Ya, I'm talkin to you Dirk. I love him and all, but come on.....I knew that defense was the weakest part of his game, but that was just the worst defensive performance I have ever seen from a guy of his calibar and versatility. In a few years, there is great possibility that he would become a top 5 player in this league which I think would be awesome. But the way he defended (if you can call it that) against Sacramento was just U-G-L-Y. With his length and versatility, he should be able to change players shots and block more often since he usually has the height advantage over opposing PFs. His defesive footwork needs improvement as well. Not to mention that he needs to get more physical and stronger in the paint, Chris Webber just is having his way with no effort in this series, on put backs and layups. Then at the end of the game u see that CWebb has 30 pts. I seriously want the MAVS to win this series, but since my philosophy this year is "anybody but the Lakers" , then I wouldn't mind the Kings to move on cuz they match up MUCH MUCH better than Dallas does. Until Dirk can show even atleast decent defense, then the mavs will go down in Arco Arena. It just frustrates me when someone scores on him or gets by him even when it looks like Dirk is trying to play his best D.
Yeah, it sucks, but I have to agree. The lack of defense could be excused more easily as long as his own shots were falling, but right now they are not. I mean, he is too valuable offensively to take a risk of fouling out, but he could still do a bit more on D. I strongly believe he will get there, but until then, I guess one cannot yet consider him a top 5 player. Top 10 yes, but to be a top 5 player, he would have to show a bit more. Don't forget, he's just 23.
Agree! That was basically my argument when people were saying Steve Francis was one of the top 10 players in the league ... blah ... blah ... blah ... you have to play D to be a top player in the league. And Charles Barkley was right on when he said Dallas' interior defense is "weak and soft".
So, we can assume that Charles wasn't ever a top ten player in the league? Come on, you can still be a top player even if you aren't a great defender.
