DFWJC;3854077 said:
For sure...two different players.
So then Dirk owns them outside the post and now often off the dribble.
Agreed, but he's not clutch and not an elite swingman like LeBron, Wade, or Kobe. They also don't have anyone else on the roster that is.
Plus Dirk's game is greatly improved inside anyway--by all accounts.
Plus Dirk is not asked to guard Duncan or Bynum inside, just like they are not asked to guard him outside.
...which leaves him getting beaten by smaller, quicker wing players, and leaves the Mavs to get punished on the boards and in the post in playoff time by longer, bigger teams.
Dirk's game actually elevates in the playoffs with higher scoring and rebounding averages.
I'm not going to argue whether or not Dirk is better than Amare. I like them both, but prefer Dirk. But as you said, they are two different players.
I agree, you can count him as either a PF or SF and not be out of line. He is a nightmare to match up with regardless. All coaches will tell us that with no exceptions.
Yet the Mavs are among league leaders in early playoff exits. That one year they went to the Finals was an anomaly.
Look, I'm not saying that Dirk isn't a great player, because he is. I just think that the Mavs as a team are flawed, even if he's the best guy on the roster. They don't match up well against any of the other elite Western Conference teams. I can really only see them beating Phoenix or Oklahoma City.
If Dirk were to really get a strong post game, and be more willing to bang the boards and clean up the garbage down low instead of playing from the wing, the Mavericks would find more success in my opinion. That's why the Celtics, Lakers, Magic, and Spurs are so successful - they play inside out. The Mavs try to play outside in, with the tallest guy shooting threes. I'll let Dirk shoot threes all day if it means the only 7 foot tall guys in the post are Gasol and Bynum to grab boards.
) think that Stoudemire is better than Dirk.
