Amare vs. Dirk

[Loose Cannon]

Who is the better player between these offensive juggernauts in the West?

[That Nicka]

Dirk

[ponder276]

Dirk. Better on d, better passer, more of a matchup nightmare/game changer.

[Malinhion]

Dirk. Better shooter, more range, can create his own shot, better defense, more postseason success, actually leads his team, changes the opposing team's gameplan, better passer. I mean, there's no comparison. Amare is fantastic but Dirk's combination of efficacy and versatility in his scoring is so astronomical as to overcome the fact that Amare is basically running layup drills every game.

[Teddy KGB]

Dirk. Equals on offense but Dirk is significantly better on D [sad though that is].

[TdotWattz]

LOL...@ Dirk being better in D ?...Dirk always gets burned, can't block for $hit, and is a terrible rebounder. If you watch his games almost all his boards are defensive and uncontested.

I aint sayin Amare is better, Dirk is a better player because his offensive game is more polished.
Dirk is comparable to Timmy D and KG...Amare is in that 2nd tier with Bosh, Brand, and Boozer

[Ryoga Hibiki]

As weird as it sounds, I agree that Dirk at this point is a much better defender. Amare is the biggest liability in the Suns defence because of how he helps. you can cover up Nash, but once your big man makes a mistake it's a layup or a dunk.

[13pts_35sec]

this matchup between the two players is an interesting one. Amare on one hand is the better rebounder and blocker. But since we are talking about offense then ill have to go with dirk because of the fact that he can shoot three- pointers.

[Loose Cannon]

Dirk. Better shooter, more range, can create his own shot, better defense, more postseason success, actually leads his team, changes the opposing team's gameplan, better passer. I mean, there's no comparison. Amare is fantastic but Dirk's combination of efficacy and versatility in his scoring is so astronomical as to overcome the fact that Amare is basically running layup drills every game.

Great point, but do you think Dirk is the better scorer and overall, offensively?

[NO-KG-AI]

LOL...@ Dirk being better in D ?...Dirk always gets burned, can't block for $hit, and is a terrible rebounder. If you watch his games almost all his boards are defensive and uncontested.

I aint sayin Amare is better, Dirk is a better player because his offensive game is more polished.
Dirk is comparable to Timmy D and KG...Amare is in that 2nd tier with Bosh, Brand, and Boozer

Well he gets burned less than Amare, and he rebounds better, despite playing at a slower pace, and always playing next to a real C.

[ppp000]

Amare is young and only getting better..that's scary.

But right now, Dirk. B/c he is much more versatile offensively, can get his shot off anywhere (all those off-balanced fadeaways) whereas a large % of Amare's scoring is the pick and roll with Nash. Both are very mediocre defenders.

[Malinhion]

Great point, but do you think Dirk is the better scorer and overall, offensively?

Yes, easily. I don't think Amare would be near the scorer he is without Nash. He's an impressive specimen but he doesn't have Dirk's scoring repetoire. He has a much harder time creating his own shot. Sure, he finishes harder, but Dirk gets it done around the basket too, and he can stretch it out to three-point range.

I know that Amare's TS% is higher even though we often use the stat to prove that a three-point shooter is a more efficient player, and this weighs against Dirk. But Dirk is still the best shooting big in the NBA. Amare will never even fathom a 50/40/90, and even if he does the number of three-point attempts would make it a farce. Dirk changes your whole team's gameplan. Amare makes you wish you had an athletic, defensive big in the middle.

I just can't deny Dirk's offensive win shares, his ORtg, his recent PER totals, the fact that he's often near the top in free throws but nowhere near it in FTA, all of which point to his offensive superiority.

Amare is great on his team, in the 7SoL environment, and now playing next to Shaq. But in a vacuum Dirk is much better because he's insanely more proficient at creating his own shot anywhere on the floor.

Amare is young and only getting better..that's scary.

How much better is Amare going to get?

[Loose Cannon]

Okay, now that we've got that out of the way, it brings me to my next point: how is it that you'd consider Howard the better scorer than Yao when clearly it is an almost duplicate comparison (from an offensive standpoint).