Saturday, October 22nd, 2011 at 12:08 pm  |  150 responses

Top 50: Dirk Nowitzki, no. 7

The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.

by Maurice Bobb / @ReeseReport

We waited a long time for this Dirk Nowitzki. It’s been 13 years since the Dallas Mavericks used their 9th pick in the 1998 NBA Draft on a gangly, 7-footer from Wurzburg, Germany that captivated our basketball imaginations with an unprecedented ability to stroke it from deep, from 20, from 15, hell, from any-friggin’-where on the court, all while making it look like taking candy from a baby. This kid has the goods, we thought. So we endured. We shrugged off his romp through the Paul Mitchell hairstyle catalog. He’s European, that’s how they wear their hair, we explained. We let him off the hook for those early exits in the Playoffs because it was clear he didn’t have the help he needed to get over the hump. With the right pieces around him, he’ll get it done, we said.

Eight seasons in, it looked like our wait was over. Dirk started stomping with the big dogs and put the Mavs on his back all the way to the 2006 NBA Finals, taking a two-game lead in the series over Miami. Dallas has this in the bag, we thought.

But then, things fell apart like a soup sandwich. Dirk and Co. served up a meltdown for the ages. Four L’s in a row. It was Buffalo Bills-esque. And Dirk? He was Jim Kelly 2.0.  Persona non grata.

After that epic collapse, we hammered the German like he was a railroad spike. Worse, we did it with pingy, two-word jabs:

“He choked.”

“He’s soft.”

“Not clutch.”

“He’s European.”

It was open season on Dirk’s heart and mettle, so much so, that even Dwyane Wade took a swipe:

“He wasn’t the leader he’s supposed to be in the closing moments.”

So how did Dirk respond? He went back to the basics with trusted advisor/shooting coach/Yoda Holger Geschwinder and beasted his way to a monster MVP campaign in ’07. Dirkus Maximus was ready for redemption, we thought.

But then The Golden State Warriors happened. Ousted in the first round, Dirk was deflated, which was counterproductive, since we beat him up for his lack of clutchness repeatedly like he was a piñata draped in lederhosen. And rightfully so. He who wears the crown…

Fast forward to June 2011. It had been 13 years and change and yet, here we were, still waiting on Dirk to breakthrough. Difference was, we were no longer holding our breath. There were too many other superstars to root for: Kobe, Durant, ‘Melo, CP3, Wade, LeBron. It was never gonna happen for Dallas, not with their one-star constructed band of outcasts. Sure, they stayed winning in the regular season, but they’d never be “Charlie Sheen” in the postseason. We were sure of it.

But Mark Cuban knew. Jason Terry knew. Tyson Chandler knew. Dirk had been concocting unblockable, one-legged J’s with Geschwinder.  He’d been perfecting his iso game, his toughness, his clutch gene. He’d been demanding the ball in crunch time and delivering like FedEx. He’d developed into a bona fide leader. He’d finally become that Dirk. They all knew that we’d see it and believe. Again.

The final number was 582. Mathematically, 582 points doesn’t seem like much, but all those step-back, fadeaway jumpers, long balls from behind the arc and the 175 ice water free throws Dirk dropped on the Blazers, the Lakers, the Thunder and the Heat on the road to redemption were nothing short of extraordinary.

Those 24 straight freebies he drained on OKC in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals after he had every Thunder defender thrown at him futility jumping like schizoid Jack-in-the-Boxes to thwart his J? Ridiculous. The way he drained shot after shot with OKC’s collective hands across America in his face? He couldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop. And that 40-point outburst to fuel a furious 15-point comeback in the waning five minutes of Game 4 that included the up and under scoop shot that was a la Cirque du Soleil? Are you kidding me? And Game 2 of the NBA Finals? You could practically hear the theme song from “Rocky” as Dirk mounted an unforgettable comeback after “celebration gate” for the W, scoring the final nine points with 2:14 minutes remaining. That lefty spin move past Chris Bosh to the cup to seal the deal was better than any alley-oop or tomahawk dunk we’d seen all year. And just when you thought he couldn’t do it again, he went righty on Udonis Haslem for the deuce to win Game 4. The fact that he did all this with a torn tendon in his left middle finger and no legitimate All-Star sidekick will forever cement his legend in NBA Finals lore.

It was one man against the three-headed monster. Eff Jim Kelly, Dirk was now David, who’d slain Goliath.

Advantage Dirk. No choke. Not soft. Super clutch. First European to carry his team to a title as the undisputed anchor of said team. And as for being the leader he needed to be in the closing moments? Well, you can ask Wade how he feels about that now.

So after all of his postseason heroics, Dirk only moves up two spots from last year’s rankings to No. 7?

No. 7?

Somehow, the numbers don’t quite add up on that one. Dirk is the champ, the best player on the best team in the world. All roads next season have to go through him. But alas, this is about the upcoming season and what a player’s projected to do. We have no clue as to what Dirk will do for an encore to a perfect title run, but we’ll be right here, locked in, and waiting for another amazing performance.

SLAMonline Top 50 Players 2011
Rank Player Team Position Pos. Rank
50 Luol Deng Bulls SF 8
49 Andrew Bogut Bucks C 7
48 Ray Allen Celtics SG 9
47 Marc Gasol Grizzlies C 6
46 David West Hornets PF 15
45 Kevin Martin Rockets SG 8
44 Andrew Bynum Lakers C 5
43 Brandon Jennings Bucks PG 11
42 Lamar Odom Lakers PF 14
41 Gerald Wallace Blazers SF 7
40 Brook Lopez Nets C 4
39 Joakim Noah Bulls C 3
38 Carlos Boozer Bulls PF 13
37 Kevin Garnett Celtics PF 12
36 Eric Gordon Clippers SG 7
35 Tony Parker Spurs PG 10
34 Andre Iguodala 76ers SG 6
33 Al Jefferson Jazz PF 11
32 Al Horford Hawks C 2
31 Stephen Curry Warriors PG 9
30 Tim Duncan Spurs PF 10
29 Josh Smith Hawks PF 9
28 Manu Ginobili Spurs SG 5
27 Tyreke Evans Kings PG 8
26 Rudy Gay Grizzlies SF 6
25 John Wall Wizards PG 7
24 Danny Granger Pacers SF 5
23 Monta Ellis Warriors SG 4
22 Joe Johnson Hawks SG 3
21 Paul Pierce Celtics SF 4
20 Steve Nash Suns PG 6
19 Zach Randolph Grizzlies PF 8
18 LaMarcus Aldridge Blazers PF 7
17 Chris Bosh Heat PF 6
16 Kevin Love TWolves PF 5
15 Rajon Rondo Celtics PG 5
14 Blake Griffin Clippers PF 4
13 Pau Gasol Lakers PF 3
12 Russell Westbrook Thunder PG 4
11 Amar’e Stoudemire Knicks PF 2
10 Deron Williams Nets PG 3
9 Carmelo Anthony Knicks SF 3
8 Chris Paul Hornets PG 2
7 Dirk Nowitzki Mavs PF 1

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’11-12 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Maurice Bobb, Shannon Booher, David Cassilo, Bryan Crawford, Sandy Dover, Adam Figman, Jon Jaques, Eldon Khorshidi, Ryne Nelson, Doobie Okon, Ben Osborne, Quinn Peterson, Dave Schnur, Abe Schwadron, Dan Shapiro, Irv Soonachan, Todd Spehr, Tzvi Twersky, Yaron Weitzman, DeMarco Williams and Ben York.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

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  • http://nicekicks.com Meloman2.0

    No but really…what does durant do better than melo

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    For my explanation you can go to the Melo page.

  • boston32

    Would Mark Cuban trade Dirk for Rose right now? Considering their age, and contracts as big factors he would make that trade in a heartbeat so let’s stop acting like Rose is a scrub and doesn’t belong with these guys. Stay tuned Rose’s evolution will be televised….

  • lukas

    how many mavs players besides nowitzki are top 50 material? i think i’m not too far off with the worst supporting cast thing. okayokay – considering the past playoffs i’m way off but i really think dirk has to get the edge over at least drose and durant, maybe kobe (nobody can tell how much his injuries will affect him in the next season, dirk might be a little more durable)

    damn, those playoffs were crazy, dirk was insane and he’s still underrated – give dirk a little love. he’s an 85 or so in 2k12, thats ridiculous (pau gasol is an 86)

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    Even though the Mavs won the chip vs MIA, Wade and Bron are still better players than Dirk. Better defenders, better rebounders (for their position), better passers and slightly better scorers. Dirk’s the better shooter from mid, 3pt and FT line. A great two-way player will always be better than a player that dominates one side of the court ( which is why DHow is also better).

  • lukas

    so it would be dirk at 4 or do you have kobe, durant and rose on 4,5,6?

  • MUBWAR

    jtaylor made some sense. weird

  • http://www.facebook.com/#!/joe.l.brewer3 BlackPhantom

    @meloman Well, Durant actually tries to play D. Last time I checked, Melo’s D is terrible

  • http://www.danchamb.com.br Lz – Cphfinest3

    I don’t know about projected 11/12 play, SLAM should really cut that bs and just do a best player list. On that list Dirk should be ranked number 1 until proven that he has lost a step and/or somebody is clearly playing at a higher level. All Dirk did this past playoffs was totally outplay James, Wade, Durant (who will all be ranked ahead of him) and Westbrook, Bosh, Aldridge, Gasol who where all pretty high on this list. Clutch matter and Dirk is easily the most clutch player in the world right now. Easily.

  • AirIndonesia

    how much does 2k12 cost in america? coz it seems expensive there. 2k12 only cost like 2 bucks in my country. rose over dirk okay. but durant over dirk? btw i think rose deserved his mvp, but mvp sometimes are subjective (how the hell blake ended 3rd?) and lebron got hurt by that. when does slam makes a list of 50 best players all time. i wanna see kobe’s position now. For me its MJ, Kobe, Magic, Bird, Kareem, Russel, Shaq, Duncan, Wilt, Oscar, Hakeem in the top 10.

  • http://Www.fiba.com Darksaber

    SO clutch…

  • http://Www.fiba.com Darksaber

    My fav Dirk moments of these last playoffs were not even the clutch layups, shots, freethrows, utter focus (when he stood there during a timeout, glazed look on his face and the entire team slapping him around after yet another clutch series of shots against Miami, i.lost.it) and bolt to the lockeroom after reaching the top of Mt. NBA.
    It was getting to see one of the most ridiculed players of the last decade OWN defenders from nearly everywhere on the court. When he posted up Serge and spun on him towards the baseline for the dunk (something i had not seen him try in years) i just knew this was gonna be a special run by the Mavs.
    Eff a performance projection: Dirk is Top 5…. Easily.

  • http://nba.com Mackdaddy

    next has to be Durant(cant be ahead of Rose, the MVP means too much and so does 62 wins, Durant might be bit better still though, evidenced by USA team last summer), Rose (still not quite on Kobe level but it’s debatable, Kobe could seriously decline this year…I’ll believe it when I see it) Kobe (has new knees that aren’t legal in U.S.A., probably adds something else to his game..I cant even imagine what) Wade (I think he’s the most pissed off player on Miami, and most competetive, smart money is on him going HAM this season) Dwight (most dominant big man, always means trouble, best defensive player, was runner up MVP, if someone from the future told me he’d win 4 straight MVPS I’d believe it) Lebron (choked hard last season, never really was clutch when it counted besides Boston series, but the media LOVES the tastes of his peaches so I’m just bein realistic. Dude doesnt deserve this spot. Sorry)

  • Joblo

    People that hate on Rose are blind to the truth and are in denial because yes, the dude is that good. I’m sorry but if Keith Bogans is your starting 2 gaurd you shouldn’t have the best record in the nba.

  • lewis hughes

    no legitimate all star quality team mate? who is jason kidd?

  • Drig

    I believe Durant is better than Rose at this point as an overall player so I’m gonna go with rose next, durant 5, Kobe 4 (HAM warning), Wade ( Explosion imminent), Dwight and LBJ……Although I wish Dwight would be placed No.1……………

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    Dirddk!

    I’d get on that 2k thing but i’m still playing on last years and don’t see a need for the new one yet.

    6. Rose
    5. Durant
    4. Howard
    3. Wade
    2. Bean
    1. King

  • whooo!

    Spurs fan through and through, and while i always liked Dirk, it was easy to pick on his weaknesses before. but last year’s postseason, dude was the BEST player in the nba, bar noen. he outperformed every other superstar. he outperformed kobe, durant, wade, and lebron; meanwhile the defenders he torched included Aldridge/Camby/Batum/Artest/Odom/Gasol/Bynum/Sefolosha/Ibaka/Lebron/Haslem/Bosh. there’s been great team efforts to win rings, but this was like Duncan ’03 championship — playing on another level than anyone else and completely dominating.

  • Louis

    Dirk is gonna be better than Rose or Kobe this year in my opinion. Kobe seems to have lost a step, and is most likely going to have a reduced role in the new Lakers offense. Dirk may not average more points than KB this year, but he will probably be the all-around better player. And people NEED to hop off the Rose bandwagon, he deserved the MVP last season but still needs another year of improvement to be top 5 material. I’d have Dirk at number 5 probably, with KD at 4 (predicting a monster year from him, if the season ever starts)

  • http://twitter.com/BeezKneezy LA Huey

    Dirk had some legendary performances in the 2011 playoffs (I won’t forget ever the Fever Game against Miami). That said, I agree with Dirk’s ranking. Those of you claiming he’s better than every other player because he ended the season with a ring and as his team’s lone All-Star are being silly. You know what separates the ’03 Duncan and ’94 Hakeem from ’11 Dirk? The fact that you had to account for #21 and #34 on both ends of the court.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Slick Ric

    Real men dont have cats. smh

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    Real men have women who may or may not have cats. But keep sprinkling the world with ignorance baby girl

  • maxillious

    at JTaylor: Just scoring wise,Dirk is better than Lebron and Wade.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Slick Ric

    shut up punk, with your cat and hello kitty necklace, lol.

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    What a waste of time that comeback was to read.

  • Travis

    Long as kobe #1 that’s what’s up.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Slick Ric

    And you’re just a waste.

  • DJ MBENGA

    1. bron
    2. dwight
    3. durant
    4. wade
    5. rose
    6. kobe

    thats who i think slam will have

  • JoeMaMa

    People are being hush hush about Dwight. The man who likely should’ve been the MVP last year, all due respect to Rose. A 26 year old center whose game has improved every year. His defense is undoubtedly the best in the league, and his offense is getting better all the time. If he keeps improving, he’s a 30/15 guy. Oh, and for those crying about his team’s Wins, he put up with 2 massive, in-season trades. And in a guard oriented league, he gets the ball less. Anywho, don’t sleep on Dwight.

  • http://slamonline.com AlbertBarr

    Real men totally own cats. Cats are the sh!t.

    co-sign Darksaber@11:59…I especially liked Dirk’s indifference to winning WCF…he honestly didn’t care…he wanted the whole f@ckin thing.

  • flash

    (on my opinion) it should be:
    1. kobe
    2. dirk
    3. wade
    4. lebron
    5. howard
    6. rose
    7. durant
    1st on the list is the toughest competition and the least i want to battle with.

  • http://twitter.com/BeezKneezy LA Huey

    co-sign AlbertBarr about cats.

  • http://www.slamonline.com UNFROZEN CAVEMAN LAWYER

    COSIGN WHOOO!. IT WAS EASY TO PICK ON DIRK AND STEVE, NOT FINLEY, HE WAS ALWAYS MY DUDE, NICK V E TOO. I ENJOYED WATCHING DIRKS PLAYOFF PERFORMANCE, IT WAS INDEED LEGENDARY. HE HAD A REALLY GOOD TEAM, BUT HE WAS TRULY THE MAN. HIS FOCUS WAS LASER LIKE, NO ONE COULD STOP HIM.

  • http://hatandsunglasses.tumblr.com rinehart

    I have a lot of qualms with slam’s list this year. Dwight and cp3 are too low, westbrook is waaaay too high, and dirk anything lower than top 5 is an insult. If anyone other than lebron is higher than kd I’m gonna disregard the whole lost this year.

  • http://hatandsunglasses.tumblr.com rinehart

    I have a lot of qualms with slam’s list this year. Dwight and cp3 are too low, westbrook is waaaay too high, and dirk anything lower than top 5 is an insult. If anyone other than lebron is higher than kd I’m gonna disregard the whole list this year.

  • http://www.twitter.com/kevinchung Kevin

    you could make a case that Dirk should be a tad higher, but 7 is about right anyhow. anyways, great piece – makes up for the garbage i just read for #6

  • http://hermievalencia@yahoo.com princessvalencia

    why’s dirk always controversial when it comes to raking? i’m sure he doesn’t care if you rank him higher or lower than those guys he’s beaten the whole time this year? So okey, they’re all good players on court, but off court? the german moses is unmatched. wanna bet? and tell me, who’s still very much in the news now that this lock out thing is inevitable? who’s into baseball, soccer, tennis, pingpong, now that basketball is out? we hardly miss dirk….

  • http://thetroyblog.com Teddy-the-Bear

    Good stuff, Maurice!

  • https://plus.google.com/photos/106403650426394352312/albums/posts davidR

    great read, maurice. thanks!

  • https://plus.google.com/photos/106403650426394352312/albums/posts davidR

    soup sandwich. mmmmmmmmmmm.

  • argonaut

    @MUBWAR your argument that howard was the mvp last year is a little off, if only because you devauled rose and the bulls going to the ecf by beating the hawks, saying the hawks themselves are weak opponents who consistently fail. But they beat howard and the magic in the first round!

    I don’t care for rehashing the mvp stuff at all, but that was too good to pass up.

  • Jono

    Based on next seasons projections, this guy is about a 6-7 ranked player so it’s about right. At this stage in his career, Dirk shouldn’t even give a dam about projections and stats. It’s all about the play-offs!

  • Rainman

    Should be top 5 to me.

  • albert

    Last year we were saying the same things about nowitzki, he isnt able to lead a team to championship, he isnt a player who can beat superstars like Wade, Lebron, Kobe in postseason, he’s old, he’s ugly, he’s blonde, blah blah blah, and everybody saw what he did in the last finals. That performance in last playoffs should be a lesson to everything who doubts of nowitzki, I mean, his career doesn’t follow any kind of logic, you know, he’s 33 and at peak of his technical form… a top 3 performance (again) in the next season wont be a surprise as many people thinks. Sorry for my bad english.

  • http://slamonline 3kings

    hes a great player and proved it this post season. as a big heat fan i hated watching them lose, but was happy for dirk. his one legged fadaway is almost as unblockable as kareems skyhook

  • Mwam

    Just FYI, Dirk at #7 beat #1, #2, #3, and #5 in the playoffs. Logical?

  • Hex

    So, now we know the SLAM formula of ranking players: you drop two spots if you are white and you drop four more spots if you are from Europe. Well, I guess winning the title and being clutch when the stakes are highest became instantly totally overrated when a goofy, white, foreign guy did it. And you cannot name even ONE player from your top six that had worse teammates than Dirk.

  • shied

    amazing, nice .. dirk is the champ and forever will be!

  • TR

    In this economy, it’s a shame that someone putting Dirk as low as 7, when he’s clearly better than Rose, Kobe, and Durant, has a job.

  • Dustin

    So now Dirk’s career is being judged by people who never really paid much attention to Dirk throughout his career. Dirk is and has been a beast for a decade now. It is hardly his fault that you just started paying attention. Dirk is the best player in the NBA.

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