Random NBA Observations 2014 - 2015
- Thread starter Big Jo
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Dishing to Dirk Nowitzki
The subject of our most recent Insider Quiz (IQ) was a fairly obscure player, Oklahoma City power forward Nick Collison. This time around, we went big. Like, 7-foot future Hall of Fame big.
After a recent win, I caught up with Dallas Mavericks big man Dirk Nowitzki. He was tired, still sweating after his postgame shower and had an overnight flight to catch. But he was sharp as a tack.
Nowitzki is the latest to get the IQ treatment where I quiz NBA players on their own stats. If you're just catching up, here is the one with Collison on his block victims; Andre Miller on his assist recipients; Chris Paul on his alley-oop targets; Roy Hibbert on his block victims; and, on TrueHoopTV, Shane Battier on his block victims.
Here was my question for Dirk: Who has assisted you the most in your NBA career?
Here's how the big fella did. (Hint: his brain is German-engineered.)
Tom Haberstroh: Dirk, I don't want to keep you too long, but I have a quiz for you. Ready to play a game real quick?
Dirk Nowitzki [stops packing his bags]: Yeah, let's do it.
TH: You've been assisted by 114 players in your career...
DN: 140?
TH: 114, actually.
DN: Oh, OK.
TH: Nine guys have assisted you at least 150 times. Can you name those nine guys? Let's start from the top.
DN: Nash.
TH: Yep. Nash is No.1!
DN: Kidd.
TH: Yup. Nash has 797, Jason Kidd has 753. Nash by a hair. So what's the difference between getting a feed from Nash compared to Kidd? How are they different?
DN: Well, I think passing-wise, they're pretty similar. They'll go down as two of the greatest passing guards in history. I mean, what makes them great is that they're happier to get the assist when the other guy scores than when they actually score themselves. They're that unselfish.
TH: You don't see that often.
DN: I mean, Kidd's obviously a little bigger and a better rebounder. But passing-wise, they both have great eyes. I almost felt like both of them -- you know, sometimes with guards, you're open and then they throw you the ball and it might be a little too late. But those guys, they see the whole play develop and the pass is there once you're open for a split second. They just have a great eye, a great feel for the game.
TH: Do you have a favorite pass from Nash or a particular play where he'd get you the ball?
DN: The pick-and-pop. That worked for us a long time. No particular play comes to mind, but that's why he was incredible. Sometimes he'd get stuck in the air and make something out of nothing. Maybe a little behind-the-back or ... I remember numerous times he was getting into the lane, he figured he has nothing going in there and somehow he gets the ball out to a shooter. It was incredible.
TH: He's ridiculous. So, you got the top two right.
DN: OK, well JET is definitely up there.
TH: Jason Terry, yup! He gave you 744.
DN: He's No. 3.
TH: Yup, so you've gotten them in order so far. One, two and three.
DN: Yeah. Now it's getting hard, bro.
A Mavericks PR staffer pops in by Nowitzki's locker and reminds him of an interview.
PR: Dirk, you gonna do some German?
DN: Yeah. Hold on.
PR: OK.
DN: Let's see. Devin Harris up there?
TH: Yup! He's No. 5.
DN: OK ... not bad. Let's see who else I've played with ... Oh, man. This is hard! ... Hmm ... Oh, Nick Van Exel, maybe?
TH: Nah. Close! He's right below the cut. He has 101, but not quite 150. You've got three teammates right now on this list, but you've only guessed one.
DN: Really? OK, well. It's got to be Monta [Ellis], obviously.
TH: 167.
DN: So that's how many, five?
TH: Yeah. Four more to go. One's an assistant coach, or I guess, a Mavs staffer.
DN: Oh, not Darrell Armstrong!
TH: No, no, no.
DN: Who else do we have on the staff?
TH: You played with him for a ton of years. At the 2.
DN: He's gonna kill me if I don't get it. Besides DA, who did I play with?
TH: Well, ...
DN: Oh, Fin!
TH: Michael Finley! Yes!
DN: Aww, Fin. He's up there for sure.
TH: He's No. 4 on the list. You have another current teammate, almost more than Devin Harris.
DN: Not Rondo. He just got here. Oh, J.J. Barea?
TH: Bingo, Barea. You've got two more to go! Both of them not in the league anymore.
DN: That's hard.
TH: Not point guards. Think wings. One has 197 assists to you, the other 159.
DN [Long silence as he shakes his head]: That's tough. I got seven out of nine though, bro!
TH: OK, one is Jerry Stackhouse.
DN: Oh, Stack!? I wouldn't have guessed that. Wouldn't have guessed that.
TH: And Josh Howard.
DN: Ah, yeah. Josh. Seven out of nine!
TH: Nicely done. And just so you know, Shawn Bradley got you 55 times.
DN: Oh, wow. That's good stuff.
G.O.A.T Squad Spokesman
Logic Is Absent Wherever Hate Is Present
How much y'all think Ed Davis is going to get in free agency?
The War Report
NewNewYork
I love/hate having AD on my fantasy roster. 
jaydolf spitler
Superstar
Damn you KJ McDaniels
2nd one i've seen this season after this one
2nd one i've seen this season after this one
I love/hate having AD on my fantasy roster.
If you don't win blocks and steals every week with him on your roster you suck
Recca Gatsby
LWO
KJ reminds me of Iggy ironically
Warriors playing like shyt
Warriors playing like shyt
The War Report
NewNewYork
Real fantasy players play roto and I'm in 1st in blocks and 2nd in steals. I also have Chandler and Duncan as my other front court players. Had Dieng but traded him and Giannis for Hayward/Nerlens. Had Thrillsap but traded him fro Marshmelo.If you don't win blocks and steals every week with him on your roster you suck
It was early in the season and Melo didn't let it be known that he had a bum knee. :philpalm:
The Sixers are pretty good defensively for a young team.
Real fantasy players play roto and I'm in 1st in blocks and 2nd in steals. I also have Chandler and Duncan as my other front court players. Had Dieng but traded him and Giannis for Hayward/Nerlens. Had Thrillsap but traded him fro Marshmelo.
Your loyalty to your Knicks will be your downfall, Trill for Melo? And they bout to shut Melo down soon
The War Report
NewNewYork
Healthy Melo>>>>Milsap. Let's not go overboard. I usually don't draft Knick players and I didn't this year but I've traded for Melo twice.The Sixers are pretty good defensively for a young team.
Your loyalty to your Knicks will be your downfall, Trill for Melo? And they bout to shut Melo down soon
The War Report
NewNewYork
That's why the trade is bad in hindsight :russwat:Melo ain't healthy though
DoubleJ13
Smooth sailing from here on out...
Lets go Jazz
Also seem to have passed another 1000 post but forgot to keep the 1000 post tradition. So I'll just drop it here
fukk Patrick Beverley
Also seem to have passed another 1000 post but forgot to keep the 1000 post tradition. So I'll just drop it herefukk Patrick Beverley
