DIRK NOWITZKI aka the GERMANATOR aka DEUTSCHE MARKS aka the DIGGLER...brings Mark CUBAN and BIG D a CHIP for the AGES

We are a 112 Days into the NBA LOCKOUT and it seems like the last NBS SEason was about 10 years ago unless you talk to one individual. That Individual is the DALLAS MAVERICKS 7' Shooting Power Forward of his native land GERMANY.....Dirk NOWITZKI.

NOWITZKI has to be enjoying the SUMMER and some of the SUMMER off and now the FALL Time when usually NBA Teams are in full swing is all of a sudden downtime as well.

DIRK didn't have the whole summer off as he did play in the FIBA Word Tourney with his native GERMANY aka DEUTSCHLAND to try to get them to qualify for the 2012 LONDON ENGLAND Summer Olympics.

But looking back on when DIRK was first a DALLAS MAVERICK it wasn't all a YELLOW BRICK Road sort of a speak. DIRK's Journey started on a GERMAN CLUB Team and didn't get noticed until the NIKE HOOP SUMMIT that brings the top US HS PLAYERS vs the Internationals best at 19 and under.

DIRK blew up in the game and there it was NBA Teams and NCAA Teams were vying for his services. Then on DRAFT Night 1998 the DALLAS MAVERICKS and Don NELSON and Son DONNIE NELSON had a trick under their sleeve. The MAVERICKS had the higher Pick and the BUCKS wanted ROBERT Tractor TRAYLOR at NINE so the MAVERICKS Help the BUCKS but the BUCKS in turn help the MAVERICKS and the PHOENIX SUNS.

The MAVERICKS select TRAYLOR at 6 and the BUCKS select DIRK at nine there is the Draft Day Deal and then the BUCKS also sen their 19th Pick Notre DAME'S Pat GARRITY to the MAVERICKS and the MAVS have GARRITY for about a hot minute and then send him to the PHOENIX SUNS for SUNS Back-up PG Steve NASH.

So the 1st year for DIRK was a season of learning the 1998-99 Season. The BLUEDUDE comes into play the 2nd Season working in the MAVERICKS Organization in MARKETING for the 1999-2000 Season. I remember vividly the struggles of DIRK night in and night out. One he is playing in the best BASKETBALL LEAGUE in the World and two he is also getting acclimated to the United States.

Imagine you being 19 years old and you have a little bit of game and you have to see these PLAYERS at forward and they were a little older than you.....SHEED in PORTLAND, the BIG TICKET in 10k LAKES, SHAQ in the LAKESHOW, and DUNC in San Antonio. That right there might have had a lot of guys getting One-Way Airfare back to GERMANY but to DIRK'S Credit he worked.

The MAVERICKS Roster in 1999-2000 in which the BLUEDUDE used to help on NBA TEAM UP Day and other MAVERICKS Functions:

G Robert PACK USC
G Erick STRICKLAND Nebraska
G Steve NASH Santa CLARA
G Hubert DAVIS UNC
G/F Michael FINLEY WISCONSIN

F DIRK NOWITZKI DJK WURZBURG
F Sean ROOKS Arizona
F Cedric CEBALLOS Cal ST FULLERTON
F Gary TRENT OHIO University the SHAQ of the MAC
C Shawn BRADLEY BYU


Te Coaching Staff was headed by NELLIE Don NELSON with guys like Charlie PARKER, Ro BLACKMAN, KI KI Van DE WEGHE, Derek HARPER, Brad DAVIS, and NELLIE'S Son DONNIE NELSON.

The STABILITY to DIRK and the MAVERICKS was after the BLUEDUDE left in April 2000 when a DALLAS TX Billionaire bought the MAVS after being MAVS Season Ticket Holder for a few years.

Enter MARK CUBAN and Broadcast.com after he sold that to YAHOO for a cool $6 BILLION. CUBE bought the team from Ross PEROT JR....another reason why the BLUEDUDE had to get out of town....for $280 after PEROT JR bought them for $140 million. ROSS never cared about the ORGANIZATION but only his cash. The BLUEDUDE could right for 100 Years on what is a GOOD PROFESSIONAL SPORTS OUTFIT to an Horrendous One.

Back to DIRKilicious...DIRK NOWITZKI...he started to come around right after the New Owner mark CUBAN Stared to make the necessary FACILITIES and AIRPLANE Upgrades that the Winning NBA Teams have.

NOTE: When the BLUEDUDE was employed fro 1999-2000 Season in BIG D...the AMERICAN AIRLINES Center was being built and about a year or two away from the MAVS moving into their new house.

But DIRK had 2 Comfort Zones he started to flourish under....Steve NASH, who to this day is his BEST FRIEND, and MICHAEL FINLEY. FINdawg, is what they call him, carried the MAVS through all their tough times and all the way up to when the MAVS and DIRK started to be relevant in the league.

Fast Forward to a few years later when FINdawg was in San Antonio playing for the SPURS and NASH was back in the DESERT with the SUNS winning not one MVP trophy's but two....DIRK started to get it.

The First run to the NBA Finals in the 2006-07 season with this Roster:

F Dirk NOWITZKI
G/F Jerry STACKHOUSE UNC
G Jason TERRY ARIZONA
G Devin HARRIS WISCONSON
G Anthony JOHNSON College of CHARLESTON

F Austin CROSHERE PROVIDENCE
F Devin GEORGE AUGSBURG College
F Josh HOWARD WAKE FOREST
C Erick DAMPIER
C Desasgan DIOP Oak Hill Academy
G jose BEREA NORTHEASTERN

That team was suppose to win that CHIP 1st and they were up 2-0 only fir the CITY of DALLAS to plan the PARADE Route prematurely and they INFO got back to the HEAT and SHAQFU and WADE COUNTY......and you will no longer need that PARADE.

That might have been the single most devastating thing to HAPPEN to DIRK and that's exactly what DROVE him to get the 2010-11 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP. See the GREAT Ones don't give up and don't blame others for FAILURES...they use it as Kelly ROWLAND PLEASE.......MOTIVATION.

No to mention DIRK getting the NBA MVP Trophy the next season as the #1 Seed Dallas was and to get beat in ROUND 1 and he being the 1st NBA MVP to get the trophy not during a GAME. FAILURE....MOTIVATION......and MOTIVATION.......to never FAIL again.

Then you say to yourself where will DIRK rank among the NBA's BEST. Don't move so fast. they have to the BLUEDUDE's Knowledge an even better squad in 2011-12 if the season can get going with the addition of the SPANIARD Rudy FERNANDEZ and a healthy Caron BUTLER, who is the MAVS 2nd best player behind DIRK.

I know this much...from a DALLAS Professional Sports Lore.....DIRK will be synonymous with the MAVS Basketball Club and DALLAS period. But more importantly the COUNTRY of GERMANY. He was carrying the CITY of BIG D and the WHOLE Country of DEUTSCHLAND past the favored MIAMI HEAT with their BIG 3....and outplayed them all to get that chip.

So from the BLUEDUDE's Experience of having seen the DIGGLER up close when he was an NBA BABY...to now.....was really special for me. And it also taught me one thing from judging NBA TALENT. You must stay patient...and sometimes stick with something even though at the TIME it might not be in the Club's Best Interest but if you are in the position to make that call....you have to let things marinate a little bit. And to Donnie NELSON, the MAVERICKS President, he made the decision a long time ago that @Swish41 was going to be the GUY DALLAS and Mark CUBAN build around.

That was the CALL for the AGES.......it would only be fitting for there to be an NBA SEASON....so the MAVS can HOIST that BANNER and get that Special Design Whatever CUBAN had in mind on their fingers, waist, walls, MANCAVES, or wrists......LOL

GO MAVS.....and DIRK will always be a WORLD CHAMP CHIP or NO CHIP...and everyone in BIG D and DEUTHSCLAND.....put 'em up