DALLAS – The Dallas Mavericks were hopeful that superstar forward Dirk Nowitzki would be able to able to play in one of the team’s two games next week in the month of November.
But that apparently isn’t going to happen.
“Hopefully somewhere in December I’ll be ready and the body will respond the right way,” Nowitzki said prior to the Mavs’ 119-113 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night at American Airlines Center. “It’s been tough watching this long, but at least the guys have been playing well.
“We’ve been winning some games. That eases the pain a little bit.”
Nowitzki underwent left ankle surgery on Apr. 5 and has yet to play in a game this season. The 40-year old recently went through some workouts with his teammates and some interns, but the ankle isn’t where he wants it to be before he steps onto the court in a game.
“We’re heading the right direction,” Nowitzki said. “It’s just hard when I haven’t done much for eight weeks and there’s a 40-year-old basically starting from scratch to try to get back in shape to play NBA minutes is hard.
“It’s been a grind. But we’re going to keep working. I started running probably about two weeks ago, started slow on the treadmill and stepped it up ever since.”
Nowitzki doesn’t want to do something silly and rush back onto the court and have a relapse and have to sit out again. That’s why he wants to be cautious before returning to the game.
“The reason why we’re taking it so slow now is once I get out there I want to finish the rest of the season healthy,” Nowitzki said. “I don’t want to come back too soon now and then have setbacks again like I did with the Achilles a few years ago when I came back a little too soon, and the next thing you know I missed another few weeks.
“I want to make sure that once I’m all the way back that I’m healthy and I can play, hopefully at a high level for a couple of months.”
A few scrimmages here and there have helped Nowitzki and the medical staff gauge where he truly is at this point, health-wise.
“I played in the staff game again today, which was big,” Nowitzki said. “Good competition. I played with the interns.
“I wasn’t the best player out there yet. I’ve still got some work to do.”
The Mavs, of course, are closely monitoring their franchise player.
“He’s done better than expected,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s kind of gotten over the hump in terms of some of the soreness associated with re-training the tendon now that the ankle is moving a little differently, so he’s doing better all the time.”
The Mavs have gotten off to an 8-9 start without Nowitzki. They’ve won six of their last eight games since starting the season with a 2-7 record, which Nowitzki notes is a positive.
“The start was definitely tough to watch,” Nowitzki said. “There’s nothing really you can do but sit there and watch and not help.
“That’s tough, but at least we’re heading in the right direction.”
Of course, Nowitzki is anxious about getting back on the floor and competing with the world’s greatest players. It’s something he’s been doing for 20 years, so he’s anxious to return to the game that made him a household name.
“I’ve been antsy,” Nowitzki said. “I had the surgery in April and it’s been nothing but rehab and treadmills and underwater treadmills for a long, long time.
“I love to step out there soon and get the kick of competing, the crowd involved. It’s just something I miss, and once my career is over that’s for sure something I’ll miss — the kick, the rush, the adrenaline. I hope to get some of that and hopefully get some wins.”
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