1997-06-28, By Jerry Briggs and Glenn Rogers
与新秀马刺球员聊天
圣安东尼奥人从马刺队在 5 月 18 日赢得选秀彩票后就一直在谈论蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)。在过去几天里，当马刺队在第一轮选中了来自维克森林大学的 6 英尺 11 英寸的中锋，并在他抵达这座城市后在阿拉莫广场举行集会欢迎他时，兴奋之情达到顶峰。
在与《圣安东尼奥快报》的对话中，邓肯谈论了他最近的旋风式的生活、他的职业生涯以及他在 NBA 的未来。
Q：你对阿拉莫广场的集会有什么感受？
A：很棒。被如此接受是一种很棒的感觉。这表明这座城市热爱篮球。我听说过这项计划。但我不知道会发生什么。我想人们很高兴看到我来到这里。
Q：你说几周前，你认为与媒体交流和宣传比赛很重要。但是，你最近几天收到的关注是不是有点让人难以承受？
A：有点。但我在学习，这是这个位置的一部分。我知道这种情况不会每天都发生。但我猜我现在只是泰然处之，尽我所能。我无法逃避它。
Q：你在过去一个月所做的每件事都变成了一个事件。你回到维尔京群岛，乘坐汽车游行。你来到这里，他们为你举行欢呼集会。
A：就是这样。希望它能平静下来。但一切都还好。这很酷。
Q：你正在为马刺队参加夏季联赛。很少有像你这样的球员会这样做。你害怕受伤吗？
A：篮球就是篮球。你每次打球都有可能受伤。但如果你开始谈论这个，事情就会出错。
Q：你对抽签之夜的期待是什么？
A：我一直在等波士顿出现。当波士顿提前出现时，我从椅子上坐了起来。我并没有真正支持任何球队选中我。无所谓。每支球队都有不同的情况。但当我被圣安东尼奥选中时，我站起来跑了一会儿。
Q：乒乓球决定你人生的感受如何？
A：我姐夫(Rick Lowery) 几个月来一直说圣安东尼奥会赢。他不是在为马刺队加油，只是在说。当时我很紧张，不知道接下来三年我会做什么或者会在哪里。
Q：你知道马刺队会在第一顺位选中你，但当它发生的时候，你有什么感受？
A：感觉很棒。我的心跳加速了。
Q：与你成为球队焦点的球队相比，你对加入一支拥有两名全明星级别的球员的球队的看法是什么？
A：我认为我真的很幸运。我们有机会在我们第一年赢很多比赛，这与大多数需要重建球队的状元秀不同。
Q：但这不会让你困扰，你不会成为球队的核心吗？
A：一点也不。我认为这对我真的很有帮助。它会给我一个在没有太大压力的环境下成长的机会。同时，我可以以自己的方式帮助球队。
Q：你的到来是否也帮助了大卫(David)？
A：我认为我可以做一些工作，减轻他的一些压力。能转身拥有一个可以在防守端、篮板球上真正帮助你的队友，这很好。把这种压力集中在一个人的身上是一件大事。
Q：人们对球队大幅度反弹的期望很高。当大卫来到马刺队时，他们提高了 35 场比赛。这会增加压力吗？
A：不，不会。我没有想那么远。我认为一旦你开始比赛，压力就开始演变。那时我才会开始担心我们是否能赢球，以及我们需要赢多少场球。
Q：你被描述成你在圣克罗伊岛开始打球时很笨拙。这些故事是否被夸大了，或者你真的在一开始就挣扎过？
A：确实如此。那不是我的风格。我天生就不是打球的料。但我认为结果还不错。
Q：篮球运动的什么地方真正吸引你？
A：我只是喜欢打球。我喜欢与其他人竞争，试图证明自己比其他人更强，试图赢得比赛。我喜欢走出去，每晚都做一些不同的事情。每次你出去打球，比赛都是不同的。
Q：你开玩笑说，你不知道你是否能与艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)共处，因为你认为你可以打一些控球后卫。但你的姐夫是控球后卫，你的高中教练(Cuthbert George)也是。你从这个角度学习了篮球，对吧？
A：我从一开始就是控球后卫。我姐夫不认为我会长到 6 英尺 10 英寸。他认为我可能只有 6 英尺 5 英寸或 6 英尺 6 英寸。他告诉我，教练最喜欢的莫过于 6 英尺 5 英寸或 6 英尺 6 英寸的控球后卫。我就是这样被培养起来的。除此之外，我来到美国，成长为一个大个子。
Q：你认为你能够比大学时期更多地为马刺队控球吗？
A：我希望如此。这是一场篮球比赛。一旦比赛开始，我认为我不会失去所有技能。我认为会有一些情况，我可以稍微推动一下球，让它更快地移动。但我认为我不会在那里打控球后卫，或者其他什么——除非他们想让我这样做。
Q：成为第一个从加勒比地区高中毕业并被选中为状元的篮球球员，以及第一个来自圣克罗伊岛进入 NBA 的球员，对你来说意味着什么？
A：很棒。我认为随着我和阿多纳尔·福伊尔(Adonal Foyle，来自格林纳丁斯，被金州勇士队选中第八顺位) 今年加入联盟，其他一些球员也会得到一些关注。我们知道那里有球员。我希望这对其他球员获得在美国打球的机会有一些影响。
Q：你能说出五个对你人生影响最大的人吗？那些帮助你成为今天你的人？
A：从篮球的角度来看？
Q：无论哪种方式。
A：我认为首先是爸爸妈妈，无论是否打篮球。我的妈妈(现在已经去世) 之前从未见过我打球，但她仍然是一个巨大的影响力。然后是我的姐夫(Lowery)，我猜你可以说我的教练——从高中到大学。我的朋友也贡献很大一部分。
Q：教练(Dave)奥多姆(在维克森林大学)对你有什么影响？
A：我在他的体系中成长起来。他给了我机会，他教了我很多东西。他和他的整个教练组。真的，每个人都在将我组建起来的过程中发挥了不可或缺的作用。
Q：你本可以在过去两年中的任何一年参加选秀，并且仍然是状元秀。你认为留在学校对你的比赛有什么影响？
A：这对我有很大的帮助。我现在更强壮，更有经验，也为进入联盟并产生影响做好了更好的准备。
Q：你认为大学里的其他球员应该效仿你的例子留在学校，还是这是一个个人决定？
A：每个人对事物的看法都不同。我当时的情况让我认为这对我来说是最好的。对其他人来说可能不是这样。这可能会对他们(留四年)造成伤害。有些人大学二年级之后，已经处于选秀中最好的状态。他们又回来读了两年，结果真的弄糟了。所以每个人都必须自己判断。如果该走就走。
Q：你多久会继续把短裤反过来穿去练习？
A：我认为永远？
Q：这不是你的迷信吗？
A：我猜现在这是一种迷信。我穿着反穿的短裤打得更好。我不知道。有一天，我穿着反穿的短裤(去训练)，我打得很好，我就一直这样穿了。
Q：你真的收藏刀子吗？
A：是的。我在大学时就开始收藏了。我对它们很感兴趣。我有一两把。后来变成了三把或四把。现在是 15 把或 16 把。很快就会变成 20 把或 22 把。
Q：你真的有剑吗？
A：我有三把剑，其中两把是武士刀。
Q：好吧，我们不能称你为忍者，因为肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)已经是忍者了。
A：没关系。我不想成为忍者。
Q：有些人认为你太善良了，比如格兰特·希尔(Grant Hill)。你觉得你需要改变什么吗？
A：我不在乎。你想让我变得刻薄吗？我可以变得刻薄。我就要结束(这次采访了)。我认为我打球的强度与其他人一样。我认为格兰特·希尔还不错。他是一个非常棒的球员。我想成为格兰特·希尔吗？当然。
Q：篮球对你来说一直是一项运动。现在它是你的事业。你能谈谈这个吗？
A：现在它已经成为一个大产业。我认为我身边有一群很棒的人，以至于我感受不到多少商业压力，仍然很喜欢打球。压力已经从我身上移开了，但同时，我也意识到我周围发生的事情。
Q：你认为新秀工资帽是否加快了合同的进程？
A：我认为有了保障金额，事情会更快地完成。这是一个很棒的想法。当然，人们希望它不在(集体谈判协议)中。但事实就是这样。我认为这是某个人的一个好主意。
Q：一些球迷只是假设你将在三年后成为自由球员，然后转会到另一支球队。你会考虑哪些因素来决定你是留在马刺队还是离开？
A：我会一天一天、一年一年地过。到目前为止，一切都很好。球员们很棒。形势很好。
Q：你的顾问说过，赢球将很重要。
A：我想赢球。我认为这里的情况有利于这一点。几年后，我可能会改变主意。但我喜欢我现在看到的一切。
点击查看原文：Chatting with the newest Spur
Chatting with the newest Spur
San Antonians haven’t stopped talking about Tim Duncan since the Spurs won the draft lottery on May 18. The excitement built in the last few days, when the Spurs drafted the 6-foot-11 center from Wake Forest at No. 1 overall and then welcomed him to the city with a rally at Alamo Plaza.
In conversations with the San Antonio Express-News, Duncan discussed his recent whirlwind existence, his career and his future in the NBA.
Q: How do you feel about the rally at the Alamo?
A: It’s great. To be accepted like this is a great feeling. It shows the city loves basketball. I had heard about the plans for this. But I didn’t know what to expect. I guess people are happy to see me here.
Q: You said a few weeks ago that you felt like it was important to talk to the media and to promote the game. But with the attention you received the last few days, hasn’t it been a little overwhelming?
A: (A) bit. But I’m learning it comes with the territory. I know situations like this won’t happen every day. But I guess I just take it in stride right now and do what I can with it. I can’t get away from it.
Q: Everything you’ve done in the past month has turned into an event. You go home to the Virgin Islands and you ride in a motorcade. You come here and they have a pep rally for you.
A: That’s the way it’s been going. Hopefully it’ll calm down. But it’s been all right. It’s pretty cool.
Q: You are playing in the summer league for the Spurs. Not many players of your caliber do that. Are you afraid you might get hurt?
A: Basketball is basketball. Any time you play, you might get injured. But if you start talking about that, that’s when things go wrong.
Q: What were you expecting the night of the lottery?
A: I was waiting for Boston to come up. I sat up in the chair when Boston came up early. I wasn’t really rooting for any team to get me. It didn’t matter. Every team has a different situation. But I got up and ran around a little bit when San Antonio got me.
Q: How does having pingpong balls determining your life affect you?
A: My brother (Rick Lowery) had been saying San Antonio would win for months. He wasn’t rooting for the Spurs, just saying it. I was nervous at the time, not knowing what I would be doing or where I would be for the next three years.
Q: You knew the Spurs would call your name at No. 1, but what did you feel when it happened?
A: It was a great feeling. My heart really got going.
Q: What are your thoughts about playing for a team with two All- Star-caliber players, as opposed to a team where you would be the focal point?
A: I think I was really blessed. We have an opportunity to win a lot of games our first year, and that’s different from most No. 1 picks that have to go in and rebuild a team.
Q: But doesn’t it bother you that you’re not going to be the centerpiece?
A: Not at all. I think it’ll really help me a lot. It’ll give me a chance to grow with not as much pressure on me. At the same time I can help the team in my own way.
Q: Doesn’t your arrival also help David?
A: I think I can do a job of relieving some stress off him. It’s good turning around and having somebody by your side that can really help you out defensively, on the glass. To have that strain on one person is a real big deal.
Q: Expectations are high for a big turnaround. When David came to the Spurs, they improved by 35 games. Does that add pressure?
A: Not really. I’m not thinking that far ahead. I think once you start playing, the pressure starts evolving. That’s when I’ll start worrying about us winning games, and how many we have to win.
Q: You have been described as awkward when you started playing on St. Croix. Have those stories been embellished at all, or did you really struggle initially?
A: I did. It wasn’t my game. I wasn’t born to play. But I think it turned out all right.
Q: What really appeals to you about the game of basketball?
A: I just enjoy playing the game. I like competing against the guys, trying to prove you’re better than somebody else, trying to win games. I like to go out there and do something different each night. The game is different every time you go out and play it.
Q: You have joked that you didn’t know whether you could coexist with Avery Johnson, since you thought you could play some point guard. But your brother was a point guard and your high school coach (Cuthbert George) was, too. You learned the game from that perspective, right?
A: I was a point guard from day one. My brother didn’t think I’d grow to be 6-10. He thought maybe I’d be 6-5 or 6-6. He told me there’s nothing a coach loves more than a 6-5 or 6-6 point guard. And that’s what I was brought up to be. Beyond that, I came to the states and evolved into a big man.
Q: Do you think you’ll be able to handle the ball for the Spurs a little more than you did in college?
A: I hope so. It’s a basketball game. Once the game starts, I don’t think I’ll lose all skills whatsoever. I think there’ll be situations where I can push it out a little and get it up the floor a little faster. But I don’t think I’ll be out there running point, or anything - unless they want me to.
Q: What does it mean to you to be the first No. 1 pick in the basketball draft who graduated from high school in the Caribbean and the first player from St. Croix to play in the NBA?
A: It’s great. I think with me and Adonal Foyle (from the Grenadines, drafted No. 8 by Golden State) coming in this year, some other guys will get some attention. We know there are players there. I hope it has some influence with other guys getting their chance to play (in the states).
Q: Could you name five people who have had the most influence in your life, the ones who helped you become what you are today?
A: Basketball-wise?
Q: Either way.
A: I think mom and dad, off the bat, basketball or no basketball. My mom (now deceased) has never seen me play before, but she was still a big influence. Then there’s my brother (Lowery), and I guess you could say my coaches - from high school to college. And a big part would be my friends.
Q: What sort of impact did Coach (Dave) Odom (at Wake Forest University) have on you?
A: I blossomed in his program. He gave me the chance and he’s the one that taught me a lot. Him and his whole staff. Really, everyone had an integral part in putting me together.
Q: You could have come out for the draft in either of the last two years and still been the No. 1 pick. How do you feel staying in school affected your game?
A: It benefitted me a lot. I’m stronger, more experienced now and better prepared to step into the league and make an impact.
Q: Do you feel other players in college should follow your example and stay in school, or is it an individual decision?
A: Everybody has their own look at things. I was in a situation where I thought that was best for me. Other people, it might not be. It might hurt them (to stay four years). There have been people after their sophomore years, where they have been in the best shape draft-wise that they could be in. They came back for two more years and really messed it up. So it’s a situation that everyone’s got to read themselves. If it’s time to go, it’s time to go.
Q: How long will you continue to wear your shorts backwards to practices?
A: I think forever?
Q: Isn’t it a superstition of yours?
A: I guess it’s a superstition now. I do much better with my shorts on backwards. I don’t know. I just walked in (to a workout) like that one day, I played well and I kept them that way.
Q: Do you really collect knives?
A: Yes. I started in college. I was intrigued by them. I had one or two. It turned into three or four. Now it’s 15 or 16. Pretty soon it’ll be 20 or 22.
Q: Do you really have a sword?
A: I have three swords, two of them are samurai swords.
Q: Well, we can’t call you the Ninja because Sean Elliott is already the Ninja.
A: That’s OK. I don’t want to be the Ninja.
Q: Some people think you are too nice a guy, like Grant Hill. Do you feel you need to change at all?
A: I don’t care. Do you want me to be mean? I can be mean. I’m leaving (the interview). I think I play with as much intensity as everybody else. I think Grant Hill’s pretty decent. He’s a pretty good player. Do I want to be Grant Hill? Sure.
Q: Basketball has always been a game to you. Now it’s your business. Could you talk about that?
A: It’s a big business now. I think I have great people around me to the point where I don’t feel much of the business and kind of still love playing. The stress is off me, but at the same time, I’m aware of what’s around me."
Q: Do you think the rookie salary cap expedites matters with contracts?
A: I think it gets done a lot quicker with the guaranteed amount. It’s a great idea. Of course, people want it not to be there (in the collective-bargaining agreement). But that’s how it is. I think it’s a great idea by someone.
Q: Some fans just assume that you will become a free agent in three years and move on to another team. What will be the factors that you will look at to determine whether you stay with the Spurs or leave?
A: I’m going to play it day-to- day, year-to-year. So far, everything is good. The players are great. The situation is great.
Q: Your advisers have said that winning will be important.
A: I want to win games. And I think the situation here is conducive to that. I might change my mind in a few years. But I like what I see right now.
By Jerry Briggs and Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News