Dirk Nowitzki Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Rumors: Lakers, Wolves, Dirk, Rockets

November 13th, 2012 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

We heard almost a month ago to the day that the Lakers had made Steve Blake and Chris Duhon available via trade, and that hasn't changed even with Steve Nash out, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). Mannix reports that the Lakers have continued to dangle the two point guards in trade talks, but, unsurprisingly, neither player is drawing much interest. Here are a few more updates out of the Western Conference:

With Chase Budinger officially out for about three months, the Timberwolves will likely move to add a wing, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Zgoda names Mickael Pietrus, Josh Howard, and Raja Bell as possibilities, though Pietrus is seeking more than Minnesota can offer and Bell is still a member of the Jazz.
Dirk Nowitzki's rehab on his surgically repaired knee isn't progressing quite as quickly as he'd anticipated, Nowitzki said on FOX Sports Southwest last night. Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News has the details.
Following up on yesterday's report that the Rockets would send their three rookies to the D-League, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle notes (via Twitter) that that's always been the case with Rockets rookies who aren't getting regular playing time.
SI.com's Ian Thomsen fields questions on the Lakers, DeMarcus Cousins, the Grizzlies, and a few other topics in his latest mailbag.

Western Notes: Eyenga, Harden, Green, Karl

October 23rd, 2012 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers liked Christian Eyenga, who they acquired last year from the Cavaliers, and after the third-year swingman was waived by the Magic earlier today, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports wondered (via Twitter) if Los Angeles could try to get him back. However, because Eyenga was traded by the Lakers to Orlando in August, L.A. is ineligible to either claim him off waivers or sign him before his contract expires next July, so Eyenga will have to find work elsewhere.

Here are a few more late-morning notes out of the Western Conference:

There's no question that the Suns would love to get a chance to sign James Harden and would likely make him an aggressive offer if he reaches restricted free agency, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. However, Coro wonders if it might be as futile an endeavor as Phoenix's pursuit of Eric Gordon was this past summer.
Having signed a three-year contract with the Spurs this summer, Danny Green is excited about having some security this season, says Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. "It’s very nice," Green said. "Obviously, it allows me to play a little bit more comfortably, to know that this organization is behind me and they want me here…. Even though I got that security, I’m still taking that time to approach the game like I did before without the contract."
Coby Karl hasn't officially been cut from the Trail Blazers' roster, but he's expecting that to happen soon, as he tells CSNNW.com.
Even with the Mavericks hopeful that Dirk Nowitzki could return from knee surgery by mid-November, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com wonders how the team's chemistry will be affected by his absence.
Agent Andrew Vye tells Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston that his client Royce White has a plan in place for traveling to games that everyone is on board with, "including the league, the union, the Rockets, and Royce and us."

Poll: Will Love Or Dirk Injury Have Bigger Impact?

October 19th, 2012 at 6:42pm CST by Sean Highkin

Earlier today, the Dallas Mavericks announced that Dirk Nowitzki had undergone arthroscopic knee surgery and was expected to miss up to six weeks of the season. This comes just days after the Minnesota Timberwolves were also hit with the loss of their All-Star power forward. Kevin Love suffered a broken hand earlier this week and is likewise expected to be sidelined for around six weeks.

The Mavs and Wolves were both expected to be in the race for a playoff spot in the loaded Western Conference. However, losing their respective best players for the start of the season would seem to put a damper on those plans. Whose injury do you believe will have a larger impact on their team?

Dirk Nowitzki Undergoes Surgery, Out Six Weeks

October 19th, 2012 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

Dirk Nowitzki has undergone arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, the Mavericks announced today in a press release. The procedure was successful and is expected to keep the Mavs forward out of any on-court activities for approximately six weeks, according to the team.

As we heard earlier this week, despite the knee being drained repeatedly this month, it continued to swell and give Nowitzki problems, keeping him out of the last three Dallas preseason games. The longtime Mav had been hoping to avoid the procedure, but undergoing it now will give him a better chance to avoid nagging issues all season long.

It's unlikely that the injury results in any roster moves for the Mavs, considering the team has 15 players on guaranteed contracts and waived its final camp invitee, Josh Akognon, yesterday. But like the Timberwolves, who will be without Kevin Love for the first few weeks of the season, the Mavs will have to avoid digging too deep an early-season hole with their star player out of action.

Southwest Links: Martin, Cuban, Mavs, Dirk

October 17th, 2012 at 11:06pm CST by Alex Lee

The Rockets upended the Grizzlies while the Mavericks fell to the Suns tonight in preseason action, where the Hornets and Spurs are both 3-1 thus far. Here are some other links from the Southwest division:

As the Rockets go-to guy in a contract year, Kevin Martin will be playing for himself in 2012-13 as much as he will be playing for his team, writes Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. Martin has never really been part of a good team and seems to be constantly injured, but if he can stay healthy and thrive as the main option in Houston, he should be able to cash in.
According to Mark Cuban, just because nearly all of the Mavericks roster may be free agents after the season, doesn't mean the team may not return a similar bunch in 2013/14, says Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. “I’ll tell you exactly what I told them,’’ Cuban said. "The best situation is
everybody kills it, and they’re all back. Then, I don’t have to deal with all the idiot questions over the
summer and we’ve got a great team to build on. That’s what I want.’’
Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News held a chat today and implied that the Mavericks may be better off if Dirk Nowitzki gets his knee cleaned out and misses half the season. Sherrington's thought process is that, without Nowitzki, the Mavs would miss the playoffs, get help through the lottery and free agency, and have a fresh Dirk in 2013/14.

Mavericks Notes: Nowitzki, West, Mayo

October 16th, 2012 at 9:17am CST by Luke Adams

Dirk Nowitzki is doing everything he can to avoid undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his troublesome right knee, but with the knee swelling up again yesterday, his options are looking increasingly limited, as he told the media.

"I’m doing everything I can, conservatively, not to have surgery," Nowitzki said, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. "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."

If Nowitzki and the team's doctors decide that surgery is the way to go, the procedure will likely take place next week, with healing expected to take between three and six weeks. Here are a few more Tuesday morning Mavericks links:

Adi Joseph of USA Today wonders how the Mavericks lineup would hold up with Nowitzki out, opining that the team should be okay if he just misses a few weeks.
Coach Rick Carlisle was impressed with the team's depth off the bench in its win over Houston on Monday night, writes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The Mavs have suspended Delonte West for conduct detrimental to the team, Carlisle told the media, including Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. The suspension "stems at least in part" from an outburst in the Mavs' locker room following last night's game, according to MacMahon.
While Carlisle didn't specify a timetable for West's suspension, it's not expected to last long, says Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
Offseason signee O.J. Mayo made a solid impression last night after an uneasy start in the team's games in Europe, MacMahon writes at ESPN Dallas.

Western Notes: Thunder, Brewer, Sacre

October 14th, 2012 at 10:15pm CST by Ryan Raroque

You'll find tonight's miscellaneous links from the Western Conference here:

Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK highlights notable stories from the Thunder's pre-season, including the play of Perry Jones III, Cole Aldrich, and Eric Maynor. In a separate article, Mayberry collaborates with John Rohde to profile seven of the team's new additions brought in from the offseason.
Aaron J. Lopez takes a look at Nuggets forward Corey Brewer, who four years removed from ACL surgery believes that he is faster and can jump higher today.
Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times highlights Robert Sacre as the biggest surprise of the Lakers' exhibition season.
John Reid of NOLA.com examines the battle between Greivis Vasquez and Brian Roberts for minutes at the Hornets point guard rotation.
Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune talks about the challenge the Timberwolves have faced in terms of trying to integrate all their new pieces amidst some nagging injuries.
Jeff McDonald of Spurs Nation writes that Patrick Mills could return to practice on Monday after sitting out two games with a sprained right ankle.
O.J. Mayo's hand is healing
properly after he suffered a laceration last week from a fall during the
Mavericks' visit to Barcelona, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. Price also tweeted that coach
Rick Carlisle believes Mayo will be fine after a few more days. As for Dirk Nowitzki, Carlisle said that he has been doing well (Price via Twitter).

Western Notes: McGee, Dirk, Biedrins, Jazz

October 12th, 2012 at 10:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Some Friday updates out of the Western Conference:

The Thunder announced a series of staff additions, they announced today. They hired Mike Wilks as a Pro Scout and Amanda Green as Basketball Operations Coordinator/Legal & Administration. They also promoted Paul Rivers to Director of Basketball Operations, Will Dawkins to Director of College Player Personnel and Brandon Barnett to Director of Minor League Operations/Pro Scout.
Also regarding the Thunder, Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman says that the backup point job in Oklahoma City is still up for grabs between Eric Maynor and Reggie Jackson. Maynor is the incumbent but is coming back from a knee injury. With James Harden sidelined with hamstring issues, Thunder coach Scott Brooks said he may experiment with both guards on the floor at the same time to gauge his backcourt flexibility.
John Reid of the Times-Picaynne puts together a lengthy but excellent feature on Austin Rivers, implying that it was Rivers' drive that resulted in him moving up draft boards before landing with the Hornets at the tenth pick.
Nuggets coach George Karl isn't about to let JaVale McGee's lucrative new contract dictate how much playing time he gives the big man, as Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post writes.
Dirk Nowitzki had his knee drained for the second time this month, and is still contemplating the possibility of undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee, according to Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
Coach Rick Carlisle expects offseason acquisition Darren Collison to "be great" for the Mavericks, writes McMahon.
SI.com's Chris Ballard examines Andris Biedrins' precipitous decline, and wonders whether the big man will be able to turn his career around. Biedrins still has two years and $18MM left on his contract with the Warriors, who no longer have the amnesty clause available.
Al Jefferson was glad to see the Jazz add a number of outside shooters via trades and free agency this offseason, writes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.

Poll: How Many Points Will Dirk Average?

October 12th, 2012 at 8:57pm CST by Alex Lee

We heard earlier today that Dirk Nowitzki had his knee drained for the second time this month, which is the latest update in a string of recent injury news regarding the 7-foot German. Nowitzki, now 34, played in 62 of 66 games last season and has stayed remarkably healthy throughout his 14-year career. But last season was arguably his worst statistically since his second year in the league. That, coupled with his age and the troubling news on his knee may have some people concerned about his ability to carry the load in Dallas. What do you think?

Nowitzki averaged 21.6 points per game last year, while good for 8th in the league, was also his third straight season where his scoring average declined. So what will he average this year, in his 15th season in what will surely be a Hall of Fame career?

Injury Updates: Roy, Dirk, Smith, Hill, Nene

October 10th, 2012 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Injury news isn't usually our focus here at Hoops Rumors, but with updates today relating to recent free agent signees, roster hopefuls, and NBA superstars, there's too many updates of note not to pass them along. Here's the latest on the injury statuses of a number of players around the league….

In an appearance on KFAN in Minneapolis, Brandon Roy said that his knees are holding up great following his first few "grueling practices" with the Timberwolves (link via Sports Radio Interviews).
According to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, Dirk Nowitzki is fighting knee issues for the second straight year. Nowitzki is hoping a few days of rest will help, but if the problem doesn't improve, it sounds as if he's prepared to undergo a minor procedure: "We’ll see how it responds, but the longer we wait, obviously the worse it is. If we have to do something, it’d be better to do it quick…. But we’re still hopeful that this is a temporary thing. If we relax and rest it for a week and see how it goes, then we’ll have a better idea."
Knicks camp invitee Chris Smith will undergo patella surgery and miss three to six months, tweets Marc Berman of the New York Post. According to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter), Smith was considered a strong candidate to make the team, so his injury could clear a spot for another player to become the Knicks' 15th man.
Jordan Hill, who re-signed with the Lakers this summer, won't need surgery for a herniated disc in his back and should be ready to play in the team's regular-season opener, reports Adrian Wojnarnowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Wizards coach Randy Wittman couldn't offer a timetable for the return of Nene, as he told Michael Lee of the Washington Post: "All I do is each morning, I come in, I ask the trainer who I got, who I don’t have. And that’s all I can worry about right now. I write down who I got and we formulate a practice plan and we come out here. And I’ll come back tonight and see who I got and who I don’t got. That’s my update."