[EricaLubarsky]

Why Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki is not his normally pessimistic self these days
http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dal...these-days.ece

Dirk Nowitzki doesn’t always see the glass as half-empty.
Sometimes, he sees it as completely empty. OK, maybe he’s not that much of a pessimist. Let’s just say he is cautious with his optimism when analyzing any situation.
That means his attitude going into the Mavericks’ new season is proof that an old Dirk can learn new tricks. Or at least allow some good old-fashioned positive vibes to flow through his veins.
With the infusion of new players led by Tyson Chandler, Chandler Parsons and Jameer Nelson, Nowitzki seems genuinely upbeat about his 17th season.
“We got all the talent in the world,” the future Hall of Famer said. “We just got to make it work. The chemistry has got to be there. The top teams in the league are loaded and stacked. We have to work hard during the season and get the highest seed possible, and we’ll go from there.”
For Nowitzki to say the Mavericks have all the talent in the world is either a testament to the job management did this summer or a commentary on years past, when they clearly did not have anything close to all the talent in the world.
Nowitzki arrived for the first day of training camp Tuesday feeling invigorated and healthy. His right knee that required surgery two Octobers ago is pain-free, and he is coming off a 2013-14 season that showed him that he’s still got plenty of game.
He’s even putting his blossoming movie career in the rear-view to concentrate on the season. The documentary about his career that debuted last month in Germany will be released in the U.S. at some point.
But that’s not Nowitzki’s concern now.
At 36, he’s still got a few things he wants to accomplish on the court. And clearly he believes he has the team around him to do some damage.
“Just winning is all it’s really about when you get old,” he said. “When you’re young, making All-Star Games and stuff like that is fun. But once you get old it’s all about being on a winning team.
“Winning is the only thing that matters, so after the championship [in 2011], we had a couple down years. So yeah, we got a good group again this year. We should fit together pretty well. Just going for it and have some fun and win.”
Perhaps most importantly, Nowitzki said he doesn’t feel old. At least not all the time.
“It’s year 17,” he said. “But I still feel good. I had the knee thing a couple years ago where I was struggling, and I didn’t think it was going to get good again. But then last year showed me I can still play at a high level and compete, and it was fun again. We’ll look for more of the same this year. I signed on for three more years. Obviously, I’m looking to complete that contract in three years and then re-evaluate and see how the body is holding up. I’m looking forward to having three good years.”
The return of Chandler, who was the defensive anchor of the 2011 championship team, has everybody’s pulse racing around American Airlines Center. But Chandler said he knows he’s not the head of this snake.
“Absolutely, it’s still his team,” Chandler said of Nowitzki. “Until he hangs his jersey up as a Maverick, it’ll always be his team. I’m here to try to help him, try to make things easier on him, just like I did the first time around.”
Last season, Nowitzki was able to pare his playing time down slightly. He averaged 32.9 minutes per game in 80 games. This season, coach Rick Carlisle will try to shave another precious minute or two off Nowitzki’s workload.
Having an abundance of talent — warriors who will fight, as the saying goes — should help in that endeavor.
“I feel like we got better again,” Nowitzki said. “I think every summer, that should be the franchise’s goal. You never want to stay the same or take a step back, especially in my situation as you get older.
“You want to get better and want to compete like we did in 2011. But we all know how tough the West is. It’s going to be tough to break into the top four. The teams up there are loaded. Staying injury-free, that’s a big part. We’ll see where we end up after 82.”
That tempered enthusiasm is a little more like the glass-half-empty Nowitzki we’ve come to know.

On Twitter: @ESefko