What is your all time Maverick team

[dorkestra]

Nick Van Exel
Josh Howard
Jamal Mashburn
Danny Fortson
Nerlens Noel

[NPZ]

All of you people somehow forgot to include Brad Davis in your starting 5s.

[Torgeir Bryn]

All of you people somehow forgot to include Brad Davis in your starting 5s.

Nah, Harper played almost the same number of games and was clearly better in my opinion.

[Mr B]

All of you people somehow forgot to include Brad Davis in your starting 5s.

Nah, Harper played almost the same number of games and was clearly better in my opinion.

Yea Brad Davis was awesome and an all time Mavs great but I wouldn't put him ahead of Harper, Nash, or Kidd.

[jpengland]

He wouldn't make my all time Mavs team but Shawn Bradley was better than some people give him credit for. This was a good video of him.

Watch on YouTube

He's ones of the most criminally underrated guys of all time.

He gets painted as a useless, freakish stiff. When actually he was a fantastic rim protector, a smart offensive player with solid fundamentals and a good understanding of the game and he consistently made his team's better by being on the court.

[Chocolate Daddy]

10 man rotation from players I've seen (I started watching right around 2000):

PG: Jason Kidd - Steve Nash
SG: Michael Finley - Jason Terry
SF: Josh Howard - Caron Butler (pre-injury)
PF: Dirk Nowitzki - Shawn Marion
C: Tyson Chandler - DeSagana Diop (really liked his defense)

[KempwiththeDunk]

Chandler, Tarpley, Diop
Nowitzki, Trent,
Aguirre, Marion, Mashburn
Finley, Blackman
Nash, Kidd, Harper

[Mr B]

PG: Kidd - Nash - DSJ
SG: Blackman - Finley - Terry
SF: Aguirre - Marion
PF: Dirk - Tarply
C: Tyson - Donaldson

[KempwiththeDunk]

PG: Kidd - Nash - DSJ
SG: Blackman - Finley - Terry
SF: Aguirre - Marion
PF: Dirk - Tarply
C: Tyson - Donaldson

DSJ, I like that.

I would say that the PF and Center positions are the worst for the Mavericks overall. Only one true Great in there. Compared to a team like the Rockets all time team that would have Hakeem, Moses, Hayes and Barkley at the Center and PF.

the Mavs are strong at SF-PG. Even players like Jim Jackson, Jamal Mashburn, granted they only played about 3 years with the Mavs but still 20-5-5 type players and entertaining to watch play. That's part of it too. Also Stackhouse, Terry, Harper are there at the SG's and PG. position.

But overall I think a team will find their best players usually through the draft or draft day trades for young players such as Finley.

It's too bad that cuban doesn't know how to draft.

[Mr B]

PG: Kidd - Nash - DSJ
SG: Blackman - Finley - Terry
SF: Aguirre - Marion
PF: Dirk - Tarply
C: Tyson - Donaldson

DSJ, I like that.

I would say that the PF and Center positions are the worst for the Mavericks overall. Only one true Great in there. Compared to a team like the Rockets all time team that would have Hakeem, Moses, Hayes and Barkley at the Center and PF.

the Mavs are strong at SF-PG. Even players like Jim Jackson, Jamal Mashburn, granted they only played about 3 years with the Mavs but still 20-5-5 type players and entertaining to watch play. That's part of it too. Also Stackhouse, Terry, Harper are there at the SG's and PG. position.

But overall I think a team will find their best players usually through the draft or draft day trades for young players such as Finley.

It's too bad that cuban doesn't know how to draft.

Yea I included DSJ because of the hype. Kidd is really the only other Mav I can remember to come into the NBA with as much hype. I do expect him to be a great player too though. I thought about including Nick Van Exel but if this were an actual team I would want DSJ’s size and athletic ability over NVE’s grit and veteran savvy.

As for the history of the Mavs front court, yea other than Dirk they don’t stack up with teams like Houston or the Lakers. The ironic thing is that the actual city of Dallas has a long history of sending PF’s to the NBA that became All Stars.

[KempwiththeDunk]

Dirk, Mashburn, and Jackson were all big deals. Bigger than Dennis Smith. Yes Kidd was too.

I actually watched Dirk his first Preseason game and knew right then he would be a Hall of Famer and top 5 All Time PF. I that that gift. Smith is good too, but he's going to have a much harder time of it because the poor state of the NBA. The NBA pretty much has no soul anymore. It has no spirit. Also he got hurt rather easily in his first game. That would NEVER happen to Kidd or Dirk.

[Mr B]

Dirk, Mashburn, and Jackson were all big deals. Bigger than Dennis Smith. Yes Kidd was too.

I actually watched Dirk his first Preseason game and knew right then he would be a Hall of Famer and top 5 All Time PF. I that that gift. Smith is good too, but he's going to have a much harder time of it because the poor state of the NBA. The NBA pretty much has no soul anymore. It has no spirit. Also he got hurt rather easily in his first game. That would NEVER happen to Kidd or Dirk.

You’re right Dirk and Kidd were not injury prone. Nash was though. I remember watching Nash almost getting boo’d off the court early in his career with the Mavs.

Dirk didn’t get the same hype as DSJ has been getting. Very few even knew who Dirk was. The only real exposer he got was that McDonald’s game where he dominated. Most fans, especially in Dallas thought he was just another big white stiff that the Mavs were known for drafting. Of course everyone was WAY off but that was the general thought on Dirk that first year.

Jackson and Mashburn did have a lot of hype (especially Jackson) but I still don’t think their hype was more than DSJ’s. His star potential is much higher than Jackson or Mashburn’s were. Maybe it’s because he plays PG? I was a rabid Mavs fan during those 3 J’s years.

[KempwiththeDunk]

There were a lot that knew Dirk Nowitzki and knew his up bringing and high level of atheticism. He was a very smooth athlete and extremely quick and fast for a even a 6'7 person and he was a legit 6'11 1/2 at the time. He could move and was fuild and smooth. I was able to find a lot of video on him. Also before the draft on WFAA they were talking to Donnie for about 15 minutes about the team and the direction of the team. As well as the Draft, that was the main reason he was there and he couldn't stop talking about Dirk Nowitzki. They were calling him a 7 foot Chris Mullin. They were also saying him moved and ran like Pippen too. As Pippen is one of his basketball influences. Also I knew the History of the Nelson team in drafting. They might actaully be the best dafters in NBA history. Moncrief, Robertson, Cummings, Pressey, Richmond, Hardaway, Sprewell, Webber, Finley (Donnie was working as the drafter in Pheonix), Nash, Nowitzki, etc etc, Curry, Monta, etc

Also I just knew all about the Nelsons. I knew his son coached in Europe all time time and in the Olympics, I knew that Don Nelson taught Greg Popovich everything he knows about coaching and player evaluating. Kawhi Leonard was very much a Don Nelson type pick.

I also looked at his vertical leap which was around 22 inches. That's a real height not the made up heights people read about. And off a running start and one leg leaping Dirk was around 30 inchs. He's overall more of a one leg leaper much like Karl Malone. I compared his athleticism to Karl Malone's who was considered the best PF ever at the time. I think he ended up being very much like Karl Malone, minus these last 5 years or so where I believe he's coasting for money and doesn't care about trying to win, which is a shame really. But the NBA throws 30 million a year at these old players that really should be on the bench.

The Dirk draft was a big deal, It was talked about a lot. Don Nelson kept saying they might take Vince Carter or Paul Peirce with a move up pick, but that he would probably really steal Dirk Nowitzki.
Don Nelson was saying he would be the fastest Center ever and the Worlds First "Point Center". It was a huge deal probably even more than Kidd and Mashburn.

I followed that draft closely and all the interviews before it. I also found a lot of video on Nowitzki. I first looked up him as like a Scottie Pippen type player from the video I could find of him. But after seeing him in the NBA I thought he'd be just like Karl Malone which he was. They are very similar.

[KempwiththeDunk]

Also had there not been a lockout and that 50 games in 80 night schedule starting in January then you would've heard a lot more about Dirk. Also You may have been one of the type of fans that stopped watching and didn't really like the team after the Kidd for Finley trade. I was not one of those. I thought we won that trade, big time infact.

But had they had a training camp and regular season Dirk at age 20 then would've averaged more like 14 ppg 7 rebounds on 45% shooting with 1 block and about 1 steal. That would've put him as being one of the top Mavs Rookies of all Time and at only 20 at a position that is a little harder to dominate epsecially in the West during those years going against Shaq, Robinson, Duncan, Hakeem, Barkley, Malone, Garnett, Webber every night litterally.

I went to Dirk's first game ever as a pro. It was a preseason game in which the NBA was having 2 preseason games in January. It was one of the best NBA games EVER. It was FREE at Reunion Arena. All you had to do is go up to the Window and say you heard the game was free on 570 Klif Mavs Talk. They were dead center court on balconey which is a good seat. Every seat was great in that Arena.

If was against Phoenix. The Mavs played it just like a regular season game. Ceballos put in 27 in just 28 minutes and was lighting it up. Finley has 26 in 37 minutes and had several amazing dunks. One was a lob dunk that Nash threw up there from 60 feet away and This was Finley's jumping prime he catches that ball with two hands about 11'6 above the rim and hammers it home. Dirk started at PF and scored in a variety of ways 15 points had 7 rebounds 2 blocks at the rim in traffic that really got the crowd going and would get out of the break many times and fill the lane and even beat players like Ceballos and Finley down the court a few times. So everyone knew he was the real deal and athletic, I knew he was before that anyway. He also had a couple of nice dunks. 2 steals aswell with 2 assists. He shot 6-10 from the floor. And would get to the Free throw line.

I knew right then we had found a Karl Malone type player. I could see that he was Agile and Athletic aswell as rugged.
That Jumpshot was like Cottin

[Mr B]

There were a lot that knew Dirk Nowitzki and knew his up bringing and high level of atheticism. He was a very smooth athlete and extremely quick and fast for a even a 6'7 person and he was a legit 6'11 1/2 at the time. He could move and was fuild and smooth. I was able to find a lot of video on him. Also before the draft on WFAA they were talking to Donnie for about 15 minutes about the team and the direction of the team. As well as the Draft, that was the main reason he was there and he couldn't stop talking about Dirk Nowitzki. They were calling him a 7 foot Chris Mullin. They were also saying him moved and ran like Pippen too. As Pippen is one of his basketball influences. Also I knew the History of the Nelson team in drafting. They might actaully be the best dafters in NBA history. Moncrief, Robertson, Cummings, Pressey, Richmond, Hardaway, Sprewell, Webber, Finley (Donnie was working as the drafter in Pheonix), Nash, Nowitzki, etc etc, Curry, Monta, etc

Also I just knew all about the Nelsons. I knew his son coached in Europe all time time and in the Olympics, I knew that Don Nelson taught Greg Popovich everything he knows about coaching and player evaluating. Kawhi Leonard was very much a Don Nelson type pick.

I also looked at his vertical leap which was around 22 inches. That's a real height not the made up heights people read about. And off a running start and one leg leaping Dirk was around 30 inchs. He's overall more of a one leg leaper much like Karl Malone. I compared his athleticism to Karl Malone's who was considered the best PF ever at the time. I think he ended up being very much like Karl Malone, minus these last 5 years or so where I believe he's coasting for money and doesn't care about trying to win, which is a shame really. But the NBA throws 30 million a year at these old players that really should be on the bench.

The Dirk draft was a big deal, It was talked about a lot. Don Nelson kept saying they might take Vince Carter or Paul Peirce with a move up pick, but that he would probably really steal Dirk Nowitzki.
Don Nelson was saying he would be the fastest Center ever and the Worlds First "Point Center". It was a huge deal probably even more than Kidd and Mashburn.

I followed that draft closely and all the interviews before it. I also found a lot of video on Nowitzki. I first looked up him as like a Scottie Pippen type player from the video I could find of him. But after seeing him in the NBA I thought he'd be just like Karl Malone which he was. They are very similar.

Yea but again, the “experts” weren’t coming out in mass to predict Dirk would be ROY and how he was the steak of the draft like they are with DSJ. I’m not saying he got zero love, it’s just they hype around DSJ is higher. Part of that is that even though the most knowledgeable basketball fans knew who Dirk was the vast majority didn’t. The only thing most knew about him was that he was some young skinny Euro who had some game. Most Mavs fans were pissed that they passed on Paul Pierce to draft another tall, white foreigner. Remember they were coming off of the Chris Ansty experiment. Nellie’s projections about Dirk were being dismissed after proclaiming that Ansty would become the best running big man in the NBA.

DSJ in the other hand is a very exciting American born player with first team all NBA level talent. This guy has superstar written all over him and pretty much everyone is saying that. Everyone has seen tons of videos on him and all of his games. Kidd was the only one that had the pre-draft hype and career projections (by almost all of the experts) that DSJ is getting. Kidd got tons of exposure at Cal and everyone knew he would be great from the time he was a freshman in HS. He had an all time great (Gary Payton) singing his praises from the tim he was in HS. Dirk never had anywhere near that level of exposure on a National level when he was entering the NBA.

[fuller4379]

Mashburn was a volume shooter. I never was impressed with him.

Jackson seemed to never be the same after his injury in around 1995.

The Kidd for Finley trade wasn't very smart. They traded a franchise player for a borderline all-star. Instead of trading Kidd they should have fired Cleamons. Don't let a young coach act as your general manager.

[Chocolate Daddy]

12 man rotation:

PG: Jason Kidd - Steve Nash - Dennis Smith Jr. (screw it lol, I'll do it for some fun)

SG: Michael Finley - Jason Terry

SF: Mark Aguirre - Josh Howard

PF: Dirk Nowitzki - Shawn Marion - Antawn Jamison

C: Tyson Chandler - Roy Tarpley

[KempwiththeDunk]

There were a lot that knew Dirk Nowitzki and knew his up bringing and high level of atheticism. He was a very smooth athlete and extremely quick and fast for a even a 6'7 person and he was a legit 6'11 1/2 at the time. He could move and was fuild and smooth. I was able to find a lot of video on him. Also before the draft on WFAA they were talking to Donnie for about 15 minutes about the team and the direction of the team. As well as the Draft, that was the main reason he was there and he couldn't stop talking about Dirk Nowitzki. They were calling him a 7 foot Chris Mullin. They were also saying him moved and ran like Pippen too. As Pippen is one of his basketball influences. Also I knew the History of the Nelson team in drafting. They might actaully be the best dafters in NBA history. Moncrief, Robertson, Cummings, Pressey, Richmond, Hardaway, Sprewell, Webber, Finley (Donnie was working as the drafter in Pheonix), Nash, Nowitzki, etc etc, Curry, Monta, etc

Also I just knew all about the Nelsons. I knew his son coached in Europe all time time and in the Olympics, I knew that Don Nelson taught Greg Popovich everything he knows about coaching and player evaluating. Kawhi Leonard was very much a Don Nelson type pick.

I also looked at his vertical leap which was around 22 inches. That's a real height not the made up heights people read about. And off a running start and one leg leaping Dirk was around 30 inchs. He's overall more of a one leg leaper much like Karl Malone. I compared his athleticism to Karl Malone's who was considered the best PF ever at the time. I think he ended up being very much like Karl Malone, minus these last 5 years or so where I believe he's coasting for money and doesn't care about trying to win, which is a shame really. But the NBA throws 30 million a year at these old players that really should be on the bench.

The Dirk draft was a big deal, It was talked about a lot. Don Nelson kept saying they might take Vince Carter or Paul Peirce with a move up pick, but that he would probably really steal Dirk Nowitzki.
Don Nelson was saying he would be the fastest Center ever and the Worlds First "Point Center". It was a huge deal probably even more than Kidd and Mashburn.

I followed that draft closely and all the interviews before it. I also found a lot of video on Nowitzki. I first looked up him as like a Scottie Pippen type player from the video I could find of him. But after seeing him in the NBA I thought he'd be just like Karl Malone which he was. They are very similar.

Yea but again, the “experts” weren’t coming out in mass to predict Dirk would be ROY and how he was the steak of the draft like they are with DSJ. I’m not saying he got zero love, it’s just they hype around DSJ is higher. Part of that is that even though the most knowledgeable basketball fans knew who Dirk was the vast majority didn’t. The only thing most knew about him was that he was some young skinny Euro who had some game. Most Mavs fans were pissed that they passed on Paul Pierce to draft another tall, white foreigner. Remember they were coming off of the Chris Ansty experiment. Nellie’s projections about Dirk were being dismissed after proclaiming that Ansty would become the best running big man in the NBA.

DSJ in the other hand is a very exciting American born player with first team all NBA level talent. This guy has superstar written all over him and pretty much everyone is saying that. Everyone has seen tons of videos on him and all of his games. Kidd was the only one that had the pre-draft hype and career projections (by almost all of the experts) that DSJ is getting. Kidd got tons of exposure at Cal and everyone knew he would be great from the time he was a freshman in HS. He had an all time great (Gary Payton) singing his praises from the tim he was in HS. Dirk never had anywhere near that level of exposure on a National level when he was entering the NBA.

So you just completely disregard both Don Nelson and Donnie Nelson who are the best drafters in NBA history because of a passing 1 sentence joke remark about a late draft pick when the team didn't even have a early draft pick and Don Nelson said many times it would be the 98 draft that he would go after.

You completely disregaurd all the 100's of interviews about the 98 draft which is seen as one of the top 5 drafts of all time and everyone knew it would be a top 5 draft even before it happened. The hundreds of interviews where Don Nelson would talk for hours and hours about how Great Dirk Nowitzki was. (The same guy who was told not to draft Steph Curry but did anyway) Carter who was talked about as the next AIR JORDAN. Pierce who was seen as a high scorer. Then you had Nowitzki that Dallas wanted over Carter.

Dirk was talked about as a very athletic 7 footer that was strong with a great love of the game and work ethic. People were listening because the NBA was getting big in Europe after the 92 Olympics and after they started televising live Bulls and Knicks games as well as Finals games.

So it was a matter of time before we got the Parkers, Gasol's and Dirk's of the World. I was paying attention to that aspect.

Don Nelson was saying this Big 7 footer would change the game. He was saying players like Shaq would stand no chance against Dirk because Dirk is one of the best shooters they've ever seen and is faster than Shaq off the dribble. I was paying attention and listening while you were being racist.

So there were many knowledgeable crowds that saw what Dirk could be and were interested greatly. Also the way he easily got 33 points and 15 rebounds in the Nike Hoops Summit game as the MVP. He would get to the Foul Line a lot. Things like that win games. Everyone could see he was an agile athlete and could dribble the ball up the court while weaving around them on his way to a leaping fingeroll or dunk. He said he wanted to play like Pippen.


Also the fact that Don Nelson kept saying his second draft would be the one he would hit an All NBAer. Also the fact that it was a team on the rise with a lot of good players and young players. (Finley, Trent, Ceballos, Bradley, Green, Hubert Davis, Nash)

This team here this season is on the fall. They have no good players.

There was more optimism around the Mavericks in 98-99. Than there is now. It's not even close.

Many that saw Dirk play did think he was a big athlete that could move well and jump well. They did think he could be an all time great and pull guys like Shaq and Duncan out.

Dirk was a much better shooter than Dennis Smith and about twice his size. Also more durable, and stronger, Probably more athletic overall too.

Also Pau Gasol was more hyped and people thought he was going to be great more than Dennis Smith. So your little racist theory doesn't fly here. Sorry racist.

Also there are many black stiffs. What do you think Michael Olawakandi was. Or Sam Bowie was. I could make a list of over a 100 that were black stiffs and busts.

Yes I see the minor hype for Dennis Smith but one has to ask why or see where it is coming from. It's coming from New York plain and simple. It's because the fake Knicks fans hate anything Phil Jackson does. Even though in my estimation he got the best player in this draft. and the one the previous years too. It's fake hype to just take a shot at Phil Jackson.

Also there is a little bit of hype in Dallas because Dallas hasn't had a lottery pick since Najera that was 17 to 18 years ago.

So it's just circumstantial hype and not because they just think Dennis Smith is the next Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan. Dirk was more talked about by people that knew the game like that.

It's just East Coast hype, NY hype to take a shot at any Phil Jackson draft pick, and it's hype because Dallas hasn't drafted anyone in 19 years in the lottery.

Dirk was a 6 pick, Smith is a 9 pick.

[KempwiththeDunk]

Mashburn was a volume shooter. I never was impressed with him.

Jackson seemed to never be the same after his injury in around 1995.

The Kidd for Finley trade wasn't very smart. They traded a franchise player for a borderline all-star. Instead of trading Kidd they should have fired Cleamons. Don't let a young coach act as your general manager.

Mashburn wasn't a volume shooter. He was a great post up player that could score in a variety of ways and get to the foul line. He was a mismatch problem for many players.

Why do you not like the Kidd for Finley trade? I thought it was a pretty good trade. Fair for both teams with maybe Dallas winning overall. Finley was a much better athlete, much better scorer, finisher, mid range shooter and long range shooter. Also Finley was a better rebounder in traffic around big guys. Finley was also an Ironman. KG said every season that Finley is really a top 5 player in the NBA. Also Barkley always said Finley is really a top 5 player.

You saying he was a borderline All Star player is like saying Reggie Miller was a borderline All Star. It's disingenuous. Finley was a leader, that averaged 21, 5.5, 4.5, 1.3, .4 on very los turnovers per production in his combined first 6 seasons in Dallas and rarely missed a game. Lets look at the West he played in.

Kobe, Shaq, Duncan, Garnett, Hakeem, Payton, Stockton, Malone, Robinson, Then they would fill out the rest of the team with good players on 50 win teams. That is how they did the All Star games back then. Dallas was a 25 win or around there. Also one of Finleys best seasons was the 99 season which there was no All Star game, but Dallas was on pace to win about 34 games which would've been enough for him to make it.

Also he should've been picked in 1998 over Van Exel easily. It was just bias that sent 4 Lakers. Van Exel only averaged 13 points on 41 Percent shooting while Finley was the leader of his team and averaged 20 on 45% shooting in a defensive era.

He also probably should've made it in 2002 when the team went 57-25 and he averaged 21 ppg on 46% shooting with 5 rebounds and 3.3 assist as well as 1 steal and around 25 blocks on the season. They probably picked some 13 ppg Laker. I'll check.

He was really more like a 5 time All Star all in a row.

[Mr B]

There were a lot that knew Dirk Nowitzki and knew his up bringing and high level of atheticism. He was a very smooth athlete and extremely quick and fast for a even a 6'7 person and he was a legit 6'11 1/2 at the time. He could move and was fuild and smooth. I was able to find a lot of video on him. Also before the draft on WFAA they were talking to Donnie for about 15 minutes about the team and the direction of the team. As well as the Draft, that was the main reason he was there and he couldn't stop talking about Dirk Nowitzki. They were calling him a 7 foot Chris Mullin. They were also saying him moved and ran like Pippen too. As Pippen is one of his basketball influences. Also I knew the History of the Nelson team in drafting. They might actaully be the best dafters in NBA history. Moncrief, Robertson, Cummings, Pressey, Richmond, Hardaway, Sprewell, Webber, Finley (Donnie was working as the drafter in Pheonix), Nash, Nowitzki, etc etc, Curry, Monta, etc

Also I just knew all about the Nelsons. I knew his son coached in Europe all time time and in the Olympics, I knew that Don Nelson taught Greg Popovich everything he knows about coaching and player evaluating. Kawhi Leonard was very much a Don Nelson type pick.

I also looked at his vertical leap which was around 22 inches. That's a real height not the made up heights people read about. And off a running start and one leg leaping Dirk was around 30 inchs. He's overall more of a one leg leaper much like Karl Malone. I compared his athleticism to Karl Malone's who was considered the best PF ever at the time. I think he ended up being very much like Karl Malone, minus these last 5 years or so where I believe he's coasting for money and doesn't care about trying to win, which is a shame really. But the NBA throws 30 million a year at these old players that really should be on the bench.

The Dirk draft was a big deal, It was talked about a lot. Don Nelson kept saying they might take Vince Carter or Paul Peirce with a move up pick, but that he would probably really steal Dirk Nowitzki.
Don Nelson was saying he would be the fastest Center ever and the Worlds First "Point Center". It was a huge deal probably even more than Kidd and Mashburn.

I followed that draft closely and all the interviews before it. I also found a lot of video on Nowitzki. I first looked up him as like a Scottie Pippen type player from the video I could find of him. But after seeing him in the NBA I thought he'd be just like Karl Malone which he was. They are very similar.

Yea but again, the “experts” weren’t coming out in mass to predict Dirk would be ROY and how he was the steak of the draft like they are with DSJ. I’m not saying he got zero love, it’s just they hype around DSJ is higher. Part of that is that even though the most knowledgeable basketball fans knew who Dirk was the vast majority didn’t. The only thing most knew about him was that he was some young skinny Euro who had some game. Most Mavs fans were pissed that they passed on Paul Pierce to draft another tall, white foreigner. Remember they were coming off of the Chris Ansty experiment. Nellie’s projections about Dirk were being dismissed after proclaiming that Ansty would become the best running big man in the NBA.

DSJ in the other hand is a very exciting American born player with first team all NBA level talent. This guy has superstar written all over him and pretty much everyone is saying that. Everyone has seen tons of videos on him and all of his games. Kidd was the only one that had the pre-draft hype and career projections (by almost all of the experts) that DSJ is getting. Kidd got tons of exposure at Cal and everyone knew he would be great from the time he was a freshman in HS. He had an all time great (Gary Payton) singing his praises from the tim he was in HS. Dirk never had anywhere near that level of exposure on a National level when he was entering the NBA.

So you just completely disregard both Don Nelson and Donnie Nelson who are the best drafters in NBA history because of a passing 1 sentence joke remark about a late draft pick when the team didn't even have a early draft pick and Don Nelson said many times it would be the 98 draft that he would go after.

You completely disregaurd all the 100's of interviews about the 98 draft which is seen as one of the top 5 drafts of all time and everyone knew it would be a top 5 draft even before it happened. The hundreds of interviews where Don Nelson would talk for hours and hours about how Great Dirk Nowitzki was. (The same guy who was told not to draft Steph Curry but did anyway) Carter who was talked about as the next AIR JORDAN. Pierce who was seen as a high scorer. Then you had Nowitzki that Dallas wanted over Carter.

Dirk was talked about as a very athletic 7 footer that was strong with a great love of the game and work ethic. People were listening because the NBA was getting big in Europe after the 92 Olympics and after they started televising live Bulls and Knicks games as well as Finals games.

So it was a matter of time before we got the Parkers, Gasol's and Dirk's of the World. I was paying attention to that aspect.

Don Nelson was saying this Big 7 footer would change the game. He was saying players like Shaq would stand no chance against Dirk because Dirk is one of the best shooters they've ever seen and is faster than Shaq off the dribble. I was paying attention and listening while you were being racist.

So there were many knowledgeable crowds that saw what Dirk could be and were interested greatly. Also the way he easily got 33 points and 15 rebounds in the Nike Hoops Summit game as the MVP. He would get to the Foul Line a lot. Things like that win games. Everyone could see he was an agile athlete and could dribble the ball up the court while weaving around them on his way to a leaping fingeroll or dunk. He said he wanted to play like Pippen.


Also the fact that Don Nelson kept saying his second draft would be the one he would hit an All NBAer. Also the fact that it was a team on the rise with a lot of good players and young players. (Finley, Trent, Ceballos, Bradley, Green, Hubert Davis, Nash)

This team here this season is on the fall. They have no good players.

There was more optimism around the Mavericks in 98-99. Than there is now. It's not even close.

Many that saw Dirk play did think he was a big athlete that could move well and jump well. They did think he could be an all time great and pull guys like Shaq and Duncan out.

Dirk was a much better shooter than Dennis Smith and about twice his size. Also more durable, and stronger, Probably more athletic overall too.

Also Pau Gasol was more hyped and people thought he was going to be great more than Dennis Smith. So your little racist theory doesn't fly here. Sorry racist.

Also there are many black stiffs. What do you think Michael Olawakandi was. Or Sam Bowie was. I could make a list of over a 100 that were black stiffs and busts.

Yes I see the minor hype for Dennis Smith but one has to ask why or see where it is coming from. It's coming from New York plain and simple. It's because the fake Knicks fans hate anything Phil Jackson does. Even though in my estimation he got the best player in this draft. and the one the previous years too. It's fake hype to just take a shot at Phil Jackson.

Also there is a little bit of hype in Dallas because Dallas hasn't had a lottery pick since Najera that was 17 to 18 years ago.

So it's just circumstantial hype and not because they just think Dennis Smith is the next Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan. Dirk was more talked about by people that knew the game like that.

It's just East Coast hype, NY hype to take a shot at any Phil Jackson draft pick, and it's hype because Dallas hasn't drafted anyone in 19 years in the lottery.

Dirk was a 6 pick, Smith is a 9 pick.

Where exactly are you from?