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Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki on this list just screams homer to me. If he has to include an ex Maverick, Adrian Dantley seems like a better choice.
The writer's Top 10 list is at the end of the article.
Being on this Top 10 list has no ring to it
Tim Cowlishaw
Dallas Morning News
Let's start with the good news. Mavs fans aren't heading for the exits of another failed playoff run muttering, "Where was Dirk?"
That's what a lot of them were saying after the Miami series of '06.
That's what all of them were saying after the disaster that was Golden State in '07.
That's what a few were saying a year ago after New Orleans when, frankly, they could have picked any player or the head coach.
But against San Antonio, facing what coach Rick Carlisle called "double teams we've never seen before in this league," Nowitzki fed his teammates, made Josh Howard the series MVP and helped his team advance.
Against Denver, Nowitzki delivered 34.4 points, 11.6 rebounds and four assists a night. It wasn't enough, but it at least served notice that whatever the problems are with the Mavericks, they don't begin or end with Nowitzki.
Now for the bad news.
We can officially install Nowitzki as a member of the NBA's all-time top 10.
That is the 10 best players never to win a championship.
It's a longer list and a tougher one to break than in most sports because the NBA championship is the most difficult to earn. Over the last 25 seasons – that's about two generations worth of players given normal professional life spans – only seven franchises have earned the trophy.
So if you joined this league sometime from 1984 or beyond and you don't wear the uniform of the Celtics, Lakers, Pistons, Bulls, Spurs, Rockets or Heat – and you had to be in Miami at just the right time – then you haven't earned a championship ring.
This has been the league's history ever since Bill Russell and the Celtics reeled off 11 championships in 13 seasons between 1957 and 1969.
Nowitzki is a nine-time All-Star, and other than Shaquille O'Neal, he's the only active player to average 25 points and 10 rebounds in the postseason.
So with that, we add him to the top 10 of all time and we drop former Hawks great Dominique Wilkins.
You're free to think otherwise. That's OK. It's not your list.
The top-10 no-ring winners of all time (alphabetically): Elgin Baylor, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, George Gervin, Allen Iverson, Karl Malone, Reggie Miller, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and John Stockton.
There is a question as to whether Baylor belongs on this list. Technically, he was on the '71-72 Lakers, is pictured in the team photo, and (I believe) was given a ring. But he played nine games that season before retiring.
He was not a real part of the winning team, so I think he has to be on here.
Miller over Dominique Wilkins? Nash over Jason Kidd? Ewing over Bob Lanier?
Feel free to argue these things in your chat rooms.
Besides, the real point here is to decide what Nowitzki's presence on the list means.
Does he remain on it?
Umm, yeah, I'm afraid so. Don't see enough help on the way.
Could he opt out of his contract in a year to pursue a le elsewhere?
Yes, he could, but I don't see that in his personality. I think he would rather take his chances where he has been quite comfortable for 11 seasons.
Actually, there's a case to be made for Kidd to be on this list as well, although I don't see who could be removed in order to promote him.
Isn't that something?
The Mavericks might have two (and used to have a third in Nash) of the greatest 10 players never to win a le.
If you can't win championships, is it a good thing to at least develop players with such talent that you wonder why it never happened?
MISSING THE RINGS
Tim Cowlishaw's top-10 list of the best players, active or retired, without an NBA championship:
ELGIN BAYLOR: No. 3 in playoff scoring average, retired during the '71-72 season when the Lakers were about to raise a banner.
CHARLES BARKLEY: Averaged 23 points, 12 rebounds a game in 13 playoff runs.
PATRICK EWING: Only Bulls and Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon kept this man and the Knicks from a le.
GEORGE GERVIN: After Spurs joined NBA, he was all-NBA first or second team for seven straight years.
ALLEN IVERSON: No 6-footer really has done as much in the history of the league.
KARL MALONE: NBA's No. 2 leading scorer of all time.
REGGIE MILLER: NBA's all-time 3-point scorer.
STEVE NASH: Two league MVP awards speak for themselves.
DIRK NOWITZKI: Three of the all-time 25-point, 10-rebound guys in playoffs have won les. Baylor and Dirk haven't.
JOHN STOCKTON: More than 15,000 assists? Even Jason Kidd with his long career isn't getting close.
Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki on this list just screams homer to me. If he has to include an ex Maverick, Adrian Dantley seems like a better choice.
Not really.....the MVP awards put them there fairly or unfairly
I would really like to know who said that. Every "Fan" who was complaining about Dirk after the NO-series should be kicked in the ass. Dirk averaged 26.8/12/4 against them Without him, it would have been a sweep.
I dunno.... jus by reading the thread le I think its too early to say that bout him!
i wouldn't say it is too early. He can still win a ring and great if he does, but he is going to be older next season, that could be a bad or good thing, he could become more po'd his time is running out to win or he could get hurt. So I wouldn't say it is to early to talk about and mention it in a article
Just out of curiosity is anyone going to be YOUNGER next season?
nope the the older you are, you have a chance of slowing down more
That's a ridiculous amount of assist from Stockton
Unsounded: Jason Kidd won't stay in Dallas any longer.
--- MR
Did I miss Jason Kidd's championship run?
for those on the list that are active players, there is always a chance to join a true le contender, and finally get the ring as Payton, and A Walker did with Miami
gervin should have waited for duncan
Correct me if I'm wrong but he won a le in 2006.
WTF is Jason Kidd? Take that piece of Allen Iverson off the list
Yeah, thats what I'm sayin! I think it's a lil premature to say "hes one of the best to never win a championship"i wouldn't say it is too early. He can still win a ring and great if he does, but he is going to be older next season, that could be a bad or good thing, he could become more po'd his time is running out to win or he could get hurt. So I wouldn't say it is to early to talk about and mention it in a article
I'd wait to mention that when his skills are diminishin, hes not the goto guy & he can no longer carry his team!
It's to early to say never!
Nowotzki is a ing pussy
He had the team around him to win it in 2006.
And he didn't face Jordan
Dirk sucks, Mavs suck, and their fans are equally re ed
meh. I'm fine with Dirk on the list. He's one of the biggest matchup problems in this era of the NBA's history.
PATRICK EWING: Only Bulls and Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon kept this man and the Knicks from a le.Uh.. who did the Spurs play against in their first Finals?
I would put Dirk on the list....but I would put Kidd ahead of Nash or Iverson.
Um, the difference is that Dirk actually deserved his MVP award. The fact that Nash has two on his shelf that belong to someone else shouldn't blind people from seeing that he doesn't belong anywhere near this list. Thanks to several years of bloated stats under D'Antoni's system, Nash has just over half as many assists as Stockton does.
Dirk's awesome... to bad he plays in Dallas.
That wife beater ain't no where near AI's level.
"Hi honey"
Greg Oden maybe.
Kidd > Iverson
He made Kenyon Martin actually look like a good nba player for several years.
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