Carolina Tar Heels, and for four years I was forced to watch Duncan's Wake Forest Demon Deacons dominate the Heels in his familiar, methodical fashion.
For one, I could never understand why Duncan, who was just as ready for the NBA in his freshman year, never took his talents to the NBA earlier.
During the time he was at Wake Forest, which seemed like an eternity, Duncan never seemed to make any huge advancement in his game, yet each season he became even more dominant.
I found out the reason there was no visible improvement in Duncan's game was because by his sop****re year in college, he was already the most fundamentally skilled big man in all of basketball.
When watching Duncan it's easy to forget how dominant he truly is, because he makes the game look so simple.
There's really nothing flashy about Duncan's game, and opponents usually have a pretty good idea of what he's going to do, but they are powerless to stop it.
Duncan's footwork in the paint was a thing of beauty, and he had the ability to score with either hand, with his back to the basket in the post.
Duncan was just as good on defense, and his 7'0" frame and athleticism made him a natural rebounder on both ends of the court.
It's safe to say I was pleased to see Duncan finally leave Wake Forest for the NBA, but in hindsight, I was just entering a different level of torment.
Duncan arrived to the San Antonio Spurs with the exact same skill set he had in college, and he achieved the same exact results.
The only thing Duncan has added to his game through his career as far as I can tell is his kiss-the-glass jump shot from the wing, yet he has been consistently dominant.
No flash, no swagger, no posing.
Duncan's instincts, and understanding of the game has helped him become arguably the greatest power forward to ever grace the court, and he has the numbers to prove it.
Duncan is a four-time NBA champion, league MVP, and has averaged 21 points and 11.6 rebounds, while shooting 50 percent from the field over the course of his career.
However, last season's 17.9 points per game was the lowest of Duncan's career, and evidence that time may be catching up to his game.
Still, Duncan's numbers placed him among the NBA's top power forwards, but there are whispers that Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol may have surpassed Duncan as the league's most skilled power forward.
While Gasol was in Memphis few people would have mentioned his name and Duncan's in the same sentence, but when he was traded to the Lakers, Gasol landed in the perfect situation.
Gasol was always a very skilled player, but as a Grizzly he was never allowed to explore the true depths of his game, and Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, and the triangle offense afforded him that opportunity.
It turns out that Gasol may be just as fundamentally skilled as Duncan, and there are some areas of his game that are actually better.
Gasol also has impeccable footwork in the paint, and he too has an array of offensive moves with his back to the basket, but what separates Gasol is his vision and perimeter game.
Duncan is an above average passer in the post, but Gasol excels in the triangle as a passer, and he is comfortable shooting the ball from at least 17 feet out from the basket.
Gasol has always reminded me of Duncan as far as each player's skill set goes, but Gasol plays the game with a flair that escapes Duncan.
Some people would say Duncan's game is so eventual that at times it's boring, but Gasol has no problem adding a little spice to his game with acrobatic spin moves, and passes in the post.
Many of Gasol's perimeter skills come from the fact that he was late bloomer as a youth and had already developed perimeter talent before his growth spurt hit.
Gasol's career numbers of 18.8 points per game, nine rebounds and 52 percent shooting are slightly lower than Duncan's, but the fact that his numbers have remained constant as a Laker are impressive.
Last season Gasol averaged 18.3 points per game and 11.3 rebounds, and was the clear second option behind Bryant who was fourth in the NBA in scoring.
Gasol shot 53 percent from the field, and had better numbers than Duncan, who was clearly the No. 1 option for the entire 78 regular season games he played.
I would never compare Duncan and Gasol in an historic context, but it may be safe to say that Gasol has surpassed Duncan as a player right now, and has more time to add to his own growing legacy.
Gasol has won two NBA championships of his own, and the Lakers have competed in the finals each season since he arrived on the roster.
There may be more titles down the road for Gasol, and he has grown comfortable in his role as the Lakers leader in the interior.
Gasol's image as a soft player has slowly receded as people have come to appreciate how talented he truly is, and how much he means to the Lakers' success in the future.
NBA history will never view Gasol as a better player than Duncan, and rightfully so, but Gasol has carved out his own place among the game's top power forwards right now, and a strong argument can be made that he resides at the top of the list.
I've never really cared much for San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan, but my dislike has nothing to do with Duncan's amazing talent on the basketball court.
I'm a big fan of the North Carolina Tar Heels, and for four years I was forced to watch Duncan's Wake Forest Demon Deacons dominate the Heels in his familiar, methodical fashion.
For one, I could never understand why Duncan, who was just as ready for the NBA in his freshman year, never took his talents to the NBA earlier.
During the time he was at Wake Forest, which seemed like an eternity, Duncan never seemed to make any huge advancement in his game, yet each season he became even more dominant.
I found out the reason there was no visible improvement in Duncan's game was because by his sop****re year in college, he was already the most fundamentally skilled big man in all of basketball.
When watching Duncan it's easy to forget how dominant he truly is, because he makes the game look so simple.
There's really nothing flashy about Duncan's game, and opponents usually have a pretty good idea of what he's going to do, but they are powerless to stop it.
Duncan's footwork in the paint was a thing of beauty, and he had the ability to score with either hand, with his back to the basket in the post.
Duncan was just as good on defense, and his 7'0" frame and athleticism made him a natural rebounder on both ends of the court.
It's safe to say I was pleased to see Duncan finally leave Wake Forest for the NBA, but in hindsight, I was just entering a different level of torment.
Duncan arrived to the San Antonio Spurs with the exact same skill set he had in college, and he achieved the same exact results.
The only thing Duncan has added to his game through his career as far as I can tell is his kiss-the-glass jump shot from the wing, yet he has been consistently dominant.
No flash, no swagger, no posing.
Duncan's instincts, and understanding of the game has helped him become arguably the greatest power forward to ever grace the court, and he has the numbers to prove it.
Duncan is a four-time NBA champion, league MVP, and has averaged 21 points and 11.6 rebounds, while shooting 50 percent from the field over the course of his career.
However, last season's 17.9 points per game was the lowest of Duncan's career, and evidence that time may be catching up to his game.
Still, Duncan's numbers placed him among the NBA's top power forwards, but there are whispers that Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol may have surpassed Duncan as the league's most skilled power forward.
While Gasol was in Memphis few people would have mentioned his name and Duncan's in the same sentence, but when he was traded to the Lakers, Gasol landed in the perfect situation.
Gasol was always a very skilled player, but as a Grizzly he was never allowed to explore the true depths of his game, and Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, and the triangle offense afforded him that opportunity.
It turns out that Gasol may be just as fundamentally skilled as Duncan, and there are some areas of his game that are actually better.
Gasol also has impeccable footwork in the paint, and he too has an array of offensive moves with his back to the basket, but what separates Gasol is his vision and perimeter game.
Duncan is an above average passer in the post, but Gasol excels in the triangle as a passer, and he is comfortable shooting the ball from at least 17 feet out from the basket.
Gasol has always reminded me of Duncan as far as each player's skill set goes, but Gasol plays the game with a flair that escapes Duncan.
Some people would say Duncan's game is so eventual that at times it's boring, but Gasol has no problem adding a little spice to his game with acrobatic spin moves, and passes in the post.
Many of Gasol's perimeter skills come from the fact that he was late bloomer as a youth and had already developed perimeter talent before his growth spurt hit.
Gasol's career numbers of 18.8 points per game, nine rebounds and 52 percent shooting are slightly lower than Duncan's, but the fact that his numbers have remained constant as a Laker are impressive.
Last season Gasol averaged 18.3 points per game and 11.3 rebounds, and was the clear second option behind Bryant who was fourth in the NBA in scoring.
Gasol shot 53 percent from the field, and had better numbers than Duncan, who was clearly the No. 1 option for the entire 78 regular season games he played.
I would never compare Duncan and Gasol in an historic context, but it may be safe to say that Gasol has surpassed Duncan as a player right now, and has more time to add to his own growing legacy.
Gasol has won two NBA championships of his own, and the Lakers have competed in the finals each season since he arrived on the roster.
There may be more titles down the road for Gasol, and he has grown comfortable in his role as the Lakers leader in the interior.
Gasol's image as a soft player has slowly receded as people have come to appreciate how talented he truly is, and how much he means to the Lakers' success in the future.
NBA history will never view Gasol as a better player than Duncan, and rightfully so, but Gasol has carved out his own place among the game's top power forwards right now, and a strong argument can be made that he resides at the top of the list.
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