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It's really disappointing to see King, of all columnists, fall into a lazy, overused (and untrue) argument about Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk clearly has many holes in his game, but "softness" isn't one of them.
This is a player who had several teeth knocked out during the first half of a playoff game several years ago, then came back in the second half and was fantastic.
This is a player who Don Nelson refused to let play in a crucial game seven a few years ago after a serious back injury. Dirk kept insisting he was ready to go and Nelson didn't believe it and didn't want to allow Dirk to ruin the rest of his career.
This is a "jump-shooting" forward who BECAME a 10-a-night rebounder in the NBA (he wasn't in Europe).
There may be a "mental softness" to Dirk's game. He does seem to have a capacity for making mistakes at crucial moments. But to label him "soft" implies that he can't take the rigors of the game, physically. I think there's no question he can, and is more than willing to fight through whatever physical pain he may be experiencing to get on the court and play.
C'mon, King. I love you. You can do better.
