What if Tim Duncan never existed?

[r0drig0lac]

Manu would have won a title with Carmelo in Denver

[Ramza]

Chris bosh would still have his **** virginity

[jimmybball]

[FONT="Times New Roman"]HOMIE, WE MAJOR[/FONT]

We get it. You're the same person.

[SsKSpurs21]

Spurs would be nothing

yup, Spurs would probably be relocated...

[scm5]

If Duncan never existed, whichever team signed Pop would have 2-5 titles.

[k0kakw0rld]

Jazz win in 99? Lakers 4 peat? LeBron gets 1 more ring?

2 more rings, lost vs him in 07 as well.

[Wade's Rings]

2 more rings, lost vs him in 07 as well.

IMO the Suns win it all in 2007.

[scm5]

2000-2010 Reimagined by a Laker Stan

2003-04: Robert Horry resigns

Lakers bring in Gary Payton but not Malone because Horry resigns. No chemistry issues. Malone never hits on Kobe's wife, which doesn't release deep seeded insecurity issues within Kobe, causing him to cheat on Vanessa. No trial. Lakers maintain spacing against the Pistons with Horry instead of Malone. Defenses can't collapse against Kobe as well as they did with Malone. Lakers beat the Pistons 4-3.

2004-05: Kobe resigns

Lakers make it back to NBA Finals to face the Pistons, a year wiser. Payton is older now and agrees to come off the bench allowing Fisher to start. Kobe guards Chauncey and Fisher gets Rip. Fisher is stout enough and has enough stamina to chase Rip around, and Kobe doesn't get tired out running through screens upon screens. Kobe has a better offensive series and LA dominates the Pistons.

2005-06: Shaq resigns

6 titles in 6 years, Shaq can't leave now. Shaq begins his decline and Kobe is firing on all cylinders. The Lakers face Detroit again in the NBA Finals but fail for the third time in a row.

2006-07: Kobe vs Lebron

For the first time in their careers, they match up in the playoffs. Lebron is a sophmore player and can't stand up to Kobe's smothering defense. 08' Olympics hasn't happened yet so Lebron plays defense like a little girl. Lakers win handily.

2007-08: Arrival of Pau and Ariza

The Lakers have now won 7 in a row, they want 8 and Ariza has caught their eye. The Lakers realize 27 games into the season that Shaq isn't what he used to be. They call upon the great Jerry West to acquire Pau Gasol. They get him for absolute trash. Lakers meet Boston in the Finals with a monster lineup of Fisher, Kobe, Ariza, Pau, Shaq. Boston rolls over in 6.

2008-09: Dwight is murdered

They start the season elated they've won EIGHT in a row! The Lakers again make their way to the NBA Finals quite easily. Finals against the Magic. Shaq goes apeshit on Dwight, dunks on Dwight so hard on one play, Dwight's back breaks ahead of schedule. Lakers win again!

2009-10: Shaq's retirement

The Lakers just want one thing, a decade sweep. 10 Championships in a row to send Shaq off into retirement. They get to the Finals again against the Celtics, Shaq is a shell of his former self but still ten times the player Bynum is. Ariza has developed tremendously playing beside Kobe and Pau is his dominant self. They destroy Boston handily. The Lakers sweep the decade. Shaq retires with 10 rings, 5 FMVP and is considered the GOAT.


Kobe goes on to retire with 10 rings 5 FMVP and is considered the third best player ever behind Shaq and MJ.

Top 5 GOAT List:

Shaq
MJ
Kobe
KAJ
Magic

4/5 are Lakers.

Lakers have the most rings in NBA history.

Fin.

[SCdac]

league wouldn't be the same. It's not just his impact on the Spurs but his impact on his contemporaries/peers and league as a whole. I doubt' Shaq, Kobe, etc, would have wanted a league with less elite competition. Duncan was a consensus #1 overall pick out of Wake Forest and made an immediate impact.



a better question is what would the league have been like had he been drafted by the Celtics or in free agency signed with the Magic?

[bizil]

What made Duncan unique was the fact that he was 7'0 with a dominant two way center's skillset. AND YET combined it with the new age PF skillset in the late 90's to early 2000s. That combination of size and ability had never been seen at the PF. What's unique is that Timmy, KG, and Dirk were all 7'0 BUT redefined the PF position at the same time in different ways.

Sure Sampson was 7'4 at the PF, BUT he didn't have a dominant center's skillset in terms of inside dominance. Sampson was really a finesse big man who wasn't a great anchor or physical like the great centers. Duncan was ON PAR with the greatest centers of all time ability wise. Putting that at the PF was SICK!!

[sd3035]

Fundamentals might cease to exist, the league could be rampant with street ballers. Duncan may have saved the integrity of the NBA

[rmt]

If Duncan never existed, whichever team signed Pop would have 2-5 titles.

You are assuming that whichever superstar Pop landed with would have ALLOWED him to coach the way Duncan has.