All-Ringless All-Stars

Another promising season ended early for one of the NBA's biggest superstars, as Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks were upset by the 7th-seeded Spurs in six games.

While most wouldn't argue Nowitzki belongs among the elite tier occupied by LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade, he definitely is at the top of the 2nd tier along with players like Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, and Tim Duncan. What makes Dirk different is that he is such a unique talent - a 7-foot perimeter player that is virtually unguardable. Much like Kevin Garnett, he is one of the few players to revolutionize the NBA with his unprecedented skill-set.

However, despite leading Dallas to ten straight 50+ win seasons, Nowitzki remains without a ring. The question is does Dirk Nowitzki belong on the starting five of the greatest players to never win an NBA Championship?

The Candidates (no, not like "LOST")
Point guard: This is an unbelievably deep and talented group of Championship-less players. Most immediately think of Utah's John Stockton, who despite holding the all-time assists record by over 5,000 (15,806 total), never found himself in the winner's circle. Jason Kidd, arguably the most complete point guard of all-time, is without a ring as well. Two-time MVP Steve Nash, four-time scoring champ Allen Iverson (26.7 ppg career), and the revolutionary Pete Maravich also find themselves on the list.

Shooting guard: Nearly all of the great shooting guards in NBA history (Jordan, West, Bryant, etc.) have won multiple Championships. Even second-tier players like Joe Dumars, Ray Allen, and Earl Monroe won at least one title. Headlining the list is George Gervin. The Iceman had a deadly finger roll which he used to become one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, averaging over 27 ppg from 1977-82. Other ring-less SGs include Reggie Miller, who was never surrounded by a Championship-caliber supporting cast in his 18 seasons in Indiana. Dave Bing was waived by Washington months before their only Championship in 1978. After jumping from the ABA, Hall-of-Famer David Thompson spent his career with mediocre Denver and Seattle teams.

Small forward: Knowing that Elgin Baylor spent his entire Hall-of-Fame career with the Lakers, most people probably assume that he's won multiple NBA Championships - that unfortunately is not the case. Baylor went an astonishing 0-for-8 in his NBA Finals appearances, seven of those setbacks coming to Bill Russell's Boston Celtics. One of the more underrated players in NBA history, Dominique Wilkins never got a chance to play in the NBA Finals. However, he was one of the best players in the NBA from the mid-1980's to mid-90's, and is ninth on the league's all-time scoring list. Original Dream Teamer Chris Mullin also went his entire career without a title, despite playing with the memorable Run TMC trio (with Mitch Richmond and Tim Hardaway) during his prime in Golden State. Bernard King's potential was derailed by a crushing knee injury in the middle of his prime, and Grant Hill never got a great opportunity due to injury issues of his own.

Power forward: Like the point guard spot, this is another list of fantastic players. Karl Malone, the NBA's 2nd leading all-time scorer, never won a Championship. Neither did Charles Barkley, who at just 6'6, did things at the forward position that were unprecedented. This is also where you would categorize Dirk Nowitzki, and even a guy like Shawn Kemp warrants a mention.

Center: There's Patrick Ewing, and then there's everybody else. This is one of the few no-brainers on the list, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Knicks-homer. Bob Lanier is one of the only other Hall-of-Famers on this list, and like Ewing, rarely had a strong supporting cast. Lanier played on some contending Bucks' teams in the early 80's, but at that point was in the twilight of his career. Artis Gilmore would make this list, but he spent most of his early years in the ABA (where he did win a championship with the Kentucky Colonels in 1975).

The Starting Five
PG Jason Kidd
This is just a personal preference and you could put just about anybody here. Kidd was a five-time All-NBA First Team selection, and made the All-Defensive Team nine times. He also made the NBA Finals twice (with the Nets of all teams!), something that only John Stockton was able to match on the list. Though Kidd played on some great Nets' teams in the early 2000s, he never played alongside a player as great as Karl Malone. That's why he gets the nod over Stockton.

SG George Gervin
Nothing against Reggie, but he only made five All-Star Games, while Gervin won FOUR scoring titles. Gervin also matched Reggie's postseason heroics, averaging a whopping 27.9 ppg in 57 career NBA Playoff games.

SF Elgin Baylor
The 10-time All-NBA First Team selection is considered the greatest player to never win an NBA Championship, and it's a tough point to argue. Had his career not collided with Bill Russell's, he would've had a ring for every finger on one hand, if not more. No offense to 'Nique or Mullin, but this isn't even up for debate.

PF Charles Barkley
You can certainly argue Malone because of his numbers, but from a pure talent standpoint, I don't believe there's much debate that Barkley was the superior player. While Malone was an all-time great in his own right, I never felt that he was as dominant as Barkley was.

C Patrick Ewing
Because I'm a homer. Duh.