Personal drama doesn't tarnish Dirk's reputation

Published May 8, 2009 at 4:57 p.m.

I've had dozens of conversations with Dirk, but I don't know him very well. That's just the way he wants it.

As he said yesterday, Dirk prefers to keep his personal life private. Unfortunately for him, that's impossible for a celebrity to do when the woman he loves/loved is arrested at his home, adding to her extensive rap sheet.

It doesn't appear that Dirk has done anything wrong, except perhaps exhibiting a poor taste in women. Well, he's probably guilty of being gullible, too. But based on the facts we know, Dirk seems to be a victim in this case.

Dirk has definitely earned the benefit of the doubt during his 11 years in Dallas. He's developed into a superstar and has always been a model citizen, making time for many charitable causes. The closest he's ever come to off-court controversy came when he was photographed with PG/pal Steve Nash after having a beer or 10 soon after a Mavericks season ended. His mistake in that case was being nice enough to pose with the knucklehead who thought it was cool to put the pictures on the Internet.

While Dirk protects his privacy, he's not at all standoffish. In fact, he's an absolute pleasure to deal with from the perspective of the media that covers the Mavs on a regular basis. He consistently gives insightful answers instead of spouting the mindless cliches that come out of so many stars' mouths. He often cracks good-natured jokes at the expense of reporters he sees often, and he takes as much as he gives.

There's nothing funny about the personal issues that have recently popped up in Dirk's life and are dominating the news in Dallas. Dirk deserves sympathy from the public, not scorn or snark.

The bizarre glimpse into Dirk's personal life hasn't been pretty. It doesn't change the fact that the big German, by all accounts, is a genuine good guy.

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