- The Dirk Nowitzki appreciation thread -

[rikhardur]

About time to have a thread fully dedicated to Super Dirk. Post old and new photos, articles, videos, breaking stats, funny and curious stuff, etc about the once called German Wunderkind.


I'll start with last night's game (91-111 for Dallas over the Nets), where Dirk scored 34 pts and became the Mavericks' all-time leading scorer with 16.644 pts in 743 games. The previous record holder was Rolando Blackman with one less point in 865 games. Since entering the league in 1998, only Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson have more points.
What he had to say:

"Hopefully I’ve got a lot of good basketball, a lot of points left in me for this franchise,” said Nowitzki, who at 29 might only be halfway through his career. “All of those records are going to look really nice in 20, 30 years when you look back and you can tell your grandchildren about them. As of right now, we’re just trying to get back on track."

The shot and the celebration that earned him the all-time scoring lead:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap;_ylt=ApFBmsFMaVFWRSJTolrDdGu8vLYF?gid=2008030806

[ajaxballer]

Dirk has been my favorite player for about 5-6 years and its him that has me still watching the mavs even though i can't stand most of his shoot-first teammates. I hope he can get his ring, if he doesn't i hope people will remember his heroism against the spurs and the suns two years ago, it was joy to watch.

[rikhardur]

Dirk has been my favorite player for about 5-6 years

Same here, after Sabonis retired, he immediately took my favourite player's spot.

Not something to praise I know and probably most of you have seen it, but here's probably Dirk's hardest foul ever (a few days ago against the Jazz). I really don't know if he meant to be so violent (it's hard to believe so), but the fact is that he injured Kirilenko. Dirk was suspended for one game:

[ArkadiosV2]

Big deal, he just instinctively grabbed his shoulder to slow down his own fall... Dirk has suffered a lot worse marking from Greece NT players alone...

[mvblair]

Big deal, he just instinctively grabbed his shoulder to slow down his own fall...

I didn't think it was that bad either. Like you said, guys get hacked and hurt all the time. It's not like Dirk went for AK's head or anything. AK just fell awkwardly, so a lot of people overreacted.

Anyhow, getting back to the subject at hand...I liked Blackman. A lot. He played overseas himself in Milan and did a wonderful job, playing his heart out. Before Dirk, Blackman was the Mavericks.

“Ro Blackman is a friend of mine and he coached the German national team one year, so I’m really, really close to him. I hate to break that record and take it from him. But it’s definitely a great honor for me.” -- Dirk Nowitzki

“It’s just a fantastic thing to see a guy be so consistent and really such a great star in this league. I’m glad he broke the record. I’m glad it’s him. It’s a good overall night.” -- Rolando Blackman

As for Dirk, I don't think anybody is surprised by all the great things he does. He's the first and the best of those crafty big men who can shoot. He was never that bad his first year either, as a lot of people think. Remember in the late '90s when he was doing the friendly games against Charles Barkley? And the games against those great US youngsters of the time? And Dirk was kind Of course, people hated him in those early years for not going to a US college. Really, people hated those kids for not going to college. Remember "Irk Nowitzki?" You never hear that anymore.

[ajaxballer]

Same here, after Sabonis retired, he immediately took my favourite player's spot.

For me Dirk took over for Reggie Miller, it was Miller time throughout my childhood lol.

[qiangdade]

Same here, after Sabonis retired, he immediately took my favourite player's spot.

Not something to praise I know and probably most of you have seen it, but here's probably Dirk's hardest foul ever (a few days ago against the Jazz). I really don't know if he meant to be so violent (it's hard to believe so), but the fact is that he injured Kirilenko. Dirk was suspended for one game:

Not even an unsportive foul imo. While falling himself he grabbed kirilenko's shoulder who in turn fell very badly. This is split seconds there and i don't think dirk had any time thinking to foul kirilenko while falling. Bad moment.

[rikhardur]

The early days

Some photos from way back. From the young tennis player, through to the days with his hometown team Würzburg, to the somewhat kitsch haircut (remember that? ) and the beginnings with the Mavs (10 years have already incredibly gone by):

[DanMajerle]

On that "dirkteam" picture you can also see Robert Maras (big guy on the left) and Mithat Demirel (No.5)

[mvblair]

What are your thoughts about Dirk, Majerle?

Man, Dirk has gained a little weight, hasn't he?

[robbe]

Great thread and wonderful pictures, rikhardur!

Dirk is a very special player and person. I'll make a list of what makes Dirk special for me.

• He gives 100% for the German national team each summer, in a team where he is the only player of good international class. I really can't that highly enough, because almost every other NBA-Star will take time off in the summer sooner or later. And though I think his budy needs one summer off, it's not an option for him.
• He plays saxophone and guitar.
• I don't know of any other 7-footer who can make shots like Dirk does. He's just an outstandig offensive weapon.
• The individual practice he does with his mentor Holger Geschwindner is quite...unconventional. I saw some footage the other day, which had him jumping around in the gym on one leg for several minutes and do several other even stranger moves that I cannot really describe. A lot of it is coordination. But a part of Geschwindner's training is also aimed at improving him mentally. Playing the instruments is a part of it, by the way. It was Geschwindner who encouraged Dirk to play Saxophone and Guitar.
• He's just down to earth. And although everybody keeps telling him he must be more of an a******, he just keeps being himself.
• Party photos . The ones with Steve Nash are well-known. I saw some twice, no wait, fifty times as ugly and one hundred times as drunk, but I agree that they should not be on the net. He's a role model, after all.
  But it's just nice to see that he returns to Germany once in a while only to return to his old buddies, go into a normal club, and drink the brain out of his head. Not the action itself, but the fact that he does it.

#1: Dirk's mentor and friend Holger Geschwindner.
#2: Dirk against one of his toughest opponents, Spain's Jorge Garbajosa. Garbajosa and Spain got the better of Dirk and Germany lately, yet Dirk not only won in the 2002 WC quarter-final, he also had one of his biggest moments in his international career against the Spainard, when he got the ball near centre court with 10 secounds to go in the 2005 EC semifinal, drove left, faked, and sank the baseline jumper over Garbajosa with four seconds to go. Both are very hard workers and have huge respect for each other.
#3: Dirk and Saxophone.

[rikhardur]

I saw some footage the other day, which had him jumping around in the gym on one leg for several minutes and do several other even stranger moves that I cannot really describe. A lot of it is coordination.

I think it's noticeable that he does work a lot on coordination and balance. Hitting fade-away shots (including 3-pointers) with previous fake moves has to require extraordinary coordination and balance. Geschwindner, as a good mentor and coach, seems to be quite aware of that and how those type of shots are very difficult (if not impossible) to defend. I only know one guy with 2.10m+ who can do that
All in all it's in the simplest things that reside the greatest results.

[Neozyrus]

Yeah really great pics!

In the last EC his personal coach, said that since he has been coaching him, they have been following a plan in 7 steps, and that now they were on the 5th or 6th ( i really cant remember which one), and that when they reached the last one, he would be really close of being the perfect player. Watching his work right now, i dont think he was bluffing.

#2: Dirk against one of his toughest opponents, Spain's Jorge Garbajosa. Garbajosa and Spain got the better of Dirk and Germany lately, yet Dirk not only won in the 2002 WC quarter-final, he also had one of his biggest moments in his international career against the Spainard, when he got the ball near centre court with 10 secounds to go in the 2005 EC semifinal, drove left, faked, and sank the baseline jumper over Garbajosa with four seconds to go. Both are very hard workers and have huge respect for each other.

Was it really necessary to describe that moment in a so detailed way?? (im just kidding)
It was an incredible game by Dirk, he missed many shots during the game, except in the last quarter, in the most crucial moments of the game, there, he was just... unstoppable.

[rikhardur]

Some of his nicknames:

- The Big German
- Dirkules
- German Wunderkind (early)
- The Dunking Deutschman
- The Blonde Bomber
- The Dirkinator
- Dirk Diggler
- Dirk the Work
- Batman
- German Racecar (China)
- Robin Hood (Spain)
- Irk Nowitzki (that's part of the past now )
- DNA
- DN
- Danger Dog
- Dangerous Dirk
- Captain Dirk
- Dirkapolypse
- Durka Durka Durka
- German Sensation

[rikhardur]

Nowitzki's highlights at Eurobasket 2007 here (torrent video)