By Ricardo Aparicio

The reigning NBA MVP, Tim Duncan, is coming off of a season in which he accomplished a relatively rare feat. Duncan scored 2000 points and grabbed 1000 rebounds. Duncan is only the fourteenth different player to reach the mark. Let's have a look at how to do it, who's done it, who's almost done it, and who's going to do it.

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?

The mark of 2000 points and 1000 rebounds is a benchmark of productivity and durability. You need only (!) average a minimum of 24.4 points and 12.2 rebounds per game over the course of an 82 game season. Obviously, the more games you miss, the greater your averages have to be to reach the mark. In terms of future members of the 2000/1000 club, don't look for Zydrunas Ilgauskas to make the list.

THE 2000/1000 CLUB (listed years are seasons in which the player hit the mark)

Bob Pettit 1958, 1961-64
the NBA's first dominant power forward
Elgin Baylor 1959-61, 1963
Baylor was above the rim when above the rim wasn't cool
Wilt Chamberlain 1960-66
Chamberlain was so dominant, his seasons were often of the 3000/2000 variety
Walt Bellamy 1962-64
Bellamy was a great player whose numbers declined every season
Billy Cunningham 1969, 1970
The Kangaroo Kid was a great scorer with great hops, hence the nickname
Elvin Hayes 1969-72
the original Mailman, Hayes was even better on the glass
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1970-74, 1976, 1977
like Chamberlain, Jabbar accomplished the feat seven times
Bob Lanier 1972
at 6'9", Lanier was undersized but didn't play like it
Bob McAdoo 1974, 1975, 1978
the prototype for today's 6'10" super-athletic forwards, and a great scorer
Moses Malone 1979-82
the hardest working man in basketball. Ever.
Hakeem Olajuwon 1989, 1993
agile, mobile, and a yeoman on the glass
David Robinson 1991, 1996
great at drawing fouls and a terror defensively
Shaquille O'Neal 1994, 2000
the spiritual descendant of Wilt Chamberlain
Tim Duncan 2002
has more shots in his bag than Willie Mosconi

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR

Oscar Robertson, 1962, 15 rebounds short. Oscar was a 6'5" guard, and he nearly collared a thousand boards. Unbelievable.
Bob Rule, 1969, 59 rebounds, 35 points short. Who is Bob Rule, you ask? An All-Rookie team member in 1969, Rule played at a high level until an injury hit him 4 games into the 1971 season. He was never the same.
Spencer Haywood, 1973, 5 rebounds short. Five rebounds. Boy, does that suck.
Artis Gilmore, 1979, 60 points short. For his career, Gilmore made 59.9% of his field goal attempts, so if he would have attempted just a few more shots that season, he would have made it.
Karl Malone, 1988, 14 rebounds short. Malone had several seasons with 2000 points and 900 rebounds, but 1988 was the closest he came.
Charles Barkley, 1989, 14 rebounds short. Barkley scored 2000 points and grabbed 1000 rebounds on many occasions, but never did both in the same season.
Patrick Ewing, 1991, 95 rebounds short. Had Ewing not played next to rebounding fool Charles Oakley for practically his whole life, Ewing probably would have pulled it off at least once.

SO, WHO'S NEXT?

Elton Brand - Coming off of an 18.2 points, 11.6 rebounds per game season, the future looks bright for the twenty-three year old Brand.
Kevin Garnett - He needs to shoot more. I'm not talking about the playoffs, I'm talking about joining the club. Last year, Garnett scored 1,714 points, grabbed 981 rebounds, and dished out 422 assists. Fewer passes, more shot attempts probably means more offensive rebounds...do the math.
Pau Gasol - In his rookie season, Gasol averaged 17.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Stay tuned.
Sean Marion - 19 and 9 last season, super-athletic, and just twenty-four years old. I smell upside.
Antonio McDyess - If he's ever healthy again, he could get there. He averaged 20 and 10 in 1999 and 2001.
Yao Ming - Young, long and tall, strong, good post moves, and doesn't stray too far from under the basket. He's got a chance.
Dirk Nowitzki - In 2002, Nowitzki averaged 23.4 points and 9.9 rebounds. And he's only twenty-four years old. Needs to play nearer the basket, though.
Jermaine O'Neal - Last season, O'Neal averaged 19 and 10, and HE'S only twenty-four.
Rasheed Wallace - If he would only spend a little time in the paint...
Antoine Walker - In 1998, Walker averaged 20 and 10, so he's come fairly close before. Unfortunately, playing with Paul Pierce means there are fewer points to go around.
Chris Webber - Webber is a career 20 and 10 guy, so he can definitely do it. He needs to stay healthy. Webber usually misses several games a season.