Prime Dirk Nowitzki or Prime Ben Wallace

[magnax1]

Lol. No. I believe you missed the point. Dirk is better at defense than Wallace is on offense.

I already said that, but definitely not much. Dirk was a very poor defender, Wallace was very poor on offense. Add onto that Dirk was a career 9 rpg guy, which is poor for a 7 footer, and Wallace is a 12+ rpg guy, it's pretty close.

[TrueRob]

Ok. So, let's say you've got a team of scorers but no great rebounder, you'd take Ben Wallace over Kobe Bryant? Team defense is the most effective type of defense. And you have no idea how Dirk would do in a situation where he wouldn't have to carry the offense. Look at Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Neither were considered by any stretch of the imagination to be good defenders prior to their arrival in Boston. But all of a sudden after a few seasons of success with Boston and impressive defensive performances in the playoffs, they're considered to be one of the better defenders in the NBA.

Absolutely. If I already have scorers, I'd make my team better by adding an elite rebounder/defender who can control the number of possessions.

[LosBulls]

How about BOTH in their primes on the same team with 2+ Rings??

[chazzy]

Dirk's defense/rebounding>>>>> Wallace's offensive game

[ginobli2311]

And Dirk was basically a scoring specialist, not even a great passer or rebounder.

hahahahahhha.

dirk averages 11 boards per game in the playoffs for his career moron. christ....dirk gets so ****ing under-rated and unappreciated on here its a joke.

the answer is Dirk. although wallace is actually very close in value.

[ginobli2311]

You completely missed the point sir.

He's average, or below average at everything other then his scoring. Wallace is average or below at everything except rebounding and defense.

seriously?????

wtf???????????

dirk averages 11 boards per game in the playoffs for his career.

26 points and 11 boards for his ****ing career in the playoffs. you call 11 boards a game average? are you joking? seriously....just stop posting. garnett averages 11 boards per game in the playoffs....is he a poor rebounder?

and for the last time. defensive rebounding is a big big big part of defense. and dirk is an excellent defensive rebounder...especially in the playoffs when it matters most.

here's a hint. wake up. its not 2001 anymore. dirk is not soft, he's not a terrible defender, and he's not afraid of the moment anymore. he's a top 25 player of all time that steps up his game big time in the playoffs. 10 straight years of more than 50 wins without playing with a legit 2nd option one time in his prime.

GTFO. seriously.

[thomaspynchon]

Dirk is an incredible passer for his size. Not sure why people here do not recognize this.

Also, he is at least an above average defensive player and a better man defender than Wallace. The only thing Wallace has on him is team defense and offensive rebounding, and for obvious reasons (he can afford to pick up fouls).

I think Cherokee Parks is going to have a better career than Blake Griffin when it's all said and done.

[the GIBBET]

Dirk was probably better on defense then Wallace was on offense

this, which is why i'd take Dirkles.

[mlh1981]

Without the right supporting cast, Ben Wallace isn't nearly as effective, whereas Dirk can pretty much put up 20 points at will

[DirkNowitzki41]

I'd take Ben. You could always find a small forward that camps out on the 3 point line.

Camps out on the 3pt line? Really? Really?

[Kurosawa0]

Ben was awesome in his prime, but he's not the guy you build around. If you have four other great pieces to put with him, great. As the center piece? No way.

Dirk easily.

[creepingdeath]

Wow..

[thomaspynchon]

Wow..

The racists are out in full force lately. Next they will ask who is better between Nash and Mateen Cleaves.

[Monkey D Dragon]

Dirk without a question. Dirk gives match up problem like no other and Ben was good but not even close to being the player as what people think. The East was weak and no Legit Big men for Ben to face during those times.



Dirk HOF and Ben Eating Chicken on his couch watching Dirk make to HOF.

[ginobli2311]

Dirk without a question. Dirk gives match up problem like no other and Ben was good but not even close to being the player as what people think. The East was weak and no Legit Big men for Ben to face during those times.



Dirk HOF and Ben Eating Chicken on his couch watching Dirk make to HOF.

while i think the answer is dirk....its not really a dumb question if we are only talking about their primes/peaks like the OP said.

at his peak....wallace was getting 15 plus rebounds in the playoffs and playing world class defense in the paint and on the pick and roll. those two things are extremely important for winning a title.

for their respective careers its a no brainer for dirk. but if you look at prime/peak....wallace is closer than most think in terms of impact for winning. dont forget:

1. 15 plus boards a game potential in the playoffs
2. best defender in the league capable of protecting the paint and playing the high screen and roll....good individual defender and fantastic help defender