Oct.30 at 12:33 pm

Chris O says:
First?
Is it weird to be excited about continually hitting refresh on the live feed of games on the Follower’s page tonight?

Oct.30 at 12:34 pm

Chris O says:
and Mutoni, I just ordered Raps TV. No TNT crew tonight, but I’m set from here on.

Oct.30 at 12:36 pm

white hot eboy says:
It’s nice to have a team leader with class taking up a headline.

Oct.30 at 12:38 pm

mutoni says:
chris o, it should be on (where do you live?). my tv promised when i left the house this morning!

Oct.30 at 12:43 pm

Kiyan says:
Kobe should learn something from Duncan

Oct.30 at 12:46 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
Did anyone seriously think TD would ever go anywhere else? He’s got a coach he gets along with, a tremendous supporting cast, and a GM who knows exactly what the f*ck he’s doing. It’s not like Tim has a craving for bright lights and superduperstardom. Right guy, right place, right team.

Oct.30 at 12:47 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH KOBE BECAUSE THE SITUATIONS ARE ENTIRELY F*CKING DIFFERENT.

Oct.30 at 12:51 pm

Rasheedionics says:
Ben Gordon too

Oct.30 at 12:59 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
Gordon’s situation is also completely different. Duncan has won championships and played through a max money contract. He’s made WELL over $100 million over the course of his career between the Spurs, adidas and Nike. Not to mention the addition he just signed will still pay him $20 million per. He didn’t exactly sign for the veteran’s minimum. Meanwhile, BG is looking to sign his FIRST big-money contract. And Kobe’s problems aren’t even contractual. Sheesh.

Oct.30 at 1:05 pm

Bryan says:
Couldn’t have said it better myself Russ…

Oct.30 at 1:05 pm

Rasheedionics says:
Wait a minute. So you think BG is worth a max? How the teams who cant afford to pay a luxury tax are expect to build a contender when every new up and coming player thinks they deserve max contracts?

Oct.30 at 1:09 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
No, I DON’T think BG is worth the max. But he’d be an absolute moron to just sign for whatever the Bulls are offering because, you know, it’s good for the team. If he thinks he’s the team’s best player, he should go ahead and try and get more than $10m a year. Comparing his situation to Tim Duncan’s is completely ridiculous.

Oct.30 at 1:14 pm

Chris O says:
Mutoni, I’m in Edmonton. Raps channel is part of digital cable, which until they come and install it (”well be there between the 1st and 27th between 7am and 9pm,” is what I’m expecting to hear), I don’t have. Hence refreshing online scoreboards all night.

Oct.30 at 1:27 pm

underdog says:
Kobe should learn something from Duncan? Maybe yes, but that’s not important now. I say, the Lakers front office should learn something from their colleagues work in San Antonio.

Oct.30 at 1:43 pm

Tarzan's Jane says:
Tim Duncan is a class act. I am certain that there is no one else in the league that would take a cut in money like Tim did for an extentsion. Way to think with your dome Timmy. Long haul not immediate return. He is thinking whats good for the team, not whats good for himself. BRAVO!!!

Oct.30 at 1:49 pm

Captain America says:
TD is the best forward in the game. Get used to it, wear it, apply it.

Oct.30 at 1:50 pm

Tarzan Cooper says:
kiss the rings bitches!!!

Oct.30 at 1:55 pm

vmcb says:
Only 11 million less? Selfish bastard!

Oct.30 at 1:57 pm

Madtice says:
I love Tim Duncan for doing this. Definitly a true leader. How could we’ve expected anything else. I will now go to my boss and tell him to pay me 20% less than he does at the moment, but I’ll still be working 20% harder… Or… Well, maybe not…

Oct.30 at 1:57 pm

vmcb says:
I don’t understand why other players don’t often take paycuts to give their team more flexability.
I mean, if I sign for $10 million a year instead of $15 million, I’m still going to make quite a bit of kwan. Last I checked, $10 million is quite a bit of money. You know what I mean.

Oct.30 at 2:04 pm

Chris O says:
Is Tarzan’s Jane Tarzan Cooper’s lady friend? Just curious. Anyway, a lot of players could learn something from TD on this thing. Seems like they forget that 40 mil is still a boatload of money.

Oct.30 at 2:09 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
Maybe I’m crazy, but didn’t KG take a ‘cut’ when he signed his extension with the Celtics? It’s not like Tim Duncan did something that has never been done in the history of man. AND HE’LL STILL BE MAKING $20m A YEAR! Wow, what a humanitarian. He should have signed for the veteran’s minimum for two years so they could add LeBron after ‘10. THAT would have been something to write about.

Oct.30 at 2:10 pm

Bryan says:
That would be some sh*t..any player in their prime that already made tens of millions of dollars just saying f*ck it give me that midlevel and go get so and so for the max.

Oct.30 at 2:20 pm

Bryce says:
Are you people serious…When I graduate and enter the workforce I know for a fact I will never say “Hey, Mr. Principal, I will take a pay cut so we can get some great new teachers up in this b*tch.” Why should anyone be expected to not ask for the maximum they can get, no matter how much it is. Unless your name is Karl Malone or Charles Barkley who got fu*cked out of championships by Mr. Jordan.

Oct.30 at 2:23 pm

Bryce says:
I guess as basketball diehards we forget this is a job to some players. Like curt shilling would rather be creating video games than pitching and kirilenko would rather be crying and having his wife videotape him banging another girl…as hard as it is to believe because it is our fantasy as fans to play professional basketball, most of these guys are in it for the almighty dollar

Oct.30 at 2:25 pm

Co Co says:
Bryce I agree. It would be different if Timmy were still trying to win his first ring so he wanted the team to have some financial flexibility, but he has several rings so now the only thing left to do is look out for your grandkids grandkids. I just felt like this post was praising Timmy too much. This is an idiotic move.

Oct.30 at 2:25 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
NBA basketball should never be confused with the real world. Your hypothetical school won’t have a salary cap, and your hypothetical teachers won’t be signing nine-figure deals. No one ever went broke playing in the NBA, except for maybe Shawn Kemp.

Oct.30 at 2:28 pm

whooo! says:
kg did it and we gave him props, cuz he’s hungry for that ring. the scary thing is that this shows that duncan, despite his 4 rings and countless achievements, is STILL hungry as well! the rich dude is just as hungry as the starving guy in boston.

Oct.30 at 2:29 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
And Co Co, his grandkids grandkids grandkids grandkids will be driving Bentleys if there’s still a planet to drive them on (and gas isn’t $56,700 a gallon). Are you serious? He signed an extension for TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS a year that will kick in when he’s 34 years old. And you think he should have asked for MORE money? I agree that the post is praising Tim too much, but for opposite reasons. Who’s to say he’ll even be the best player on the team in ‘10-11 and ‘11-12 (it feels so weird typing that)?

Oct.30 at 2:30 pm

Z says:
We hold ball players to very high moral standards. Who would take a pay cut for the greater good of their company’s well-being? I ain’t mad at nobody going for his. Do owners take less? Do high profile coaches like Jax take less?

Oct.30 at 2:32 pm

Bryce says:
There is no difference because it is all about supply and demand Russ. You get paid less than Tim Duncan because your job is not as hard to fill as his. Just like in my hypothetical situation, it is easier to replace Bryce the teacher than Tim the all-star nba forward. They are both real-world jobs - the only difference is the demand and the value that results from it…

Oct.30 at 2:32 pm

Co Co says:
Russ, don’t yell at me. I’m not turning my nose up at 20 million I’m just saying if Shaq with his suspect work ethic can get a $25 mill per extension then Timmy should have asked for the same thing or more. After you’ve won the ring, you go for the money. That’s the oldest rule in all of professional sports.

Oct.30 at 2:34 pm

whooo! says:
yeah but coco, he knows that he needs a good cast. he’s saying “I’M NOT DONE”, and “i want more rings.”

Oct.30 at 2:37 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
I just feel like Duncan found a good balance where he gets paid incredible money and the team gets to stay competitive while he’s entering the twilight of his career. Tim has never struck me as a “gimme” kind of guy–I think he spends about eight bucks a year on clothes–and for him to do anything else would have been entirely out of character. Somehow I don’t see him as the kind of guy who loses sleep because someone else is making more money than him. That’s all.

Oct.30 at 2:41 pm

Co Co says:
I agree with all that, I’m just saying him not demanding max money is going to throw the NBA off its axis. I mean seriously, players who can’t carry Timmy’s luggage are asking for $10 mil plus per year and he has the nerve to take less. What gives him the right to be a team oriented guy in a me oriented league? I say all this in jest Russ, don’t let your head explode!

Oct.30 at 2:42 pm

TonyG says:
the point isn’t about how much money Tim Duncan will be making..this is the NBA, where Adonal Foyle has gotten MILLIONS AND MILLIONS..Tim Duncan is arguably the best player in the world, and he is the best big man in basketball..he deserves a MAX contract..Spurs fans would have given him whatever he wanted..the point is that he took a deal with 11 million less $ involved..that is a lot of $..he already has 4 rings, he’s the greatest PF of all-time, and he STILL wants to win and is a 100% focused on basketball..that is the point of this all..when his extension starts, he’ll be 12th in yearly salary, and this is without guys like Arenas that will be getting MAX contracts next year.. I didn’t see KG take a paycut with Minnesota, even though he ended up complaining about a lack of supporting cast..everybody loves the $..Lebron has publically said that he wants to be a billionaire..him, Wade, Bosh and Melo all took their extensions this year, so they can make more $ in their next few contracts, due to inflation.. it’s all about the $..and this is a guy that has already accomplished everything he can possible accomplish in basketball, and he still wants to win and puts the team first..the Spurs are just a class organization..of course Duncan learned from DRob too, who was all class.. this is professional sports y’all..where ARod will be making a billion $ one day..where Roger Clemens gets millions for every start he makes..

Oct.30 at 2:45 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
Speaking about off its axis, given the state of the economy and the world, I’ll be shocked if pro sports exist at anything close to the same level in 25 years.

Oct.30 at 2:47 pm

Co Co says:
I’ll be shocked if WE exist at the same level in 25 years. The world is f*cked up!

Oct.30 at 2:56 pm

Bryce says:
the world is ending in 2012

Oct.30 at 3:00 pm

dblizzy! says:
TonyG, KG did take a “paycut” in Minny when he signed his last extension. And he just took one with Boston. I really don’t think TD making 40 million rather that 51 million is anything to praise. He’s still getting millions of dollars. If he would have taken the 51 and donated 11 million to some charities, then we praise him.

Oct.30 at 3:03 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
GINOBILI! and Tony “Finals MVP” Parker aren’t making anywhere near the max, either.

Oct.30 at 3:05 pm

Bryce says:
seriously…2012 world ending, google it

Oct.30 at 3:07 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
Rush told me it was 2112. Liars.

Oct.30 at 3:19 pm

jbn74sb says:
I didn’t see this addressed anywhere above, but how marketable is Duncan?
As the NBA is a business, they don’t pay you to win - they pay you to move product, in the form of ticket sales, advertising revenue, all the way down to jersey sales. And sure, the extra home playoff games that Duncan brings you is no doubt lucrative.
But, as good as Duncan is, I don’t imagine corporate sponsors are lining up to sign on with the Spurs because of him.
A very effective basetkball player? Yes.
A public persona with the charisma of a desk? Yes.
Hence, as measured in terms of his ability to do his job (which, like all of us the private sector is to make his boss money - i.e. move product), Duncan is overpaid.

Oct.30 at 3:25 pm

Cheryl says:
Y’all are off the chain today. What, is there a full moon? Or is it just the end of the off-season…

Oct.30 at 3:29 pm

Z says:
Nice twist, bodie. Never thought of it like that. Essentially, D-Miles wasnt a bust at all for a Clips. People were rocking his 21 like crazy. It actually makes sense from a financial standpoint.

Oct.30 at 3:30 pm

Z says:
It would be like an artist. Are you geting paid to win Grammys and have good reviews or to go platinum?

Oct.30 at 3:50 pm

Rubens says:
shaq once said: ” if they can pay me that, they’re making alot more money” or something to that effect…

Oct.30 at 4:13 pm

Paniscus says:
Wow. I’m staying out of this one.

Oct.30 at 4:26 pm

jbn74sb says:
One of the few intelligent things Shaq has ever said.
As an employee in the private sector, which I will soon be leaving, your job is to make your boss money. For example, my time is currently billed to clients at about 8 times more than what I make.

Oct.30 at 4:34 pm

TonyG says:
obviously that is the whole point of athletes making so much money..especially basketball and football, where most of the athletes are minorities..they target dudes that grew up with nothing, and show them a life they could have only dreamed of, and in return, the owners make a nice profit..it’s smart business..we talk about how much money a guy like Lebron makes, and how he got a 90 mil contract from Nike before he even stepped on an NBA court..you know how much money they’ve made off Lebron?..we live in a society that is brainwashed by the media..everyone is being exploited for a price..

Oct.30 at 4:45 pm

jbn74sb says:
Nothing like timing, on my part. Turns out the aol fanhouse has a post today about the clippers and the suns essentially trying to give away tickets to opening night. Apparently the Spurs didn’t even sell out their conference finals games. Details include:
“They’re the defending champions and tonight’s the whole banner/ring ceremony, and they aren’t sold out either. Yesterday the Spurs’ website was offering free championship gear (hats DVDs, etc.) for buying up opening night tickets. Maybe I should have seen this coming though. I mean, this is a team that couldn’t sell out their home Conference Finals games, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised anymore.”

Oct.30 at 4:46 pm

jbn74sb says:
Spurs, not suns.

Oct.30 at 4:55 pm

Tarzan Cooper says:
damn

Oct.30 at 6:07 pm

Paniscus says:
Bodie, I think that the analogy to an associate working at a law firm to Tim Duncan leaving $11m on the table is a little off. I think he’s more like a partner who gets to decide what kind of cases he’ll take and whether it’s worth it for him to leave some equity in the firm or to command a huge payday. I realize that my analogy isn’t perfectly apt, but I think that once you’re in a position like Duncan’s (or any other NBA megastar’s) that you’re a bit more than a wage earner insofar as your personal decisions about what kind of contract you’ll take will actually have an effect on the your team’s/firm’s overall performance. (That said, congrats on your new job. Don’t let them make you drink the crime-control/vengeance Koolaid. Mercy is a virtue, even in a DA.)

Oct.30 at 6:17 pm

jbn74sb says:
I don’t disagree with anything you said, Paniscus, and thank you.
Mainly, while I do think there is some truth to what I said, I was just trying to stir stuff up.

Oct.30 at 6:59 pm

RV says:
I think the only situation where a player can be considered selfish is when he demands the max and his team can’t sign adequate talent because of it, and then the player complains about the team sucking (no i don’t mean Kobe, really)….afterall, its a 2 way street, if a player thinks he deserves the max and the team is willing to give it to him, then let him get it, but he and management better not complain about it later. There’s definitely examples of this out there so that who we should be hating on not gordon or TD

Oct.30 at 7:19 pm

Kiyan says:
Chill, Russ … the situations are different but Kobe could learn a thing or two from Duncan such as modesty and being a TRUE team player at all times. His situation is frustrating and I feel for him but he is Kobe … he is the most gifted basketball player in the NBA … he’s a champion … and therefore, he needs to stop acting like a little b*tch. And so should you.

Oct.30 at 7:28 pm

Captain America says:
Russ, ESPN Magazine records KG at $23M/year. No pay cut, no how.

Oct.30 at 7:32 pm

Captain America says:
Oh, and the 2007/8 salary cap is $55.6M.

Oct.30 at 8:08 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
Cap: I’m referring to the extension he just signed, not his current salary.

Oct.30 at 10:40 pm

Todd D. says:
ok, timmy taking a pay cut to help his team is mostly unheard of amoung superstars and he should be applauded for that but come on… think about how mother f**king rich he is… lets not give him a standing ovation.

Oct.30 at 10:43 pm

Todd D. says:
The Spurs will be bad (bad meaning real good) though, more so. Good work dunc.

Oct.30 at 11:19 pm

whooo! says:
jbn, that’s just ridiculous to say dude’s overpaid. fyi, his jersey is top 10 every year in sales, and he’s been in the league 10 yrs already. he even still gets voted to all-star games to start. don’t discredit things like community involvement, leadership, etc, on top of the winning. imagine how crappy business would be for san an if they had no national broadcast games, and a crappy team. or if duncan was winning with the knicks, they’d be makin a ton more cash off him cuz of the market.

Oct.30 at 11:41 pm

Jose says:
he shouldve took the 41 mill. and leave the even 10 mil. there ,but thats me.i admire tim’s unselfessness

Oct.31 at 12:17 am

Slim says:
Is it just me…or is the official TNT theme Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”….omg…

Oct.31 at 12:18 pm

Chief says:
Hey maybe they’re going to use that cap space to get an exciting player so all those finals games they make it to will be worth watching.

Oct.31 at 1:15 pm

RedRum says:
Let me just say here that TD has more rings than Bird, Shaq, Kobe, Wade, LBJ, closing up on Magic’s 5 and MJ’s 6. All these while being the leader of the team, not a second wheel.

Oct.31 at 1:37 pm

Todd D. says:
chief, the finals w/ the spurs suck mainly because they’re of the blowout four game variety. It’s the competition that’s lacking. Remember that exciting player that got swept, what’s his name? Maybe they should put the spurs role players on the cavs instead.

Oct.31 at 2:03 pm

Tony G says:
the Cavs are more borring than the Spurs..I personally don’t find Lebron exciting to watch..

Oct.31 at 2:29 pm

Drolfe says:
Tony G = the king of sarcasm or just a really, really weird guy.

Nov.4 at 4:47 am

jrod76 says:
Thats right baby “SPURS 4 LIFE”!!!!!! Thats how we do it in SAN ANTONIO!!!!! With Class!

Nov.4 at 5:06 am

jrod76 says:
Remeber Timmy is in the Brotherhood of B-Ball no haters on this side!

Nov.5 at 12:56 pm

Paul says:
Maybe i’m being daft here. Didn’t Lebron structure his deal in such a way that he’s not hadcuffing his team, more like putting pressure on them to maintain a level? Duncan’s never needed to do that, but in the context of the NBA, which is an exagerated way of livin’, Duncan showed loyalty. If dude wanted to, he could top up those ‘lost’ earnings with endorsements. Shaq’s plain handcuffed Miami and they’re F*cked until he retires. Kobe got what he wanted, which is all the ball and all the money. He just didn’t realise he needed a team to play the game. Serves him right. It’s all about context and Duncan’s shown real class in the context of the NBA.

May.1 at 7:26 pm

Ray says:
Why does Tim Duncan were #21???Any one know?