Quote:
Originally posted by: grndmstr_c
I never said I considered Dirk above TD or KG. I said I didn't see that either had been playing above Dirk thus far. As for the defense bit, the point is simple. If Dirk's defense is really lagging that far behind the guys he'd have to compete with to win an mvp, then the effect of his mediocre defensive play should be evident in his team's defensive prowess with him on the floor. As of the time that I quoted those stats, it clearly wasn't.
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True that you did not state that those statistics pushed Dirk ahead of Duncan or KG, but you did state that you think they help make up any gap. I'm still uncertain how the defensive stat helps Dirk's case since it's primarily team defensive stat (points per possession, right?), which if used in that manner doesn't take into account the other players on the floor. For example, if that stat were worse for Dirk last year, does that mean that he was a worse defender, or is it the result of replacing Bradley with Dampier and Nash with Harris/Terry on the defensive end? I'll admit to being generally ignorant in the use and application of statistics, so I might just not see the elephant in the room with the use of this stat.
But I will acknowledge that no one in the league is playing at an appreciably higher level than Dirk right now, even with his game against the Suns taken into account...