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Dirk Nowitzki
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====Difficult start (1998–1999)==== Projected to be the seventh pick in the [[1998 NBA draft]], Nowitzki passed up many college offers and went directly into the NBA as a [[prep-to-pro]] player.<ref name=Sauer47>Sauer, 47</ref> The [[Milwaukee Bucks]] selected Nowitzki with the ninth pick in the draft and traded him to the [[Dallas Mavericks]] in a multi-team deal; future star point guard [[Steve Nash]] came to Dallas in the same trade.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thecomeback.com/freezingcoldtakes/nba/1998-nba-draft-flashback-bucks-trade-dirk-to-mavs-for-tractor-traylor-mavs-also-trade-for-steve-nash-many-takes-ensue.html|title=1998 NBA Draft Flashback: Bucks trade Dirk to Mavs for Tractor Traylor, Mavs also trade for Steve Nash, many takes ensue|date=January 5, 2017|access-date=January 26, 2019|archive-date=February 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190205003620/http://thecomeback.com/freezingcoldtakes/nba/1998-nba-draft-flashback-bucks-trade-dirk-to-mavs-for-tractor-traylor-mavs-also-trade-for-steve-nash-many-takes-ensue.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Nowitzki and Nash quickly became close friends.<ref name=Sauer4951>Sauer, 49–51</ref> Nowitzki became only the fourth German player in NBA history, following [[Center (basketball)|pivots]] [[Uwe Blab]] and [[Christian Welp]] and All-Star [[swingman]] [[Detlef Schrempf]], who was a 35-year-old veteran of the [[Seattle SuperSonics]] when his young compatriot arrived. Nowitzki finished his DJK career as the only Würzburg player to have ever made the NBA.<ref>[http://www.djk-wuerzburg-basketball.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=85&Itemid=152 DJK Basketball: Wir über uns] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071124003957/http://www.djk-wuerzburg-basketball.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=85&Itemid=152 |date=November 24, 2007 }}, djk-wuerzburg-basketball.de. Retrieved March 9, 2008</ref> Nowitzki was unable to continue to wear his No. 14 jersey with the Mavericks because [[Robert Pack (basketball)|Robert Pack]] was already wearing it, so he swapped the digits and wore No. 41 instead.<ref name=":0" /> In Dallas, Nowitzki joined a franchise which had last made the playoffs in 1990. [[Shooting guard]] [[Michael Finley]] captained the squad, supported by {{convert|7|ft|6|in|m|adj=on}} center [[Shawn Bradley]] (once a number two draft pick) and team scoring leader [[Cedric Ceballos]], an ex-Laker forward. The start of the season was delayed by the [[1998–99 NBA lockout]], which put the entire season in jeopardy. In limbo, Nowitzki returned to DJK Würzburg and played thirteen games before both sides worked out a late compromise deal that resulted in a shortened NBA schedule of only 50 games.<ref>Sauer, 54–59</ref> When the season finally started, Nowitzki struggled. Played as a [[Power forward (basketball)|power forward]] by coach [[Don Nelson]], the 20-year-old felt overpowered by the more athletic NBA forwards, was intimidated by the expectations as a number nine pick, and played bad defense; hecklers taunted him as "Irk Nowitzki", omitting the "D" which stands for "defense" in basketball slang.<ref>Sauer, 59–65</ref> He only averaged 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 20.4 minutes of playing time.<ref name=stats>[https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nowitdi01.html Dirk Nowitzki Statistics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010113540/https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nowitdi01.html |date=October 10, 2021 }}, Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved January 6, 2008</ref> Looking back, Nowitzki said: "I was so frustrated I even contemplated going back to Germany.{{nbsp}}... [the jump from Second Bundesliga to the NBA] was like jumping out of an airplane hoping the parachute would somehow open." The Mavericks only won 19 of their 50 games and missed the playoffs.<ref>Sauer, 67</ref>
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