Incidentally, I don’t mind run ‘n gun, but would it kill them to play SOME defense?? I mean seriously, some teams (*coughdallascough*) and players (*coughnowitzkicough*) are just… O_o

I don’t agree with that assessment, Chris (naturally, of course). I think 50% of it is just perception - we can never mistake Dirk for Ben Wallace, but the man is leads the team in rebounds and does pretty good at steals and blocks too. I mean how much better is Chris Webber than Dirk on defense?

Dallas does play defense when required, like what they did in the fourth quarter in the last game with San Antonio - the Spurs didn’t choke the game away all by themselves….. :)

Webber is a much better defender than Nowitzki. Nowitzki showed tonight why: he’s just not tough. The doctors told him he was good to go and he sat. Willis Reed he ain’t.

Webber and Nowitzki both lead their teams in defensive rebounds and Nowitzki has a slight edge there, but Webber gets more steals per game (by nearly one every two games). Webber also does a much better job on the offensive glass.

But, comparing the power forwards on the two worst defensive teams probably doesn’t tell us much. Webber is a more valuable player because he can play inside. Shooters aren’t that hard to find: dominant big men are. Nowitzki could be so great if he’d work more on playing with his back to the basket down low (his assists would go up too: Webber creams him here). I’m admittedly biased because Kenyon Martin and Chris Webber are my two favorite players, but Nowitski, Bill Walton’s overbaked commentary notwithstanding, is probably the fourth, maybe fifth-best player at his position in the NBA (Webber, Martin, Garnett, Duncan, in no particular order).

If there is a guy who is most over-rated, it’s gotta be Vince Carter. I have been wondering how is able to make it to the All-Stars without playing any games (a Canadian conspiracy for their only team, I don’t think so!!) … may be ‘coz of his few high-flying dunks!

Paladin, I agree that Dirk is a little short on skills. But I am sure he will work on them as he has improved over the few years. But he defnitely has a bigger heart than Webber, given his age and experience. For God’s sake, he does’nt whine!

L.

Please don’t give me that Nowitzki is not tough stuff - just two season ago, with the same Spurs team Nowitzki got his tooth knocked out and came back and dropped 40 on them. Yes, the doctors might have cleared him saying he might not further hurt himself if he plays, but that doesn’t mean he is good to go.

Willis Reed played hurt - and did what? Scored 4 points total. Nowizki playing hurt and not close to 100% would have hurt the team more than helped it, because the team lives on out-running and out-gunning the opposition. Also, Cheryl Miller said that he couldn’t lift off his knees for even jump-shots - what would be the point of him playing like that?

Kenyon Martin is NOT better than Nowitzki - I concede KG, Webber and Duncan, but not Kenyon Martin. I would trade Dirk straight up for Duncan - not KG or Webber. Kenyon Martin doesn’t even figure in that line-up.

Kenyon Martin, if I remember, was the leagure leader in tech. fouls and ejections last year. Though, this year, he is no match for “Don” Artest!

L.

I’d probably put Brand, both Wallaces, and J. O’Neal in or about in the same league as Nowitzki (though they are very diferent players). Incidentally,

One defensive issue I have with Nowitzki is that he is a solid offensive player and has good offensive footwork, but can’t seem to play perimeter defense to save his life. Even if he can’t move fast enough (wait…but he drives well, what gives?), with his height he should be able to play off and still close out fairly well. Maybe its just a selective memory thing, but I keep seeing him either playing too far out and getting driven past or laying too far off and getting shot over. Unfortunately, this makes him (if you’ll pardon the insult) an upgraded version of Antoine Walker.

He’s an outstanding offensive player, but (as pointed out above) he could hit the offensive boards better and, in general, who else on that team would be picking up defensive rebounds anyway? Defense is a problem for the whole team… By straight numbers, KG, Webber, and Duncan are better (slightly lower points but more boards, more assists, same or more steals, more blocks, better FG %).

I think Dirk is either a little lazy on defense or doesn’t like expending so much energy on defense that his offense suffers as a result. I definitely agree that he can and should get better.

KG, Webber and Duncan are definitely better than Nowitzki right now - no question about it. But the problem is that all three have peaked - they have settled into their routine and this is the best they can do. Dirk on the other hand, has a lot more potential and is still getting better, IMO.

Yes, L - Kenyon Martin was leading the league in flagrants.

Doesn’t O’Neal play the 5 most of the time? I happen to think that Nowitski is somewhat overrated (a la the Bill Walton vingette that they show during games). He’s a great player, solid offensively most of the time and some nights he can shoot the lights out but he’s not one of the top 5 in the world like Walton says. He hits his freethrows at an amazing clip. That’s why it just pains me to see him on the perimeter. If he’d play inside and draw fouls (and make shots) that team would be almost unstoppable. I don’t think he’s as overrated as Carter (who could be) but he is given more credit than he has earned.

The whole thing about Willis Reed wasn’t that he scored 4 points, it said something to his teammates. Had Nowitzki at least suited up last night, it would have had a positive affect on his team and the crowd. Plus, he could have been used as a decoy or even as a shooter on some plays. It’s one time where his penchant for avoiding the lane could have been put to good use. Imagine inserting him in the fourth quarter for a few minutes when the game was getting out of hand. You don’t think that might have changed the game? I’m really surprised that Nelson didn’t do that because he’s normally one of the coaches who plays the most mind games with the opposing bench.

Martin is better because he is much more intimidating defensive presence and his offensive game puts pressure on the defense. the NBA doesn’t keep the statistic on how many fouls a player draws, but Martin draws a lot more than Nowitzki just because of the playstyle difference. Nowitzki just isn’t the athlete that Martin is either.

As for flagrants and technicals, even without Ron Artest’s rise to dominance, Martin’s numbers were down for both this year and don’t forget that a lot of the time, flagrants and t’s are called on reputation. Tim Duncan can harrangue a ref for 5 minutes and not get a T, but last year if Martin looked at one for 5 seconds he got t’d up. It’s the same with flagrants. A lot of the time, whether it’s a flagrant or not has more to do with the rep of the player than the character of the foul.

I don’t see Nowitski getting that much better because, again, he has this desire to be a perimeter player (at 7’1”!!!). He’s already as good a shooter as he ever will be. Playing a zone D all the time isn’t going to get him to be a better on-the-ball defender. Plus, with Bradley backstopping him, there’s no reason to rotate over on penetration (which is good for the defense but bad for his development).

Oh, puhleeze! Playing Nowitzki on the perimeter is a choice made by Don Nelson as the coach - he draws up the plays and he tells the guys where to be on the court. If you actually notice in the games coached by Del or Donnie, you will see him drive to hoop pretty consistently.

Another things is that Nowitzki is one of the most hacked players in the league. Does he get the calls? No! Duncan, Kobe, Shaq, KG, Webber - they all get the calls when they drive. Just because Nowitzki has a better jumpshot than all these, he is looked at as a jump-shooter and is not given even legitimate calls. Dirk still does his thing.

Yes, Dirk could have suited up as a decoy - to fire up whom? The crowd? They were already fired up. His teammates? Wouldn’t they already know he was just a decoy? How can that fire them up? Even if Dirk came in for a few seconds, wouldn’t the Spurs attack him every single opportunity given his condition? Wouldn’t that exasperate his already wounded knee? How is it better for Dallas again?

Dirk has become one of the league’s top big men. Instead of trying to compare Dirk to other players, focus on what makes him so unsual and unique. Tim Duncan can’t handle the ball like him, Shaq can’t shoot free throws, Ben Wallace doesn’t shoot the 3 pointer, etc…etc…

He is a unique player. Let’s leave it at that.

I agree completely, Mark. I think it is more beneficial for the American players (regardless of skin color) to try and approach the game at a fundamental level and get more versatile (instead of relying on flashy stunts like in the rookie-soph game at All-Star) instead of crying about foreign players who are able to do so.

This whole race thing is absurd, but it is true that Stern invisions the NBA becoming a global league. The only reason is that there is truly no growth for it here. They are just looking at dollar signs. The league changed the rules to favor foreign players and that is a fact. To say they are more sounds is just ignorant. None of them play defense consistently, none of them play well inside (yes even Yao), and none of them are particularly athletic.

If you like to see guys shoot jumpers all night and call it “shooting the lights out” go watch the WNBA, because they will out shoot the guys any night!! Personally I would rather see a league of Jordans, Dominique Wilkins, and Julius Ervings than a league of slavac Larry Birds anyday. Not because they are black, but because anyone can shoot a basketball. However those three guys could do things the rest of us can only dream of. The game has gone down hill for the sake of money. Sadly, the foreign players of today are nowhere near as good as those of years past. Give me an Olajuwan anyday over the best five current foriegn players.

What’s funny is the only real racial issue with the NBA is the fact that the media is so enamored with Tim “I’m only 6’10” but say I’m 7’ ” Duncan, and Jason “What have I ever done to deserve this?” Kidd. The reason they like them, and don’t deny it, is that they are the closest thing they have to an American white star. They are good players, but they are also the most boring players to watch. Sports is entertainment people, and if you aren’t entertained, then what’s the point? They certainly aren’t getting big ratings or selling any merchandise, so there’s your indication of how much people agree with them. If there is anything that racist people hate more than blacks, it’s foreigners, and that’s why they would rather root for a guy that’s at least half white, and acts white. Oh and the reason Carter is so overrated is that kids would rather see a guy jump four feet in the air than see some big ugly white guy shoot a wide open jumper. I can’t blame them there.

I don’t even know where I should start disagreeing with you, peterpiper. First of all, big ugly white guy shooting wide open jumper? Apart from saying 80% of the current crop of American players cannot hit the broadside of the barn wide open, I have to recommend that you watch Steve Nash hit a few circus shots in traffic and make them before you talk about shooting wide open jumpers. They are pure entertainment.

Foreign players cannot play defense? Tell that Andrei Kirilenko. I am sure he would like find out how much he sucks at defense. Yao, even if not consistently good inside, is still a lot more versatile than let-me-push-through-all-my-defenders-and-dunk-over-them Shaq. Remember, there is a reason why USA was embarrassed at the World basketball championships - it is because the so-called stars like Carter and Ben Wallace are one-dimensional have only thing they are good at and suck at everything else.

The league didn’t change rules to make it easier on foreign players - it tried to increase scoring in games, which of course if impossible when most of the stars cannot shoot 15 feet away from the basket. It is incredibly sick you think the league is promoting Duncan and Kidd for being “white” - I don’t think “White” when I see Duncan, I see an incredibly talented guy with an excellent understanding of the fundamentals of basketball with wellrounded skills, who single-handedly won the championship for his team last season. Kidd is what a pointguard is about - not me-me-me Steve Francis.

I think Dirk should learn to be more aggresive and tougher like Tim Duncan, he sometimes gets frustrated when double-teamed. Basketball is a fierce battle so he should attach more and more to the basket, like the Duncans, KGs, etc. Avery Johnson is doing a good job, but I think in the off-season he should recruit or trade to at least one bad boy in his team. They always gets bad boys but the trades them away. Players like Raja Bell(who was shown how to hit treys) and the traded him. Najera is one. They need tougher guys, like the Wallaces in Detroit, Artest etc.