Dirk Nowitzki vs David West
I meant to say something about the David West - Dirk Nowitzki incident in the 1st game of the New Orleans - Dallas series, where David West touched Dirk on the face in a threatening manner.
Most people agree that Dirk should not allow this to happen and the least he could do would be to push West’s hand away from his face. Old school guys would have done more than that. Had that been Barkley, West would still be picking his teeth off the floor. Of course, there are others who think that Dirk did well to control his emotions and not risk a technical or an ejection. Well, an ejection to Dirk sure wouldn’t help the Mavs, but then neither does letting the Hornets know they are a bunch of pussies.
So here’s what I think. We all agree that Dirk’s been sleeping in a tub of fabric softener for way too long. That’s not to say he’s not a nice guy, but to win in the NBA sometimes you need a nasty side that he just doesn’t have. Avery Johnson should know that and should have had someone protect Dirk. Just like Oakley was Jordan’s bodyguard in Jordan’s first years in Chicago. And Dirk needs a bodyguard more than MJ did.
In the video, you can see Bass really close to Dirk and West. But the first to intervene are the refs. In fact, they are the ones taking West’s hand off Dirk’s face. Now, correct me if I’m wrong: Brandon Bass is a role player, and he’s pretty tall and athletic. If, say, Bass and West were ejected, that would hurt the Hornets more. So why the hell wasn’t Bass up in West’s grill ? Slap his hand away, give him a push, talk some crap to him, call his momma a cheap ho, whatever. Look to start something to get West (and probably yourself) ejected and help your team, or at least just have your teammate’s back. Instead you just stay there and watch ? WTF ?
One last thing: remember how Devean George cost Cuban an extra 11 million or so because of his refusal to be included in the trade ? Well, let’s just say that George could have been used to justify some of that amount. If he goes in and punks David West and gets suspended, I doubt the Mavs would be missing his 4 ppg and 25% FG much.
