After dealing with swelling in his troublesome right knee all training camp, the decision was made to shut it down and undergo arthroscopic knee surgery. Although Dirk and the Mavericks were both hoping to avoid surgery until after the season, mere rest and treatment were not working so the decision was made that it was necessary to scope the knee now to avoid missing as much gametime as possible.This was the same knee that caused Dirk to sit out 4 games last season, and this year the constant swelling gave the Mavs reason to believe that surgery was inevitable – it was merely a question of when.
With a recovery timetable of 6-10 weeks, Dirk will miss about 10-15 games before returning to action sometime in December. Until then, it is up to the Mavericks’ revamped supporting cast to hold down the fort and keep them from falling out of the playoff race in the competitive Western Conference. Fortunately for them, their early schedule is the easiest in the league (based on last year’s winning percentage), including two games against the Bobcats, and games against the Wizards and Wolves (missing stars John Wall and Kevin Love to injuries as well).
