Now that the Warriors have upset the supposed best team in the NBA, and created one of the biggest upsets of all time, the question arises. Is Dirk a bust? Sure the guy has put up huge numbers all of his career, but he has been held back by the lack of leadership and the emotional strengths in the clutch. This series and the last years series vs Miami in the Finals, may very well define his career. The Mavericks cruised through the regular season with Dirk being an MVP candidate but he cant put it together in the post season. He scored 8 points and went 4-13 from the field and didnt hit a three pointer, for gods sake. Nowitzki just cant come through for his team when they need him, and to be honest I think if Dallas ever wants to win that ever elusive championship, they need a leader. A Jason Kidd type player who can rally the troops like Dirk has struggled to do all his career.Hes too soft, dosent bang down low enough and against a Golden State team that is small and quick, he shouldnt be playing on the 3 point arc, shooting fadeaways. He should be attacking the basket and exposing the weak point of the Warriors. He played right into Nellies hand all series.Many people will think it totally unjust to consider him a bust, considering his superstar status his whole career, but it has to be thought about. The real Hall-Of-Fame players and most known players, come through for there team in the clutch and win crucial games. Dirk has shown over and over that he cannot do that.
a bust is not the term to describe him. The #9 pick in the draft averaging 25-10 is not a bust. The only way anybody that good can be considered a bust is if they're like Patrick Ewing and everybody expects them to be the next Wilt Chamberlain.
Yeah a bust is not what fits Dirk. He needs to develop a post game which he has never consistently done. He does it once in a while but strays from it. Maybe disinterest in it? I know he hates doing it but he has to develop it to get past these athletic and small players. Shooting from the outside creates long rebounds which end up in fast break points a lot.
I think the right word for Dirk is underachieving, his game has so much potential, and could be one of the dominant big men in recent NBA history. However hes not, and has the potential to be. A Bust is like Darko, never averaging more than 5-5 and being the number 2 pick.EDIT: Thats uh 12 and 5 my bad.
Bust is someone who doesn't pan out. Dirk has panned out beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Who would've imagined him putting 25 adn 10 when he was drafted? Dirk is simply an overacheiver who couldn't do anything when the game mattered.
<span style="font-family:Arial">Dirk Nowitzki is not a bust, this thread is hilarious. It's funny how you guys make a huge deal out of this playoff upset, but also fail to realize that this is only his 2nd game getting eliminated in the first round. He made the playoffs in all but two of his NBA seasons, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals AND NBA Finals.Just for the record, Dirk Nowitzki averages over 25 points and 11 rebounds per game in his NBA playoff career.</span>
A "bust" is a player who is expected to do great things, and ends up doing a fractional amount. Dirk was never expected to even be an All Star, let alone win an MVP award.
Dirk never plays well against the Warriors or hasn't this year. I think if Dirk plays any other team in the first round, he would have a much better series. Stephen Jackson is the ideal type of player to defend Dirk. Long, athletic, and pretty strong for a swingman.
Once again, people make such a big deal about dirk saying he is a choker and doesn't come through when it counts. Think about it, last year and this year. 2 series out of how many? He has made the playoffs nearly his whole career and, as stated above, has averaged 25 and 11 his entire career in the postseason. If you still think he isn't a leader, just look at game 5: a run fueled by back to back threes from dirk igniting a 15-0 run for the mavs; winning them the game by six points. He started the same type of run the game before, (back-to-back threes) but just didn't get any help from his teammates, resulting in a loss.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (41nowitzness41 @ May 5 2007, 01:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Once again, people make such a big deal about dirk saying he is a choker and doesn't come through when it counts. Think about it, last year and this year. 2 series out of how many? He has made the playoffs nearly his whole career and, as stated above, has averaged 25 and 11 his entire career in the postseason. If you still think he isn't a leader, just look at game 5: a run fueled by back to back threes from dirk igniting a 15-0 run for the mavs; winning them the game by six points. He started the same type of run the game before, (back-to-back threes) but just didn't get any help from his teammates, resulting in a loss.</div>Yes, we are talking about the past two seasons... not his entire playoff career. Why? Because last year he was in the NBA Finals, up 2-0, and couldn't get it done. This year he was the top choice for MVP, posted the fifth best regular season record in NBA history, and couldn't get it done in the first round of the playoffs against a #8 seed. These past two series were the biggest of his career, and he didn't get it done as the leader of his team. So, yes, he is a choker because of those two. When the pressure is on, Dirk doesn't get it done. He may sometimes, but the majority of the time it looks like he doesn't.
