Dirk Nowitzki: Why He Is the NBA's No. 1 Power Forward

We all saw Dirk Nowitzki prove himself during this season's playoffs. There were times where it looked as if he was unstoppable, even with quality defenders draped all over him. And for his efforts his Dallas Mavericks were given a championship trophy.

So what makes Dirk better than the other great power forwards in the league?

First of all, he can score from wherever he wants. He will hit the three if he feels like it, he's seven feet tall and he can also get in the post and take advantage of defenders on the low block. Give him the ball at the free throw area in a triple-threat position and it's practically two points. Oh yeah, and he doesn't really miss many free throws when it matters.

But we all know what I just said. We get it—he can score with the best of them.

Critics say that Dirk doesn't play any defense and can't rebound, even though he is a seven-footer.

Well, half of that statement is kind of right. He doesn't play a whole lot of defense. But most of the elite power forwards these days don't either—Amar'e Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Blake Griffin and Kevin Love are just a few examples. When he needs to, Dirk steps up his effort on the defensive end and does an OK job.

Luckily for him, he has the luxury of having Tyson Chandler behind him.

The notion that Dirk is a bad rebounder, however, is completely false and undeserved.

For his career, Dirk has averaged 8.4 rebounds. By the way, that is about the same as what LaMarcus Aldridge averaged this season. Nobody will tell you that L.A. is a bad rebounder.

Anyway, Dirk has averaged 10 rebounds twice, and has had consistently productive rebounding numbers. Also, keep in mind that Dirk is taking a lot of the shots on the offensive end, which doesn't allow him an opportunity for offensive rebounds.

So next time someone tells you that Dirk isn't the best power forward currently in the game, lead them to me. I'll explain it to them. Because he is.

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