07-15-2022, 01:31 PM
(07-15-2022, 01:15 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: This is in line with my thinking, for sure.
I'd add that making Dirk the face of the franchise took several years. It was 3-5 years in before they even decided what position he should play and started building around him.
I LOVE Dirk, and I agree Luka has a ways to go to match his legendary impact on the franchise, but I'd put Luka's first 3-4 years FAR, FAR ahead of Dirk's by comparison.
Not sure what Kamm is pointing to as far as metrics. Luka was an Euroleague MVP. Dirk came from some 3rd division team to the NBA. Of course there is no comparison of the initial years.
The thing with Dirk though was that he knew his weaknesses and worked hard. Even those first two years. He never came out of shape. He worked hard on his defense. He didn’t take bad shots. That’s not just when Fin and Nash were here. Later on when he has worse teams, he still played within the construct of a team offense.
Yes they are different players and it’s not fair to expect Luka to play like Dirk. However what I would like to see is him take a bit more professional approach with some of his glaring flaws. Coming out of shape not once but twice. Still not really caring about defense or trying to cut down on the amount of bad shots. Be open to play a bit more off the ball. Stop complaining after every missed shot and get back on defense
The attitude to keep working on his flaws does distinguish Dirk from Luka even in the early years. The overall professionalism also. As a Mavs fan I am rooting for Luka. However quite a few issues currently are not just due to a lack of better players around him. He has to keep grinding regardless of what mgmt is doing or not doing.