Is Dirk the next Karl Malone?

Much like you would expect in football, the defense is ahead of the offense right now. Part of the reason, Avery Johnson explained, is having more “physical guys.”

“Trenton, from the day he hit the court, our defense was better,” Johnson said. “Josh is competing more defensively. He’s staying in place more. Much more disciplined than he was. Dirk is competing there more in this training camp than he did last year.

“And the team is stronger. They’re giving me a hard time about the weight training, especially when Dirk’s little shot doesn’t fall. But they’re getting stronger.”

So how much has Nowitzki bulked up?

“He said ‘I’m Karl Malone,’” Johnson said, rolling his eyes. “He’ll never get there.”