Official Dirk is Great Thread

[spreedom]

I don't think Wilt should be there either... I think Dirk has at least two more All-Star/borderline MVP candidate type of seasons left in him, and I think he'll play at least two more as a #2 or #3 scoring option... Fully expect him to end his career at #5.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

Erica, time for you to change where Shaq falls. He should not be in an "unlikely" category at this point.

Totally agree... Even with a slight decline in Dirk's overall game, he's still on pace to score the most points in a season since 09-10.

Originally Posted by spreedom

I don't think Wilt should be there either... I think Dirk has at least two more All-Star/borderline MVP candidate type of seasons left in him, and I think he'll play at least two more as a #2 or #3 scoring option... Fully expect him to end his career at #5.

Gotta take these predictions one season at a time. Right now Shaq looks doable, but a lot can change in the time it would take to catch Wilt.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Dirk is just f***ing ridiculous. We need to start a perma ban on anyone who thinks we owe it to Dirk to let him go to another team or trade him.

[dirt_dobber]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Dirk is just f***ing ridiculous. We need to start a perma ban on anyone who thinks we owe it to Dirk to let him go to another team or trade him.

agree totally.

[Lestat_1795]

So we are talking about passing Shaq and ESPN is talking about passing Jordan.
http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/maver...g-30000-points

[Five-ofan]

Dirks total regular season points=26678, dirks playoff total points =3321. Dirks total nba points total 29999. Found that funny(I know it doesn't put him any higher on the list because the other guys have playoff points too but still interesting IMO.

[Vinsanity]

Dirk won the western conference player of the week!! 25ppg 8rpg

http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/2014/...ek-honor.html/

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Vinsanity

Dirk won the western conference player of the week!! 25ppg 8rpg

http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/2014/...ek-honor.html/

Not bad for a geezer.

[Vinsanity]

Dirk won the western conference player of the week!! 25ppg 8rpg

http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/2014/...ek-honor.html/

[Vinsanity]

Dirk won the western conference player of the week!! 25ppg 8rpg

http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/2014/...ek-honor.html/

[Kante]

Really worth the three posts...?

But deserved for Dirk!

[j0Shi]

...

[j0Shi]

http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/sort/RPM

ESPN has adopted their own version of adjusted +/- aaaand Dirk comes in 5th this season.

On a related note:
Somebody has to explain to me some time why a guy like Shawn Marion gets little love from +/-. He seems to be a perfect "do all the little things" guy that should profit from this kind of stat, but does not and has never ranked anywhere near the top. He's 188th and a net minus according to their metric.

More Marion (http://stats-for-the-nba.appspot.com/):
10/11: -1.8
11/12: -1.9
12/13: -0.7

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by j0Shi

http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/sort/RPM

ESPN has adopted their own version of adjusted +/- aaaand Dirk comes in 5th this season.

On a related note:
Somebody has to explain to me some time why a guy like Shawn Marion gets little love from +/-. He seems to be a perfect "do all the little things" guy that should profit from this kind of stat, but does not and has never ranked anywhere near the top. He's 188th and a net minus according to their metric.

More Marion (http://stats-for-the-nba.appspot.com/):
10/11: -1.8
11/12: -1.9
12/13: -0.7

The new +- basically tells us how well someone does what the coach asks them to do. Carlisle asks Marion to do too much and thus that stat makes him look bad.

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by j0Shi

http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/sort/RPM

ESPN has adopted their own version of adjusted +/- aaaand Dirk comes in 5th this season.

On a related note:
Somebody has to explain to me some time why a guy like Shawn Marion gets little love from +/-. He seems to be a perfect "do all the little things" guy that should profit from this kind of stat, but does not and has never ranked anywhere near the top. He's 188th and a net minus according to their metric.

More Marion (http://stats-for-the-nba.appspot.com/):
10/11: -1.8
11/12: -1.9
12/13: -0.7

Spending half your minutes as Dirk's backup is not a recipe for a great +/-

[Jproxursoxoff]

I can't believe it's gonna happen tonight. Ive been waiting for this for years!! I had hoped it would happen at a home game so the moment would get the appreciation it deserves from the crowd but OH WELL.

[Jproxursoxoff]

I can't believe it's gonna happen tonight. Ive been waiting for this for years!! I had hoped it would happen at a home game so the moment would get the appreciation it deserves from the crowd but OH WELL.

[Jack.Kerr]

Originally Posted by Jproxursoxoff

I can't believe it's gonna happen tonight. Ive been waiting for this for years!! I had hoped it would happen at a home game so the moment would get the appreciation it deserves from the crowd but OH WELL.

I doubt the NBA will make any note of Dirk entering the Top 10 list, but 30 years ago when Kareem passed Wilt for 1st place, they stopped the game and Utah fans gave Kareem a HUGE ovation. (Or maybe they were just applauding the sight of Mark Eaton in short shorts.)

I'm not a big admirer of Utah fans generally, but I would be a little surprised if they don't at least acknowledge Dirk with polite applause.

[spreedom]

Top 10!

[Jproxursoxoff]

Im almost in tears right now.

[Underdog]

Debate settled... Dirk is a top-10 scorer.

[sike]

[dude1394]

Wonderful homage by Mark Stein... Dirkster you are the best...

http://espn.go.com/blog/marc-stein/p...road-to-top-10

Nice turn of phrase by Avery as well.

"There's a reason why Tim Duncan and Dirk have become pretty decent pals after all these years and all those battles. Rest assured that all of the longtime Spurs have the ultimate respect for the only dude who's ever gone into San Antonio's building and bossed a Game 7 on their floor.

Most of all Timmy.

"He's the German Tim Duncan," my ESPN colleague Avery Johnson likes to say, after playing with Duncan and coaching Nowitzki.

Which probably sums it up -- in terms of what Nowitzki means to the Mavs' franchise and the city of Dallas in general -- better than I ever have."

[twelli]

Originally Posted by dude1394

Wonderful homage by Mark Stein... Dirkster you are the best...

http://espn.go.com/blog/marc-stein/p...road-to-top-10

Love the van Exel quote. That was a fun guy. Making free throws two yards from the free throw line and who does not remember his "F em" statement.

Interesting how many people mention Dirk's work ethic. That's the one thing young players should take to heart, no matter what their skill level is.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by twelli

Love the van Exel quote. That was a fun guy. Making free throws two yards from the free throw line and who does not remember his "F em" statement.

Interesting how many people mention Dirk's work ethic. That's the one thing young players should take to heart, no matter what their skill level is.

As I've learned in my many years, greatness requires an almost maniacal focus on hard work. Few get "lucky" in life. Sure some hit the lottery, but greatness never falls in your lap.

The dirkster is a fantastic role model for all. Love ya swish.

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by dude1394

As I've learned in my many years, greatness requires an almost maniacal focus on hard work. Few get "lucky" in life. Sure some hit the lottery, but greatness never falls in your lap.

The dirkster is a fantastic role model for all. Love ya swish.

The only thing that really makes me doubt what you have to say are cases such as Josh Hamilton.. A guy that's truly an idiot.. doesn't work hard at his craft.. doesn't believe in studying the game.. incapable of making adjustments..

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

The only thing that really makes me doubt what you have to say are cases such as Josh Hamilton.. A guy that's truly an idiot.. doesn't work hard at his craft.. doesn't believe in studying the game.. incapable of making adjustments..

Heh...Baseball isn't rational. And will he actually be a great one? Or just a great few years and got a payday?

I admit to not giving a twit about baseball.

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

The only thing that really makes me doubt what you have to say are cases such as Josh Hamilton.. A guy that's truly an idiot.. doesn't work hard at his craft.. doesn't believe in studying the game.. incapable of making adjustments..

That guy was one of the most extreme talents in the history of sports. There has never been a more talented baseball player than Hamilton. And even with all that talent he was basically was only good for five years.

[dude1394]

Damn...this one is great as well. With comments from little Nicky!!

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/...-top-10-points

From Del Harris..

"DEL HARRIS, Mavericks assistant coach, 2000-07: "He got a tooth knocked out [in Game 4 against the Spurs]. He just threw it on the floor and kept playing. Ah, he was tough."

[Jproxursoxoff]

Of course Nash has to steal some of Dirk's glory.......

[jthig32]

Yesterday on the radio Skin was talking about Dirk and reminiscing about when he first got here. He mentioned seeing Dirk for the first time on Dale Hansen's Sunday night sports special. That got a smile from me because I distinctly remember that being the first time I saw Dirk playing basketball as well. I remember seeing draining jumpers from 17 feet and I distinctly remember how he would draw his feet up at the peak of his jump shot (something he used to do when he was younger).

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by jthig32

Yesterday on the radio Skin was talking about Dirk and reminiscing about when he first got here. He mentioned seeing Dirk for the first time on Dale Hansen's Sunday night sports special. That got a smile from me because I distinctly remember that being the first time I saw Dirk playing basketball as well. I remember seeing draining jumpers from 17 feet and I distinctly remember how he would draw his feet up at the peak of his jump shot (something he used to do when he was younger).

Was that the one with Samaki walker guarding him and him shooting with both hands? Because I remember that if so. I also remember mike fisher on the radio the day after the draft telling don Nelson that fish thought Nellie would be fired if dirk didn't come over and dominate right away.

[GermanDunk]

Congratulations Dirk !

[EricaLubarsky]

Total points (averaging 1,670 per season over his career)

5 Wilt Chamberlain 4,705
6 Shaquille O'Neal 1,882
7 Moses Malone 695
8 Elvin Hayes 599
9 Hakeem Olajuwon 232
10 DIRK NOWITZKI ---
-----------------------------------


Games at current pace (22.5 ppg career) to pass.
-----------possible, but unlikely--------------
5 Wilt Chamberlain 209 games

----------plausible in the 2014-2105 season--------------
6 Shaquille O'Neal 84 games
7 Moses Malone 31 games
8 Elvin Hayes 27 games
9 Hakeem Olajuwon 11 games
10 DIRK NOWITZKI ---

Passed this season - Oscar Robertson, Alex English, Kevin Garnett, Reggie Miller, Dominique Wilkins, John Havlicek, and Jerry West (started the season at 25,051 and at 17th all time.)

Strong (and healthy) push next year and Dirk could end the season in sole possession of 7th all time with a decent chance of passing Shaq early the following season. Of course, that is assuming that we see diminishing returns from him as he gets older, which may not be the case. A stronger team next year may decrease his FGA, however.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Passed this season - Oscar Robertson, Alex English, Kevin Garnett, Reggie Miller, John Havlicek, and Jerry West (started the season at 25,051)

You forgot to mention Dominique Wilkins (Tim McMahon forgot to mention him the other day too - poor Dominique!)

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Total points (averaging 1,670 per season over his career)

5 Wilt Chamberlain 4,705
6 Shaquille O'Neal 1,882
7 Moses Malone 695
8 Elvin Hayes 599
9 Hakeem Olajuwon 232
10 DIRK NOWITZKI ---
-----------------------------------


Games at current pace (22.5 ppg career) to pass.
-----------possible, but unlikely--------------
5 Wilt Chamberlain 209 games

----------plausible in the 2014-2105 season--------------
6 Shaquille O'Neal 84 games
7 Moses Malone 31 games
8 Elvin Hayes 27 games
9 Hakeem Olajuwon 11 games
10 DIRK NOWITZKI ---

Passed this season - Oscar Robertson, Alex English, Kevin Garnett, Reggie Miller, John Havlicek, and Jerry West (started the season at 25,051)

Strong (and healthy) push next year and Dirk could end the season in sole possession of 7th all time with a decent chance of passing Shaq early the following season. Of course, that is assuming that we see diminishing returns from him as he gets older, which may not be the case. A stronger team next year may decrease his FGA, however.

If his points were for some reason cut in half, he'd still pass Shaq in 2 years... So, 6 looks extremely likely. 5 is a possibility.. kinda depends on how long Dirk wants to play and whether or not he's hit with the injury bug.

[Underdog]

Pop: Dirk 'arguably best pure shooter' ever

DALLAS -- San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, the coach who has faced Dirk Nowitzki the most, pretended not to be impressed by the big German bumping Oscar Robertson out of the top 10 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

“Well, you shoot it that much, you’re going to pass somebody,” Popovich deadpanned. “He shoots it every time he gets it. Geez, oh whiz!”

The truth is that there’s a massive amount of respect between Popovich and Nowitzki. Popovich, who is notorious for giving brief answers to interview questions that don’t interest him, was extremely elaborative with his praise of Nowitzki after the Spurs’ Thursday shootaround at American Airlines Center in advance of the Spurs-Mavs game Thursday night.

“Ever since he got here day one, when nobody knew who the heck he was except Nellie [then-Mavs coach Don Nelson], he’s done a lot of great things,” Popovich said. “He started out a bit slow until he got used to the deal here and then became Dirk, a Hall of Fame player and somebody who’s arguably the best pure shooter we’ve ever seen.

“And he’s done it with class. He’s showed up every minute that he’s available, plays hard all the time, great teammate. He’s somebody special.”

It was apparent that Nowitzki was special when he went off for 42 points and 18 rebounds in a playoff game against the Spurs as a 22-year-old. The Mavs were eliminated that night, but it was apparent that a superstar had arrived.

One of Nowitzki’s greatest moments of his NBA career came on the Spurs’ home court. His and-1 layup forced overtime in Game 7 of the 2006 West semifinals, a game the Mavs won in large part due to a dominant Dirk performance of 37 points and 15 rebounds.

Production like that demands a certain level of respect, although the Spurs have gotten the best of the Mavs more often than not. But Popovich seems more impressed by Nowitzki’s process, the work ethic displayed by constantly attempting to improve his game over the course of a 16-year career that’s headed for the Hall of Fame.

“He’s obviously got some natural skills and all that kind of thing, but he worked to be the player he is now,” Popovich said. “He’s put in a lot of time.

“He’s done everything. He needed to rebound more and he did. He’s got a myriad of shots. Every year we see new things, whether it’s his fadeaways or his drives or his spins, his pump fakes. Every year he got better in some aspect of the game and worked himself into position offensively where he was impossible to guard. And he’s still pretty much the same thing. So that’s pretty incredible.”

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/maver...weve-ever-seen

Dirk Nowitzki among upper echelon?

Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle made the case Thursday with ESPN Radio that star forward Dirk Nowitzki ranks among the 12 greatest players in the game's history.

"I think there's a certain criteria where you can say pretty much for certain that he's one of the top 12 all time," Carlisle said in an interview that will air Thursday night on the "NBA on ESPN Radio" pregame show.

"And that is, there's only been 12 guys that have been 10-time All-Stars, [NBA] Finals MVP and league MVP. So I think that firmly puts him in the top 12. And then getting into the top 10 in all-time scoring validates that even more."

After starting the season in 17th place on the league's all-time scoring list, Nowitzki moved into 10th place Wednesday night -- passing Oscar Robertson -- with 21 points in a victory at Utah. The 35-year-old, in his 16th season, has 26,714 career points and earned Finals MVP honors in 2011 after leading Dallas to the first championship in franchise history four years removed from his MVP regular season in 2007.

The other 11 players in NBA history to reach the benchmarks Carlisle tossed out are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Moses Malone, Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Yet it must be noted that the NBA did not start awarding a Finals MVP trophy until the 1968-69 season, which limited the opportunities for the likes of Bill Russell and Robertson to achieve all three honors.

"He's got a lot more good basketball left in him," Carlisle said of Nowitzki. "A lot more great basketball. So I think he's going to pick off a few more guys going up the ladder.

"And if you look at his career and the way that he has played his game [and] the fact that his game is such a radically different game than any 7-foot-1 guy that we've ever seen, he's been a game-changer. ... He's been a monster in this game and he'll only continue, I think, to gain respect as time continues to go on."

Entering the Mavericks' Thursday night showdown at home with longtime rival San Antonio, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said at the morning shootaround that he regards Nowitzki to be "arguably the best pure shooter we've ever seen."

"He's done it with class," Popovich said. "He's showed up every minute that he's available, plays hard all the time, great teammate. He's somebody special."

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/...est-coach-says

[dude1394]

I consider pop the best coach in history. Getting that kind of praise from pop is greatness.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by dude1394

I consider pop the best coach in history. Getting that kind of praise from pop is greatness.

He's definitely gotten more out of "less" than Red, Phil and Pat.

[twelli]

Funny thing is, he could have been the exact same player for his entire career and then he misses a few shots here and there in the finals. Mavs lose to the Heat, again, and Dirk is just forever remembered as one of the greatest players to never win the title, or worse, a choker who couldn't get it done. No one would call him one of the NBA's best 12 players of all time. Could have been different for Malone and Barkley too, they make a few shots more here and there, win a final against Jordan and they would be in the club.