Is Tim Duncan the second best player in NBA history?

Every basketball fan has his/her own particular ranking of the best five or 10 players in NBA history. There's no science behind figuring out a definitive order, and many an hour have been lost arguing one legendary player from the 1960s over another great whose prime endured over 30 years later.

Based on what we've seen over the past 18 seasons, Tim Duncan belongs on everybody's list, but who's to say where? The SB Nation Spurs blog Pounding the Rock opines that he deserves to be in the two hole, a somewhat controversial statement, but who's to definitively say it's incorrect?

"I've had a thought about Duncan and where he is in terms of the all-time list. If you were able to draft players knowing that their career would go the way it actually went, where do you take Duncan? With 17 years of championship contention, at least five chips and an unmatched sustained excellence, I would take Timmy first."

Everyone brings built-in biases to the table. No two opinions are exactly alike. But what we can all agree on is that Duncan is a masterful basketball player, historically significant while still dominating the game at the age of 39. What a hero.

(h/t: Pounding the Rock)

Photo Credit: Jesse Johnson/USA TODAY Sports