Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, center, drives between Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen, left, and forward Zach Randolph in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

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By Mark Travis

I watched Interstellar the other day. It was one of the most aesthetically-pleasing movies I have ever seen, but the most endearing quality of the film was its ability to blend the perceptible, if incredibly convoluted, science with the obscure and cryptic nature of human emotions. Behind the celestial cosmic ambiance and the theoretical astral topography was something even less comprehensible than complex algorithms about solving gravity: Feelings.

Watching Dirk Nowitzki play basketball for 18 seasons has been a similar experience. His career has been a dramatic motion picture with a deeper purpose behind the incredible screenplay and visual effects.

Nowitzki is more than a player. He was a revolutionary concept and now a fabled legend, living proof of the philosophical change he sparked. He expanded the summit and range of the modern NBA offense, changing the equation and swapping the power pieces on the chessboard. He took the perception that big men were built to battle on the low block and turned it inside out. He posted up a few further feet back and used touch and skill to score at a more efficient rate than the behemoths who used brute and brawn to bully their way underneath the rim.

He was a derided pioneer, criticized for being soft and going against the seven-foot status quo. It didn't take long for Nowitzki to buck those connotations, but even though it seemed that Nowitzki had proven his worth in the league long enough to earn universal respect, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's recent comments prove that there are still some that doubt Nowitzki's place among the all-time greats. Abdul-Jabbar said Nowitzki was a "one-trick pony" who wasn't able to have a "dominant career" because he wasn't a two-way star.

It is inevitable that such unpopular opinions exist in a world full of basketball fans with differing perspectives, but for a Hall-of-Fame peer of Nowitzki's to essentially denounce Dirk's status as such was eye opening.

Modest as he is, Nowitzki was willing to concede that he was a "one-trick pony" in the sense that he was an offensive-minded player. But he, like any other rational basketball fan, found the idea that he wasn't a dominant player disturbing. It is tough to uncover the logic behind Abdul-Jabbar's comments, but regardless of his intentions, there is no set of peers that was so good that they would trivialize Nowitzki's status to such an ordinary level.

What Abdul-Jabbar gets right is that Nowitzki's defensive contributions are surprisingly lacking compared to other historical big man. Within his own generation, Nowitzki's defense has never been comparable to Tim Duncan or Kevin Garnett, two players who were anchors on that side of the floor and historically good on offense, too.

That said, Nowitzki was not the sieve he is perceived as today. His defense has slipped greatly in recent years, and if there is anything keeping Nowitzki from playing another five seasons, it is the athletic power forwards who give the Mavs headaches by attacking Nowitzki off the dribble. In his prime, though, Nowitzki was an average defender and OK on the glass, which was more than enough of a contribution on that side of the floor when he was scoring 25 points a game and flirting with 50/40/90 shooting splits on the other end on a yearly basis.

Nowitzki is as fearsome offensive an seven footer who has ever lived. His post game featured finesse and dexterity instead of strength and intimidation, and he found a way to make scoring in the post look easier than when a true giant like Shaq backed his way to the rim. He has such a herky jerky, idiosyncratic rhythm and gait and yet a flawless release and follow through, like a figure skater that slips all over the ice and then performs a perfect pirouette. When it came time to shoot the ball, Nowitzki was as elegant as he was efficient, and he was plenty of both.

Conceptually, Nowitzki defied convention and derived new offensive curriculum. He was the embryo for a distinct and dangerous version of big men. Now players with just an ounce of Nowitzki's skill are appreciating assets. He created a marketplace for a stretchy strain of power forwards and gave credence to a counter-intuitive brand of big men who don't live in the pricey real estate above the rim but instead thrive in the more volatile, more profitable property behind the arc.

Nowitzki came into the league with range, and his increasing reliance on the 3-point shot has only enhanced his longevity. The league's pick-and-roll obsession coincided serendipitously with Nowitzki's athletic decline, allowing his everlasting skill set to preserve his value several years past his prime. The fact that Nowitzki is still the axis that the Mavericks' high-powered offense resolves around is a testament to the game's most skilled scoring big man of all time. Nowitzki is shooting 40 percent from deep this season, and as he works on year 18, there is a good chance he earns his two-decade pin of service with the Mavericks. There might be a slight decline as his body erodes, but Dallas is still at its peak when Nowitzki is on the floor and its worst when he sits.

Although Nowitzki might not boast as complete a resume as fellow legendary bigs, his offensive esteem more than qualifies him for a place in the "greatest ever" discussion. He was as indefensible as any player of his era, not just because he was a fantastic player with incomparable talent, but because the scope of his contributions extended far beyond the line of sight.

Nowitzki is more than a basketball player; he is an idea. And ideas, like his patented fadeaway, cannot be guarded.

Mark Travis is a Sports Media major at Oklahoma State University and a graduate of Flour Bluff High School. He covers the NBA for Caller.com. You can reach him on Twitter @Mark_Travis and check out his other NBA musings at butthegameison.com.