That’s right, I said it. In the words of Ed, feel free to send all hate mail directly to ed@edthesportsfan.com, but I honestly believe, given what I have seen from this man over the past several years, that he is not only a superstar, not only a top-ten player, but he is the most underappreciated superstar in the world. When I bring this up to people who watch basketball, as I do, the criticism is relentless, but please allow me to explain my stance. There is no other player in the NBA, not one, who possesses his skill-set. Dirk knows his strengths, and capitalizes them, and recognizes his weaknesses, and rarely allows them to be a factor. How many other players do we see, who we consider great, do things we know they cannot do? It’s hard to say that about Dirk. That right there lets you know he’s an intelligent basketball player, as well as a great one.
The disrespect isn’t really given by fans of the city of Dallas. There’s a large enough segment that realizes how great and how valuable Dirk is to the Dallas Mavericks, because we see his exploits first-hand. It’s people who are outside of Dallas that have berated this man to the point where I feel compelled to make a defense for him.
We’ve seen him score 29 points in an eight-minute stretch in the fourth quarter of a game this season (it didn’t even lead Sportscenter! Are you kidding me??!?!). We’ve seen him give the Spurs 37 points and 15 rebounds in a series-clinching Game Seven of a playoff series. We witnessed Dirk drop 50 on the Phoenix Suns of that same 2006 Playoffs, and scoring in just about every single way possible. We’ve seen him carry the Mavs year after year after *bleeping* year, and while some of those performances have been legendary, the Mavs have failed to win a championship…which I’ll touch on right now.
People like to bring up that he choked against the Heat, right? Well, I’ll admit; he didn’t play well, but where was the rest of his team to pick up the slack? Who stopped Wade from channeling his inner-Jordan and going on a damn four-game rampage in the 2006 Finals? It’s not like Dirk can guard Wade; they don’t play the same position. As far as I’m concerned, the Wade performance is one of those legendary performances that we see, maybe, once every ten years. I can honestly say I haven’t seen a stretch like that in an NBA Finals since Jordan, back in the late-90s. As for the Golden State series, it’s not that hard to figure out. Simply put, it was a horrible match-up for the Mavericks, and anyone who saw the two teams play each other in the regular season could have seen that disaster coming. They demolished everyone else, but had all sorts of trouble with Golden State.
They had the perfect recipe to slow down/stop Dirk: uber-athletic wing players, the ability to move well, and keep him from being able to get the ball, and when he did, he was swarmed immediately. No superstar could have dealt with that type of look. You think I’m lying? Look at the 2004 Finals when the Detroit Pistons devised their entire game plan to stop Kobe, and frustrated him to the point of no return. He was useless in that series, except for that buzzer-beater in Game Two. The Spurs did the same to The King in the 2007 Finals as well. Hell, Cleveland didn’t even win a game. If you scheme well to stop a star, the rest of the team will crumble, but this isn’t about them; it’s about Dirk, so my bad for getting off-track. Now what do I think the Mavs should do? It’s simple, yet something that may not happen, until it’s too late: TRADE DIRK.
The Dallas Mavericks basketball team has peaked; they’ve reached their championship potential, and unless they could get The King or Wade to come (which is another argument altogether, because Ed thinks something like that could actually happen), then they will never win an NBA Championship. Ever. The thing is I think Mark Cuban knows that. Deep down inside, I think he knows it won’t happen, but I also know Cuban is a brilliant man, and will try his best to make it happen, and he won’t do anything drastic, unless he absolutely has to. The Dallas Mavericks have been damn good for the past 8-9 years, but they have no NBA title to show for it. Dirk is still a great player, and I am thoroughly convinced that if he is put in a situation, a la KG in Boston, with even one or two other very good players, that will would win a championship, no doubt in my mind, and I’d bet a week’s pay on it, if the day ever comes. Hopefully the day comes, so people will have no choice but to take heed, and finally admit how great he is. It’s sad that it may take a title to do so, but in my opinion, championship or not, Dirk is the most underappreciated superstar in the world. Period.
THOUGHTS ON DIRK? IS KENNY ABSURD OR IS HE SPITTING TRUTH? LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!
-K. Masenda
www.edthesportsfan.com
Comments
10 Responses to "Dirk Nowitzki is the most underappreciated superstar in the world"Good post, Ken
Here in the states, we expect our 7 footers to bang under the boards and dunk with authority while making mean, grimacing faces. We don't appreciate the awesome skills that he displays for a man his size nor the amount of work and effort that must have gone into developing them.
Ripping him for playoff failures is a bit unfair. I believe he would have a couple of rings if Cuban hadn't let Nash go.
JAG
Dirk has a unique skill set that works against him in the playoffs. Jumpers start to clang and the pace slows down. You need that big 7 footer to put their behind in the paint and facilitate the offense from there.
I agree he's done all he can in Dallas. Either build around him right now or let him go.
I agree with most of your points Ken but I'm not ready to crown him just yet. Not saying their failure are all his fault but Dirk has to be great when it matters most not in month 1 off the season.
Like Duncan, Dirk is another one of those players only a real basketball fan could recognize. Although it took me a while to get over the fact that someone his size doesn't bang on the boards on the regular, I love watching him play now. His game is smooth and it's a beautiful thing to watch. I think Duncan may be a little more under appreciated, but they're 1 and 1a, however you want to place them.
Unfortunately for Dirk, he IS going to be measured by his playoff woes. When people talk about sports history, when they talk about the greats, no one ever talks about WHY a superstar was unable to get it done in the post season. People are going to remember that Kobe couldn't get it done in 2004 and 2008, they're not going to remember that the Pistons and Celtics devised amazing game plans to stop Kobe. No one is going to mention the fact that, unless you were a Dolphins fan during Marino's tenure, you probably can't name one receiver he threw too, we just know he never won a title. The same thing is going to happen with Dirk. We're not going to remember that D-Wade got EVERY cott-damn call for four straight games (even as one of the biggest D-Wade fans out there, I couldn't believe he was getting that kind of treatment) we're just going to remember that Dirk didn't come with his best game. Same thing in 2006. The Mavs probably would have swept anyone else they faced in that first round, but that Ws team just presented match ups that the Mavs couldn't handle.
@ Stank - you have a good point. Games are refereed differently and more contact is allowed in the playoffs. However, expecting Dirk to abandon what makes him great and attempt to transform into a bruiser would be foolish.
You're right. They need a big man to do the dirty work and protect him. Dampier's lack of development is a bigger problem than anything Dirk has done wrong.
You know what you're getting with Dirk and he delivers with amazing consistency. He needs the proper complimentary pieces put around him, like all great NBA stars do.
Question for Cuban - If Nash was too old, how do you justify bringing J. Kidd aboard?
JAG
I'm with you here Ed on Dirk. Dude is a stud. Absolute stud. And as you said, incredibly intelligent. That's a rare combo that sets the great ones apart.
But man, trading him? You gotta be crazy. What if Dallas can get another guy in the next few years, either in the draft or free agency or trades or whatever? You don't give away a guy like Dirk. That's some crazy talk. It never works out for the better for your team in the long run, unless you are in the position of a Minnesota, who literally was terrible.
But yeah, the man is the truth, for sure. People always hate on Europeans and big guys who aren't bangers. I'll tell you what, I'd certainly take him on the 76ers. For anyone on the team. Anyone.
And yo, the world needs to really, really take notice of my man Brandon Jennings. He's for real.
@ JAG - it's hard to say when it comes to the Nash thing. The Nash in Dallas wasn't allowed to be the Nash he is right now.
@ Stank 0 - not necessarily. Dirk's a smart basketball player. He knows how to adjust to postseason ball. We saw that last season against the Spurs and Nuggets. He was unstoppable.
@ J. Mcfly - come on, man. Dirk's been doing it for years.
@ Phil - exactly. That's why I want the Mavs to trade him, but it won't happen, because they're still a good team, still a 50-win team, but not a title team. They've won 50 games eight years in a row, I wanna say; some crazy stat like that.
@ The Rev - I swear to you, Rev; they can't get anybody else. I was talkin' to Ed about this yesterday, and told him that I honestly believe elite players don't wanna play in Dallas. I don't understand why they don't, but when you hear The King or Wade talk, you never hear Dallas as a potential spot. I don't get it. I'm witcha on Jennings. Imma have to start watching some more of these rooks, now.
@ Soul, that goes to my point. He's not facilitating. I was in Denver, everyone knew that Dirk could get his. The Nuggets would just frustrate him but he wasn't gettin anyone else goin.
I also think they ran into a morphin Melo in that serious. He is probably the best pure scorer in the league right now, and he has a team of players who know and play their role.
I don't want him to fundamentally change what he is, but he has to adjust come playoff time. More shots from the elbows, closer in to force double teams so he can swing the ball, etc.
I would live with Dirk takin J's in the playoffs. I would welcome it because he's gettin his and we can freeze out everyone else.
Excellent read.
I agree that Dirk is an underappreciated superstar, but, I have to believe the label of not really being a great player comes from his never to be forgotten playoff showings in crucial games against the Heat and Warriors.
The arguments were heard loud and clear and can be debated for years upon years, but until he steps up and wins against all odds I think most will agree to his being underappreciated yet not really a great player in the likes of KG, Kobe, and Iverson ('01 Finals)and a few others, where the great ones go down fighting.
As Dirk should always do.
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