2018 NBA Draft

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Nobody is ever going to be the "next Dirk" -- not Porzingis, not Markkanen. It will never happen... At best, those guys will define themselves individually, the same way that Kobe never really became the "next Jordan" -- he became Kobe.

Some players are just too damn unique to emulate, no matter how hard you imitate.

My point is more about the success and impact of that type of player more than becoming the exact player. You can say that about every player because no two players will ever be the exact same.
Dirk had a lot of Bird in him and I'm sure many will see a lot of Dirk in Portzingis and Markkanen. My point is that will be high praise for those guys as Dirk has set the bar high. The mere fact people want to find the next Dirk makes him one of the most unique players and the best at the style in his time.

You rarely hear "he's the next Bird" now because now they are saying "he's the next Dirk".
Until someone takes that to another level for that style (if that is even possible), Dirk will always be the one to compare to.

I do agree there will never be another like him.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by rimrocker

Dirk had a lot of Bird in him

I watched Larry Bird, Dirk is no Larry Bird -- the biggest thing they have in common is the color of their skin... Kevin Garnett played more like Bird than Dirk ever did.

Porzingis and Markkanaen are both white, European jump-shooters -- that's about the beginning and end of how they'll ever really compare to Dirk. Hell, Markkanen looks way more like Bosh to me, but skin color, so Dirk... And Porzingis has nice range, but he's way more active in the paint, especially on defense -- Dirk never averaged 2 blocks per game at any point in his career... I just think most of the comparisons to Dirk are shallow as shit.

Dirk popularized the stretch-4 and taught players how to create space with the high-release step back...So most NBA players have "a little Dirk" in them at this point -- he's part of the league's DNA -- but nobody is going to be the next Dirk... Just like you don't get to be the next Kareem by shooting hook shots or be the next Dr. J by throwing down high-flying dunks. Some players just stand apart.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by Underdog

I watched Larry Bird, Dirk is no Larry Bird -- the biggest thing they have in common is the color of their skin... Kevin Garnett played more like Bird than Dirk ever did.

Porzingis and Markkanaen are both white, European jump-shooters -- that's about the beginning and end of how they'll ever really compare to Dirk. Hell, Markkanen looks way more like Bosh to me, but skin color, so Dirk... And Porzingis has nice range, but he's way more active in the paint, especially on defense -- Dirk never averaged 2 blocks per game at any point in his career... I just think most of the comparisons to Dirk are shallow as shit.

Dirk popularized the stretch-4 and taught players how to create space with the high-release step back...So most NBA players have "a little Dirk" in them at this point -- he's part of the league's DNA -- but nobody is going to be the next Dirk... Just like you don't get to be the next Kareem by shooting hook shots or be the next Dr. J by throwing down high-flying dunks. Some players just stand apart.

You are absolutely right...my bad.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by rimrocker

You are absolutely right...my bad.

LOL, hope I didn't offend -- we've all fallen prey to the narrative, myself included. It's easy to generalize, but you have to paint with REALLY broad strokes to compare Dirk to Bird, or Porzingis to Dirk... And after 20 years of evidence, it's about time for all the proven-wrong narratives about Dirk to die.