Four years ago, Dirk Nowitzki was considered by a whole lot of people who make a living in and around professional basketball to be a player you simply couldn't count on. Couldn't hold a two-game lead when an NBA championship was within his reach in 2006. Couldn't, as the MVP and leader of the No. 1 seed, beat eighth-seeded Golden State the very next season. Dirk, the conclusion went, was a stereotypically soft European big man. Big talent, but no guts. Not tough enough. Not determined enough down the stretch. Would never break through against a team of ballers.



Now, of course, Dirk is on the verge of being a conquering hero, as if 2006 and 2007 didn't exist. Now, Dirk is clutch, a fourth-quarter stud, one of the best shooters ever, one of the all-time greats, a leader, a hard-rock who plays through injuries, a player whose determination is difficult to match, even a baller.



Probably, the rise and fall and rise again of Dirk Nowitzki's career ought to warn us off from rushing to judgment. It ought to serve as our great cautionary tale.



But it won't.



Because just as we collectively eat a huge plate of crow for judging Dirk wrongly, we're sprinting full speed to judge LeBron James in much the same way...