Mavericks Notes - Nowitzki gets good news

[kriD]

Mavericks Notes

Nowitzki gets good news

By Art Garcia
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DALLAS - Dirk Nowitzki suited up Monday night.

But instead of a green retro uniform, Nowitzki sported a dark blue number, according to rumor his only suit, and mock black turtleneck. Nowitzki decked out in something other than baggy jeans and T-shirt might have been a bigger surprise than the results of his MRI exam.

The Mavericks' lone All-Star has a bruised left knee and could be back in action Thursday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

"I'm feeling better, and the swelling went down," Nowitzki said. "I'm hopeful for Thursday."

The good news about Nowitzki was tempered by the loss of Jerry Stackhouse, who re-injured his right groin and could be out for an extended stretch. Stackhouse had returned Wednesday after a seven-game absence.

Coach Don Nelson and owner Mark Cuban, among others, told Stackhouse to take all the time he needs.

"It's a matter of waiting until I'm feeling better, and then take some more time," Stackhouse said. "The strength of this team is our depth."

Michael Finley (calf contusion) could join Nowitzki back in the lineup this week. Finley has missed the past three games.

Nowitzki's knee began to swell after Friday's loss at the Los Angeles Lakers. He didn't play Sunday in Houston.

"I wasn't real concerned," Nelson said. "[The injury] is on an area that's normally a bruise."

Nowitzki hoped to play against Toronto but decided not to after testing the knee during pregame shootaround.

"You can't replace Dirk," Cuban said. "It's crazy the way all these injuries are hitting us. Hopefully, we've got ours out of the way and everyone else has theirs before the playoffs."

The regular season ends April 20.

"All I've ever cared about is being healthy come the playoffs," Cuban said.

Nelson to miss games

Don Nelson will miss at least three games starting Thursday to be at the side of his wife, Joy, who is scheduled to have non-cancer related surgery Wednesday. The Mavs coach missed two games three seasons ago as she recovered from surgery for breast cancer.

In addition to the game against the Lakers, Nelson will skip the two-game road trip that begins Friday in Milwaukee. Avery Johnson will fill in.
(...)

[Pongo]

well, it's not good to hear about those surgeries, but i really like avery as headcoach

[MavsFanFinley]

The article has been updated...

Injuries still concern Mavs

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

The Mavericks got good news about Dirk Nowitzki's left knee, but the rash of injuries continues to mount elsewhere on the team.

An MRI on Monday revealed no serious damage to the knee Nowitzki injured Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers. He missed his second consecutive game, sitting out Monday's meeting with Toronto after he took some jump shots beforehand and did not feel well enough to play.

"I'm feeling better," Nowitzki said. "The swelling went down, and I'm hopeful for [playing] Thursday."

The Lakers visit Thursday, and everybody in the organization heaved a sigh of relief that Nowitzki's injury is not serious.

"We want to make sure everybody gets healthy before they play again," coach Don Nelson said. "Maintaining our position right now is the most important thing, staying at No. 4 [in the Western Conference]. We're still vulnerable there. But I think when we get a full squad, we'll be able to get back to a high winning percentage.

"With the two days off, we should have both Dirk and Mike [Finley] back for the next game."

Finley has missed three games with a left calf contusion.

Not all the news was good, however. Jerry Stackhouse re-injured his strained right groin muscle and was ruled out for an indefinite amount of time. Stackhouse missed eight games in February with the same injury.

Said Stackhouse: "It's hard to know when to come back, especially when it starts feeling OK and I get itchy to come back. But this time, we're going to wait until it gets right, then we'll wait some more."

Nelson said the main concern with the sixth man is that he's healthy by next month, when the playoffs start.

More bad news:

The medical report continues to get longer with coach Don Nelson's wife, Joy, the latest addition.

She will undergo non-cancer-related surgery Wednesday, which will require Nelson to miss the weekend trip to Milwaukee and Minnesota and possibly Thursday's game against the Lakers at AAC.

Joy Nelson is a breast cancer survivor.

Retirement ceremony:

Assistant coach Avery Johnson was in San Antonio on Sunday evening for the retirement of Sean Elliott 's jersey.

The former Spurs who helped win a title in 1999 were together again for what Johnson called a special evening.

"A lot of guys struggle to play healthy," Johnson said. "To know that the guy was playing with a failing kidney during that season ... I always saw him behind this curtain. I always thought the doctor was working on his knee or his back. But actually they were always seeing what was up with his kidney. We never knew it.

"To know how much I screamed at the guy, I wouldn't have screamed that much if I'd known."

Johnson said Elliott never let on that he had a kidney ailment that eventually required transplant surgery.

"He didn't want to be treated special," Johnson said. "And he didn't want to be a distraction to the team. That's what I call putting the team first."

Johnson could be next in line to have his number retired by the Spurs.

It's a physical game:

Referee Jim Clark, considered one of the best in the business, hit the deck with 7:08 to go in the second quarter.

Clark was backpedaling when he ran into Toronto's Rafer Alston. Clark was prone for several minutes before leaving the court under his own power. He returned with about three minutes left in the half.

[V2M]

Let Dirk get as much rest as needed to completely recover from whatever's ailing him. For all the minutes he played this year and for all the beatings he took, it may be more important for us that he comes back healthy and rested for the playoffs than us getting HCA in 1st round. Although, with the problems that Sacramento's having and the schedule that Houston's got and the fact that KVH is playing well, we may not even need to worry about losing the HCA.

I say, getting Damp, Dirk, Fin and Stack healthy should be the most important task in these remaining 5-6 weeks before playoffs. It'll also enable some much needed PT for Daniels, Terry, KVH, Harris, Bradley, etc., which could also prove to be very crucial come playoffs.