Who called Dirk a chicken?

[Indazone]

Congrats, got. You finally made a post without mentioning Kidd.

Oh and by the way...Kidd still sucks but he's decent for an aging over the hill backup PG.

[J_Paco]

Dirk is a tremendously skilled offensive-oriented big man, but his inability to develop a consistent back-to-the-basket game is his greatest fault. Yes, he has shown toughness and for ude at different points in his career, yet like Kevin Garnett, he's shrunk under the big, bright lights of prime-time.

I know Maverick fans will never admit it, but Dirk lacking that physical strength and dominant will to win has cost their team at least one championship. Blame the refrees alleged love of Dwyane Wade all you want -like the Spurs and Pistons never faced a similar superstar that earned "phantom" calls - but Dirk, Josh Howard, Jason Terry and the rest are to blame for that huge collapse. Yet, I put most of the blame on Dirk because he couldn't play through the physical defense of James Posey and Udonis Haslem to lead his team to the Larry O'Brien trophy.

How does he follow up his team's collapse in the NBA Finals? Well, by ripping through the regular season with a franchise-high 67 victories, a first-time MVP trophy and an even more historical implosion in the 1st-round against a 8th seeded team. , one of the greatest PF's ever let cast-offs like Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington and Matt Barnes take his lunch.

Yeah, yeah, he beat the Spurs once in the playoffs. But, his team, owner and fans behaved as if they'd already won it all. But, when push came to shove, this Dirk led Mavericks team fell apart like the always do.

He's a great player, but do you believe Bird, Jordan, Abdul-Jabbar, Russell or Erving would ever let a man (David West) put his hand in their face like Dirk did? That moment pretty much, fairly or unfairly, cements his legacy unless he wins a championship.

[TexSports]

I think it was AJ who called him a chicken?

[stretch]

...at different points in his career, yet like Kevin Garnett, he's shrunk under the big, bright lights of prime-time...

...Dirk lacking that physical strength...

...Yet, I put most of the blame on Dirk because he couldn't play through the physical defense of James Posey and Udonis Haslem to lead his team to the Larry O'Brien trophy...

... , one of the greatest PF's ever let cast-offs like Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington and Matt Barnes take his lunch...

These statements show your utter ignorance of what really went on.

Do not even compare KG to Dirk when it comes to showing up on big stages. KG has NEVER had a clutch performance when it counted. Dirk has had a ridiculous amount of big time clutch performances.

Dirk is actually not a weak guy at all. Strength is not his problem in the least bit. His lazy footwork on defense is what costs him. He might not be buff, but he is actually a very strong guy.

Those series were more on the shoulders of role players such as Terry, Stack, and Howard not consistently hitting their shots when wide open. The plan originally was to double and triple Dirk anytime he tries to make a play, forcing the ball out of his hands. If his teammates cannot hit shots, then the opponent will not respect their shot, and can channel even more of their defense into stopping Dirk. If Duncan was constantly doubled and tripled, and guys like Manu, Bowen, Barry, and Parker werent hitting open shots, then he would have looked just as terrible as Dirk LOOKED.

Example: If Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse were not hitting their open shots in the series when the Mavericks beat the Spurs, how would Dirk's And-1 play likely have turned out? One thing is for sure... Manu definitley would not have been as late on the double team as he was and would have made Dirk's shot a of a lot tougher. Why? Because he had to account for Terry and Stackhouse getting an open shot.

Also Dirk does not have certain physical tools as a guy like Kobe or Lebron has, in allowing him to split double teams and still get to the rim. So you cannot hate on him for that, as those comparisons are completely invalid.