ESPN.com is asking fans to vote on the best five for their respective franchises. The forward shots aren't particularly close, but the other three positions have interesting choices:
Point Guard
Options - Derek Harper, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash
My choice - Nash
Readers' choice: Nash (60%)
Neither Nash nor Kidd had their absolute best years in Dallas, but Nash was closer to his prime. Some still parrot Mark Cuban's angle that it was just as well that Nash left because of his defensive deficiencies and because he may never have improved his fitness in Dallas as he did in Phoenix. That isn't really material here anyway, as we're only talking about time in Dallas. And Nash was better in Dallas than Kidd.
Shooting Guard
Options - Rolando Blackman, Jim Jackson, Michael Finley
My choice - Blackman
Readers' choice - Finley (46%)
Finley and Blackman at their peaks were pretty comparable players, but Finley piled up his best numbers while the team was bad, while Blackman was still a supremely efficient player on a few excellent teams. He was a system player but a fine one.
Small Forward
Options - Mark Aguirre, Jamal Mashburn, Josh Howard
My choice - Aguirre
Readers' choice - Aguiire (69%)
Aguirre had some issues with coaches and had his desire questioned at times, but his scoring ability in Dallas rivaled Dirk Nowitzki's, and that's saying something.
Power Forward
Options - Sam Perkins, Popeye Jones, Dirk Nowitzki
My choice - Dirk
Readers' choice - Dirk (99%)
ESPN placing Roy Tarpley among fives makes this a laugher.
Center
Options - James Donaldson, Roy Tarpley, Shawn Bradley
My choice - Tarpley
Readers' choice - Tarpley (61%)
Bradley somehow more than doubles Donaldson's vote total, which is an injustice. Tarpley is one of the five most talented players in franchise history but is more a tragedy than anything else. Maybe Brendan Haywood will warrant inclusion in the top three soon.
The team I chose and the team readers collectively selected wouldn't play much defense, but then that's pretty much the history of this franchise, isn't it?
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