Maybe you can answer the question as to why all that supporting talent decides to go awol when their franchise player needs them most? We already know Dirk settles for jumpers to often and the team has mirrored him for far too long. This team was supposed to be different but you look at their losses and it's the same thing always. No heart, No Defense and settling for jumpshots. Also has been stated already, Cuban WILL NEVER trade or let Dirk go and Dirk WILL NEVER leave Dallas. Cubes will just start over by changing the pieces around Dirk and hoping it works out.
I hope he'll consider it, if he wants 2 win a championship....might as well come down 45 to houston, next to yao, man they'll be unstopable!!!
Dallas is going to make a big splash move to get Dirk some serious superstar help. Welcome home, Bosh. Welcome to Dallas, Daryl. Dallas welcomes Chris Bosh and Daryl Morey! SPLASH!
Dirk settles for contested jumpers when the game is on the line, and that's not going to bring a championship to Houston. He doesn't have the heart! For example, he sits a game because of the collision with Mandry. C'mon man show some toughness if your going to be the leader of an elite team!!! Championship teams have players that play through injuries without giving it a second thought. Imagine Dirk being the one with the fractured nose from an elbow, he would have definitely missed the rest of the game and probably the next. He's just plain soft.
I posted this in the Mavs vs Spurs thread but it makes a lot of sense for this thread as well. The question isn't whether should Dirk consider leaving Dallas it's should Cuban consider letting dirk leave. But as A_3PO pointed out... Cuban is blinded by his love for Dirk and it's a problem. A Big one. Mavs have always had great talent with a deep team for the majority of this decade. What they lack is mental toughness and I hate to say it cause many may disagree with me but it stems from DIRK NOWITZKI. Dirk is not championship material. You just can't win a championship with Dirk being the #1 guy even if you surround him with a terrific if not best supporting cast (Mavs current roster) in the NBA. Lets replace Dirk with some other PF/C number 1's from teams past and current and keep the Mavs roster the same. I guarantee they advance to the Finals if not win it all. Hakeem Shaq Ewing Robinson Barkley Malone KG Duncan Now one could argue those guys I mentioned are legendary and you can't compare Dirk to them... but on paper you'd think Dirk would belong in the same conversation as those guys. Former MVP, 9 time NBA All Star, 4x ALL NBA 1st team, paid like a mega superstar (20 + mill a year). You can NOT trust a 7 footer who does NOT play the CENTER position. Especially one who averaged 10 rebounds only once in his career. No matter how wet his jumper is. Dirk = Fake Superstar who really should be a number 2 option.
Robinson would not have won a ring without Duncan. KG would not have won a ring without Allen and Pierce (in fact Nowitzki dominated KG in the playoffs). Ewing, Barkley and Malone didn't go further than Dirk. Leaves Hakeem, Shaq and Duncan - I would obviously concede that they are above Dirk. But I think that different playing styles can leave to success. Had they kept Nash, I think they would have won a championship in 2006.
the trade makes sense only from ours and Toronto's perspective. I mean Dallas doesnt even improve with that trade, they get bosh who is probably a little worse than Dirk, and they lose players and picks
In all honesty, there are a lot of things that have derailed the Mavericks the past decade. 1. Cuban shrewdly letting Nash go. I mean, he had his reason because he feared that Nash's back would give out any minute. Two MVPs later, Cuban's been proven wrong but it wasn't entirely a bad move since Nash DID have a history of back problems 2. The Coaching Carousel. First it was Nellie. Then Avery took over. Then Avery lost the team. Now Carlisle is at the helm. That might not be a lot but it would take a toll on a player like Dirk since, if he looks around now, he's the only one left from the team that had Nash on it. Which brings to the next point: 3. Revolving Door on Personnel. 2000-2001: Nash, Finley, Dirk. Lost West Semis 2001-2002: Nash, Finley, Dirk. Lost West Semis 2002-2003: Nash, Finley, Dirk. Lost West Finals 2003-2004: Nash, Finley, Dirk, Antawn Jamison, Antoine Walker. Lost 1st Round 2004-2005: Finley, Dirk, Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse. Lost West Semis 2005-2006: Dirk, Terry, Howard, Stackhouse, Devin Harris. Lost NBA Finals 2006-2007: Dirk, Terry, Howard, Stackhouse, Harris. Lost 1st Round 2007-2008: Dirk, Terry, Howard, Stackhouse, Harris ---> Kidd. Lost 1st Round 2008-2009: Dirk, Terry, Ghost of Howard, Spirit of Stackhouse, Kidd. Lost West Semis 2009-2010: Dirk, Terry, Kidd, Butler, Marion. ? That Nash, Finley, Dirk trio was getting it done and it seemed like they were gonna get over the hump but that fateful 2003-2004 team ran up against a team that played their style ...but better (Sac Kings). So Cuban let Jamison go (which I think is one of the worst moves he has done) and this was where Josh Howard rose to stardom. Next year, they lose in the Semis so Cuban went out and got Jason Terry. They lost in the Finals (more on that later) but this was a successful year so Cuban keeps the roster mostly in tact but then they pissed off the basketball Gods somehow and got taken out by the Warriors (more on this later). So then MORE tinkering gets done. Sure it looks awesome on paper acquiring big name guys or it makes fans believe that Cuban's trying, but sometimes...you gotta let the roster gel, especially when your core was still relatively young. 3b. Signing Shawn Marion. My god what was Cuban thinking? That Jason Kidd could have salvaged Marion's career? This was a bad signing from the get to. His athletic ability has decreased, his ability to drive to the basket is impeded by the Mavericks' lack of spacing due to Dampier not being able to knock down anything further than 2 feet, his three point shot was ugly but effective back then is just ugly now....this was just a bad, bad deal. 4. The NBA Finals. This is where the Mavericks SHOULD have won but didn't. Of course the refs didn't do them any favors but to say that the refs helped the Heat win FOUR STRAIGHT is absurd. If anything, the Mavericks had their tails between their legs once the series evened out at 2-2 after Miami blew them out in Game 4. This speaks more about the Mavericks as a whole than just on Nowitzki. 5. The Warriors. In all honesty I should have put this first because this, above all else, killed the Mavericks. They had just lost the Finals and now they were hell bent on getting back there, winning 67 games and what not. Dirk was playing some of the best basketball of his career this year. They looked like they were gonna steamroll the west and get back to the finals. But damn...did this one hurt. It hurt me just from watching it. Cuban, Dirk and everyone in the DFW will deny it but losing to the Warriors after winning 67 games has got to be the worst moment in Mavericks history the past 10 years. I still don't think the Mavericks have recovered. Yea, they've gone out and gotten players to gussy up that team on paper, but when your best player, your go-to guy, your alpha-dog, was a witness in that monumental upset.... I think Dirk will stay a Maverick for the rest of his career and that's a shame since he's a guy that deservedly should have a ring. If anything, if/when the Spurs knock them out of the playoffs, Cuban should sit with Dirk and tell him to opt out and work out a S&T or something. Maybe do a straight up trade for Amare. That way Dirk will be happy with his buddy Nasty again, Dallas will get a player with more of a low post presence that can free up Butler and Terry on the perimeter.... But, hey, F**** the Mavs. They can fix their own damn problems :grin:
Now THAT is a post-of-the-year candidate!!! Completely agree. The Warriors' loss set them back, unlike the Sonics in 94 and 95 who lost in the first round both those years but went to the Finals in 96. I still think Nash leaving, Jamison leaving, Dampier staying, Harris leaving, and the acquisition of Marion have done very little for them. I also don't think the players on the Mavs really respect Dirk the way the Spurs respect Duncan or the Suns' players respect Nash. I mean, Nash hasn't even been to the Finals, and yet he commands a hell of a lot more respect than Dirk. I think they know deep down that he's not the one to lead them to a championship. He would make a great #2.
LOL Houston Trade Breakdown Change in Team Outlook: -13.7 ppg, -15.2 rpg, and -5.9 apg. Incoming Players Dirk Nowitzki 7-0 PF from Germany (Foreign) 25.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.7 apg in 37.5 minutes Outgoing Players Jared Jeffries 6-11 SF from Indiana 5.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.6 apg in 28.1 minutes Trevor Ariza 6-8 SF from UCLA 14.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.8 apg in 36.5 minutes Jordan Hill 6-9 PF from Arizona 4.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.3 apg in 10.5 minutes David Andersen 0-0 from 5.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.7 apg in 14.1 minutes Chuck Hayes 6-6 SF / PF from Kentucky 4.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.7 apg in 21.6 minutes Jermaine Taylor 6-4 SG from Central Florida 4.1 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.5 apg in 9.8 minutes Dallas Trade Breakdown Change in Team Outlook: +13.7 ppg, +15.2 rpg, and +5.9 apg. Incoming Players Jared Jeffries 6-11 SF from Indiana 5.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.6 apg in 28.1 minutes Trevor Ariza 6-8 SF from UCLA 14.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.8 apg in 36.5 minutes Jordan Hill 6-9 PF from Arizona 4.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.3 apg in 10.5 minutes David Andersen 0-0 from 5.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.7 apg in 14.1 minutes Chuck Hayes 6-6 SF / PF from Kentucky 4.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.7 apg in 21.6 minutes Jermaine Taylor 6-4 SG from Central Florida 4.1 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.5 apg in 9.8 minutes Outgoing Players Dirk Nowitzki 7-0 PF from Germany (Foreign) 25.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.7 apg in 37.5 minutes
Kidd, Butler, and Marion have been disappointing. Luckily, Morey didn't trade for that supposed franchise savior in Butler
Screw the Mavericks. They deserve everything they have gotten. I am glad D-Wade robbed them of a title; I am glad the Warriors embarrassed their best regular season, and I excited to see them on their last life-line in this series against the Spurs. :grin: They robbed us in 2005! Their whiny owner and the Finley play! That will always be one of the what-ifs from the Yao-Mac era! They Screwed Us
If there's ANY chance the Rockets get Dirk, I'd take him in a heartbeat. But if it's between Dirk and Bosh, I'd take Bosh over Dirk any day of the week. The 6 year age difference is just too great. I originally don't believe there's any chance Dirk leaves Dallas. But if they lose to the Spurs, I guess anything can happen.
The guy has won big playoff games and big playoff series. As a couple of other people have pointed out, the Mavs were only a few minutes away from taking an insurmountable lead over Miami in the finals. That would have given them a championship. So it's unfair to say that you can't win a championship with Dirk as your best player. When the guy has come that close, you have to admit it is at least possible. There are still threads in the GARM popping up to this day about how we would have won the championship this year or that, if only we could have gotten past the first round. And yet there are a lot of people in this thread acting like Dirk has had no more playoff success in his career than T-Mac.
Winner! He is like a 7 foot weaker... much weaker version of TMAC he has the tools... but not the desire, heart or something Rocket River
