Better overall career: Dirk Nowitzki or Karl Malone?

[taucesays]

Or you could look at it this way:

How efficient would Dirk be if he still had Steve Nash on the team?

[kizut1659]

Dirk was considered to be a choker prior to this year. The Mavs in general were consider to be chokers. Dirk and the Mavs were constantly disappointing in the playoffs for a decade prior to this year.

And Karl Malone did lose to MJ bulls like all the other greats in the 90s. Replace the Mavs of 11 to the Jazz in 98. Have them go against the Bulls. MJ may steal the ball from Dirk and hit another game winner as well.

But it doesn't mean that Dirk isn't a great player or anything like that.

I don't see Dirk missing free throws in a tied game with few seconds left in 97. And the chances of Jordan stealing the ball from Dirk in 98 would be lower - Malone was clearly rattled and chocking.

[brain drain]

Dirk had 4 postseasons with a PER of 26 and above.

Malone had 0.

Dirk's playoff PER average is 24.7
Karl Malone had a PER of 24.7 and above in exactly 2 of his 20 playoff seasons (plus 2 other seasons with 24.6).

Basically, when it counts (playoffs), Dirk's a level above Malone.

[DMAVS41]

It almost fully depends on what you think of Stockton. If you have Stockton as a top 25 or 30 player, then Dirk has definitely had the better career.

Dirk has been the slightly better playoff performer overall and has been far more clutch.

Dirk just did something that only Hakeem, Duncan, and Barry had done before him really.

I tend to rank them very close together because I think Stockton is actually pretty over-rated.

I do give Dirk the slight edge that he was able to to what he just did in the playoffs. Its probably the 2nd or 3rd best playoff run of all time by a superstar player given the circumstances.

[Micku]

I don't see Dirk missing free throws in a tied game with few seconds left in 97. And the chances of Jordan stealing the ball from Dirk in 98 would be lower - Malone was clearly rattled and chocking.

Mav-Heat 2006~ Dirk missed some clutch FTs to close the game out.

Dirk was consider to be choker prior to this year. Dirk was also a 1st seed who lost to a 8th seed. It's not like Dirk is immune to failure at all, but that doesn't mean he isn't a great player.

Same with Karl Malone. Once he got to the Finals, he just lost to Jordan's Bulls. And not many teams could beat Jordan's Bulls.

[Patrick Chewing]

He was in Jordan's era as well.

Dirk is in Kobe's, Lebron's, and DWade's era too

[Streetballer]

Better overall career: Dirk Nowitzki or Karl Malone?

Dirk..Because Karl Played his with whole Career with a Hall of Fame P.G and never wont it..Even when Jordan took a Break for 2 years he had his Chance never did it!!!
FACT!!!!!

[hawkfan]

Dirk played in the Kobe Bryant/Tim Duncan era, and he had no real consistent superstar playing with him this year.

Terry is a good player, but not Hall of Fame.
Kidd is on the back end of his career and not same player he was a few years ago.
Marion is not a superstar.

Great overall team, and Chandler isn't getting enough credit for his worse on defense and rebounding, and changing the mental attitudes towards defense for this team, but Dirk doesn't have a dependable No. 2 guy like Stockton was.

[Rake2204]

Dirk showed up in the finals this year, Malone choked repeatedly in the playoffs*. We remember the greatness but we forget the disasters. He definitely choked. Plus, of course, time heals wounds - we now remember Malone with fondness rather than for being the asshole that he was who was accused of failing to show up when it mattered most.

*Who now remembers how Jordan was in the position to hit that jumper over Russell to win the title? I do - and I recall Malone being involved.

I respect your opinion there, but I feel in that particular instance, that wasn't Malone choking. Instead, I thought it was a terribly heady play by MJ. Sure, maybe Malone should have seen him coming, but I don't view that as a choke. A choke to me would be more along the lines of a player not reaching their normal ability because they're nervous or otherwise offset about the largeness of the moment. In my opinion, in that exact situation, Malone would have been stripped ten out of ten times.

I think there'd be a better case made for Malone being a choker for when he missed his "Mailman don't deliver on Sunday" free throw. Even then, he's a career 75% shooter from the stripe. It wasn't exactly abnormal for him to miss a free throw or two. Further, I do not subscribe to the "he makes them when they count" theory. They always count. In this case, I'd blame Malone's overall deficiency as a free throw shooter (in comparison to Dirk) more than I would his alleged tendency to choke.

I can't believe I'm kind of defending Karl Malone.

[DirtySanchez]

He was in Jordan's era as well.

It's a bad timing to talk about it since people are hype with the Mavs win.

Let's not forget Jordan was out for two years and the Jazz did not step up then.
90's was a weak era.

[ShaqAttack3234]

I tend to rank them very close together because I think Stockton is actually pretty over-rated.

Agreed, Stockton didn't give Malone the second scorer he needed, and while he was a great passer who made Karl better, there have been a good amount of point guards who I'd take over Stockton as players prime vs prime. By 1998, Stockton was only a 29-30 mpg player, even in the playoffs.

[joshwake]

Malone never won a championship.

That is such a tired argument. Winning a title has so many variables involved, people put way to much weight on it in ranking players. Malone was one of the best defenders at his position ever, and Dirk would not be considered anywhere near Malone in terms of defense. The one area where Dirk is significantly better is that he is amazing in the clutch. Malone wilted away in too many big games. Still, Malone is significantly better, although Dirk has some good years left I don't expect to see him play All-Star caliber defense any time soon.

[kizut1659]

Mav-Heat 2006~ Dirk missed some clutch FTs to close the game out.

Dirk was consider to be choker prior to this year. Dirk was also a 1st seed who lost to a 8th seed. It's not like Dirk is immune to failure at all, but that doesn't mean he isn't a great player.

Same with Karl Malone. Once he got to the Finals, he just lost to Jordan's Bulls. And not many teams could beat Jordan's Bulls.

Yes, but Malone never redeemed himself, thats the point. The Jazz were contenders from 1987 to 2001 and he never came through. And while Dirk missed cluth FTs in game 3 in 2006, he made what should have been a game winner in OT in game 5 - Mavs only lost because of BS foul on Wade.

[kizut1659]

Agreed, Stockton didn't give Malone the second scorer he needed, and while he was a great passer who made Karl better, there have been a good amount of point guards who I'd take over Stockton as players prime vs prime. By 1998, Stockton was only a 29-30 mpg player, even in the playoffs.

Stockton was still a 36 mpg in 1997 and played very well against the Bulls (basically winning game 4 for them.) In 1998, Stockton's minutes were reduced but the Bulls were also weaker - no longer having Bison Dele, Rodman going to wrestling shows in the middle of finals, Pippen being injured, and Jprdan being worse than he was in 1997.

[Locked_Up_Tonight]

Dirk (IMO) has a good 2-3 years left of this type of play and can probably play til he's 38-40 as a role player if he wants to that.

Ask me again when Dirk's career is over. Dirk will surpass 30k points, and by the time his career is done he will easily be in the Top 5-10 in many of the major statistical categories including the playoff statistical categories.