A Dirk Nowitzky conversation that probably never took place

An unusually bright and chipper Dirk Nowitzky glides into the Mavericks front office one day a couple of months ago, right before practice, plops into an oversized chair and announces to the staff:

"I wanted you folks to be the first to hear the news. I'm in love and I'm planning on getting married."

Mavericks: Gee, Dirk, that's great. Have we met her?

Dirk: No. She likes to keep a pretty low profile.

Mavericks: Well, tell us all about her.

Dirk: Her name is Cristal.

Mavericks: Yes, and ....?

Dirk: Taylor. Her name is Cristal Taylor.

Mavericks: Uh-huh.

Dirk: And, I might as well tell you, we decided to get married because she is pregnant.

Mavericks: Where is she from, Dirk?

Dirk: Some place called Beaumont, or maybe Missouri. I'm not sure.

Mavericks: And her family? Tell us about them. They must be real excited their daughter is marrying a famous NBA star.

Dirk: I haven't met her family yet. I really haven't met anyone that knows her. But, hey, she met my father, when he came over from Germany last month.

Mavericks: Will you hold on a minute, Dirk. (Into the intercom) Send one of our attorneys up here, pronto. (After attorney arrives). Shark, will you please let Dirk know about "community property."

Shark: Sure. Dirk, putting it as simply as I can, community property is anything you acquire after you become married. Should you be divorced, a good rule of thumb is that property would be split evenly. Now, that means if you are planning on getting married -- and, by the way -- are you, Dirk? (Dirk nods). Whoa, then. Well, the house on Strait Lane should be safe because you purchased that before you were married. But she would be entitled to one half of everything you acquire -- and that includes half of everything the team pays you in salary, bonuses, endorsements, etc. -- should the marriage not work out.

Mavericks: Now, Dirk, I'm sure this woman has the purest of hearts, but, golly, from what you've told us, I'm not convinced you know enough about her background. Now, I gotta tell ya, I'd be having this same conversation with you if you were the janitor who cleaned this office every night. But the fact that you are THE Dirk Nowitzky makes it even more imperative you check things out a little more before you make this leap.

Dirk: But I love her. I've never felt this way about any other woman in my entire life. She is my life.

Mavericks: We know, Dirk. We know. And I'm betting she is as pure as a mountain stream. But let's just be on the safe side, shall we? Shark, you know the name of a private dick that could very quietly, with the utmost discretion, check this out for our man Dirk, here.

Shark: Sure, I'll get right on it.

Dirk: I still don't think it's necessary.

Mavericks: And I'm sure you right, Dirk. But I really want to protect your best interests.

"It's pretty obvious that I'm going through a tough time in my personal life right now. Like I always have, I want to kind of keep my private life private."

The above quotation was all Dirk had to say earlier today in response to authorities appearing at his home Wednesday morning and arresting Cristal Taylor on warrants accusing her of theft and probation violation, the latter charge stemming from a probated sentence she received in Missouri on two counts of forgery and one of felony theft.

I may be in the minority here (I usually am), but my heart goes out to Dirk right now. His entire world has come crashing down around him. The woman he loved, he trusted, put his faith in, has apparently deceived him. The rest of the basketball world wants to know if this will be a distraction for him for the rest of the NBA playoffs. Get off it. There are a few more important things in life than basketball. Not many perhaps, but a few and among them are love, family and happiness. Dirk may feel he has lost all three. A couple of more losses to the Nuggets pale in comparison.