Sefko: A look back at the career of Tim Duncan; do the Mavs get a passing grade in free agency?

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SportsDay"s Eddie Sefko answered questions in an online chat with readers. Here are some of the highlights.

Question: The NBA loses a great one with Tim Duncan"s retirement. How will you remember him, and what are some highlights from the times you covered him?

Eddie Sefko: I choose to remember the soft bank shot that he never seemed to miss and not the deer-in-headlights eyes that he flashed after every foul that went against him. He was simply one of the best and a true antagonist for the Mavericks. He"ll be missed. Understated brilliance.

Question: What"s your final grade for the Mavericks" free agency period? (assuming, of course, there aren"t any surprises on the way)

Eddie Sefko: A solid C. In my book, that"s not a bad grade. They started out with an F, but pulled it up after that midterm grading period.

Question: Duncan was brilliant, no question, but does San Antonio"s acquisition of Pau Gasol soften the blow of his retirement from a pure basketball standpoint?

Eddie Sefko: Actually, they get better. Quite a bit better. While Duncan could still bring it at times, he had hit the wall. He wasn"t the same player. Gasol is a different sort of big man, but still very effective. I think he was somewhere around 16 and 12 last season. That"s a major bump over what they got from Old Man Riverwalk.

Question: In the Western Conference, what was the biggest free agency move made aside from Durant-to-Golden State?

Eddie Sefko: The two centers moving in Atlanta -- Horford out and Howard in. I think Horford is going to go gangbusters for Boston and Howard will be trying to show everybody he"s a team player in his home town.

Question: Of the ex-Mavs to make moves this offseason, which is ... the strangest? Rondo in a Bulls uniform kinda weirds me out.

Eddie Sefko: The one that"s weird to me is the one that didn"t happen. Tyson Chandler is still in Phoenix. Can"t see that being a really Shangri-La for him this season. Would stun me if he doesn"t get traded.

Twitter: @ESefko

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Source: http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-mavericks/mavericks/2016/07/12/sefko-look-back-career-tim-duncan-mavs-get-passing-grade-free-agency