Nowitzki injures ankle while playing for Germany

[arthurracoon]

http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/6589147

Nowitzki injures ankle while playing for Germany Aug. 24, 2003

SportsLine.com wire reports

BRAUNSCHWEIG, Germany -- Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki injured his ankle Sunday night while playing a game for Germany.
"Dirk has a ligament injury in his ankle," Germany team doctor Juergen Klein said. "After undergoing the examination we can say more, and if he will miss games, or for how long."

Roland Geggus, the president of the German Basketball Federation, said the extent of Nowitzki's injury wouldn't be known until late Sunday night.

Mavericks spokeswoman Sarah Melton said Nowitzki rolled his ankle when he stepped on another player's foot. The team expected to receive results of an MRI exam on Sunday.

Nowitzki was fouled by Florent Pietrus in the 13th minute of Germany's 76-68 loss to France in a warmup match for next month's European Championships. He hobbled off the court with a pain-twisted face.

The German Basketball Federation paid a big insurance premium to gain a release from the Mavericks that would allow him to play for Germany.

 

[sly fly]

His ankles will be his downfall.

Dirk has been turning those suckers quite a bit. 82 game schedules become murder if you're always tending to them.

 

[Chaplin]

That's EXACTLY why Cuban didn't want him playing in the first place. But, then again, ankles are ankles, and he could have just as easily done the same thing in the preseason.

 

[slinslin]

The injury isn't serious.

It shows character that Dirk is representing his country and not trying to run away and hide like coward that Detlef Schrempf was who didn't care about the national team.

 

[Chaplin]

Originally posted by slinslin
The injury isn't serious.

It shows character that Dirk is representing his country and not trying to run away and hide like coward that Detlef Schrempf was who didn't care about the national team.

Admittedly, you have a little bias, but there's a difference between saying "I don't want to play for Germany" and "I want to play, but my job says I can't, and a contract is a contract"...

 

[slinslin]

I don't think there are contracts that forbid players to play for national teams in the offseason.
The national teams only have to pay the insurance.

You could also get injured playing summer league at Rucker.

 

[Chaplin]

Originally posted by slinslin
I don't think there are contracts that forbid players to play for national teams in the offseason.
The national teams only have to pay the insurance.

You could also get injured playing summer league at Rucker.

That's the point. And how do you know that there aren't clauses in contracts that say, "no pickup games at so-and-so?" I'm sure there's clauses in every contract that say "no pickup games" during the regular season. I'm guessing rookie contracts are more strict on that account as well. That's why you didn't see our rookies playing in any of the summer leagues (except RMR, which was sanctioned by the Suns)...

 

[slinslin]

Well our rookie both went to their national teams after the summer league.

And most rookies don't have the time to play in other summer league teams in their first offseason anyway since they are making themselves a new home and work with their new coaches.

Shawn Marion played at Rucker when he had a rookie contract. Baron Davis and Shawn Marion also played in the california summer league when they had rookie contracts.

Wouldn't it be stupid to forbid players to "play basketball" in the offseason?

 

[Chaplin]

Originally posted by slinslin

Wouldn't it be stupid to forbid players to "play basketball" in the offseason?

I agree, it probably would, but then again, if that were the case, why is Cuban so up in arms about it? I mean, it IS still a job. A job in which the employer has A LOT of money riding.

 

[elindholm]

Wouldn't it be stupid to forbid players to "play basketball" in the offseason?

As I recall, Ryan Leaf injured his ankle playing a pickup football game. It wasn't a serious injury, but it was a big deal, because his contract expressly forbade him from such activities.