Prime Dirk + Luka Would've Equaled Jordan + Pippen, Cuban Says
DALLAS - We enjoyed the treat just as it happened, the passing of the torch from all-time great Dirk Nowitzki to his worthy successor in Luka Doncic, the two of them playing together during the 2018-19 Dallas Mavericks season.
But we cannot deny enjoying the contemplation of a Mark Cuban dream scenario.
“Oh my God,” Cuban said, via Gerard Borguet of FanSided, “We only got to see little glimpses when Dirk was at the end, which, could you imagine if they were both in their prime? Oh my goodness. That’s MJ and Scottie again.”
Cuban's praise is ... well, high. Was the now-retired Dirk ever on Michael Jordan's level? Nowitzki is one of the greatest NBA players of all time and for a period there from 2006 to 2011 was about as good as it gets.
But Dirk himself wouldn't dare make the argument that he was Michael Jordan's equal.
And is Luka the equivalent of Pippen? Completely different players, of course, but that's easier to buy, especially if we project Luka as a someday NBA MVP, as Dirk himself was.
But Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen teamed to lead the Chicago Bulls to six titles in the ’90s. ... (as we're all re-learning via "The Last Dance.'')
Would a Dirk-Luka combo - with both guys in their prime - have accomplished anything like that?
Maybe the best way to consider it is to plug Luka onto Dirk's teams in Dallas in the mid- to late-2000's. If a young Luka is at point guard for the 2006 Mavs in the NBA Finals against Miami, does Dallas win the series?
That's viable.
Do the 2011 win their title with Luka in the place of, say, Jason Kidd? Also viable.
And do the Dirk-Luka Mavs win more titles sandwiched in between those? The more we daydream, the more we start to see Cuban's point. Not six titles, no. But an even higher level of consistent contention? That seems very real.
As it is? We're fine with remembering the seven-foot German both as a virtually unstoppable force and as the guy who helped mentor Luka in that final season, averaging 7.3 points and 3.1 rebounds. And we're fine with remembering where Doncic started (winning Rookie of the Year by averaging 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.0 assists last season) ... and with contemplating the heights The Doncic Era might take us.
