“Let’s just call [Tim Duncan] the greatest franchise player in the modern game. The most dependable dude to build an NBA title contender around,” ESPN.com says in its #NBArank announcement released Friday.  The sports network assembled a ballot of the 150 greatest basketball players ever. And then an expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head matchups based on career value and peak performance. Mr. Duncan — The Big Fundamental —  easily cracked the top 10 for his power-forward days with the San Antonio Spurs, going back to 1997. With five championships, rock solid stats and a boat-load of honors, “... Duncan is the only player over the past 35 years to be named First-Team All-NBA as a rookie... At the age of 38, he tied Kareem Abdul-Jabber as the oldest player to be named to an All-NBA team." ESPN Senior Writer Marc Stein gave praise…