2019 Mavs Free Agency

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by rimrocker

A KP/Vuc/Maxi/Powell/Kostas frontcourt is something that I could get excited about going into next season.
This team needs some strength in the paint and Vuc certainly would fill that need.

.

[Me.B]

Originally Posted by BPo001

Has anyone been following Kostas’ development with the Legends? Any chance he suits up next season?

I’ve seen a few games of his this year and he still makes some mistakes but the talent is there. He works out with his brothers during the off season and if he can put on muscle like Giannis did his first 3 years he’s going to be a beast. He obviously has the same genetic makeup and will be on the same workout regimen during the off season. Having him on the team might actually be a hindrance to signing Giannis though. His big bro might not want to come here and take his minutes. If Kostas is even half as good as Giannis though it might not matter because Kostas will be a stud!

[Me.B]

Here is another scenario I was running by some friends (with mixed reviews) for this off season. If the Mavs can talk stretch Courtney Lee’s contract this off season they could come up with enough money to sign both Vucevic and Kemba Walker. Kemba would basically be a scorer here and would guard the smaller PG’s that Luka might have trouble with. Kemba and Vuc would take an enormous amount of the offensive pressure off of KP and allow him to ease in to his role here.

You’re looking at a potential lineup of:

Porzingis
Vucevic
DFS
Kemba
Luka

Bench: THJ, Maxi, Powell, Broekoff, Jackson

That leaves 2 more spots to fill and assuming Broekoff and Jackson make the team.

Worst case scenario Kemba doesn’t work out he’s still good enough to trade or after 4 years Luka is still just 24 years old and Mavs go a different direction.

[Me.B]

Originally Posted by Melonhead

He gets more rebounds but he seems to be more of a KP position, not a center. I see him taking 3s and taking shots outside the paint. I personally dont see the fit unless we force him to change his game around.

From what I’ve seen of Vuc he tends to play from the mid-range/in to the paint with the occasional 3 pt shot. Obviously some games he may shoot more 3’s depending on matchups but he’s very good in the paint. KP tends to play mostly from mid-range/out to the 3, and occasionally goes inside. As his body matures he will likely develop a (back to the basket) post game but that’s not likely to come until his late 20’s/early 30’s like Dirk did. KP and Vucevic’s game actually do compliment each other.

[BPo001]

Ill admit to not watching the Hornets play, but I don’t have much interest in Kemba. We don’t have to sign 2 studs this offseason. We have time to build this team right. I’d love to find a way to get Jrue Holiday.

[MFFL]

Originally Posted by Me.B

Here is another scenario I was running by some friends (with mixed reviews) for this off season. If the Mavs can talk stretch Courtney Lee’s contract this off season they could come up with enough money to sign both Vucevic and Kemba Walker. Kemba would basically be a scorer here and would guard the smaller PG’s that Luka might have trouble with. Kemba and Vuc would take an enormous amount of the offensive pressure off of KP and allow him to ease in to his role here.

You’re looking at a potential lineup of:

Porzingis
Vucevic
DFS
Kemba
Luka

Bench: THJ, Maxi, Powell, Broekoff, Jackson

That leaves 2 more spots to fill and assuming Broekoff and Jackson make the team.

Worst case scenario Kemba doesn’t work out he’s still good enough to trade or after 4 years Luka is still just 24 years old and Mavs go a different direction.

I'd buy that for a dollar!

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by Me.B

Here is another scenario I was running by some friends (with mixed reviews) for this off season. If the Mavs can talk stretch Courtney Lee’s contract this off season they could come up with enough money to sign both Vucevic and Kemba Walker. Kemba would basically be a scorer here and would guard the smaller PG’s that Luka might have trouble with. Kemba and Vuc would take an enormous amount of the offensive pressure off of KP and allow him to ease in to his role here.

You’re looking at a potential lineup of:

Porzingis
Vucevic
DFS
Kemba
Luka

Bench: THJ, Maxi, Powell, Broekoff, Jackson

That leaves 2 more spots to fill and assuming Broekoff and Jackson make the team.

Worst case scenario Kemba doesn’t work out he’s still good enough to trade or after 4 years Luka is still just 24 years old and Mavs go a different direction.

I think Kemba would work out well and I definitely wouldn't mind seeing that SL next season but I think a more likely scenario will be to sign Vuc, re-sign DFS/Maxi, slowly develop Kostas into the Powell role, and then shop Powell/Lee (about 23mil expirings) at TDL for starter quality scoring guard to go with Luka/DFS/KP/Vuc.

They'll probably give THJ the starting role at first to see if he can grow into a legit starter but if he doesn't pan out they'll use Powell/Lee's expirings to trade for one.

At least that is how I see this as a likely scenario.

[endtroducing MASKED]

Originally Posted by Me.B

From what I’ve seen of Vuc he tends to play from the mid-range/in to the paint with the occasional 3 pt shot. Obviously some games he may shoot more 3’s depending on matchups but he’s very good in the paint. KP tends to play mostly from mid-range/out to the 3, and occasionally goes inside. As his body matures he will likely develop a (back to the basket) post game but that’s not likely to come until his late 20’s/early 30’s like Dirk did. KP and Vucevic’s game actually do compliment each other.

Why would you want another ball dominant, high-usage guard in the backcourt? That is the opposite of what we need, especially at that price

[Me.B]

Originally Posted by endtroducing MASKED

Why would you want another ball dominant, high-usage guard in the backcourt? That is the opposite of what we need, especially at that price

Because he can score better than anyone currently on the Mavs roster. Unlike most ball dominant guards Kemba actually can play without the ball. I envision him having a similar role to what Jason Terry had in Dallas. He and Luka would be unguardable in the P&R. Also we all know how Carlisle like having two ball handlers on the court at the same time. With Kemba that gives the Mavs two elite ball handlers.

[sefant77]

There are smart ball dominant player and there are stupid ones. Kemba is a smart one. The example for a stupid one we just traded away

[endtroducing MASKED]

Originally Posted by Me.B

Because he can score better than anyone currently on the Mavs roster. Unlike most ball dominant guards Kemba actually can play without the ball. I envision him having a similar role to what Jason Terry had in Dallas. He and Luka would be unguardable in the P&R. Also we all know how Carlisle like having two ball handlers on the court at the same time. With Kemba that gives the Mavs two elite ball handlers.

Kemba Walker isn’t signing somewhere to have a Jason Terry role. He’s going to get 20 million plus.

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by Me.B

Because he can score better than anyone currently on the Mavs roster. Unlike most ball dominant guards Kemba actually can play without the ball. I envision him having a similar role to what Jason Terry had in Dallas. He and Luka would be unguardable in the P&R. Also we all know how Carlisle like having two ball handlers on the court at the same time. With Kemba that gives the Mavs two elite ball handlers.

Kemba isnt coming to Dallas to play off ball jason terry. Hes an all star. Hell net a max contract anyway.

[sefant77]

Kemba would just leave Charlotte to join a contender.

If he thinks that him, Luka and KP are a good basic for this, then he would sign here. Of course with a pricetag of a max contract because Jordan is going to offer him the five year max to keep him.

[Skywalker]

Hey, we are on ADs list

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Skywalker

Hey, we are on ADs list

I'm sure we're on a lot of people's lists now... In related news, this doesn't necessarily indicate that he's interested in coming to Dallas, but Knicks fans should be concerned:


@AlexKennedyNBA: Kevin Durant makes it clear he doesn't want to talk about other teams' transactions and rumors.

Interestingly, he finished by saying, "I'm glad Porzingis is in a better spot, for him, in Dallas. I'm looking forward to seeing him and Luka play together for years to come."

https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/s...16019706908672

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by Underdog

I'm sure we're on a lot of people's lists now... In related news, this doesn't necessarily indicate that he's interested in coming to Dallas, but Knicks fans should be concerned:


@AlexKennedyNBA: Kevin Durant makes it clear he doesn't want to talk about other teams' transactions and rumors.

Interestingly, he finished by saying, "I'm glad Porzingis is in a better spot, for him, in Dallas. I'm looking forward to seeing him and Luka play together for years to come."

https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/s...16019706908672

KD to Dallas confirmed.

[sefant77]

Originally Posted by Skywalker

Hey, we are on ADs list

Thats still the same bullshit. Trying to tank his value with telling He just sign ab extension in 2020

[Skywalker]

Yeah, it was a joke.

[j0Shi]

Boy, KD would be soooo hard to cheer for. He has established himself as sissy too much.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by j0Shi

Boy, KD would be soooo hard to cheer for. He has established himself as sissy too much.

We need a third star though to really compete in the West. I'd get over it if he actually came here, but I sincerely doubt it has any chance of happening.

[Me.B]

Originally Posted by j0Shi

Boy, KD would be soooo hard to cheer for. He has established himself as sissy too much.

Wouldn’t be hard all for me to cheer for him in Dallas.

[dirt_dobber]

I didn't realize that 40% of the players were going to be free agents this summer.
from this quote from Adam Silver in espn story.
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...d-closed-doors
"Two collective bargaining agreements ago, in 2010 and '11, we set out to shorten contracts because we wanted to more closely tie pay to performance, and we wanted to give teams a chance to rebuild faster, meaning players wouldn't be locked into contractual situations for too long a period, and we also wanted to give players the flexibility to move on," he said. "So the result of that is the latest I've heard from our basketball operations group is that, I believe, 40 percent of our players are going to be free agents this summer.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by Me.B

Wouldn’t be hard all for me to cheer for him in Dallas.

Yeah, he's only the second best player of this era and one of the greatest ever. I think I'd be okay with him in a Mavs uniform.

If I can root for Deandre Jordan, Monta Ellis, Tim Thomas, Lamar Odom, and Doug Christie, I can root for Kevin effing Durant.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

Yeah, he's only the second best player of this era and one of the greatest ever. I think I'd be okay with him in a Mavs uniform.

If I can root for Deandre Jordan, Monta Ellis, Tim Thomas, Lamar Odom, and Doug Christie, I can root for Kevin effing Durant.

Whoa, what did Monta do to belong in that group? Those other guys were head cases, but Monta never did anything malicious or awol.

[EricaLubarsky]

I'd classify Ellis like I classify Antawn and Barnes-- decent guys who had zero fit.

[sefant77]

Durant would definately suck a lot of the fun out of this team, even if we are again a contender. im really tired of all these egocentric douchebacgs....Durant, Westbrook...even really young guys like Mitchell becoming incredible annoying.

Give a me a euro superteam all day long, most of the guys are just so much more down to earth.

Just look at a guy like Jokic, Top-10 in the league and still makes fun about himself all the time:

Jokic was asked what the most difficult part of the skills challenge was: “Running.”

[Me.B]

Originally Posted by sefant77

Durant would definately suck a lot of the fun out of this team, even if we are again a contender. im really tired of all these egocentric douchebacgs....Durant, Westbrook...even really young guys like Mitchell becoming incredible annoying.

Give a me a euro superteam all day long, most of the guys are just so much more down to earth.

Just look at a guy like Jokic, Top-10 in the league and still makes fun about himself all the time:

If he were running and gunning with the Mavs and knocking the Warriors, OKC, and Labron out of the playoffs and he and Luka are hoisting that Championship trophy at the end of the season I’d be having tons of fun and probably be cheering louder than anyone else in the building.

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

Yeah, he's only the second best player of this era and one of the greatest ever. I think I'd be okay with him in a Mavs uniform.

If I can root for Deandre Jordan, Monta Ellis, Tim Thomas, Lamar Odom, and Doug Christie, I can root for Kevin effing Durant.

Some players I could never root for. I’d stop watching the Mavs if Lebron were in the team and I would openly hope for a career ending injury.

[turin]

Originally Posted by sefant77

Durant would definately suck a lot of the fun out of this team, even if we are again a contender. im really tired of all these egocentric douchebacgs....Durant, Westbrook...even really young guys like Mitchell becoming incredible annoying.

Give a me a euro superteam all day long, most of the guys are just so much more down to earth.

Just look at a guy like Jokic, Top-10 in the league and still makes fun about himself all the time:

Agree, I'm right there with you on the euro's and attitudes. Very refreshing. Compare and contrast Luka and DSJ and that says it all.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Whoa, what did Monta do to belong in that group? Those other guys were head cases, but Monta never did anything malicious or awol.

He was a member of the '07 Warriors.

[tap2390]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

Some players I could never root for. I’d stop watching the Mavs if Lebron were in the team and I would openly hope for a career ending injury.

Says more about you than Lebron.

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by tap2390

Says more about you than Lebron.

I don't really have a problem with it..

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by tap2390

Says more about you than Lebron.

Says a lot about LeBron, too, though.

Dude is great, but has a track record of leaving disaster in his wake. Signs short deals, demands to choose the GM and coach. Gets teams to mortgage the future just for him, then takes off for a new team leaving the team in tatters.

He may be the GOAT, but he's a disaster for teams he leaves.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Says a lot about LeBron, too, though.

Dude is great, but has a track record of leaving disaster in his wake. Signs short deals, demands to choose the GM and coach. Gets teams to mortgage the future just for him, then takes off for a new team.

He may be the GOAT, but he's a disaster for teams he leaves.

There can only be one GOAT, and he’s undefeated in the Finals.

Hell, if LeBron can’t drag his team to the 8-seed in the West, then I’m starting to wonder if he’s even a top-5 all-time player, or if he simply benefited from a career of EC teams being so terrible that it inflated our perception of him.

[Me.B]

Originally Posted by Underdog

There can only be one GOAT, and he’s undefeated in the Finals.

Hell, if LeBron can’t drag his team to the 8-seed in the West, then I’m starting to wonder if he’s even a top-5 all-time player, or if he simply benefited from a career of EC teams being so terrible that it inflated our perception of him.

In paper there is no way that Labron led Heat team should have lost to the 2011 Mavs. If Labron was really the greatest of all time he would have crushed the Mavs. Jordan’s Bulls definitely would not have lost that series. Instead this is what Labron did in that series compared to Dirk.


No way the “greatest of all time” puts up 4th quarter numbers like that in a Finals series.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Hell, if LeBron can’t drag his team to the 8-seed in the West, then I’m starting to wonder if he’s even a top-5 all-time player, or if he simply benefited from a career of EC teams being so terrible that it inflated our perception of him.

Come on. That's just silly. Lebron is 34 years old (turns 35 this year), has already played more minutes than anyone in NBA history (including playoffs), has as bad a supporting cast as he's had at pretty much any point in his career and at a point when the league probably has more talent than at any other time in history. He has also missed significant time to injury for the first time in his whole career. I don't care if the Lakers go 0-82 for every remaining year he's there. If he retired tomorrow, he'd be one of the top 3 players ever by virtually ANY objective metric. Missing the playoffs in a stacked conference at age 34 with zero all-star teammates should have absolutely zero effect on his legacy. As far as I'm concerned, its MJ, Kareem, and Lebron in that order, and I'm honestly not sure about Kareem over Lebron.

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Says a lot about LeBron, too, though.

Dude is great, but has a track record of leaving disaster in his wake. Signs short deals, demands to choose the GM and coach. Gets teams to mortgage the future just for him, then takes off for a new team.

There's a lot to unpack there. I think most of those are half-truths at best.

"Signs short deals"- Only true of his second stint in Cleveland, and part of that was only so he could sign a deal under the new CBA- something countless other players did, and really you'd be foolish not to. A four year deal for the Lakers at his age is not what I would call short term. He staked the rest of his prime there.

"Demands to choose the GM and coach-" Seemingly untrue during his first stint in Cleveland, BLATLANTLY untrue in Miami, and almost certainly untrue in LA. Again, only seems true of his second run in Cleveland, and again, half truth at best. It's probably fair to say that he chose the coach, but he definitely didn't choose the GM. From what I understand, he and David Griffin had a pretty good relationship and he was very taken aback when Dan Gilbert fired Griffin (one of Gilbert's many idiotic decisions.)

"Gets teams to mortgage the future just for him, then takes off for a new team."- I'm not sure what you mean here. He's never been traded, so nobody has ever gutted their roster to get him. I suppose you could say teams made short term moves while they had him on the roster in order to compete that year. Once again though, that really seems to only apply to his second stint in Cleveland, and beyond that A: seems like the team's fault, not his, and B: isn't that what most teams do when they have a superstar? Actually, isn't that what pretty much every team outside of maybe the Spurs does? Anytime you have a top 5 player in his prime, you're in win-now mode. That is damn sure what the Mavs did year after year after year until finally tanking in 2017. Is that Dirk's fault? Maybe Lebron pushed for those moves more than someone like Dirk, but again, if an organization is letting the star player make decisions for the organization, I think that's the organization's failing, not the player's.

As for "taking off for a new team," he goes where he believes he can win. I guess most people see that as a lack of loyalty or something, but I see it as a man trying to make the most he possibly can out of the time he has left. I think loyalty to a franchise is something that is extremely overrated by fans (and something we Mavs fans in particular are probably spoiled by having maybe the most unselfish superstar ever. Dirk is definitely the exception, not the rule.) I never, ever blame an athlete for leaving for greener pastures, especially if the team he's leaving has failed him.

And even then, I think it's something Lebron does VERY reluctantly.

I think in his heart of hearts, he wanted to win multiple titles in Cleveland and retire there (Indeed, I think when he's at the very end of his career, after his contract is up with LA, he'll go back for one or to more years and retire a Cav.) Two things happened though that ruined it, and neither were Lebron's fault. #1- Durant joining the Warriors made the Warriors virtually unbeatable and pretty much guaranteed that the Cavs could only ever keep getting to the finals and losing, #2- (and this is much more important) Kyrie forced his way out of Cleveland- he couldn't handle being Robin to Lebron's Batman (and Kyrie has seemingly expressed regret about this.)

So the Cavs are forced to trade Kyrie, and they end up shipping him to Boston for IT4, Jae Crowder, and the Nets lottery pick. Amazingly, this seemed like a good deal at the time, with some people even saying the Cavs came out on top. As it turned out, IT4 and even Crowder turned out to be completely washed up. So the Cavs basically ended up trading Kyrie Irving, an arguably top 10 player and borderline superstar, for a lottery pick (which btw ended up being #8, and they used it on Collin Sexton.) That will go down as one of the worst trades in NBA history. THAT is what destroyed the Cavs more than anything Lebron did. Not his fault. I truly believe that if Kyrie hadn't forced his way out, Lebron would still be there.

I also don't think any one of us- or frankly even any other NBA superstar- can possibly appreciate what it's like to have your entire life and legacy defined by the whole world as roughly- "anything other than winning as many championships as Jordan is a failure." That's the blessing and the curse of being so phenomenally gifted. In the history of the NBA, I think Wilt was probably the only other player who was as unfairly scrutinized as Lebron. He gave the Cavs and the Heat the best years of his career, and he delivered 2 titles to Miami and one to Cleveland. He owes them nothing.

He may be the GOAT, but he's a disaster for teams he leaves.

So when he's on a team, they're good, and when he's not, they're terrible? And somehow that's a knock on him? If anything that seems like another argument FOR his greatness rather than against it.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

"Demands to choose the GM and coach-" Seemingly untrue during his first stint in Cleveland, BLATLANTLY untrue in Miami, and almost certainly untrue in LA.

I don't get how you can make any of those claims with a record like this.

Cleveland pt. 1 - Silas, then Malone, then Brown

Miami - Spoelstra. Admittedly he got along with him, but it was a new coach that gave LeBron coaching duties and let him call his own plays.

Cleveland pt. 2 - Blatt was good, but didn't get along with LeBron. Lue was hired in his place. LeBron liked him, because LeBron could be the real coach.

Lakers - actively undermined Walton to the point the Lakers had to meet tell everyone that they weren't firing Walton mid-year.

So when he's on a team, they're good, and when he's not, they're terrible? And somehow that's a knock on him? If anything that seems like another argument FOR his greatness rather than against it.

It's not that he makes teams good and then when he leaves, they're bad. They mortgage their future. They sign players to huge deals and spend picks to make him happy and then he leaves and not only are they bad, they are often left without picks and are stuck with terrible contracts as well. LeBron could have easily cost the Lakers two first rounders and all of their young talent to get Davis and then he could have left after next year. That's the devastation of LeBron. They play musical chairs and get left paying JR Smith 57mill after he's ghosted his team for yet another team.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

Lebron is 34 years old (turns 35 this year), has already played more minutes than anyone in NBA history (including playoffs), has as bad a supporting cast as he's had at pretty much any point in his career and at a point when the league probably has more talent than at any other time in history. He has also missed significant time to injury for the first time in his whole career.
.
Missing the playoffs in a stacked conference at age 34 with zero all-star teammates should have absolutely zero effect on his legacy.

Dirk was one year younger, missed significant time for the first time in his career, had zero All-Stars next to him, played at a time when the WC was the toughest it had ever been, and he went on to win a CHAMPIONSHIP with the oldest roster to ever do so... I only set the bar at *8th seed* for LeBron, and here you are making excuses for him... The GREATEST OF ALL TIME doesn't need excuses, they simply overcome. That's what makes them the greatest.

"Legacy" isn't objective, it's subjective... That's why a guy like Kobe can go from being the "second-best player after Jordan" (by any metric) to barely scratching people's top-10 all-time list. That third act is where legacies are cemented, and LeBron's third act is looking so bad that I'm thinking the first two acts were greatly benefitted by trash competition. If he spent his entire career fighting guys like Kobe, Nash, Duncan, Dirk, Durant, Harden, and Curry for an opportunity to even get to the Finals, then I doubt he'd be so high on anyone's GOAT list.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

I don't get how you can make any of those claims with a record like this.

Cleveland pt. 1 - Silas, then Malone, then Brown

He chose those guys?? This is news to me. You said he chooses the GM too. I call BS.

Miami - Spoelstra. Admittedly he got along with him, but it was a new coach that gave LeBron coaching duties and let him call his own plays.

He objectively did not "choose" the GM or the coach in Miami. Both were there before he was, and both are still there now. Pat Riley runs that franchise with an iron fist. No player tells him how to run that team. Not Lebron. Not Wade. Not anyone else.

Cleveland pt. 2 - Blatt was good, but didn't get along with LeBron. Lue was hired in his place. LeBron liked him, because LeBron could be the real coach.

Again, I said it was probably fair to say that he chose the coach. He definitely did not chose the GM. Lebron liked Griffin, and Gilbert forced Griffin out regardless of how Lebron felt about it.

Lakers - actively undermined Walton to the point the Lakers had to meet tell everyone that they weren't firing Walton mid-year.

Again, Walton was there before, and is still there now. Lebron didn't "choose" anything. And he definitely didn't "choose" Magic Johnson. Lebron does not have nearly the pull with that organization that he did in Cleveland.

It's not that he makes teams good and then when he leaves, they're bad. They mortgage their future. They sign players to huge deals and spend picks to make him happy and then he leaves and not only are they bad, they are often left without picks and are stuck with terrible contracts as well. LeBron could have easily cost the Lakers two first rounders and all of their young talent to get Davis and then he could have left after next year. That's the devastation of LeBron. They play musical chairs and get left paying JR Smith 57mill after he's ghosted his team for yet another team.

Again, the same applies to virtually any team with a superstar, and again, if they make bad decisions, it's the organization's fault, not the players.

And the Lakers would be straight up stupid NOT to trade for AD if it's an option.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Dirk was one year younger, missed significant time for the first time in his career, had zero All-Stars next to him, played at a time when the WC was the toughest it had ever been, and he went on to win a CHAMPIONSHIP with the oldest roster to ever do so... I only set the bar at *8th seed* for LeBron, and here you are making excuses for him... .

You think Lebron's current Laker's squad is even a FRACTION as good as the 2011 Mavs? You have GOT to be f*cking kidding. I don't think you even believe that nonsense you just spat out. You are deliberately framing the debate in a ridiculous way to diminish Lebron because you just don't like him.

EDIT: Dirk missed 9 games in 2011 compared to 18 for Lebron, with plenty of the season left to go.

DOUBLE EDIT: Dirk was 2 years younger. He turned 33 that summer. Lebron turns 35 in December.

TRIPLE EDIT: Dirk at age 34 (same age Lebron is now) did in fact miss the playoffs.


It's a ridiculous comparison.

The GREATEST OF ALL TIME doesn't need excuses, they simply overcome. That's what makes them the greatest

That is a straw-man argument. YOU are the only one throwing out "GREATEST OF ALL TIME." I stated very clearly that I think Lebron is number 3 behind Jordan and Kareem. You are not only using a straw-man argument, you are also moving the goal posts. I objected to you saying that Lebron missing the playoffs this year would mean that he wasn't even top 5. Now you're saying it's about being the GREATEST OF ALL TIME (your caps, not mine.)

"Legacy" isn't objective, it's subjective... That's why a guy like Kobe can go from being the "second-best player after Jordan" (by any metric) to barely scratching people's top-10 all-time list. That third act is where legacies are cemented, and LeBron's third act is looking so bad that I'm thinking the first two acts were greatly benefitted by trash competition. If he spent his entire career fighting guys like Kobe, Nash, Duncan, Dirk, Durant, Harden, and Curry for an opportunity to even get to the Finals, then I doubt he'd be so high on anyone's GOAT list.

By that definition, then Dirk's third act was f*cking garbage and he's worthless. Never won another playoff series after his one and only title.