It seems that as ring-less NBA stars get older, they become more inclined to say "I don't need a title to validate my career."

So which NBA stars are going to have to validate their careers with accomplishments other than an NBA title? Let's speculate:

Steve Nash: This seems obvious at this point, as Nash captains a team full of players on the declineShaquille O'Neal, Grant Hill, Raja Bellwith only one other star player entering his primeAmare Stoudemire. Sadly, the two-time MVP's best shot at a title was probably in 2007, a quest that was quite literally derailed by Robert Horry broadsiding Nash into the scorer's table. It's hard to imagine a 34-year old point guard with a bad back quarterbacking the Suns aging roster to a title in the ultra-competitive Western Conference in 2008.

Dirk Nowitzki: Another former MVP whose best shot at a title has probably passed. The Mavs' disappointing defeat to the Miami Heat in the 2006 Finals is probably the closest Dirk will ever come to hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy. The Mavs have regressed in each of the two ensuing seasons, and with a roster with an average age of 30, don't expect them to get a lot better. Their probable starting lineup next year features four guys 30 or older, including the soon to be 30 year old Nowitzki. Dirk's only shot at getting a ring probably resides outside of Dallas.

Tracy McGrady: he might not even make it out of the first round in his career, much less make the Finals. McGrady has been plagued by injury prone sidekicks like Yao Ming and Grant Hill, a bad back, and offensively challenged teammates. At 28 years of age with a lot of mileage on the tires (2008-09 will be his 12th NBA season), there's no reason to believe McGrady is going to get any better, nor is there any reason to believe that a supporting cast of average players like Shane Battier, Rafer Alston, and Luis Scola will help McGrady make any serious title runs.

Jason Kidd: see Dirk Nowitzki.

Allen Iverson: It's a shame that one of the gutsiest players in NBA history might finish his career without a ring. This failure can probably be attributed to the total lack of quality big men Allen Iverson has played with in his career (a washed up Chris Webber and Dikembe Mutombo don't qualify as quality players). While he is still a quality player at 33, Iverson's team is poorly constructed and lacks the cap flexibility to make major changes (barring a Carmelo Anthony trade). We may be forced to remember The Answer for his otherworldly toughness and aversion to practice, rather than the titles he won.

Learn more about this author, Patrick Stevenson.
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