Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki Out Six Weeks After Knee Surgery
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NBA via Dallas Mavericks(DALLAS) — Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Friday, and as a result, he will be out for about six weeks and will miss the start of the regular season.
Nowitzki had missed the team’s last three preseason games because of his knee, but had hoped to put off surgery until the end of the season. As the swelling and inflammation continued, the team determined it’d be best if the All-Star have the surgery now to avoid future complications.
“We’ve got to really buckle down,” Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said. “Six weeks is a long time. A week and a half of it is non-season time, so that’s a bit of a plus, but NBA games are hard and we’re going to have to have everybody ready to play. Simple as that.”
While it’s not the way he hoped to start his season, Nowitzki knows surgery was the right move.
“If it’s going to keep swelling up on me, that’s obviously not a way to go throughout and 82-game season and hopefully a long playoff run,” Nowitzki said.
The 34-year old Nowitzki is entering his 15th season in the NBA, all with the Mavericks.
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