The annual NBA.com general managers survey is out, and they're hit-and-miss when it comes to Dallas Maverick Dirk Nowitzki. Of the seven ballers picked as MVP contenders, ain't one of 'em named Dirk; instead, the GMs' early-season picks are, in order, LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Kevin Garnett, Dwyane Wade and Yao Ming -- yow, indeed, especially since Nowitzki is the reigning league MVP. But at least Dirk places on the list of players GM would pick to flesh out a new franchise: Of the five players listed, Dirk comes in at ... fifth, garnering a meager 3.7 percent of the vote (compared to LeBron's 59.3 percent.)

Dirk also places at the bottom of the list of the six top players who force opposing coaches to make the most adjustments, coming in after Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal. But he is the third best power forward in the league, behind Duncan and Garnett, so at least he's got that going for him, which is nice. --Robert Wilonsky

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