Germany - Dirk becomes Mavericks’ all-time scoring leader

From mvn.com
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I don’t want to discount the significance of the Dallas Mavericks’ 111-91 victory over the New Jersey Nets—after all, it set the team in the right direction after a three-game losing streak—but there are occasionally moments in every franchise that hold greater meaning than a single win or loss.

Dirk Nowitzki passing Rolando Blackman to become the Mavericks’ all-time leading scorer may not be major news around the NBA, but in Dallas it should be seen as a crowning achievement, validation even for all of the time and effort Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson have spent over the years to build up this franchise with Nowitzki at its core.

When Dirk was acquired in 1998 in a draft-day trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, I don’t think anyone predicted the Big German would someday become one of the greatest Europeans to ever play the game of basketball. He struggled during his rookie season, averaging under 9 points a game and even considering a return to Germany. But then, hard work ultimately started to pay off as Dirk helped the Mavericks improve to 40-42 in just his second season with the team.

It is in the win-loss record that the impact of Dirk Nowitzki is really evident. To look at it historically, the Dallas Mavericks failed to make the playoffs from 1991 to 2000 and had the lowest win percentage in that period of time of any franchise in the NBA. While there could be many reasons for the team’s futility (poor coaching and apathetic ownership are frequently mentioned), the lack of a consistent star ultimately caused the Mavericks to lose games and become an afterthought to the people of Dallas, who were much more focused at the time in the Troy Aikman-led Cowboys. Sure, there were some big-name players within that time (even current Mav Jason Kidd), but none of these guys were allowed to stay around long enough to make a significant mark on the franchise. That is also the reason why there are only two jerseys—those of Rolando Blackman (22) and Brad Davis (15)—hanging in the rafters of the American Airlines Center. There hasn’t been any other guys around long enough to have their jersey worthy of retirement. However, that will almost certainly change the moment Dirk Nowitzki leaves this franchise. Though there are no championship rings to speak of as of yet, Dirk has easily meant as much to the franchise and the city of Dallas as Tim Duncan has meant to San Antonio. He is the face of the team and a constant. People go to the AAC to watch Dirk play; no other Maverick has come close to matching his level of popularity.

Until last night’s game Dirk already had a special place in Maverick fans’ hearts. After all, he’s a guy that comes in night after night and at least puts forth his best effort. He rarely gets injured, rarely complains in public, and is often seen giving time and working with the community. He’s seen close friends (such as Steve Nash and Michael Finley) come go, but he’s never let any personal drama affect his game. Because of his commitment to the game of basketball, Dirk has yet another place in the history books alongside becoming the first European player to win the MVP.

Of course, the best part of everything is that Dirk’s career is still far from over. While Dallas hasn’t exactly been spectacular since acquiring Jason Kidd, there is still a good bit of time left to turn it around. If I know anything about the Mavericks, they will at least be making some noise before it’s all over. There will be many players involved, but Dirk will surely be leading the way.