NEW ORLEANS — Dirk Nowitzki will sit out for at least four games for the Dallas Mavericks so the star forward can get in better game shape while strengthening his sore right knee.
"We just thought it was a good decision for everybody. I'm not happy right now anyway, so the guys are better off when I'm not out there," Nowitzki said. "This gives me time to really do some of the stuff that I couldn't do when my knee was bothering me the last couple weeks. I couldn't lift and run and do the things I needed to do."
Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said he and the Mavericks' training staff decided Nowitzki needed "an uninterrupted eight days of work to resolve some physical issues and conditioning issues," adding that Nowitzki had "no choice" in the matter.
"He's going to be busting his (behind) this week. We're going to be on him hard," Carlisle added.
Saturday, Lamar Odom scored 16 points in his first start as the Mavericks overcame the absence of Nowitzki by beating New Orleans 83-81.
Nowitzki said that playing in the Olympic qualifying tournament in late summer was, in retrospect, the wrong decision. But, he said it was a decision he made for the love of his country. He said the combination of the long championship run and the Olympic tournament burned him out -- "I was so fed up with basketball, I couldn’t see it, I couldn’t smell it, couldn’t go in the gym" -- and then uncertainty of the lockout further skewed his normal training schedule. Now, he said, he's paying the price.
"You saw it, I couldn’t go by anybody off the dribble and that’s part of my game; right now is just basically a pop-up shooter every time I caught it and if I didn’t have it [a shot] I had to swing it because I just couldn’t make a move, couldn’t go by anybody and just didn’t feel comfortable," Nowitzki said. "So, that’s something I have to work on this week, again, is putting the ball on the floor and really getting confidence in my leg strength and getting that back and then I’ll be back to my old self."
He continued: "I already worked out this morning. I’m going to work hard this week. The knee definitely feels better than it did two or three weeks ago, but by me continuously playing on it I guess it wasn’t getting better quick enough, so it’s better for me to take this week and really work hard and lift every other day and really get my leg strength. I’m looking forward to it."
Nowitzki averaged 17.5 points and 5.4 rebounds through the first16 games, good enough to lead the team in scoring and rank third in rebounding, but well off his career averages.
He added that he heads into this week of work away from the game floor with a little extra motivation. Nowitzki said that he's been reading that some are suggesting that at 33 and fresh off an NBA Finals MVP, he could be on the cusp of wearing down.
"We just thought it was a good decision for everybody. I'm not happy right now anyway, so the guys are better off when I'm not out there," Nowitzki said. "This gives me time to really do some of the stuff that I couldn't do when my knee was bothering me the last couple weeks. I couldn't lift and run and do the things I needed to do."
Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said he and the Mavericks' training staff decided Nowitzki needed "an uninterrupted eight days of work to resolve some physical issues and conditioning issues," adding that Nowitzki had "no choice" in the matter.
"He's going to be busting his (behind) this week. We're going to be on him hard," Carlisle added.
Saturday, Lamar Odom scored 16 points in his first start as the Mavericks overcame the absence of Nowitzki by beating New Orleans 83-81.
Nowitzki said that playing in the Olympic qualifying tournament in late summer was, in retrospect, the wrong decision. But, he said it was a decision he made for the love of his country. He said the combination of the long championship run and the Olympic tournament burned him out -- "I was so fed up with basketball, I couldn’t see it, I couldn’t smell it, couldn’t go in the gym" -- and then uncertainty of the lockout further skewed his normal training schedule. Now, he said, he's paying the price.
"You saw it, I couldn’t go by anybody off the dribble and that’s part of my game; right now is just basically a pop-up shooter every time I caught it and if I didn’t have it [a shot] I had to swing it because I just couldn’t make a move, couldn’t go by anybody and just didn’t feel comfortable," Nowitzki said. "So, that’s something I have to work on this week, again, is putting the ball on the floor and really getting confidence in my leg strength and getting that back and then I’ll be back to my old self."
He continued: "I already worked out this morning. I’m going to work hard this week. The knee definitely feels better than it did two or three weeks ago, but by me continuously playing on it I guess it wasn’t getting better quick enough, so it’s better for me to take this week and really work hard and lift every other day and really get my leg strength. I’m looking forward to it."
Nowitzki averaged 17.5 points and 5.4 rebounds through the first16 games, good enough to lead the team in scoring and rank third in rebounding, but well off his career averages.
He added that he heads into this week of work away from the game floor with a little extra motivation. Nowitzki said that he's been reading that some are suggesting that at 33 and fresh off an NBA Finals MVP, he could be on the cusp of wearing down.
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