For anyone who thought retirement crossed Dirk Nowitzki’s mind while he deals with a strained right Achilles, the 38-year-old has a message for you.
LOL.
Achilles injuries suck. They are brutal, and tough to come back from. If you rupture your Achilles, as Wesley Matthews, Nowitzki’s teammate, did at the end of his 2014-15 campaign with the Portland Trail Blazers, you’re never the same.
Which is why Nowitzki’s strained right Achilles is something that cannot just be brushed aside. He has played just twice since Nov. 4, and after a brief return, he is back on the sidelines for an undisclosed period of time. This is harrowing stuff for a Dallas Mavericks squad that has no chance of being competitive without him.
Only, Nowitzki isn’t worried, just frustrated. He spoke following the Mavericks’ win over the Chicago Bulls and made it clear we haven’t heard the last from him, per Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com:
Dirk Nowitzki: "Just had a little setback. It's unfortunate." Dirk says he's day-to-day with his right Achilles strain.
— Earl K. Sneed (@EarlKSneed) December 4, 2016
Dirk Nowitzki: "At this stage of my career, I don't move well anyways." Says he wants to be 100 percent when he returns.
— Earl K. Sneed (@EarlKSneed) December 4, 2016
Dirk Nowitzki: "It's tough to watch, but I try to stay positive and try to keep a positive attitude with the guys on off days."
— Earl K. Sneed (@EarlKSneed) December 4, 2016
Dirk Nowitzki: "Hopefully I'll be back soon, and we can run off some wins. That's the only way I look at it."
— Earl K. Sneed (@EarlKSneed) December 4, 2016
Dirk Nowitzki: "This is obviously not a career-ending injury. Just been lingering, unfortunately. Hopefully I'll be back out there soon."
— Earl K. Sneed (@EarlKSneed) December 4, 2016
So this is good news. Basically.
It’s great to hear that Nowitzki’s Achilles injury, while persisting, isn’t a rupture or tear. That development, at his age, would almost surely be a career-ender.
Still, you can’t help but wonder when he’ll be back, and whether he’ll be close to the same player he was when he went down. He is, after all, 38 years old, and this injury is clearly severe enough to keep him out of action for an extensive period of time.
