Official Dirk is Great Thread

[dirt_dobber]

Dirk Nowitzki@swish41
Not that it bothers me cuz I heard it too many times but is it cool for parents to point at me and tell their kids: look how tall he is???? Can I run around pointing at people telling them how small they are?? Smh
https://twitter.com/swish41/status/1097882310085615616

And Luka posted a bunch of laughing emoji

[Me.B]

For those who have never seen a picture of Dirk and his family here they are. I’m guessing one Dirk’s sons should be ready to be drafted by the Mavs right about the time Luka is retiring.

[Murphy3]

A better shot of Dirk's kids:
https://www.bing.com/images/search?v...30439895993006

[Me.B]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

A better shot of Dirk's kids:

https://www.bing.com/images/search?v...30439895993006

Hahaha

[BPo001]

Dwain Price: Carlisle on Dirk’s All-Star game output: “Sensational. The best 90 seconds of basketball I’ve ever seen. Honest to God. It was great. It was just great. It sums up his career. Just perfection. The perfection of the jump shot. It was great. He got in. He got out. See you later.”

[Underdog]

@SaadYousuf126: Dirk-Wilt math (end of 2/23, now both games of back-to-backs are in play)

—92 points away
—23 games left
—Needs to average exactly 4 points per game to hit 92 in the season finale
—Averaging 5.4 ppg in February, averaged 4.4 ppg in January

It's looking like it can really happen

[BPo001]

Originally Posted by Underdog

@SaadYousuf126: Dirk-Wilt math (end of 2/23, now both games of back-to-backs are in play)

—92 points away
—23 games left
—Needs to average exactly 4 points per game to hit 92 in the season finale
—Averaging 5.4 ppg in February, averaged 4.4 ppg in January

It's looking like it can really happen

As long as he stays healthy he’s got it. He’s been shooting more lately, and he looks like he’s moving around better. Maybe he gives it one more ride next year if he doesn’t have any issues going into the offseason and he can just focus on being ready to go and not rehabbing.

[turin]

Originally Posted by BPo001

As long as he stays healthy he’s got it. He’s been shooting more lately, and he looks like he’s moving around better. Maybe he gives it one more ride next year if he doesn’t have any issues going into the offseason and he can just focus on being ready to go and not rehabbing.

I've got a feeling that this is it for Dirk, but I do think he could play another year physically. However, I think he's really looking forward to more time at home with his family. His kids are still very young, and those years pass too quickly. He wants to spend time with them and travel and make some memories. Kudos to him. I wish him all the best either way.

[sefant77]

Damn, looks like Dirk really wanna come back for the young players, the transition...and yeah probably smelling playoff air again.

I think it would be really good for the transition period...Luka, first real year of KP...Harris maybe gone, Barea maybe out until ASG...

https://twitter.com/espn_macmahon/st...80406902493185

[Murphy3]

If Dirk starts shooting the ball better.... I can see him coming back especially now that he's feeling better.

[NeedlesKane]

There's no way that Dirk is retiring now that Witten is back with the Cowboys! I realize that Witten is younger, but his comments probably reflect how Dirk feels about the game he plays. Neither one is ready to leave quite yet.

We all know that Dirk wants one more trip to the playoffs, and if they make it past the first round that'll be something they haven't done since their championship season. That'll be a wonderful way for him to retire and mean much more to him than anything else.

[Underdog]

Dirk Nowitzki Should Play Another Season And Make It Awkward
https://deadspin.com/dirk-nowitzki-s...-aw-1832902028

[NeedlesKane]

Honestly, the way Wade is playing right now... I don't feel like he should retire either.

[Underdog]

Starting again, Dirk still pondering one more year
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...-one-more-year

Porzingis, who considered Nowitzki an idol while a kid, has quietly lobbied the 14-time All-Star to come back next season so they can play together. It's a consideration for Nowitzki, but his focus now is on the daily grind required to give himself a chance to finish this season on a high note.

[MFFL]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Starting again, Dirk still pondering one more year
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...-one-more-year

It would really be bad for Dirk next year. EVERYWHERE would be having Dirk tributes every game

I think that would annoy him more than physically getting ready for the season

[Me.B]

I absolutely think he comes back for 1 more year. I think he’s really interested in playing with Luka and KP.

[Triple D]

Hi, I haven't posted since I signed up.

There are no words to express how happy I am for knowing Dirk is considering a 22th season. I am truly happy.

I'm from Portugal and I've tried to arrange a trip to Dallas for this season, I want to see a Mavs game with Nowitzki before he retires but I couldn't do it this year. I also want to put some flowers on my favorite guitar player, Dimebag Darrell, and his brother's resting place.

But it's not easy when you live across the ocean, 6 time zones away. So yeah I'm thrilled to hear these news.

[Underdog]

@tim_cato: dirk on the road crowd tributes to him: “if i come back, we’ll do it all over again.”

[turin]

Dirk is iconic enough to warrant an encore performance imo. Bring on another year big guy!

[Underdog]

Good defense on that shot... But Dirk doesn't respect good defense.


@MikeLeslieWFAA: The extreme slow-mo of Dirk's bucket to move past Wilt is epic. https://twitter.com/MikeLeslieWFAA/s...22723504525312


@MikeLeslieWFAA: Dirk Nowitzki on changing the game for 7-footers, with the jump shot being his primary weapon: "I think I came in at the right time, where the game was changing a little bit."

He's too humble to acknowledge the obvious -- the game changed *because* of him.


@BricePaterik: Dirk was asked if his kids were old enough to understand what he’s accomplishing.

He said they’re not quite old enough and that their favorite players are Maxi, Dwight and Salah because they dunk a lot.

@BricePaterik: When they say that dirk shows them his old highlights so they can see that he could dunk.

Someone asked if his kids wonder why those highlights aren’t in HD.


@MicahAdams13: Wilt dropped 43 in his NBA debut and won MVP as a rookie.

Dirk went 0-5 in his NBA debut and averaged 8 PPG as a rookie.

Dirk now has more career points.

He’s a great example of never giving up on players too early. Nobody’s story is even close to written after one season.

[Underdog]

872 points away from Jordan... I wonder if Dirk could catch him if he comes back another season? He scored 927 last season, so it's not impossible -- especially if he keeps adding to this season's total.

[NeedlesKane]

Not 868 from tying him?

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by NeedlesKane

Not 868 from tying him?

My bad, I was calculating from the moment Dirk passed Wilt, did not account for the other 4 points he scored tonight... Still, passing Jordan would be pretty special.

[MFFL]

Originally Posted by Underdog

872 points away from Jordan... I wonder if Dirk could catch him if he comes back another season? He scored 927 last season, so it's not impossible -- especially if he keeps adding to this season's total.

It would be difficult especially considering that the team would be contending for a playoff spot and since we are adding another big (Porzingis) or two (???). Dirk would be in the 10-12 minute per game range

[Dnowit41]

I've lived in Dallas since 1997. When Dirk was younger, every blue moon I'd hear from somebody they saw him out at a club or a bar having a good time, usually with Steve Nash. Not a lot, just every so often. I never heard about Dirk being a jerk or anything to anyone. He just liked to get his party on when he was younger. Then about the time the Mavs made the Finals in '06 & lost, you really didn't hear much good about Dirk in the media. I think Dirk was still a great guy, but it was obvious that he became more secluded, more private & definitely focused on bringing home a title. Plus, the media & fans were very frustrated with Dirk & the Mavs at that time. From '06 to '11, you would start to hear respect for Dirk. Definite respect for his loyalty to the franchise. Respect for him as a great player, still questions about could he lead a team to a title... and then they won!! That's really when the love affair with Dirk & Dallas began. It's a little sad to me from the standpoint that Dirk is & always has been a great human being and that it would take a title for people to really talk about what a great person he was so much. Still, things couldn't have worked out better. I've lived in Dallas for over 20 years, the entire time Dirk has been here & I've never heard anything but the absolute best from anyone whose ever told me they had an interaction with him. I listen to a local Sportsradio station, and they talk about him in glowing reviews & they're honest. If Dirk were an asshole, they'd say so in not so many words, but they always talk about what a great dude he is, just down-to-earth, just a guy, who's just a guy, just an average dude who happens to be anything but average on the basketball court. I think Dirk is maybe one of the greatest people to ever play professional sports, and it's just a bonus that he happens to be one of the best hoopers to ever do it. #41 #MFFL

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by Dnowit41

I've lived in Dallas since 1997. When Dirk was younger, every blue moon I'd hear from somebody they saw him out at a club or a bar having a good time, usually with Steve Nash. Not a lot, just every so often. I never heard about Dirk being a jerk or anything to anyone. He just liked to get his party on when he was younger. Then about the time the Mavs made the Finals in '06 & lost, you really didn't hear much good about Dirk in the media. I think Dirk was still a great guy, but it was obvious that he became more secluded, more private & definitely focused on bringing home a title. Plus, the media & fans were very frustrated with Dirk & the Mavs at that time. From '06 to '11, you would start to hear respect for Dirk. Definite respect for his loyalty to the franchise. Respect for him as a great player, still questions about could he lead a team to a title... and then they won!! That's really when the love affair with Dirk & Dallas began. It's a little sad to me from the standpoint that Dirk is & always has been a great human being and that it would take a title for people to really talk about what a great person he was so much. Still, things couldn't have worked out better. I've lived in Dallas for over 20 years, the entire time Dirk has been here & I've never heard anything but the absolute best from anyone whose ever told me they had an interaction with him. I listen to a local Sportsradio station, and they talk about him in glowing reviews & they're honest. If Dirk were an asshole, they'd say so in not so many words, but they always talk about what a great dude he is, just down-to-earth, just a guy, who's just a guy, just an average dude who happens to be anything but average on the basketball court. I think Dirk is maybe one of the greatest people to ever play professional sports, and it's just a bonus that he happens to be one of the best hoopers to ever do it. #41 #MFFL

Two things changed dirk a bit..obviously, you hit on one.... the loss in the finals. But then the incident with his girlfriend/fiancée.... I think that took quite a bit out of him as well. He was a bit more secluded after that. I also think she had driven a bit of a wedge between dirk and some of his friends. I'm sure that after 2006 and then the loss to the Nuggets in the playoffs (which coincided with the arrest of his girlfriend/fiancée)..that was the low point for Dirk... a long low point that he managed to dig himself out of and which culminated with the championship in 2011.

[sefant77]

Well, it definately helped that he met Jessica so soon after that whole mess. The fiancee got arrested in may 2009 and in February 2010 he met Jessica at a charity event

[Underdog]

Dirk Nowitzki Had Doubts About Breaking Wilt Chamberlain's Scoring Record
https://www.forbes.com/sites/doylera.../#573ffed14fd0

[Underdog]

@BillySierra16: The 04-05 to 06-07 Mavs were 185-61 with only 4 all star appearances (3 from Dirk) during those 3 seasons. The 16-17 to 18-19 Warriors are 174-62 with 11 combined all star appearances during those 3 seasons. Prime Dirk will never get the respect he earned.

[MFFL]

Robert Parish played until almost 44, Mutombo until almost 43 (maybe older) and Kareem until 42. Vince Carter is still playing effectively at 42

Dirk can play another year or 2 if he wants especially since our athletic training staff is one of the best in the world

[dirt_dobber]

Excerpt about Dirk from Kris Humphries’ Article on The Player’s Tribune

"He was my idol, but he was so cool that I got
comfortable enough to joke around with him
in practice. Then, one day, we were laughing
about something, and Rick Carlisle turns to me
out of nowhere and goes, "Hey Humprhries
don't do that". I said "do what, coach?"
he said - "You don't joke around with Dirk"
I said "But were just... just having fun", coach.
He said "No. Dirk has fun. You don't have fun.
You need to focus. Dirk? He doesn't even need
to practice. He's f***ing Dirk!"

even more great quotes in the article...
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en...to-be-that-guy

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by dirt_dobber

Excerpt about Dirk from Kris Humphries’ Article on The Player’s Tribune

"He was my idol, but he was so cool that I got
comfortable enough to joke around with him
in practice. Then, one day, we were laughing
about something, and Rick Carlisle turns to me
out of nowhere and goes, "Hey Humprhries
don't do that". I said "do what, coach?"
he said - "You don't joke around with Dirk"
I said "But were just... just having fun", coach.
He said "No. Dirk has fun. You don't have fun.
You need to focus. Dirk? He doesn't even need
to practice. He's f***ing Dirk!"

even more great quotes in the article...
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en...to-be-that-guy

That’s awesome, thanks for posting!

[sefant77]

Humphries is into Burgers....because of Dirk...right?

[dirt_dobber]

Tim MacMahon@espn_macmahon
The epitome of what kind of dude Dirk is: After the locker room emptied out, he hung out with Justin Galit, a Mavs fan from Florida who Dirk befriended when he was battling cancer as a teen more than a decade ago. Dirk gets Galit and friends/family tickets every trip here.

[Underdog]

@TamaraJolee: Jessica Nowitzki moved to tears, as @JudgeClayJ sponsors a resolution in Dallas Co. Commissioners Court honoring her husband @swish41 as the NBA's 6th-leading all-time scorer and proclaims April 2019 as the "Month of Dirk" in Dallas County. https://mobile.twitter.com/TamaraJol...00410397622279

[BPo001]

Can’t get the whole article to load, but this was on hoopshype

STEIN: How much better are you feeling physically over the past month compared with where you were the last couple of times we chatted? DIRK NOWITZKI: It’s been a lot better. It was so hard to try to fight back in the middle of the season — for seven weeks I pretty much did nothing. I couldn’t really enjoy myself for most of December and January. If I don’t get that inflamed tendon in my foot, maybe I’m actually having a decent year. I worked hard to get back to a decent level where I could play and compete with the guys. The last few weeks, I’m moving better, I’m feeling better, I’m playing more minutes, so I’ve been able to enjoy my time again on the court.

Your statistics for the season are going to look out of place compared with the level you’ve been at for the bulk of your career. Do you look at the numbers? DIRK NOWITZKI: No. This year is kind of beyond stats. December and January were just so bad — I didn’t have my legs or my wind so obviously it was hard to get a shooting rhythm going. Coming off the bench was new, too. But like I said, I’m glad I turned the corner a little bit the last few weeks and I’m having fun competing with my teammates again. – via New York Times

I think you know by now that when I pull you aside for one of these visits that I’m going to ask about Luka Doncic. All of us media types thought coming into the season that you were going to take him under your wing and mentor your fellow European. That didn’t really happen, but you guys did become quite the comedy duo off the floor. What kind of relationship have you built with the likely rookie of the year? DIRK NOWITZKI: He’s just such a confident young man that there’s not much you can really tell him. He’s got the experience, he’s got the confidence in crunchtime already — all that I had to work for. He’s got the ability to forget anything that just happened five seconds ago, 10 seconds ago, and make another big play. That usually develops a lot later than 19 or 20. But off the floor, man, he is a kid. He’s never serious off the floor and obviously I’m not, either. He loves to have fun. We joke about everything and anything at all times. He’s just a funny dude. We enjoy our time together — I guess he took me under his wing. –

[BPo001]

Apparently Dirk’s dad was at the game the other night. Sign that Dirk is retireing? If you want to come see me play come now. I may end up dropping some coin on those final home game seats after all.

[BigDog63]

Possibly...or just there just in case.

I'm not sure what Dirk is thinking. He's playing pretty well now, and I'm sure he'd like to play a year with Doncic and KP. Team I think would get into the playoffs, and he'd like doing that one last ime. But he's probably also concerned about the time he missed and struggled due to injury and recovery...and wouldn't want to repeat that.

I wouldn't be surprised if he comes back, though. Team would certainly like that, he's got MJ's scoring to chase (even though he'd never say that motivates him), would set a record for longevity for a franchise that will NEVER be broken, etc.

[BPo001]

No new info here on the GOAT, but also fun to reminisce about how he got here.


http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...t-oral-history

[Triple D]

With tonight's 7, Dirk now has a total of 9999 defensive rebounds in his career.

Also passed Elgin Baylor for rebounds total overall:

24. Kevin Willis 11901
25. Patrick Ewing 11607
26. Dirk Nowitzki 11466
27. Elgin Baylor 11463
28. Pau Gasol 11305