I sure hope Duncan stays with the Heat. It has worked out so well for him. Take a little less money and stay with the people that made you an NBA starter!
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I understand the temptation to think that Beilein missed out on some of Duncanās upsideā¦but I think thatās missing the full narrative. Beilein was the one who plucked Duncan from D3 and worked him into a starter in the best basketball conference in the country most years. Beilein even figured out late in Duncanās career how to mitigate some of his defensive shortcomings. He did all of this despite significant NCAA restrictions on practice time compared to the NBA. There might have been some further juice to squeeze out of him while at Michigan, but looking at what they did get was still remarkable.
The beauty of what the Heat have done is that they didnāt try to make him something he wasnāt - they tried to make him the best version of what he is. I think thatās the problem with so many failed NBA picks is that teams want them to be all-around elite players who can do everything instead of trying to hone them into their optimum version. I read theringer.comās preview of the draft (Franz at #8) and they literally spend more time talking about all of the limitations even the elite prospects have as they do their strengths.
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That would be great for sureš
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Well surely there are players that know they project as 3&D wings who want to be considered on-ball guys and players who know they project as 3&D wings who know what they are and want to add increments to their game, as Livers did ā letās firm up your ability to attack closeouts first and foremost, and then proceed logically through other ways to expand your game.
Houstan has the look of a kid who is the latter ā Dylan talks about him going through entire weekend events scoring efficiently but dribbling rarely ā but I bet a good recruiter recognizes how to talk to different kids about that.
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I donāt want to speak for Duncan, but I get the impression that he knows a lesser contract with staying power > bigger contract with risk that things donāt turn out the way you want. Guaranteed money is obviously important too.
Duncan is in a great situation because heās not asked to do much more than keep moving and hunt shots. His defensive deficiencies are masked by great help defenders in Butler and Adebayo, and Ariza as well (who is probably not a long term player on the team).
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Ultimately I think it depends how much lesser we are talking. There is a point where the money is too great to turn down and you bet on yourself.
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Oh, totally agree. Iām not implying heāll take a 20% or more haircut on the headline number, but I could definitely see him taking $17MM-$18MM per year with the Heat in lieu of $20MM per year with another team. Once again, the guaranteed $ proportion will play a huge role in my opinion. I believe that Duncan wants to maximize his guaranteed $ because thereās probably something in the back of his head telling him āthereās no way you can sustain this success levelā even if he likely will be able to. Heās talked about how heās battled with imposter syndrome, so Iām sure heās itching to sign the next contract.
For what itās worth, I think Duncan settles for something in the $15MM per year range because I donāt think other teams will offer him $20MM per year.
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And donāt forget that no state income tax in Florida means that $17 million w/ the Heat is equivalent to $19 million in California, for example.
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As someone who knows very little about how the NBA works, is the salary cap calculated with gross or net salaries?
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Jalen Rose breaks down in tears honoring first Motherās Day without mom and grandmom
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Duncan a miss? What?
He was a crucial player for Michigan on a team that ran to the title game. In his last season he transformed from notorious defensive liability (I mean, he was really bad. On a bad Beilein defense he was a weak spot) to a plus defensive player.
He wasnāt the star of the team, but Michigan got everything out of the player he was when he was here. When he went pro he was able to further develop his skills in a way that made him valuable on an NBA roster. And Michigan won trophies with him on the roster.
I mean, not to invoke that other ball sport Michigan is known for again, but weāre not even in the same stratosphere of āunder-utilized talentā as that other sport has been in the last 20 years.
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For this I am proud to have been born in Detroit, to be an alumnus of the University of Michigan. Thanks for sharing it, because I wouldnāt otherwise have seen it.
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Duncanās shot was an elite weapon (relative to his peers) while at Michigan, and he was trending upward throughout his career here. He played his role well!
And Good on himā¦ Heās continued that trajectory ever since he left here, and was able to solely focus on his game. He has an elite weapon in the NBA now, and will get paid for it! 
I donāt think itās damning anyone to say that spending a year doing nothing but basketball with a coaching staff whose priority is developing you and 2-3 other players (not winning games) is a better situation for improvement than part time work when we need you to stand over there to space for Derrick because we need this W to beat the Gophers.
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Jordan Poole buzzer beaters >
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He wound up with 20 points on 11 shots in 19 minutes off the bench and GS got the win.
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And Caris had 20 points and 10 assists in a win for the Pacers.
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income tax differences help, but athletes pay state income tax in each state they play road games in so the differences between teams are not quite what they would be for normal people living in different states
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I hope the Heat take Isaiah this time, in the 2nd round if not the 1st. He appears to me to be even better value than Duncan.
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While Walton on a 10-day and GR IIIās one year didnāt work out all that well in Detroit, it would be nice to see a Wolverine be a Piston.