By now you’ve already read Dan Devine’s terrific re-telling of the night when Dirk Nowitzki passed Hakeem Olajuwon on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, making him the most prolific internationally-born scorer in the league’s history. Nowitzki’s accomplishments are lengthy, moving well beyond the tangible marks like the 2011 championship ring or 2007 NBA MVP; remember, Dirk entered the league in 1999 with a skill set that nobody seemed sure of what to do with, up and to and at times even including forward-thinking Dallas Mavericks coach and personnel chief Don Nelson.
Two years after Nowitzki’s debut, and a few months after Dirk helped lead the Mavs to their first playoff berth in 11 years, the stage was set for rookie Pau Gasol to dominate. Gasol wasn’t as focused on the perimeter as Nowitzki, he in many ways was the classic low post banger that the league was and still is lacking, but the acceptance of the foreign-born big man that Nowitzki helped encourage did influence the Grizzlies franchise to send their orthodox, old school-styled 20-point scorer in Shareef Abdur-Rahim to Atlanta for a 20-year old that averaged only around 12 points and six rebounds for his Spanish League team the year before.
Two rings and endless amounts of plaudits later, Gasol is still going strong in Chicago. Nowitzki, meanwhile, is still the lead dog on a Mavericks squad that is looking to make yet another lengthy playoff run.
And yet, on Monday night, this is what we got:
“I came up with a shot where I just have to basically lean back, don’t be athletic at all and just hoist it up,” said Nowitzki.
“I came up with my own ‘Dream Shake’ I guess — the white version.”
Now, make no mistake – these are two flip statements made by smart guys that were just goofing around.
Dirk, even dating back to his introductory news conference/barbeque (seriously) with the Mavericks in 1998 (his first game wouldn’t come until after the NBA settled its labor dispute in 1999) has always been the master of the self-deprecating quip. Also, the dude is white – he’s allowed to say whatever he wants about white dudes.
Secondly, with the possible exception of the white dude writing this column and maybe the great Chelsea Peretti, absolutely nobody on this planet respects Pau Gasol more than Kobe Bean Bryant. Bryant would give up just about every one of his Italian-made supercars for another chance at playing alongside Gasol, who turned down more money to go play for a potential championship contender in Chicago last July.
These are jokes, we get it.
Still … Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol are super freaking athletic, guys.
You don’t run up and down the court with the greatest athletes in the world for a decade and a half or longer without being “athletic.” You’re not going to be able to shoot at 25-foot shot at a 10-foot goal after stopping on a dime while lunging backward and into the air without being “athletic.” You’re not going to be able to back down 7-footers in the paint or hit a cutter with a no-look pass without utilizing a whole hell of a lot of athleticism.
Can Anthony Davis jump higher than Pau Gasol ever could? Yep. Was Hakeem Olajuwon’s spin cycle “Dream Shake” run with the tachometer in the red? No doubt.
What we’re also doing here, however, is denying both Davis and Hakeem’s brilliance in a way. Again, Dirk and Kobe were just having fun, but Hakeem’s high and low post intelligence was way ahead of its time. And while Davis still has his 21-and-under struggles sometimes, his ability to do just about everything expertly on the basketball court reminds of a Pau Gasol-type. That can jump higher.
This screed isn’t aimed at Dirk or Kobe, two legends that have forgotten more about basketball than we’ll ever know. This is aimed at the writers, radio hosts, cable guys and fans that take this too-easy route too often. Larry Bird was never in the Dunk Contest, but he was a 6-9 guy that could run for days and do amazing things with the basketball with those hands of his. Nick Collison can’t touch the shot clock after jumping off of one foot, but after Oklahoma City Thunder practice today this non-shooter will hit trick shots that the best shooter on your high school team couldn’t make after a 100 tries. Ryan Anderson is more athletic than anyone you’ve ever met, unless you’ve met Dirk Nowitzki.
Dirk Nowitzki (obviously) and Pau Gasol (as was relayed on Tuesday) absolutely do not care about being referred to in these terms, but can’t we do better?
I dunno. I’m probably just cranky because I can’t get rim.
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