Training Camp Report: Day 20 - Mavs move forward after Dirk's surgery, travel to ATL without Kaman
Training Camp Report: Day 20 - Mavs move forward after Dirk's surgery, travel to ATL without Kaman
DALLAS – Since 11-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki began experiencing swelling around his right knee due to an effusion injury, it was always a possibility that the Dallas Mavericks could be without their superstar for a short stint during the regular season.
Friday, that possibility became a reality.
The Mavericks, who are 2-2 this preseason while playing without Nowitzki for each of the last three exhibition matchups, announced Friday afternoon that the 2007 NBA MVP and 2011 Finals MVP underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on the knee earlier in the day. The end result is that the 7-footer will be out of commission for at least six weeks, with that being the approximate wait time for No. 41 to return to on-the-court basketball activities.
“It’s a great challenge for us,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said of the injury to his go-to player. “We’ve just gotta dig in and meet it. And there’s opportunity in it as well, so we’ve gotta have a lot of guys step up.
“They’re saying six weeks estimate, so we’ve gotta really buckle down,” he added. “And six weeks is a long time, and a week and a half of it is still non-season time, so that’s a bit of a plus. But, you know, NBA games are hard, and we’re gonna have to have everyone ready to play. Simple as that.”
With Nowitzki already sidelined, it was originally believed the Mavericks would immediately roll with the frontline of new additions Elton Brand and Chris Kaman as the starters, as has been the case for each of the past three preseason games. But, with Carlisle admittedly not finding the desired success with that combination, the lengthy absence of Nowitzki could lead the coach to going in a different direction during the remaining four exhibition games before the season opener in Los Angeles against the Lakers on Oct. 30.
Meanwhile, the Mavs will be without Kaman as well for at least one preseason contest after he remained in Dallas as the team traveled to Atlanta for Saturday’s contest against the Hawks. Since battling a sprained lower back suffered on Day 1 of training camp, Kaman has returned, played and started all four of the Mavericks’ preseason games to this point. But, after being held out of practice on both Thursday and Friday with a strained right calf, Kaman will join Nowitzki on the mend as head athletic trainer Casey Smith stays behind to treat the two big men.
Still, the Mavericks began their Nowitzki-less period thinking positively while welcoming fourth-year guard Rodrigue Beaubois back after the cat-quick guard made it through his second straight day of full-contact practice.
Beaubois hasn’t played since spraining his left ankle in the preseason opener on Oct. 6. And with Nowitzki likely sidelined for at least 13 regular season games, Carlisle and his veterans admit that the Mavericks will need as much help as possible – both now and down the road – from all able-bodied players.
“Well, we’ve been preparing for this possibility and it’s never going to be easy to lose a game-changer for six weeks. So, we know that, but we’re gonna have to make up for it in other areas. We’re gonna have to play with grit and guts, and we’re gonna have to raise our level of efficiency in all areas. We’re gonna be smallish a lot and we’re gonna have to make that work for us,” the coach concluded.
“Nobody’s giving us a chance with or without [Nowitzki],” eight-time All-Star Vince Carter added. “So, for us, we’ve just gotta go out here and play basketball and let the chips fall as they may, in my opinion. … It’s the way it goes. That’s just basketball. If your star goes down, it’s important and it’s an opportunity for people like Jae Crowder, people like Brandan Wright to gain some more playing experience, so when he comes back they’re more of an asset, ‘cause you have another weapon and they’re feeling comfortable within the flow of the offense. I still think we’re still in the learning process of everybody understanding what Coach [Carlisle] wants from us anyway, so this is gonna actually help.”
Note: The Mavericks will now return to action Saturday night in a road exhibition showdown against the Atlanta Hawks. The game will air on TXA 21 at 6 p.m. CT.
