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Originally Posted by EastDallasCowboy
^^
Exactly.
The problem with Dirk, is that he's not a flashy guy. His numbers are above average and very solid, but they're never insanely good. He's not going to score you 80 points or have 20 assists. He's not going to get a line of shoes and he's not going to get Nike commercials.
He's a damn good player, a great player-but he's to many people the freakish white guy foreigner that has a great jump shot and is soft. He's done a lot this year to work against the "soft" tag, but he's still not flashy.
In a lot of ways, he's like Tim Duncan-without the rings. Tim Duncan is a great player, but no one really cared until the Spurs started reeling off championships. At the same time, on X episode of Sportscenter you're going to see a lot more Kobe, Iverson, T-Mac, etc. than you will Dirk, or Duncan before the rings (Stojakovic is another example of this).
Massive dunks, trash talk, thug life, and cult status are what drive the sports shows and highlight reels, and that often leaves Dirk on the outside looking in. Another strike I believe against Dirk is that he's a Euro, but that's for another thread.
History says Dirk should get the MVP at his current pace if the Mavs get 62+ wins and/or win the West, and I have no doubt he should with those qualifications. On the other hand, if you give him a ring and they do it again next year he becomes a shoe-in.
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Not entirely true
Introducing the Air Max Astonish Dirk Nowtizki
From the website:
"Nike Air Max Astonish Dirk Nowitzki basketball high top shoe in white with navy and silver. The shoe of the German NBA star of the Dallas Mavericks with visible Nike Air Max heal cushioning – a cool acquisition, super design by Nike Basketball."
Linkage
I like your point about how Duncan didn't get all the media-love and MVP chatter until after he won a championship or two. After the 2nd one (or the first legit one, depending on who you talk to) Duncan's name has been tossed around every single year for MVP consideration. I'd never thought about that before. If this season turns out like we all believe it will, Dirk will hopefully receive the same kind of recognition, and rather than being a 2nd-tier "oh btw, this guy's not bad" sort of MVP candidate, his will be among the first names mentioned every year.