Official Dirk is Great Thread

[41mvp]

Dirk skills are very highs so far.He plays like real MVP.If he will be play in playoffs on MVP level and his friends help him,his dream come true.And all mavs fans dreams comes true!!!
Go Mavs beats the Bucks!!!

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

I can remember saying something 5-10 years ago on this forum about thinking that Dirk would retire with closer to 35,000 points than 20,000 points. It's looking pretty good barring a major injury.

barring injury its pretty much a lock.

[xrobx]

Originally Posted by sefant77

If Dirk keep his 25PPG this season he has ~23160 after this season.

#10 will be Oscar Robertson with 26710, so 3550 points missing. That means he need an average of 14.4 PPG in his last three season of his actual contract

He is playing at MVP level this season, do you really think he will fall off a cliff within the next 3 years that he cant average 14.4PPG? Hell, he can average that with just standing at the threepoint line...

dirk could average 14.4 PPG blindfolded with one arm tied behind his back

[dude1394]

The greatness of cubes.... For those who may/may not go to the arena they have a video introduction. At the end of it when they do a countdown 3,2,1, etc... You have a full-throated-dirkster rebel-yell closeup. It is pretty awesome. I mailed cubes and asked if there was anyway to get a wallpaper of it. 2 days later...this shows up...

Here is the original

Here is the new updated one..Pretty cool 'eh??

[Budapest Maverick]

Originally Posted by mavspwnage

Dirk is awesome, but sorry...top 10 all-time is just not realistic. This debate can be analyzed to death, but I just don't believe Dirk will be on the same level as Larry Bird, despite the fact he will pass him on the scoring list in a couple weeks. I would take a prime Bird over prime Dirk eight days out of the week.

But anyway, enough of my jabbering. Dirk for MVP!

I think he meant top 10 in scoring, not on the all-time list.

[xrobx]

i know it's a long shot... but IF dirk could ever win just one championship, he might be considered one of the top 10 greatest players of all time

[sike]

Originally Posted by xrobx

i know it's a long shot... but IF dirk could ever win just one championship, he might be considered one of the top 10 greatest players of all time

In ten seconds I came up with this ridiculously short list:
Wilt
Russell
O
Magic
Bird
Jordan
Dream
Shaq
Duncan
Kobe
LeBron

Dirk will never be top 10...and honestly probably isn't top 20. And that is coming from someone who Dirk is his favorite all time player.

[sike]

that is a GREAT story!! (and pic)

Originally Posted by dude1394

The greatness of cubes.... For those who may/may not go to the arena they have a video introduction. At the end of it when they do a countdown 3,2,1, etc... You have a full-throated-dirkster rebel-yell closeup. It is pretty awesome. I mailed cubes and asked if there was anyway to get a wallpaper of it. 2 days later...this shows up...

Here is the original

Here is the new updated one..Pretty cool 'eh??

[xrobx]

Originally Posted by sike

In ten seconds I came up with this ridiculously short list:
Wilt
Russell
O
Magic
Bird
Jordan
Dream
Shaq
Duncan
Kobe
LeBron

Dirk will never be top 10...and honestly probably isn't top 20. And that is coming from someone who Dirk is his favorite all time player.

i was with you up until lebron

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by sike

Dirk will never be top 10...and honestly probably isn't top 20. And that is coming from someone who Dirk is his favorite all time player.

He needs to win a ring so we can re-examine this discussion...

[Murphy3]

In part, it's because the names are legendary. Dirk's name will never be among the greats mostly because he flies a bit below the radar and because of the backlash that comes along with him being...white.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

In part, it's because the names are legendary. Dirk's name will never be among the greats mostly because he flies a bit below the radar and because of the backlash that comes along with him being...white.

You know, I'd say race has nothing to do with it, but people always compare Dirk to Larry Bird even though they have NOTHING in common other than their skin color, so it's kinda hard to argue against it...

[BGMaverick9]

Originally Posted by Underdog

He needs to win a ring so we can re-examine this discussion...

I still find it hard to believe he'd crack the top 10. With sike's list...excluding LeBron, I'm pretty sure all of those guys have multiple rings, so Dirk is playing from even farther behind.

And for the Bird stuff, I actually think there is quite a bit of stuff that's similar between he and Dirk. It's intangibles wise, I'm hoping to get more validation on that thought in the next few days.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by BGMaverick9

And for the Bird stuff, I actually think there is quite a bit of stuff that's similar between he and Dirk. It's intangibles wise, I'm hoping to get more validation on that thought in the next few days.

Maybe the intangibles, but Bird had a power game whereas Dirk has more of a finesse game...

[HiddenX]

Nice Read:

By Michael Dugat
FOXSportsSouthwest.com

Quietly, Nowitzki enjoying banner year

If you stare at the sun long enough, not only will you be blinded by its brilliance, you’ll soon forget the shine itself. Dirk Nowitzki has been so reliable in his delivery of exceptional play that the glare around the run he is currently on seems to be hiding beneath the anonymity of a consistently remarkable career.

Beneath the typhoon of stories on anything related to the Miami Heat, and perhaps even buried in the headlines of his own team’s 12-game winning streak, the true greatness Dirk is leaving on the court has come with little national awareness or praise.

This is more than a good player having an impressive season. This is a player asserting himself as a Hall of Famer not yet ready to see his prime slip into the place of memory … and he’s doing it with a level of efficiency unprecedented for his style of attack.

Since the 2000-01 season only four players ranking among the league’s top 25 scorers in a given year have converted at a higher percentage than the 56.8-percent Nowitzki is currently shooting … while averaging 25 points-per-game, which stands at fifth in the NBA.

Those players are Shaquille O’Neal, Dwight Howard, Amar’e Stoudemire and Eddy Curry (yes, that Eddy Curry).

Quickly evident from that list is the fact that these are all players who gathered their points and credited their efficiency to rarely venturing far from the rim to gather their shot attempts … unlike Dirk.

If you narrow the list to include only players who were also averaging at least two three-point attempts per game, thus including shots in their arsenal that pulled them away from the rim, you’ll find that since the NBA’s introduction of the three-point shot for the 1979-80 season there is not a single player who can match Dirk’s current field-goal percentage.

The only player to truly come close as a top scorer was Cedric Ceballos during the 1995-96 campaign, when he shot 53-percent and averaged 2.4 three-point attempts.

If you ignore where the player finished as an overall scorer, you’ll find John Stockton had two separate seasons of shooting just over 54-percent while also attempting at least two three-pointers per game.

Both of those players share another trait, neither could match what Dirk has done to start the 2010-11 season … either in quantity or quality.

“The Uberman” (as Dallasbasketball.com has taken to affectionately calling him) is giving those who have had a chance to view his games a reintroduction to the damage a seven-foot weapon can inflict when complementing an ability to get to the rim with one of the deadliest jump shots the league has ever known.

For the sake of reference let’s bring two of the most renowned jump shooters in the modern era into the discussion: Reggie Miller and Ray Allen.

Ray Allen has never had a season with a field-goal percentage over 50. This year he is on pace to set a career high at 48.4-percent … almost ten percentage-points below Dirk’s 56.8.

Reggie Miller’s career best in field-goal percentage came in his third season as a pro when he hit 51.4-percent of his shots. This could be labeled as Miller’s most prolific year as an offensive force. He also set his career mark in scoring with 24.6 points-per-game.

If you prefer an advanced statistic to measure shooting accuracy, you can look at Effective Field-Goal Percentage, which adjusts a player’s standard field-goal percentage to take into account the added weight of three-point shots.

Ray Allen’s career best is 57.5-percent, set over the course of his first season in Boston. Miller’s highest eFG-percentage also came in the season referenced above, his third, at 57.2-percent.

Compared to the best season from two of the most notable shooters of the modern era, Dirk’s 2010-11 season remains at the top of this short list with and effective field-goal percentage of 59.4.

One more statistic that speaks to the significance of what the Mavericks best player is achieving: Dirk has shot 80-percent or higher ten times over the course of his illustrious career … four of those have come this season.

“There are things that I know now that I wish I knew ten years ago; how to get to spots, how to respond to different situations.” Dirk stated after Saturday’s victory over the visiting Utah Jazz. “It’s really just all about experience and using what I have learned over the past 13 years in this league.”

Clearly, what he has learned is immense. The stats help unveil the rarity of what Nowitzki is accomplishing, and the team’s success further substantiates the scope of his impact.

The Mavs sit a half-game back of the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the NBA.

You won’t generally find his play plastered over the reels of league recaps, or dominating the space of video highlights because part of the greatness comes in the monotony of the result, and without the added frills and flash.

The first time you see Nowitzki hit his one-legged Euro fadeaway, a shot that has become his calling card and is essentially impossible to defend, you’re likely to host a thought resembling, “How did he hit that? Pure luck.”

His form is awkward, does not require a blatant display of physical athleticism, and is beautiful in its simplicity. There is no leap over a defender, no knee-buckling cross-over dribble, only a unfailing purity of result.

The next time you see it, you doubt its success and perhaps even roll your eyes when it again falls perfectly through the net. Shots with that level of difficulty are not meant to appear so easy … a characteristic shared by so much of what makes the great ones great.

When Dirk again leans away from his defender on one leg, creating just enough space to get the shot off uncontested over the likes of Kevin Garnett, Kenyon Martin or any other player with a reputation for defensive prowess, the doubt begins to fade from your expectations.
Instead, you roll your eyes and move on.

What else can you do?

It’s a feeling of repetitive helplessness highlights cannot capture. Single them out and there is nothing in those shots to lift you from your seat in amazed wonder, nothing to feed the appetite of shrinking attention spans … there is only the monotony of rain hitting a tin roof, of a basketball again snapping the net.

“Just when you think you got them, you know Dirk will hit a big shot.” Avery Johnson, Dirk’s former coach now leading the New Jersey Nets summed up after a loss at the hands of the Mavs.

Drowned in this uniformity of result is a possible suffering in the adoration of fans, both locally and nationally, who may take for granted what they’re seeing as what they’ve seen before. It’s easy to overlook what you expected to find.

Bound by the failures of teams past, most notably in the Finals against the Heat followed by a meltdown in the first round to the Warriors after Dirk’s single MVP season, some deny the evolution of a player that has refused to accept the legacy implied by those failures and forged relentlessly forward.

Though history may overlook the fact, these were team failures … not the burden of one man alone.

With Dallas finally embracing the principles of defensive integrity, supported by the arrival and reemergence of Tyson Chandler, perhaps this will be the year those haunting memories are finally set to rest … and legacies redefined.

Dirk Nowitzki is doing his part in unprecedented fashion. Where the season finds its end remains to be seen.

[fluid.forty.one]

One of the biggest reasons I'm scared of a lockout is because of how it will affect Dirk's career scoring...

[BGMaverick9]

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/12/13/p...eek/index.html

Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Dec. 6-12 the NBA announced today. This is the 13th time Nowitzki has garnered the honor in his career and the second time this season (also games Nov. 22-28).

Nowitzki led the Mavericks to a perfect 3-0 week with wins over Golden State, New Jersey and Utah. He averaged 25.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game during that stretch while shooting .700 from the field (28-40 FGs), .667 from three-point range (6-9 3FGs) and .789 from the free throw line (15-19 FTs).

Congratulations to Dirk Nowitzki.

[fluid.forty.one]

yaaa boii

btw I also think Dirk has a chance at 10k career rebounds too. He's at 7,982 right now and he's been getting around 600-700 each year the past few years.

[Rick41]

Originally Posted by fluid.forty.one

One of the biggest reasons I'm scared of a lockout is because of how it will affect Dirk's career scoring...

I think the bigger issue is how it would waste of Dirk's prime.

[fluid.forty.one]

Right.. we were just talking about where he might end up all-time so that's why I thought of it. It's not "the" biggest reason I'm scared of the lock out, that's why I said "one of the biggest"

I should of said "one of the most overlooked sh*tty parts of the lockout".

[rabbitproof]

the biggest issue is that we don't get to see Dirk in action.

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by fluid.forty.one

yaaa boii

btw I also think Dirk has a chance at 10k career rebounds too. He's at 7,982 right now and he's been getting around 600-700 each year the past few years.

Yeah ive looked at all of dirks numbers and if he finishes well he could very well end up with 30k points 10 k boards 3.5k assists 1.2k blocks and steals and 1500 3s all while possibly having less than 2.5k turnovers. Not bad for the big german. Not bad at all.

[TeamTyson]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Maybe the intangibles, but Bird had a power game whereas Dirk has more of a finesse game...

I'm not so sure what footage you've been watching. Their games are actually quite similar. Bird was the superior passer and help defender. Dirk is actually a better man defender, and a slightly better three point shooter. Despite a number of cold blooded threes, Larry Legend, percentage wise, was a career 37.6% three point shooter, compared to Dirk's 38.1% and rising.

Calling Bird's game power and Dirk's finesse is straight silly. McHale, Parrish, and Walton did the power work on those Celtics teams.

In fact, Larry Legend's career high in FTAs was only 6.1. Dirk has topped that mark 9 times, topping out at 9.1. Dirk's career average is 6.5 ftas compared to Bird's 5.0. Dirk goes to the line far more than Larry ever did. Like Dirk, most all of of Larry's work was in the high post. He was master of the mid-range game.

The two men are almost also identical with regard to being fantastic defensive rebounders. Bird's career DRB% is 22.4%, Dirk's is 22.1%

I love Dirk, but Larry is the better player due to his passing, court IQ, and help defense. Of course, playing with stacked Celtics teams certainly helped. Player to player, the difference isn't as big as some would have you believe.

Again, I'm not sure how much of Bird you've seen, if you don't think their games are similar.

[mavspwnage]

Originally Posted by sefant77

If Dirk keep his 25PPG this season he has ~23160 after this season.

#10 will be Oscar Robertson with 26710, so 3550 points missing. That means he need an average of 14.4 PPG in his last three season of his actual contract

He is playing at MVP level this season, do you really think he will fall off a cliff within the next 3 years that he cant average 14.4PPG? Hell, he can average that with just standing at the threepoint line...

wait, are we just talking about top 10 on the all time points list? If so, then my mistake. I thought we were talking about top 10 overall player.

[Alykhan04]

Dirk = Beast.

[mavspwnage]

Dirk will pass Bird while the Mavs are in Florida. Just a matter of whether it will be in Miami or Orlando.

[Budapest Maverick]

Both are finesse players, where Bird clearly has Dirk is low-post game, passing, and help defense, i'm pretty sure as great of a shooter Bird was, Dirk is just on another level. Bird had a great back to the basket game though, with right, or left hooks, and as you guys know, those things basically totally missing from Dirk repertoire.

He doesn't really need it though, and that's probably why he never developed a back to the basket (low-post game). He has some back to basket move though, that great spin move, also, obviously, probably the best fade away jumpshot in the history of the game, which is a lot of times is a back to the basket move. Combined that with the best mid-post game with a combination of fakes, steps, and etc. and you have that unstoppable offensive weapon.

[Rick41]

Dirk makes me do this.

[Murphy3]

Just think..Dirk's about to pass Bird and Dirk is still in his prime.

[dalger]

The one thing I'm really thankful for these days is that our franchise player has been able to stay healthy throughout his career. And when he wasn't because of spraining his ankles over and over again, he would always find ways to walk it off in no time due to being a fast healer and pretty damn tough.

The Rockets have had a lot of bad luck in recent years with Yao and McGrady pretty much losing it due to injuries. After his latest setback, Yao is probably done for good. Brandon Roy is only 26 and already looks like an old man because of his knees. Gilbert Arenas has bad knees as well and is a nutjob to make things even worse. Michael Redd? The Spurs are praying for their Big 3 to stay healthy.

This is one more reason why it's a pretty sexy thing to have Dirk as our franchise player.

[fluid.forty.one]

Amen.

One of my biggest pet peeves when I'm arguing with someone about how great Dirk is, is when they say "well the only reason his career numbers are so good is because he has played since he's 19 and he hasn't missed any major time.. he might hit 30k points but it has more to do with longevity than skill". or "the only reason he's passing Bird is because Bird's career got cut down from injury"..

Well... even though it DOES have to do a ton with skill, wtf is wrong with being legendary because of longevity? I'm GLAD Dirk didn't get injured like Bird and I'm GLAD he will get more points that way. There have been plenty of players who go nuts for a few years and have had a few better years than Dirk, but wouldn't you rather have someone average 25 points a game for 20 years than someone averaging 32 points for 5 years? Dirk has been consistently good for so long and that impresses me way more than someone going on a crazy burst like Arenas or T-Mac or, hell, even Iverson.

[xrobx]

Originally Posted by fluid.forty.one

Amen.

One of my biggest pet peeves when I'm arguing with someone about how great Dirk is, is when they say "well the only reason his career numbers are so good is because he has played since he's 19 and he hasn't missed any major time.. he might hit 30k points but it has more to do with longevity than skill". or "the only reason he's passing Bird is because Bird's career got cut down from injury"..

Well... even though it DOES have to do a ton with skill, wtf is wrong with being legendary because of longevity? I'm GLAD Dirk didn't get injured like Bird and I'm GLAD he will get more points that way. There have been plenty of players who go nuts for a few years and have had a few better years than Dirk, but wouldn't you rather have someone average 25 points a game for 20 years than someone averaging 32 points for 5 years? Dirk has been consistently good for so long and that impresses me way more than someone going on a crazy burst like Arenas or T-Mac or, hell, even Iverson.

i feel the same way when people talk smack about emmitt smith.

[bernardos70]

Who knew this rookie card would mean anything when it first came out.... who knew how much it would mean to us today....

[mavspwnage]

Some interesting things to note on that card:

1) His height is listed at 6'11''...guess he grew an inch.
2) His FG% is pretty high.
3) His FT% is pretty low.

[CadBane]

The Detlef comparison is rather silly, outside of both being German.

[Rick41]

I have this Dirk rookie card. I got it when I wad way younger and had no idea who he was at the time.

[mavspwnage]

Originally Posted by CadBane

The Detlef comparison is rather silly, outside of both being German.

Well NOW it is silly because Dirk has had a much more prolific career. However, after leaving the Mavs, Detlef had a very fine career himself.

[AngieO41]

The picture bernardos70 posted is actually my card. I couple years ago I was on this kick of buying a ton of Dirk cards. Who knows why haha. I have around 200 different cards I think. I showed him that one tonight and he wanted to post it.

[CadBane]

Originally Posted by mavspwnage

Well NOW it is silly because Dirk has had a much more prolific career. However, after leaving the Mavs, Detlef had a very fine career himself.

Sure, Detlef was a great player! That's not why it's silly, but rather because Detlef was a SF more in the Peja mold.

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by xrobx

i feel the same way when people talk smack about emmitt smith.

Yes and no. I absolutely love Dirk but to say that about Emmitt is actually worse than to say it about Dirk. Emmitt has a legitament argument for being the best NFL player ever. Dirk has a legitament argument to being a top 25 player ever. They are different scopes.


Back on topic, Dirk is awesome. Also, I know its super early in the season but Dirk has basically guaranteed that he will shoot 50% from the floor this season already. Assuming he maintains roughly 17 shots a game, he will only need to shoot basically 47% the rest of the way to be a 50% shooter for the rest of the season.