After coming off the bench in his first six games, Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki will make his first start of the season on Saturday. (D. Clarke Evans/NBA/Getty Images

Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said Saturday that forward Dirk Nowitzki will make his first start of the season against the New Orleans Hornets, reports ESPN.com.

Nowitzki, an 11-time All-Star, missed the first 27 games of the season after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in the preseason. In his first six appearances of the season, Nowitzki came off the bench. Dallas is 13-20, fourth in the Southwest Division.

“I felt like the best I’ve felt out there,” Nowitzki said Friday. “I don’t think the wind is a big deal or wasn’t the last couple of games. It’s more the legs and the explosiveness and the push-off and switching directions. So that was the major problem I thought the last ten days I’ve been back, or whatever. That was the best I’ve felt, in Miami. So I’ve got to keep on working, hopefully get 100 percent here sometime soon.”

Nowitzki scored a season-high 19 points in 29 minutes in an 119-110 overtime loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. He is averaging 10 points and 4.3 rebounds this season.

Rick Carlisle is threatening players with suspensions. (Elsa/Getty Images)

The Dallas Mavericks may have had a tough schedule so far as the team continues to struggle even since Dirk Nowitzki returned a week ago, but head coach Rick Carlisle said it’s no excuse for a lackluster effort and he’s now threatening players with suspensions if things don’t improve.

The team, currently 12-19, is in the middle of a six game losing streak and Carlisle said he’s had to scream in the faces of some players just to get his points across in practices and shootarounds. Even though team owner Mark Cuban may not agree, Carlisle told Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News after the Mavs’ sixth straight loss on Sunday that he would like to see suspensions for some players because it’s an “unprecedented” stretch of losses for the team:

“It’s not what this organization has been about since Mark [Cuban] bought the team. This is a stretch that’s unprecedented, really. [T]he last week, I’ve had to literally scream in the face of two guys in practices and shootarounds to get the point across. And I will continue to do that. If I have to start suspending guys for not doing things they’re supposed to be doing on the court, I’ll do it. And Mark and I will get into it about that. But somehow, things have got to change and it can’t just be about that it’s a tough schedule. It just can’t.”

In a report from Jan Hubbard of ESPNDallas.com, Carlisle also told reporters that Nowitzki, who had been out all season because of knee issues, shouldn’t be judged until at least mid January. During the preseason, Delonte West, who was then with the Mavs, was suspended twice in 10 days for conduct detrimental to the team, so these kinds of suspensions in Dallas wouldn’t be unprecedented. West was eventually released before the regular season began and is now a free agent.

Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki had a full contact practice for the first time this season. (David Sherman/NBA/Getty Images)

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki had a full-contact practice for the first time all season on Wednesday in hopes of making a return to the lineup soon, the team announced.

Nowitzki has not played this season due to swelling in his right knee, which was drained twice in October.  There is no timetable for his return although Nowitzki said earlier this season that he would not commit to a possible mid-December return.  Earlier, this week when asked if his knee was improving and when he would return to the lineup, he said, “I’m not close.” The Mavericks are 12-13 this season and 5-5 in their last 10 games.

Nowitzki, a 15-year veteran and 11-time All-Star, averaged 21.6 points a game last year. That was his lowest scoring average in  12 seasons.

“@tomhaberstroh: Mavs announce Nowitzki returned to full-contact practice today. Heat-Mavs tomorrow in Dallas…”<Dirk still listed as out.—
Jeff Caplan (@Caplan_NBA) December 19, 2012

Dirk Nowitzki, who has yet to return to the Mavs after arthroscopic knee surgery in October, says he will not play in EuroBasket 2013. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Mavs power forward Dirk Nowitzki confirmed that he will not participate in EuroBasket 2013, the European basketball championship in Slovenia, according to  NBC Sports. Nowitzki’s interview with a German sports site was translated by Sportando:

The German forward did not play last summer to with German National Team. Nowitzki, who is still out after the knee surgery, thinks that Mark Cuban won’t allow him to play [in] EuroBasket.

“It will be very hard for me to be in Slovenia” said Nowitzki to Sport1.de. “Right now, I look forward to join my Mavericks teammates on the court and play a game.”

The tournament will take place next September. Nowitzki underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in October. At the time, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle estimated the 14-year veteran would miss six weeks. No specific return date has been set, but the Dallas Morning News reports that Nowitzki may begin taking part in on-court activities soon.

Injured Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki said Tuesday that he still has to complete three to four more weeks of rehab on his surgically repaired right knee before he can return to the Mavs’ lineup.

At a news conference this afternoon, the forward said that he can resume basketball activities in two weeks and then return to regular-season action one to two weeks later.

The update came exactly one month after Nowitzki underwent arthroscopic surgery on the knee. He was expected to miss six weeks, but has only just begun increasing his work load, according to NBA.com’s Jeff Caplan:

Dirk increased work load yesterday, elliptical and leg press. Says despite urge can't rush coming back.—
Jeff Caplan (@Caplan_NBA) November 20, 2012

The knee started bothering Nowitzki during last year’s training camp, according to ESPN Dallas. The 11-time All-Star struggled with his play and conditioning last season, especially in the opening weeks following the lockout, as he finished with his lowest per-game point and rebound averages since his second year in the league.

After a 4-1 start, Dallas is 6-6 this season. If Nowitzki returns in mid-December as expected, he will have missed an addition 10 to 12 games.

Dirk Nowitzki said his knee surgery rehab is taking longer than expected. {Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images)

When Dirk Nowitzki had arthroscopic knee surgery in October, the initial timetable for his return to “basketball activities” was six weeks. Now, less than a month into his rehab, the Dallas Mavericks’ franchise player said that his recovery is not on schedule and that it will be longer than expected until he is seen playing basketball again, according to Jeff Caplan of NBA.com:

“At this point, I’ve got stay patient and do what the doctors and trainers tell me; just keep rehabbing and see how long it is. When I originally heard three-to-six weeks, in my mind I’m thinking ‘in two weeks I’m back.’ But unfortunately, this is not how it happens. My first knee surgery of my career and unfortunately this stuff takes longer than we expected.”

Nowitzki had been weighing his options throughout the preseason and ultimately decided to go forward with the arthroscopic surgery after missing the first three preseason games. He had his knee drained before the season began,  hoping it would alleviate some of the pain, but clearly it couldn’t have been too effective.

Given this most recent news and the likelihood that he won’t be back at practice until December, Nowitzki should be looked at as doubtful to play in a regular season game before 2013. According to Caplan, he recently began light running in the pool. Nowitzki said he suspects his knee became agitated at the start of last season, which came to a rather abrupt beginning following the lock-out.

The Mavs are currently 4-4 and fourth in the Southwest Division without him.

Free-agent forward Troy Murphy has signed with the Dallas Mavericks, Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday evening via Twitter.

Free agent forward Troy Murphy has signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks, league source tells Y! Sports.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) November 1, 2012

Murphy played last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 3.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in 16.2 minutes. In his exit interview last season, he told reporters that he wasn’t sure what the future had in store.

“Unfortunately, it ended sooner than we had expected,” Murphy said back in May. “I’m going to take some time off and collect my thoughts and see what the future has in store.”

The 32-year-old Murphy could bolster a frontcourt backup rotation that is currently missing star Dirk Nowitzki, who could be out for about five more weeks.

Dirk Nowitzki will miss six weeks after undergoing knee surgery. (Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)

The Dallas Mavericks will begin their season without the cornerstone of their franchise. The team announced today that power forward Dirk Nowitzki has had arthroscopic surgery on his knee, and will not be able to resume on-court activities for six weeks.

The surgery was required to treat the same knee ailment that limited Nowitzki somewhat throughout last year. The Mavericks star has missed the last three preseason games in addition to having his knee drained. Team owner Mark Cuban indicated earlier this week that Nowitzki would be fine and might play through the injury, but it now looks like the Mavericks will start their season without the 11-time All-Star.

Dirk Nowitzki may undergo knee surgery. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images)

The Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki is giving his knee a rest but said something will have to be done if it’s not better in a week, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News:

“We’ll see how it responds,” he said. “But the longer we wait, obviously the worse it is. If we have to do something, it’d be better to do it quick.

The arthroscopic surgery that he’d need to alleviate inflammation in his knee is a procedure that’s relatively minor, according to Sefko, and would require only a few weeks rest. If Nowitzki does go through with the surgery to clean out his knee, he would likely miss the first few games of the regular season.

Because of the pain, Nowitzki had to sit out Tuesday’s loss to FC Barcelona Regal at Palau St. Jordi. The swelling in his knee would reportedly not disappear after the game.

“Obviously, it’s unfortunate. Last year, we dealt with it. Hopefully, it’ll respond here in the next week or so, and I’ll play throughout the whole season.”

Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said the coaching and medical staff are monitoring his knee very closely.

Mavs forward Brandon Wright is also working through an injury. He played in the loss to Barcelona but said after the game that he’s still feeling his quad strain and may have to sit out for a while to get back to full strength.

Dirk Nowitzki called the NBA’s new anti-flopping rules “a bunch of crap” on Thursday. (Glenn James, Getty Images)

Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki had some strong words aimed at the NBA’s new anti-flopping rules on Thursday, calling them “a bunch of crap,” The Dallas Morning News’ Eddie Sefko reported Thursday.

“I never looked at myself as a big flopper,’’ Nowitzki said Thursday after the Mavericks arrived in Germany for their preseason opener on Saturday. “If you play me physical then, obviously, I got to sell the call and get to the [free-throw] line. That’s just part of the game. We’ll have to see how they enforce that.

“I think it’s a bunch of crap to be honest with you. Are they going to come back after a game and fine you for flopping? That’s tough to do to me.’’

On Wednesday, the NBA said it would fine repeat “flopping” offenders this season.

Players will get a warning the first time and would be fined $5,000 for a second violation. The fines would soar to $10,000 for a third offense, $15,000 for a fourth and $30,000 for a fifth. Six and beyond could garner a suspension.

Stern, who was also in Germany, said he has gotten a different reaction from other players.

“Actually, many players have said, that’s great,’’ Stern said. “Now we can make the game about basketball talent rather than acting talent.

“I think the players association has a different perspective. I guess they like acting. But we think we have the greatest athletes in the world playing at a very high pace and they should be rewarded for that great play and they shouldn’t cause the game to be decided on anything other than their basketball merits.’’

Dirk Nowitzki told a fan on Twitter Sunday that he plans to play at least two more seasons, part of a 100-minute question-and-answer session he held with fans on the social media site.

“@dribblepasshoot: @swish41 Your game looks like it will age really well, how many more yrs you playing?” 2 for sure and then see how I feel

— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) August 26, 2012

Nowitzki still has two years remaining on a four-year contract he signed before the 2010-11 season. Since signing that contract, he’s had two stellar seasons and led the Mavericks to the 2011 NBA championship. He averaged 21.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this season.

If he does decide to continue playing, he didn’t seem very willing to even consider leaving Dallas when another follower asked him why he wouldn’t just “join a superteam.”

“@dribblepasshoot: @swish41 Your game looks like it will age really well, how many more yrs you playing?” 2 for sure and then see how I feel

— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) August 26, 2012

O.J. Mayo announced on his Twitter feed Monday night that he will sign with the Dallas Mavericks, joining a roster that has been drastically overhauled this offseason.

I will be signing with dallas! #Mavsnation

— OJ Mayo (@JuiceMayo32) July 17, 2012

Yahoo Sports’ Marc J. Spears reported on Sunday that the free agent Mayo had also drawn interest from the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns. The Suns had been expected to make a strong push after losing out on restricted free agent Eric Gordon, whose offer sheet was matched by the New Orleans Hornets.

The 24-year-old Mayo earned $5.6 million last season with the Memphis Grizzlies, and terms of the deal weren’t immediately disclosed. He averaged 12.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game last season with the Grizzlies.

The Mavericks have claimed forward Elton Brand off waivers and signed center Chris Kaman and now Mayo after losing out on their biggest free-agent target, Brooklyn Nets guard Deron Williams. Dallas also picked up shooting guard Dahntay Jones and point guard Darren Collison. They lost guards Jason Terry to the Boston Celtics and Jason Kidd to the New York Knicks in free agency.

UPDATE (12:40 a.m. ET): ESPN.com’s Jeff Caplan that Mayo’s deal is for two years. The second year is a player option.

Mayo deal is 2 years with second being a player option.

— Jeff Caplan (@ESPN_Caplan) July 17, 2012

Meanwhile, Mavs owner Mark Cuban replied to Mayo via Twitter to welcome his team’s newest addition:

@JuiceMayo32. Welcome to the family OJ. We are fired up !! MFFL Mavs/Mayo Fan For Life !

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) July 17, 2012

Just months after playing on the German national team, Dirk Nowitzki will take the court in front of his home country as a Maverick. (Glenn James, Getty Images)

After 14 years in the NBA, Dirk Nowitzki will finally be able to play in a Mavericks jersey in his home country of Germany.

On Monday, Euroleague announced on its website the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks would travel to Europe to play exhibition games against top Euroleague teams. NBA Europe Live 2012 will go from October 5-7.

Doc Rivers’ team will play the five-time Turkish champions Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul as well as the 25-time Italian Champions EA7 Emporio Armani. The Mavericks will visit eight-time German Champions Alba Berlin, and the 2011 NBA champions will play a second game in Spain against a team yet to be announced.

The NBA has occasionally staged games overseas — most notably China — including two matches in 2004 between the Sacramento Kings and the Yao Ming-led Houston Rockets.

Last year during the lockout, Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose and seven other NBA players participated in two exhibition games in the Philippines.

Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose have the best selling jerseys outside the United States. (Noah Graham/Getty Images)

Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose and LeBron James have the three best selling NBA jerseys outside the United States, respectively, according to The New York Times, which obtained a copy of the rankings released by the league on June 21:

According to figures released by the league, Bryant’s jersey is the most popular in China, Europe and Latin America. Derrick Rose of the Bulls has the second-most popular jersey globally, followed by LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard.

The list is based on sales  from Adidas stores outside the U.S. during the 2011-12 NBA season.

According to the Times, Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker and rookie Ricky Rubio were among international players with popular jerseys worldwide as well.

In April, Derrick Rose and Jeremy Lin had the most popular jersey’s in the U.S., respectively. They had generated the most jersey sales and team merchandise, but it should be noted that, according to NBA.com, these figures were based on “sales at the temporary NBA Store on Fifth Avenue and on NBAStore.com.”

You never know who you’ll run into at a rock show. Take, for example, Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki. According to The Big Lead, the seven-foot German made an appearance on stage with country-influenced indie rock band The Avett Brothers last night in Grand Prairie, Texas. Nowitzki played tambourine on the song “Sally’s Lover.”

So how does an NBA star look on stage with an indie rock band? Very, very conspicuous. Not to mention excited. See video, via Hypervocal:

Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Vince Carter may return for Friday’s game against the Utah Jazz according to ESPN. Injured power forward Dirk Nowitzki, however, will miss his fourth consecutive game.

Carter has missed the last five games with a sprained left foot, but he returned to practice on Thursday where he told reporters that there is a chance he may return Friday when the Mavericks host the Utah Jazz.

Nowitzki sore right knee will keep him sidelined for his fourth consecutive game Friday and possibly longer. Nowitzki said he is making progress; however, he could not commit to playing in Sunday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.

“This week is a mental week, too,” Nowitzki told reporters, “where you push yourself to make those moves, even though it might be a little sore or stiff.”

Before his injury, Carter averaged 9.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and a team-best 44.4 percent from 3-point range.  Likewise, Nowitzki averaged 17.5 points, 5.4 rebounds on 45.6 percent shooting.  The Mavericks are currently third in the Southwest Division with an 11-8 record.

With the Dallas Mavericks off to a so-so start at 9-7 and Dirk Nowitzki struggling to find his rhythm early this season, coach Rick Carlisle has made the dramatic move of giving his superstar scorer the week off, according to Mavs play-by-play announcer Mark Followill.

Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle just announced they are going to sit Dirk the next 4 games

—
Mark Followill (@MFollowill) January 21, 2012

The Mavericks won five straight games last week but opened their current West road swing by losing two of their last three. The Mavs take on the Hornets tonight before returning home to face Phoenix, Minnesota and Utah — Nowitzki will miss all four games.

The reigning NBA Finals MVP is averaging career lows this season witb 17.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

Lamar Odom is expected to pick up the bulk of the minutes at power forward in Nowitzki’s absence.

Dallas Mavericks star forward, Dirk Nowitzki, is known for a lot of things. His sense of humor and ability to impersonate Britney Spears are not necessarily two of them.

Today, however, the Mavericks have uploaded a video to their YouTube page that displays both of those skills in their All-Star forward:

The Mavericks are currently 3-5 on the young season. Nowitzki is averaging 20.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

Following their second consecutive blowout loss, Dallas Mavericks star forward Dirk Nowitzki said that the reigning NBA champions look “slow” and “out of shape,” according to the Dallas morning News.

“We look old and slow and out of shape — a bad combination,” Nowitzki told the paper. “I still think this team has a lot of potential. But we have to turn the corner.”

Nowitzki is averaging 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists through the team’s first two games.

The Mavericks, who are now 0-2, lost 115-93 to the Denver Nuggets at home last night. The club also lost 105-94 on Christmas to the  Miami Heat.