Dirk Nowitzki Is Dallas' Greatest Maverick, but Does It Really Matter?

Dirk Nowitzki will likely end his NBA career as the greatest player in the history of the Dallas Mavericks' franchise, and it's highly possible he will join the list of greatest players who have never won a championship as well.

It's hard to lie the blame solely at Nowitzki's feet for something that is by all means a team accomplishment, but when history looks back on his time with the Mavericks, he will still carry the brunt of responsibility for their failures.

Why?

Nowitzki has been recognized as one of the NBA's premier talents almost from the moment he entered the league, and Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban has been more than willing to surround the German-born star with quality help.

In fact Dallas has been among the NBA's top teams in terms of talent since 2004, but the Mavericks have come to be defined by their epic collapses in the postseason rather than success.

During the 2006 regular season Dallas was one of the NBA's top teams, and the trendy choice to win the first championship in the history of the franchise.

Up 2-1 on the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals, Dallas appeared ready to finally live up to their promise, but instead they became an unwilling participant in the crowning of Dwyane Wade as a bonafide NBA superstar.

With the series on the line Dallas was unable to prevent Wade from penetrating the lane, and either scoring or getting to the free throw line, and the Mavericks helped the Miami Heat's cause by choking at the charity stripe.

It was a career-defining moment for Wade, and another glowing example of the Mavericks' tendency to bend under pressure when it matters the most.

2006's collapse was bad for Dallas but in the eyes of many 2007 was worse, because the Mavericks finished the regular season as the Western Conference's top seed only to be spirited out of the postseason by eighth seed Golden State in six games.

The loss to Golden State seemed to solidify the theory that Dallas was incapable of winning in the postseason, and even though Nowitzki excelled in each instance, he couldn't escape the shadow of failure.

It has never been a question of talent with Nowitzki, because he is arguably the most unique player in the game today.

I have always been intrigued by the thought of a true seven foot player with perimeter skills and Nowitzki not only fits the description, he shatters it.

Nowitzki has averaged 22.8 points per game and 8.5 rebounds, while shooting an astounding 38 percent from three point range through the course of his career.

Nowitzki's seven foot frame makes it next to impossible to block his jump shot, and even if a player does time it just right he would still be foiled by Nowitzki's quick release, or his feathery touch.

Some people consider Nowitzki to be a power forward and although he has decent rebounding numbers, his game is much better-suited for the perimeter, and he is clearly more comfortable there than in the paint.

Nowitzki is in essence the perfect example of a nightmare match-up, and unless an opponent has a player on their roster who is long, and comfortable defending the perimeter, they will always lose that positional battle.

Nowitzki has lived up to the hype in the regular season and his career numbers have been even better in the playoffs, as he has averaged 25. 6 points and 11 rebounds, while shooting 46 percent from the field.

But despite those impressive numbers it's hard to explain the Mavericks' inability to get over the postseason hump, and popular opinion around the NBA says Nowitzki will have another great season in 2010-11 and Dallas will lose again in the playoffs.

With Nowitzki, the conversation has shifted to questions about his heart and desire because it's almost impossible to argue with anything he has done on the court.

The Mavericks once again have one of the league's most talented and complete rosters, and on paper they look like a good bet to make a deep run into the postseason.

They have size in players like Brendan Haywood and Tyson Chandler, and they have plenty of athleticism and defensive talent in Caron Butler and Shawn Marion.

Although Jason Kidd is past his prime he remains one of the NBA's better point guards, and Dallas has one of the league's most explosive sixth men in Jason Terry.

Of course, Nowitzki is the superstar that brings it all together, except if last year's postseason was an omen of things to come there was little inspiration to be found.

Nowitzki had another excellent postseason averaging 26 points per game while shooting 54 percent from the field, and 57 percent from the three point line, yet the Mavericks failed to advance past the first round.

It has become somewhat of a cruel joke when Dallas is installed as a contender for the West because no one outside of die-hard Mavericks' fans really expects them to win.

Nowitzki to his credit has been a class act, and even though he has opportunities to leave, Nowitzki has proved that he is a Maverick for the duration of his career, for better or worse.

It's more than likely going to be worse but that should not diminish what Nowitzki has brought to the game of basketball in general, and the Mavericks' franchise in particular.

I'm not sure if Nowitzki can ever escape the company of great players who have never won a championship like Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, or John Stockton.

But Nowitzki's career numbers certainly suggest that he deserves to be mentioned in the same "great" breath with those three players, whether he ever wins a ring or not.