<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Billy Fairweather: Hey Max, Set the record straight because I had somebody in the hallway here tell me just a moment ago that you thought that Dirk Nowitzki was such a great player, he might even be better than Larry, and I said there?s no way those words ever came out. Cedric Maxwell: Yeah, I did. BF: You did? CM: I just talked to Jerry Stackhouse about that. Not to say he?s a better player, I?m just saying he?s a better athlete, and there?s a lot of things that he can do that Larry Bird wouldn?t be able to do. Now I know that?s sacrilegious, and I might get cut off here by Eddie Eddie Andelman: No you wouldn?t, because Larry couldn?t run as well as Nowitzki CM: That?s my basic premise. Now this kid, he?s seven foot one, he has better foot speed, just as good a jump shot, if not better, he?s probably a better rebounder than Larry , umm?he can block shots better. Now Larry Bird was just a great player, instinctively. Now, is Dirk better physically than Larry? Yes, I still think if you had to pick between the two, and you had a physical specimen on the side and they were playing, I think you would pick Dirk. But from a purely basketball standpoint, You have to look at another thing about Larry Bird, look at the people that Larry Bird played with. Yes he played and made people better, but Larry Bird also played with guys who are Hall of Famers.</div> A transcript from WWZN(Boston Talk Radio). Read the rest here. For the record, Cedric Maxwell is a former basketball player that actually played with Larry Bird.
This isn't worth a debate... This is Larry Bird we're talking about here. A triple double threat, one of thee greatest players of all-time, an NBA Champion and arguably one of the smartest basketball players that ever played and for someone to say that Dirk is better is crazy. If anything this is insulting, that?s probably too strong of a word because Dirk is a phenomenal basketball player, I'm not taking anything away from him, but to say that Dirk is better than Bird is simply outrages?. Making a comparison is one thing but to say that Dirk is better than Bird is ridiculous.
Dirk is a better athlete, and possibly harder to guard. But the real difference between the two that stands out right away is Bird's ability to distribute the ball. The fact that he could get guard-like assists numbers is what puts him in another class IMO
