Hoops Lab: Appreciating Dirk

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Updated on December 29, 2015 8:14PM EST

Dirk Nowitzki just passed Shaquille O'Neal for sixth place on the all-time NBA scoring list. This is a tremendous accomplishment that brought Nowitzki some shine on SportsCenter last week. But with this season also being Kobe Bryant's swan song, I'm not sure that Nowitzki is getting enough attention for his legendary career. As I wrote a few weeks ago when trying to put Bryant's career in perspective, Nowitzki has a very strong argument as having been at least as good as Kobe over the course of their careers, and arguably better. Don't believe me? Let's look at some quick numbers comparing the two before moving on:

Regular season, 10 year primes per 100 possessions
Kobe Bryant (2001 - 2010): 37.5 points (55.9% TS), 7.6 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 4.1 turnovers
Dirk Nowitzki (2002 - 2011): 34.5 points (58.4% TS), 12.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.8 turnovers

Playoffs, 10 year primes per 100 possessions
Kobe Bryant (2001 - 2010): 35.8 points (54.8%), 7.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 4.0 turnovers
Dirk Nowitzki (2002 - 2011): 33.4 points (58.5%), 13.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.0 turnovers

Those of you that have read my stuff know that I like taking comparisons way beyond the box scores, but even as a first approximate it is clear that these were players of a very similar caliber.

But once you move beyond the box scores, even beyond the scoring that he obviously did so well, you find the uniqueness of Dirk. Marc Stein had some great quotes on Twitter the

Those of you that have read my stuff know that I like taking comparisons way beyond the box scores, but even as a first approximate it is clear that these were players of a very similar caliber.

But once you move beyond the box scores, even beyond the scoring that he obviously did so well, you find the uniqueness of Dirk. Marc Stein had some great quotes on Twitter the night that Dirk passed Shaq, so I'll let him tell it:

Plain & simple: Revolutionized his position. What they say Steph Curry is doing at point guard now, Dirk Nowitzki did it for power forwards
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) December 24, 2015

That is a very apt and cogent observation. As I detailed in this space a couple of weeks ago, Stephen Curry is having such a huge impact because, in addition to his own great scoring, the threat of his well-beyond-3-point range off the dribble warps the way opposing defenses play him. He essentially stretches the defense out of its comfort zone, allowing the rest of his teammates to get easier looks.

A generation before, Nowitzki accomplished something very similar. Because he was a 7-footer with legitimate 3-point range and a demonstrated ability to score up into the 40s when called upon, Dirk completely befuddled traditional defenses, which were built from the inside-out, with a shot-blocking big man patrolling the paint and another big to throw around weight and crash the boards. But Dirk was very comfortable operating from the perimeter, and since he was 7-feet tall (and he eventually developed a deadly post-game), opponents had to dedicate one of those bigs to defend him out to the 3-point line. This made the defender less effective because he was out of his comfort zone and it imbalanced the entire defense, because now the big that would usually be near the rim to discourage penetration was now stuck out by the 3-point line.

This mega spacing, defense-warping impact for Dirk was massive. Because of his size and the position that he played, his spacing impact was much larger than what you get from a traditional guard or even a forward like Kevin Durant. It takes a video-game-like shooter with 35-foot range off the dribble like Curry for a perimeter player to match Dirk's spacing impact. Don't believe me? More numbers.

Best 5 years of scaled RAPM from 1998 – 2012:

1) Kevin Garnett (+54.3)
2) LeBron James (+52.3)
3) Shaquille O'Neal (+51.7)
4) Tim Duncan (+46.3)
5) Dirk Nowitzki (+45.6)

7) Dwyane Wade (+41.9)
8) Steve Nash (+39.6)

10) Kobe Bryant (+37.6)

14) Chris Paul (+32.4)

18) Paul Pierce (+29.1)

I'll stop here and give the brief description that this is a +/- based, regression technique that estimates how much a player's presence on the court correlates with the team improving its scoring margin. I won't go into any further details here unless someone asks a question, in which case I'm glad to spout off in the comments. But the point is, this is a method completely outside of the box scores (which already have Dirk as the No. 6 scorer of all-time with a 10-year prime very comparable with Kobe's) that shows that Dirk was one of the ultra-elite of his generation; again, arguably better than players with much higher profiles among casual NBA fans.

The point: Dirk was a beast, he's still got game and you should take the time to appreciate him while he's around. He has one of the most unique, highest-impact games in NBA history and has changed the way that the world plays basketball. Now, onto the fantasy stuff.

Around the NBA

Bledsoe's knee:Eric Bledsoe has a torn left meniscus and had surgery Tuesday. His timetable for return was set by the type of surgery that he had, and current reports say that he is out for the season. By having the meniscus repaired, which is, in theory, better for his long-term health, it took a longer recovery time and finished his season. If he would have the meniscus removed, it is more of a two-month recovery time. He has already had both procedures on his right knee, getting the meniscus repaired in 2011 then removed during the 2013-14 season. In Bledsoe's absence, rookie 3-point specialist Devin Booker joined the starting line-up, with T.J. Warren also getting a boost in playing time.

Blake's quad:Blake Griffin has a partially torn left quad tendon and will be out for at least two weeks. He will be re-evaluated at the end of that two-week period, which means that the absence could be even longer. Griffin's absence was expected to open up playing time for Josh Smith, but in Smith's first start Saturday he only played five minutes before giving way primarily to Paul Pierce (20 points, five boards, two assists in 27 minutes) and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (started at SF, seven points in 31 minutes) and then Pierce started the subsequent game Monday.

Favors' back:Derrick Favors has missed the last two games due to back spasms. The injury isn't considered serious, and there is some hope that he may be able to play Wednesday, but for now he is day-to-day.

Gaillinari's ankle:Danilo Gallinari sprained his left ankle last week and is expected to be out until at least Sunday, which is when Nuggets coach Mike Malone said that they will provide an update. Kostas Papanikolaou has been starting in Gallinari's absence, but he hasn't been a fantasy factor. Instead, it's been Will Barton, who was already having a great season, stepping up even further as the Nuggets' go-to offensive player.

Noah's shoulder:Joakim Noah has a slight tear in his left shoulder and was expected to be out two-to-four weeks as of Dec. 23. Noah has already been seen shooting around since then, but there is no indication that he is expected to be back before that window. In his absence, Taj Gibson has shown (as he has done repeatedly in the past few years) that he can produce good starter numbers when given the opportunity to play starter minutes.

Deron's hamstring:Deron Williams has a strained hamstring that has kept him out of the last three games. He participated in a bit of Monday's shootaround but was unable to take the court that night. He has a chance to play Wednesday, but if not, J.J. Barea will get another start at point guard for the Mavs.

Burks' multiple injuries:Alec Burks suffered several injuries on a hard foul Saturday night, including a concussion and a fractured ankle that will keep him out for at least six weeks. Burks was having a solid season as one of the scoring swingmen for the Jazz, and his absence should open up more opportunities for Rodney Hood and Trey Burke.

Barnes' suspension: Back in October there was a report that Matt Barnes had gotten into a confrontation with Knicks coach (and former teammate) Derek Fisher over Barnes' ex-wife Gloria Govan, who was dating Fisher. This was my Tweet on the subject:

My wife used to watch Basketball Wives...I actually know who Gloria Govan is. I feel dirty. Must I lose my man card? https://t.co/GYXTdRt637
— Andre Snellings (@ProfessorDrz) October 7, 2015

Well, the fight has caught up with Barnes, who has been suspended two games by the NBA. Barring an appeal, Barnes will sit out Tuesday against Miami and Saturday against Utah.

Okafor's knee:Jahlil Okafor missed his second straight game Monday due to a sore knee. He is expected to be able to play Wednesday against the Kings, but this is worth keeping an eye on. The 76ers have been in permanent tank-mode for multiple seasons now, and they already have another potential franchise big man struggling through knee surgeries. They would seem likely to shut Okafor down at the slightest hint that this is a bigger issue.

Trade – Smith to 76ers/Wroten release:Ish Smith was traded to the 76ers last Thursday and immediately stepped in as their starting point guard. Smith played for the 76ers last season and started some games, and he opened some eyes this season when getting starter's minutes for the Pelicans. He started Saturday and had 14 points, five assists, two boards, a block and a steal in 31 minutes then followed that up with 22 points and 11 assists in 32 minutes Monday. If he is able to maintain the starting role he could be a viable fantasy option. The 76ers cut Tony Wroten, but Kendall Marshall is also expected to receive solid minutes.

Got the drank in me going back-to-back: Back-to-backs 12/29– 1/5
MT: Hawks, Cavaliers, Heat, Bucks
TW: Nuggets
WT: Warriors, Pacers, Clippers, Timberwolves, Suns, Trail Blazers, Jazz
TF: None
FS: Hornets, Mavericks, Magic, 76ers
SS: Nuggets, Suns
SM: Heat, Trail Blazers, Raptors
MT: Warriors, Bucks, Kings

New Additions and DFS value:

Rodney Hood (46 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues) and Trey Burke (42 percent): With Alec Burks out for the next couple of months, Hood and Burke are likely to be called upon to increase their offensive outputs. Both have shown glimpses of fantasy relevance to make them borderline pick-up candidates even in their old roles, and increased opportunities may be enough to get them over the hump.

Ish Smith (42 percent): As mentioned above, Smith was traded to the 76ers and has a shot at a long-term starting gig. Through two games as the 76ers; starting point guard he is averaging 18.0 points, 8.0 assists, 2.5 boards, 1.5 steals and 1.0 treys per game. He's worth a flyer to see if he can hold the job because if he does, he makes a reasonable low-level starter.

Taj Gibson (38 percent): Gibson's per-36 numbers tend to be around a double-double, and every time he gets the chance to play starter's minutes he averages nearly a double-double. In the three games leading into Monday, Gibson was averaging 11.7 points, 9.0 boards, 2.3 assists and 1.0 combined steals/blocks per game. These are very sustainable numbers for Gibson while he's starting.

T.J. Warren (22 percent) and Devin Booker (20 percent): Booker is the new starting shooting guard for the Suns in the wake of Eric Bledsoe's knee surgery. He was known as a 3-point marksmen coming into the draft, and he had a great showing at the summer leagues as a shooter/scorer. He scored 19 points with three treys in 20 minutes on Saturday, the day that Bledsoe got injured, and projects to impact the 3-point category with starter minutes. Meanwhile, Warren has been showing signs of big upside over the summer and into the season, and in Monday's first game without Bledsoe, he got 27 minutes off the bench and responded with 23 points, five boards and four 3-pointers.