There’s Only One Dirk Nowitzki

There’s Only One Dirk Nowitzki
 by Jimmy Shapiro

Just like there’s only one Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson, there will only be one Dirk Nowitzki.  They said Byron Houston and Corliss Williamson would be the next great undersized power forward.  There’s still only one Charles Barkley.  They said Jalen Rose and Penny Hardaway would be the next great tall point guard.  There’s still only one Magic Johnson.  The list of European players that were supposed to be the next Dirk Nowitzki is endless.  Names like like Vladimir Radmonovic, Nickoloz Tskitishvili, Maciej Lampe, and Andrea Bargnani were all compared to Dirk and there’s still only one Dirk.He’s such a unique talent at seven feet tall with his handle and shooting ability that I’m not sure people appreciate just how good he is.  Nowitzki is already in his 11th season and he’s still only 30 years old. Dirk Nowitzki recently sat down with Bob Sturm and Dan McDowell of KTCK for his annual interview.  It was a long, interesting interview with a wide variety of topics. Is he done with the Olympics? “I turn 31 this summer now and I’ve played the past 10, 11 summers straight so I do need a little rest here. Nothing is really final. It kinda depends on how long this season goes and  how my body feels. I told them I wasn’t retired yet but I’ll kind of do it year by year and see if it’s still fun and how the body holds up.”

Olympic gold vs. NBA title:

“To me, I knew we were never going to win gold in the Olympics anyways, not with the competition and not with the talent we have on the team. To me, my goal was always to be there and I did. We tried to play hard but we really had no chance against all these good teams, so an Olympic gold was never really a dream of mine. My dream was to be one of a thousand athletes and to walk in and have fun so that was my dream. The championship in the NBA still ranks a little higher than that.”

On changing teams in order to win a title:

“I’d love to win a championship here and that’s my goal. I’ve tried everything. I don’t have any regrets so far. Sometimes things don’t work out the way you want to, but I feel like, I’ve still have this year and the next 2 years so I still have plenty of opportunities, plenty of chances. I have to sit down and think about what’s best for my career. Everyone knows I love Dallas. I’d love to stay here and be here and win here.”

Does he hope Dallas brings in another superstar?

“If you look in this league, as of right now, this league is too good just to win with one or two guys. It’s got to be a complete team. You’ve got to have several superstars on it. Kobe a few years ago, he was doing it all by himself and one year he missed the playoffs.”
Some quick hitters with Dirk and the full interview after the jump.

On Cuban:

“He hasn’t been around that much. I don’t know where he’s been. I heard he was at the Dork-A-Palooza thing or whatever… that garbage”.

On insuring his ankle for the Olympics:

“The German federation was scrambling left and right to cover my left ankle. One year they didn’t have enough money and I paid some of it. I think they paid me back, I’m not sure.”

On being the #1 Dirk searched in Google, beating Dirk Diggler:

“Sweet!”