Category: Dallas Mavericks Blog

Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki put in a full practiced today after getting his swollen right knee drained.

Though he seemed more optimistic about the knee than he did during last week’s trip to Germany and Spain, he didn’t rule out the possibility that he’ll have to have arthroscopic surgery.

“We’ll see how it responds over the weekend,” Nowitzki said. “I’ll be all right, hopefully.”

“Hopefully” is probably not the prognosis Mavericks fans want to hear about the status of Dallas’ 15th-year, perennial All-Star. Nowitzki didn’t specify which day he had the knee drained, but said it’s the second time he’s had it drained in recent weeks. He said he also had it drained “a couple of times” last season.

— Reported by Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News

A swollen right knee kept Dirk Nowitzki out of the Dallas Mavericks’ 99-85 loss at FC Barcelona Regal on Tuesday, with Pete Mickeal and Juan Carlos Navarro each scoring 19 points for the 17-time Spanish champions.

After only leading by two points at halftime, Barcelona outscored the Mavericks 32-16 in the third quarter to open up an 18-point gap. Center Chris Kaman led the Mavericks with 15 points. Darren Collison was next with 14, and Elton Brand had 10.

Nowitzki was expected to play but was ruled out just before tip-off.

”Last year I dealt with (swelling in the knee),” Nowitzki said. ”We did treatment twice and the swelling didn’t come back. Hopefully it will respond next week and I can play through the year.”

— Reported by Joseph Wilson of the Associated Press

Mavericks’ guard Roddy Beaubois had to be helped off the court with 1:16 to go in the third quarter Saturday after injuring his left ankle.

Beaubois hit the floor and quickly grabbed his left ankle. He could not put any weight on his left foot as Maverick personnel on each side helped him limp off the court to the locker room.

The injury was diagnosed as a sprain, team officials said.

— Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News

Between appearances, interviews and a nighttime workout with his teammates, Dirk Nowitzki had time to fight through the jet lag and drop a noteworthy development into a conversation on one of the many bus rides he made Thursday.

The closer he gets to the end of his current contract in 2014, the more the Mavericks superstar expects to play beyond the upcoming two seasons. This is a bit of a change of heart for him. He’s always said he’ll weigh his options after his deal expires following the 2013-14 season.

Now, he sees extending his career as a more likely option.

“It’s kind of hard to plan longer than two years ahead when you’re 34,” he said. “But I definitely want to finish my contract strong, hopefully have a couple good years.

“So if it’s still fun and I feel well, then I’m more than happy to play longer.”

— Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News

The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have waived Tu Holloway and DJ Mbenga. Both Holloway and Mbenga were signed as free agents on September 27.

Holloway (6-0, 190) played collegiately at Xavier University and went undrafted in the 2012 NBA Draft. In his four years as a Musketeer, he played in 134 games and held career averages of 13.7 points, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals per contest. As a junior, Holloway was Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and earned Third Team All-America honors from the Associated Press while averaging 19.7 points and 5.4 assists a game.

Mbenga (7-0, 240) is native of Congo who was originally signed by Dallas as a rookie free agent on July 14, 2004 after playing with the Mavericks summer league squad. In his first stint with Dallas he saw action in 79 games averaging 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds. Mbenga was waived by Dallas on Oct. 30, 2007. Since his time in Dallas, Mbenga has played for Golden State, L.A. Lakers and New Orleans. He holds career averages of 1.8 points and 1.5 rebounds in 234 games (4 starts).

The Mavericks’ training camp roster now stands at 16 players.

The Mavericks just finished up their first preseason practice and the only bad news came when center Chris Kaman had to leave the workout, coach Rick Carlisle said.

“It was a really good practice,” Carlilse said. “We had one casualty. Kaman went out with a sprained lower back. Not considered serious. So we’ll see how he’s doing tonight and tomorrow and go from there.”

Kaman’s injury would not be considered anything more than a blip were it not for his recent history with physical problems. He missed 19 of 66 games last season and 50 of 82 in 2010-11 with various ailments, mostly knee troubles.

— Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have extended the contract of long time Dallas Mavericks team physician, Dr. T.O. Souryal.

Souryal, in his 20th season with the Mavericks, signed a five-year extension with the team. He also serves as the medical director at Texas Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Group and was recently named by US News and World Report as one of the top 1% of all orthopaedic surgeons in the country.

“I am grateful to Mark Cuban and the entire Mavericks organization for giving me this opportunity to work with such an elite organization,” Souryal said. “The cutting edge technology that we use with the Mavericks players is a benefit to all my patients.”