Choosing Duncan Over O’Neal a Slam Dunk, Survey Finds

Who’s the first NBA player general managers would want to build a team around?

That’s easy: Tim Duncan.

A Times survey of five general managers and personnel directors yielded five first-place votes for Duncan. Shaquille O’Neal, who used to hold this title, has been marked down because of his playoff misadventures and problems at the free-throw line. In this poll, he got one second-place vote and one third.

Duncan is only a third-year player and the general managers think he will only get better.

Awarding five points for a first-place vote, three for a second and one for a third, the survey went like this:

1. Duncan, 25 points.

2. Kevin Garnett, 10.

3. O’Neal, 4.

3. Jason Kidd, 4.

5. Grant Hill, 1.

5. Vince Carter, 1.