Dirk Nowitzki Hoping to Avoid Knee Surgery

Dirk Nowitzki’s right knee is in rough shape, and the Dallas Mavericks superstar forward is doing everything he can to avoid going under the knife. It’s beginning to seem as though he’s only delaying the inevitable. Per the Dallas Morning News: “Swelling has returned to Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki’s right knee, diminishing his chances of avoiding arthroscopic surgery. After sitting out Monday night’s preseason victory over Houston, Nowitzki revealed why, telling about a dozen reporters assembled around his locker that the only glimmer of positive news is that the knee didn’t swell as much as it did during last week’s trip to Germany and Spain. Nowitzki, 34, said his goal is still to avoid surgery, but this latest setback clearly has him feeling less optimistic. ‘I’m doing everything I can, conservatively, not to have surgery,’ he said. ‘I guess that’s obvious, that I really don’t want it done now. If I want to do it, I would love to do it after the season, get through the season somehow. But the swelling came back three or four times now. That’s obviously not good news. If it’s going to keep swelling up on me, then that’s obviously not the way to go through an 82-game season and hopefully a long playoff run.’ Nowitzki said the plan is for him to stay off the court for the next few days. He will continue to do cardiovascular work in the swimming pool and on the elliptical machine and ice the knee. The hope is that the swelling will subside and he can avoid surgery.”