Coming of age

Duncan's new personality means Spurs will be a threat again

When the Lakers were annually drubbing the Spurs as recently as two seasons ago, it was easy to question whether quiet Tim Duncan would ever become expressive enough to lead and inspire his teammates.

You don't hear anyone raising doubts about Duncan's authority now. During the recent playoffs he was the dominant personality on the floor, not only controlling the action at both ends but also encouraging his fellow Spurs to make big plays. The only remaining question: When did he change?

"It happened in the last 15 games of the regular season," said San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich after watching Duncan lead the Spurs to a crucial Game 3 NBA Finals win at New Jersey. "It came to the point that he realized he had to take advantage of certain situations. He became more vocal."

Duncan is now the standard by which all leaders are measured. Does any All-Star squeeze more out of himself and his team than Duncan? Last season's Spurs weren't meant to win the championship -- they were designed mainly to be dismantled this summer, in order to make a run at a max-salary free agent who could help Duncan win in future years -- but San Antonio prevailed because Duncan helped the young trio of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Stephen Jackson achieve confidence and mature much more quickly than even Popovich imagined they could.

Duncan not only showed faith in the youngsters by continuing to pass out of the double team, but he also came up with enough big plays on his own to ensure that his teammates' efforts would contribute to victories. Former Spurs backup point guard Speedy Claxton may thrive next season as a starter in Golden State, but he will have to do so in an environment that is not nearly so positive and encouraging as the climate that Duncan has created in San Antonio.

That's why it doesn't seem to matter that the Spurs failed to spend their available cap room on an All-Star like Jason Kidd or Jermaine O'Neal this summer. Popovich's main acquisition turned out to be free-agent center Rasho Nesterovic, a 7-footer who won't make the All-Star team but whose complementary inside-outside game may help Duncan successfully defend San Antonio's championship. Nesterovic is a 27-year-old center who showed improvement in four years with Minnesota, for whom he averaged 11.2 points and 6.5 rebounds in 30 minutes per game this past season. With Duncan at his side, you can count on Nesterovic to continue to elevate his play as the Spurs' replacement for David Robinson.

"We don't have to replace the David Robinson who was one of the Top 50 players of all time," Popovich said recently. "We have to replace what David was giving us the last few years."

Last year Robinson averaged 8.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks as Duncan's complement.

"We will miss the aura of David and his leadership, but the truth is that he'd been turning that part over to Tim the last couple of years," Popovich said. "On the court we won't have to change a lick. Our defensive system requires size, and Nesterovic is a big guy who is very coachable."

Add fellow newcomers Hedo Turkoglu (whose injured confidence should also benefit from playing with Duncan), Ron Mercer and Robert Horry, while anticipating continued improvement from Parker and Ginobili: Altogether it's been a promising summer for San Antonio.

Sterling's spending spree

Little surprise that Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald T. Sterling has matched the offer sheets to restricted free agents Elton Brand (six years, $82.2 million) and Corey Maggette (six years, $42 million), though they instantly became the most expensive Clippers ever. NBA rules dictate that Sterling had to pay somebody. He now has nine players under contract at $32.1 million, which is still almost $1 million under the NBA's minimum payroll for next season. Sterling could fill out the roster on the cheap and keep the payroll in the low-rent neighborhood of $36 million, close to a $20 million savings on what most teams will spend this year.

The issue now is restricted free agent Lamar Odom, a troubled but potentially brilliant forward. Word around the league is that the Clippers promised new coach Mike Dunleavy that they would retain Brand and Odom.

It's unlikely, however, that the Clippers will offer Odom a big contract. The question is whether Sterling will match a multi-year offer sheet to Odom, which would push the Clippers' payroll over $40 million.

Congratulations to Sterling if he does: The responsibility for the team's success or failure would suddenly shift to Dunleavy and the players, who could no longer complain about Sterling's refusal to invest in them. But the betting here is that Sterling will decline to pay big money to Odom on the grounds that he has no obligation -- indeed, it would be like giving away money out of his own pocket -- to pay his players $10 million above the league minimum. Sorry about the cynicism, Donald T., but you've earned it.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Ian Thomsen covers the NBA beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com.

 

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