Questioning Dirk.

[haterofhaters]

I've seriously started to wonder this the more I watch the Jazz play. Mehmet Okur is exactly the same type of player as Dirk. The only real differences I see are that he's a bit slower and a shorter. Granted, Dirk shoots at a much higher fg% which brings most of the seperation but they do have similar game types. So my question is do you think that were he to be plugged into the Mavs and Dirk taken away, would they have a record that's similar to what they have now? (dumbed down for raider fan: not the same record but a top 4 record in the west)

edit: This is NOT saying that Okur is better.... it's just asking if they could sustain a good record were Okur put in his position.

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Nope. Dirk is clearing a notch better than Okur. Okur will be a star but will not be a superstar like Dirk.

[haterofhaters]

Nope. Dirk is clearing a notch better than Okur. Okur will be a star but will not be a superstar like Dirk.

I agree that Dirk is better, but I think that if Okur were to be put on the Mavs in place of Dirk they would have similar success. Maybe not quite as much as they do now, but would be a top 3 team in the leauge nonetheless.

[hotsizzle]

This seems like a thread a Kobe h@ter would make about Kobe haha

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Mavs are pretty deep and has excellent players such as Terry and Howard so Mavs won't slip much, but I will give it a top 5 team.

[raiderfan19]

I agree that Dirk is better, but I think that if Okur were to be put on the Mavs in place of Dirk they would have similar success. Maybe not quite as much as they do now, but would be a top 3 team in the leauge nonetheless.

wow, just wow. the answer is hell no. this is like saying would the lakers be the same if they had jason richardson instead of kobe(if jrich was healthy).

[johndeeregreen]

wow, just wow. the answer is hell no.

I ordinarily don't agree with you, but this is one case where you happen to be completely correct.

[haterofhaters]

wow, just wow. the answer is hell no. the jazz have more talent outside of okur than dallas does outside of dirk. this is like saying would the lakers be the same if they had jason richardson instead of kobe(if jrich was healthy).

Okur makes a lot of big shots down the stretch, just like Dirk.
Okur is 6'11 and Dirk is 7'0, not a big diff.
Okur has a beard, and Dirk has a beard :

As I said, the main difference is just that Dirk has more foot speed and is a more accurate shooter.. But the Mavs definitely have a very talented team. A lot of times in fact, Josh Howard has been the leading scorer, and Dirk is just depended on to take the shots down the stretch.

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Obviously, Lakers is going to suffer a much bigger drop in strength if Jrich replaces Kobe, but because Mavs has such good role players and stars, mavs won't drop as much compared to Lakers.

[haterofhaters]

Obviously, Lakers is going to suffer a much bigger drop in strength if Jrich replaces Kobe, but because Mavs has such good role players and stars, mavs won't drop as much compared to Lakers.

exactly. my comparison is more realistic.

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agreed.

[kentatm]

i really hope the Mavs meet the Jazz in the second round so Dirk can prove with out question who the best between the two is.

roster wise i'd say the Jazz have the better starting 5 but the Mavs have the better overall depth. The Mavs have more player experience but less in coaching. Coaching is about equal on the whole though.

[haterofhaters]

i really hope the Mavs meet the Jazz in the second round so Dirk can prove with out question who the best between the two is.

roster wise i'd say the Jazz have the better starting 5 but the Mavs have the better overall depth. Coaching is about equal. The Mavs have more player experience but less in coaching.

It's not a question of who the better player is. It'd be stupid to say that Okur is BETTER than Dirk. All i'm saying is that if you put him in the same position as Dirk there would not be a huge dropoff because they have similar game types and the Mavs have a perfect set of role players formed around him.

[kentatm]

this also reminds me of last year when people were wondering if Dirk was really any better than Gasol. We all saw how that went.

[haterofhaters]

this also reminds me of last year when people were wondering if Dirk was really any better than Gasol. We all saw how that went.

read my last statement. I'm not questioning whether he's better.