Insider Special: Are There Any Scorers Around TD?

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NBA position battles: Are there any scorers surrounding Duncan?

By Terry Brown

Friday, October 4 Updated 9:48 AM EST

Tim Duncan scored more points, grabbed more rebounds and handed out more assists last season than he ever has before in his blessed career on his way to being named the MVP of the entire NBA.

But it still won't be enough to save Bruce Bowen's job.

Despite averaging 25.5 points per game (fifth in the league) on 50 percent shooting (ninth in the league), including 53 against the Mavericks during one regular-season game and 29 a night against the Lakers during the Western Conference semifinals, Duncan on dunks, jump hooks in the paint and kisses off the glass that stirred the souls of legends past could push the Spurs to no more than 96.7 points per game.

No other Spur averaged half of what Duncan did. Only two of them managed double-digits. Only three others could get more than 9 points per game. In their final five games of season, the Spurs averaged 85.8 points per game and were eliminated from the playoffs.

The Lakers, on the other hand, scored 101.3 on the regular season. The Kings scored 104.6. The Mavericks scored 105.2. All three teams could very well score more this season while the Spurs will be lucky to keep their heads above last year's level.

And only if defensive specialist Bowen, who started every game he played in last year, averaging seven points per contest on 38 percent shooting from the field and 48 percent from the line, is given the boot.

The numbers don't lie.

David Robinson averaged 29.8 points per game in 1994. Eight seasons later, he is putting up less than half that. Over the last four seasons, he's averaged 15 points per game. In the last three seasons, he's gone from 17.8 to 14.4 to 12.2.

Steve Smith had to shoot a career and league high of 47 percent from three-point range to contribute his 11.6 points per game. After all, he's a career 35 percenter from long range. The year before, he shot 33 percent. Over the last five seasons, he's gone from 20.1 points per game to 18.7 to 14.9 to 13.6 to 11.6.

Malik Rose, a 6-foot-7 power forward/center with a career average of 6.3, was next at 9.4 points per game. Antonio Daniels was traded. Rookie point guard Tony Parker averaged 9.2. Danny Ferry averaged 4.6 and Stephen Jackson 3.9.

Terry Porter is 37 years old. Steve Kerr is 37 years old. Kevin Willis is 40. That's the Spurs as we know them, recognize them, picture them in their black and white uniforms led by a coach in regulation buzz cut.

What we don't know is Emanuel Ginobili, the 6-foot-6 star of World Championship fame for the Argentine National Team, recently arrived for his first stint in the NBA. Manu dribbles, drives, dishes with the best of them, a big guard of unknown quantity. You can't even pronounce his name without practice. Stick with Manu. He'll add the accent later. San Antonio head coach Greg Popovich could hardly hide his smile as the youngster ran roughshod over the U.S. team in Indiana.

And if the Spurs are going to have any chance of keeping up in the West, he will have to be paired with Parker up top sooner than later. This old dog is in serious need of new tricks. But even if Ginobili goes on to wildest dreams and wins Rookie of the Year honors to duplicate the season Mike Miller had with the Magic, a similar player in similar circumstances, then he's still going to average about 11.9 points per game.

Like I said. Lucky to get 96.7 points a night.

Bowen and his 5.4 career average are simply not going to do. Ferry scored nearly as much in half as many minutes. Smith scored almost twice as much in the same amount of time. And in case you haven't noticed, the Spurs are going to need every free throw, every heave at the end of quarters and a few technical fouls in their favor to get as close to triple-digits as they possibly can. They cannot afford to have a guy on the floor who has yet to score more than 22 points in a game.

Their 6.2 margin of victory wasn't bad, but still not as good as the Kings (7.6) or Lakers (7.2). One point here, two points there, the winner is still the team that scores the most points. Alternating positions and the like. Enough preaching about defense. And stop looking at Duncan behind that double-team.

He averaged 21.1 as a rookie, pushed it to 21.7 the year after that and 23.2 after that. He is double-doubles ad nauseam. All Defense, All NBA, All Around good guy. The Big Fundamental, remember? Ball control, efficiency, finesse. Set your clock to his turnaround jumper.

But if he was going to average 30 points per game, then he would have been doing so already.

Look, in the last 10 years, only two players put up those types of numbers. Shaq didn't even do it. But you could see it in Michael Jordan's eyes, read it on Allen Iverson's lips before he ever opened his mouth. There are guys who can score and then there are guys who tell you they're going to score, score, then talk about scoring some more as they walk out of the gym. In the last 20 years, only six players averaged more than 30 points per game over an entire season. In seven of those seasons, not a single player did it. Only twice has two players gone over the top.

It is as much an attitude as statistic.

When the Spurs won last season, Duncan averaged 24.8 points. When they lost, he scored 27.1. The audacity required to take 25 plus shots a game simply doesn't seem to agree with him.

In fact, Duncan has never taken more than 31 shots in a single game. Iverson once shot 42 times in a single game. Jordan took 49. Karl Malone took 34 in a game the same year he averaged 31 points per game.

Duncan has never taken more than 1,504 shots in a season. Iverson took 1,813 one year. Jordan took 2,279. Malone took 1,650 the same season he averaged 27.7.

Six seasons into his squeaky-clean career, Duncan is already fine wine, aged to perfection, full body, elegant aftertaste, smell the cork. Pass the cheese. Thank you, pardon me, may I be excused.

But it's guys in black leather on big choppers who score 30 points per game.

And defensive specialists who depend on them for playing time and a paycheck. Bowen, bless his heart, once shot the ball 16 times in a single game. Duncan would have to do that by halftime of every game, before or after cutting an underground rap album, if he is ever going to get that chance again with the Spurs.

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"And only if defensive specialist Bowen, who started every game he played in last year, averaging seven points per contest on 38 percent shooting from the field and 48 percent from the line, is given the boot.

The numbers don't lie."

How the hell did he get that contract with that shooting? I mean good gosh.