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Dirk
http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2011...yers-nos-1-10/
http://eye-on-basketball.blogs.cbssp...48484/31491025
Who is better right now, Dwight Howard or Dirk Nowitzki?
Dirk
Tbh after winning with the supporting cast he had you'd be hard pressed to definitively say anybody is better than Dirk right now.
I think you can make an argument either way.
I have another question: If you're Pat Riley and Otis Smith calls you up and offers D-12 for LeBron straight up, do you do it? Assuming it's cap legal?
I think with LeBron it all goes back to his propensity to shrink from the moment. He had Bosh and Wade by his side and lost. Dirk had Terry and Chandler (two really, really good players that complement him well, but not the talents that Bosh and Wade are).
^
yes. Anytime you can team a top 3 wing with the top bigman you don't hesitate to pull the trigger.
On the other hand if LeBron played like he did against Boston or Chicago, the Mavs would have been lucky to win two games in the Finals.
I actually think he needs to work on his mid-range shot more than his post-game. He's so strong going to the basket face up, but when a team seals off the paint or doubles him in the post to where he has to kick it out, he has nothing to fall back on. If his three pointer isn't falling, and he's sealed out of the paint, he doesn't have a reliable mid-range shot.
Reason I say Dirk over Dwight, is because Dwight still doesn't have the ability to offensively carry the load to win a championship. And I'm not sure mentally he's anywhere NEARLY as strong as guys like Kobe, Dirk, or Wade. Dude doesn't seem to have that hatred of losing, and his IQ sometimes is still suspect considering how frequently he screws his team over by picking up stupid fouls.
I think Dwight is REALLY good, by far the best center in the game, and any team would absolutely love to have him, but I have felt for several years now, that he is the most overrated player in the NBA, and still stick with that. He won't ever be a true #1 player until he develops a better offensive game and a killer instinct mentality. IMO, he is similar to KG back in the day... damn good, and borderline #1 type player, but is missing leadership on the offensive side of the ball to ever be the undisputed #1 on a championship winning team.
People can say all the "defense wins championship!!!!! dirk!!!!" crap, but in the end, one thing that basically every championship winning #1 player had in common, was the ability to dominate games in the clutch on the offensive end of the floor. but not every single one of them were known as dominant defensive players.
I would do it too. You wouldn't want Howard and say Tyson Chandler on the same team. I think LeBron and Wade just overlap too much in what they bring to the table. They're both so damn good that the Heat came within two wins of a championship with so little in the way of a balanced supporting cast, but a cor of Wade, Bosh and Howard would be sick.
Yes, but not because Howard is better, as opposed to him being a better fit for the Heat.
I wouldn't. As much as they are taking now, the Heat were probably a game 2 choke away from winning a championship in their 1st season together and still made the finals. If Miami adds a good center, resigns Chalmers, has a healthy Mike Miller and Haslem next season, etc., and still come up short, only then should Riley consider trading one of their big 3.
Howard's only 25 and already scores 23 points a game without a polished low-post game. I don't think he has to be Hakeem on the low block to be the #1 on a le team. At 25 how many people thought Dirk could be the #1 on a le team? I think Howard is ahead of where Dirk was when he was 25.
If I were Riley, I'd trade BOTH LeBron and Bosh for Dwight Howard. They would still have Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem at the two forward spots, and more financial maneuverability to acquire depth and/or upgrade the PG position.
I agree, but the difference is that Dirk is much more skilled naturally. Howard gets his off of athletic ability, and hasn't really shown the types of natural talents that Dirk had.
Wade's health/age also scares me. I question how much longer that guy can be a team's main perimeter scorer, I think in future years he'll need Lebron to make it so he can be more fresh for the 4th quarter.
This, and before some dumb Spurs fan comes in and says "defense wins championships", players who can carry the load offensively are more valuable than guys who can anchor the defense. The Mavs basically gave up nothing for Chandler and he turned out to be their defensive anchor. You can have role players as the main cogs on defense.
Being able to put the ball in the basket in the 4th quarter against an elite defensive team that's focused on stopping you is by far the most valuable skill an NBA player can have.
also Howard's 23 points a game are different than 23 points out of a guy like Duncan or Shaq. I don't know that you can ever rely on Howard to consistently get you tough points in a close playoff game like you can with other great big men. Last I checked you can't win a le catching alley-oops in the clutch.
Good points on Wade's injury concerns and Dwight's inability to carry an offense.
However, along with the apparent failures of LeBron to play big in crunchtime, part of Miami's problem was the confusion on who the ball needed to go to in crunchtime. There was no definitive and concrete pecking order. If it's Wade and Dwight, there's no two ways about it, it's Wade's ball at the end of the game. Dwight is a secondary scorer. Even with teams that had multiple stars, the pecking order was established. On the Spurs, it was Duncan's team, but the ball was often in Ginobili's hands in crunchtime, even if he wasn't the one who ultimately scored. On the Lakers, you know it's Kobe first, Pau second. On the Celtics, Pierce gets the ball and makes the decisions most of the time depending on how the other team plays them. With Wade and LeBron, there was uncertainty. LeBron arguably more talented than Wade and arguably the biggest star in the league. Wade a proven closer. Trouble set in when they decided to play hot potato and take turns closing out games. Sometimes, it's a nice problem to have. Last season, in the Finals, not so much.
With Dwight, there's no uncertainty. No question. Wade 1, Dwight 2.
Yeah, LBJ and Wade's games are too similar and there's always the question of who your closer is. The Mavs didn't have that problem. A Miami team with D12 instead of LBJ wouldn't have that problem. It'd be 2000-2002 Lakers all over again.
beat me to it
Needing to put a guy alongside Dwight that can create his shot in crunch time is easier to find than the right defensive anchor at C alongside Dirk. It took the Mavs 10 years to find that guy. Perimeter guys that create for themselves are easier to find. I think Howard's limitations are easier to account for than Dirk's.
But if that's the case is Dwight Howard the guy you're building around anymore? Or is he a building block surrounding another #1?
You could have said the same thing about Dirk before June: "If Dirk is such a limited player defensively for a big man, is he a true #1 or a building block surrounding another #1?"
Dirk is actually a fairly decent defender, but Dwight's offense > Dirk's defense.
Dirk is the better passer, scorer, shooter and maybe even post player (dirk is underrated in the mid post) But yet, in still ... Dwight is a better offensive player than dirk is a defensive one. And since Dwight continues to improve on offense and is light years ahead of dirk defensively, you can make a strong case for Dwight. His impact when you take both offense and defense in to account for the Magic is like giving you what 5 or 6 less points on offense? But giving you a better version of Tyson chandler on defense ...
A great debate topic, thanks OP ... My initial response is dirk, but man Dwight is realy good despite his FT shooting and lack of range ...
That's a ridiculous statement and you know it. Nobody was mistaking Tyson Chandler as the #1 on the team. A #1 option on the team means exactly that, he's the #1 scoring option. Defensively he can't be a complete liability, but name me one #1 since Bill Russell that hasn't been the team's go-to guy offensively in the clutch.
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