An IP keeps requesting a swap of Power Forward and Center. They have been reverted with a comment that he was mostly a power forward. However, review of his official stat likes shows hewas officially listed at nearly an even amount of games at each position with PF being his official position for first half of career and C for second half.
So while I am declining their requested revision, perhaps those that follow this page can take a look at the wording to eliminate the debate over which way he should be referenced. And the answer may be that PF is the overwhelming position he is known for and played, stat lines be damned. Slywriter (talk) 00:50, 23 December 2020 (UTC)
- Slywriter: Seems fine as is. Editors are welcome to discuss and change consensus.—Bagumba (talk) 01:25, 23 December 2020 (UTC)
- I welcomed the IP to bring the issue to this talk page. Just wanted to put eyes on the requested edit that know Duncan's career better than I. Slywriter (talk) 01:29, 23 December 2020 (UTC)
- Actually, looking back at the stats, he did spend time consistently over the last half of his career at the center. Clearly, early on, he was a pure forward with David Robinson at 5. This Bleacher Report editorial probably sums it up best: "First thing's first: Duncan is a power forward. Call him a power forward-turned center if you want. That's totally cool. A majority of his minutes in recent years have been logged at the 5, so the urge to classify him as a center can be persuasive. Just don't give into it. It's not true. He's a power forward and will be remembered accordingly." Even that, though, is two years before he retired. The sentence in question is more of a "what was his primary role", and that's a lot more debatable than "what was he famous for?" I probably should not have reverted and started this discussion instead; did not realize how much time he spent later on as a C - including many of his later all-star voting brackets. Kuru (talk) 01:48, 23 December 2020 (UTC)
- A few former newspaper writers aside (and even those are mostly gone now), I generally wouldn't use Bleacher Report as a reliable source. Very bloggy material.—Bagumba (talk) 05:07, 23 December 2020 (UTC)
- We should rely on how secondary sources refer to him, not play-by-play stats from stats databases. For example, basketball-reference.com would call Draymond Green the SF and Kevin Durant the PF on the 2018–19 Warriors, which few sources would agree. As for Duncan, he is generally referred to as a forward:
There's somewhat of a debate as to whether Duncan was a power forward or a center, although the consensus agrees he's a forward.
(Sporting News 2016) We could also add that he played mostly played center towards the end of his career.. Calling him primarily a center seem like WP:RIGHTGREATWRONGS for now.—Bagumba (talk) 05:07, 23 December 2020 (UTC)
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