Tim Duncan Doesn’t Want to Play in the NBA All-Star Game

Last season, for the firs time in his Hall of Fame career, Tim Duncan discovered the joys of resting instead of taking part in the extravagance of the NBA’s annual All-Star Weekend. His numbers this season (17.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per night, on 51.7% shooting from the field) seem to indicate that he will be selected for the big showcase game in mid-February, but Duncan would prefer he didn’t make the All-Star team. Per the Express-News: “The change had been announced, but a few hours before, it came to be known as the Tim Duncan rule. The Spurs and their captain famously objected in 2007 when Duncan’s name appeared on the ballot as a center, rather than a forward. The team never had designated him as anything but a forward and didn’t appreciate a panel of media experts decreeing he was really a center, even though he routinely defended centers once David Robinson retired after the 2002-03 season. The league accommodated the protest, allowing all votes cast for Duncan to count at forward, and he made it into the starting lineup at that position. But Duncan’s streak of consecutive All-Star appearances ended last season when the fans picked young guns Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin as starters, and the Western Conference coaches opted not to add him as a reserve. Then, Duncan discovered the joy of a long midseason weekend with his family. ‘I enjoyed it tremendously,’ he said. […] Duncan, Gregg Popovich told media representatives from Boston to Orlando, should not have been excluded last season and is playing even better this season. Duncan intends to put a halt to any and all future stops on Popovich’s Tim-for-All-Star tour. ‘I will not be campaigning,’ he said. ‘I haven’t heard what Pop’s been saying, but I guess I’ve got to talk to him. I wouldn’t complain if I’m not on the (All-Star) roster. I want to play well and want to feel good about what I’m doing on the court, but I am not going to be unhappy if I don’t make it.'”