Our View: Is Tim Duncan a Power Forward or a Center?

[Noyze]

Yes Tim Duncan played in the middle at Wake Forest and his back-to-the-basket game might elude us to think that only centers should play this way. But let's think outside the box for a second, bias aside.

Through out history we've seen players change the way we see the game. Oscar Robinson gets shafted at the point guard & shooting guard spots all the time cause he played both. At the time media personalities didn't wanna accept Magic as a true pg cause of his size and his perimeter back down play-style. Karl Malone helped define the Power Forward almost as well as Magic nearly broke the pg position, and the way we view it. It was set in our minds that this is the way it was done, if you wanted a dominant 4 he needed to be about 6'9-6'10, strong, rebounds, can run the floor and be able to step out to 15 feet and hit the jumpshot. Some might feel differently but that was more then the general vision of a 4, it was their job. To take on a different job or more responsibility at the same position can sometime make it tough to classify you. This applies in anything you do. Magic took on more then the traditional pg responsibilities cause he was capable of doing it. The Spurs playstyle coupled with Duncan's ability to run the floor and shoot allowed him to play the Power Forward spot most of his career. We don't praise versatility at the 4 and 5 as much as we want to admit. Remember Ralph Sampson & Hakeem Olajuwon?

So is Duncan not a Power Forward because he played with his back to the basket and controlled the paint? Is he too tall? Does he not take enough outside shots? Does he stand too close to the basket? Did he block too many shots? Did he not look enough like Karl Malone? Dirk also won a chip as a dominant Power Forward and doesn't play like anyone on our top 5 (unless you don't consider him a 4 either?). The game changes, as will our view of it. Jordan had scouts thinking all Shooting Guards from then on had to be 6'6 210-220 lbs with superior jumping ability. If you notice all the great players who helped define their position had less weaknesses then the ones before them. Seriously, think about it. They exploited it and captured our imagination.

PG - What did the PG spot look like before Magic ran off with 5 chips and started getting triple doubles every other game? 6'9 and that skilled, can he really be a point guard?

SG - Oh shit, MJ can post up, penetrate, and create offense? You mean shooting guards don't just shoot anymore? George Gerving, Jerry West, Oscar Robinson seemed to all have glaring weakness in their game once Jordan began to dominate (as did the other wing SF people compared Michael to).

SF - Imo still the least discovered position in the NBA. But Bird, Pippen, & Grant Hill showed it was a do-it-all spot to play. LeBron has expanded on that even further and whether or not we think he's as great as Bird you can't help but admit LeBron has less weaknesses then the rest.

PF - The reason Rings are a big deal here is because if you exclude Duncan from this position the the bar hasn't really been set that high as far as reaching the ultimate goal. That's unless you believe McKale was better then Barkley and Malone. Hell some consider Barkley to have been more talented then Malone but not as great a PF, all solid debates. Fact is if you do consider Duncan a PF his ability to consistantly score down low, control the paint on defense, force double teams and pass out trump the rest. This contributed to more chips and finals MVP's then anyone you add to this list. Also to be mentioned Dirk and Garnett, good arguments in their case at the 4.

C - The most competitive position for greatness. This is the only time where my statement might not apply, unless it was unanimous that Shaq was the greatest (since he's the last HOF center).

[Droid101]

He's played Center longer than he's played PF. So he's a Center.

[Noyze]

He's played Center longer than he's played PF. So he's a Center.

I love forum title responses. How many years has Duncan been listed as a Center?

[The Iron Fist]

I love forum title responses. How many years has Duncan been listed as a Center?

Doesn't matter what hes listed as. What matters is where he plays.

Its like telling a queer hes listed as a man when in all reality he plays the position of a woman.

[Haymaker]

Can't we just accept him as a PF/C ? He's played both positions for a very long time. MJ played exclusively SG throughout his career, Magic played PG, Duncan have played both PF/C, end of discussion. He's not a true C like Patrick Ewing, he's versatile enough to switch between both big men and more agile PF's.

[IknowU]

He is so skilled that he was also able to play C. Thats how I view it

[Toizumi]

Basketballers do not have fixed roles/positions 1 through 5. Yes, the PG brings the ball up court and yes the C's usually do most of the rebounding and shotblocking.. but eventhough players are listed 1 through 5 that doesnt mean they play true to their positions.
For instance, Pop lists Bonner as a PF or C, but he's not the guy playing down low, back to the basket. You use a player to his strenghts. Duncan has always played down low, back to the basket (or facing up). Whether he was listed as a PF or a C.

He played next to Centers in his prime (Robinson, Mohammed, Oberto etc.), but the Spurs system was played with two C's basically. Two players down low on the block.
Duncan is the greatest PF ever, because he was listed as a 4 and played next to Centers. In practice, a 4 can play like a 5, or a 3.

To make it easy, just go by the way he was listed in the box scores. You have certain 4's that have range and get the ball on the perimeter. You have 4's that play down low. same with 5's. If Duncan was listed as a C in his prime, nobody would have doubted he was a C. IMO it shouldn't be doubted that he was a 4. Also, he didn't defend just PF's, or just C's, He defended the most skilled big on the opponents team usually. He's a big guy, who was listed as a 4 for most of his days. GOAT PF.

[Kews1]

Whatever position he was playing when played his best basketball would have to be his position i suppose.

[senelcoolidge]

He's a center, but has played the 4 the majority of his career.

[Living Being]

This topic is overdone, it seems, just because of the all-time PF or C rankings.
Who cares?
He's a PF or PF/C. No other great C's have played years, if at all, as a PF, so that settles it for me.

[willds09]

tim duncan old as hell, retire already

[Snoop_Cat]

Well, for the first few years of his career he was listed as a PF because Robinson was listed as the C.

However, from my point of view, he is more a center than a PF. I agree with others that he is versatile enough to be considered a PF/C and that positions aren't as clear as they once were.

However, he has actually guarded the big time centers and vice versa. His game is the traditional center's post game for the most part with the inclusion of that bank shot which is PF reminiscent. But, I forget the actual statistic that I read but the bank shot of his is actually a fairly low percentage in comparison to his overall shooting numbers.

When you look at guys like Oberto, Bonner, McDyess, etc. guys who are constantly being labeled as the C, I think you have to be realistic in accepting that Duncan is the center in these lineups - he anchors the paint, plays down low, guards the centers, etc.

[NumberSix]

He's basically just a big.