Dirk Nowitzki to Kelly Olynyk: “Don’t give me my own move”

During a Boston Celtics versus Dallas Mavericks game Kelly Olynyk (Ukranian version of Oiler) tried to make Dirk Nowitzki ’s signature move against the future Hall of Famer. Fail.

Afterwards Dirk said,

“That was cold-blooded, but it looked pretty good, and it almost went in. So I was a little fortunate there.”

What did he say to Olynyk after the play?

"I said, ‘Don’t give me my own move,'" Nowitzki said with a laugh.

For the record, according to ESPN stats,

Olynyk’s own signature move is the pump fake or jab step.

He loves selling “fake moves,” even when they’re not needed.

Besides his shooting abilities on the court, Olynyk doesn’t take his pre-game workouts lightly either, as he did his best Udonis Haslem look-alike imitation during an Indiana Pacers game after a botched shoot-around with Shavlik Randolph.

Besides the Kevin Love shoulder injury, Olynyk had an infamous spat with another Kelly, Kelly Oubre Jr., during an intense Celtics Washington Wizards game.

If you wonder where KO gets his hairstyle from, Sergio Ramos inspired him.

The legend of his tresses began when Olynyk was attending Gonzaga University. He lived with two soccer fans who got him watching European games. Olynyk noticed a Spanish player, Sergio Ramos, who sported long hair held back with a headband during matches. The college student was inspired.

“I saw Sergio Ramos’ hair and all these other European soccer players,” Olynyk explained. “They wore a little band and had it (their hair) behind their ears. I liked how it looked and I wanted to try it out, so I just started growing it. Part of it was because I’ve never gotten my hair cut in the USA. I always had it cut in Canada.”

Olynyk doesn’t have a specific reason for Canadian-only salon visits. It’s just something he does, part of his no-explanation-necessary mentality.

Originally from Toronto, Canada (Joel Anthony territory), Kelly competed against Stephen Curry, while Steph’s dad played for the Toronto Raptors,

Kelly, 26, was born in Toronto, Canada and grew up there before moving to Kamloops, British Columbia when he was in seventh grade. Interestingly, Kelly played with fellow future NBA star Cory Joseph on the competitive Scarborough Blues club team in the 1990s and 2000s. The team’s rival Toronto, starred another future NBA player — Steph Curry — and Kelly frequently played against him. He stayed in Canada to go to high school instead of going to a prep school or boarding school in the United States and was recognized by US college coaches when he played on provincial teams and on the Canadian junior national team. He played in the position of point guard, even though he was extremely tall for the position, growing from 6’3 to 6’10 in 11th grade.

SBnation’s Celtics blog forecasts KO could become the Heat’s version of a 7’ point guard.

Don’t be surprised if Erik Spoelstra finds a way to use him as a secondary playmaker from time to time, too. In addition to his exceptionally tight handle for a player his size, Olynyk has shown some solid passing chops during his brief career and should be able to carve out a nice role in Miami’s offense.

Envision Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters, James Johnson , Olynyk ALL bringing the rock up the court and creating their own shot off the dribble. Despite his height, Nowitzki doesn’t hang his hat as a center: ditto for Kelly. Casting him as a center just because of his height was a bad move in Boston. Per sports-reference.com.

15% PF, 85% C on court +/- gives +5.7
9% PF, 91% C on court +/1 gives -0.4

Olynyk is a Nowitzki 7 footer, not a Whiteside one. Matter-of-fact, he’s mediocre at center due to his limited athletic ability and skill set on defense. Advantage: Spoelstra.

His 4.1 WS stat adds to the expected wins for the Heat this season.

Between Olynyk, Waiters, J. Johnson, Hassan Whiteside, the Miami Heat will have as an entertaining and talented group of players, on and off the court, this season.