Dallas Mavericks: Health Concerns to Be Aware Of

With as many injury concerns as the Dallas Mavericks had last season, it is important that we stay at least a little bit aware of some of our more prone players this coming season.

The Dallas Mavericks had a tough season last year when it comes to injuries. The season started off pretty bleak with both Wesley Matthews and Chandler Parsons having fairly major surgeries in the offseason.

Matthews was able to fight his way back by the beginning of the season, but did not play to his expectations at any point. Most attribute that to the nagging of his Achilles surgery which seems plausible, considering he cut off about a third of the recommended year long recovery.

Parsons, on the other hand, was not so lucky. What was supposedly a fairly simple surgery, turned complex in no time. Parsons missed the first few weeks of the season and didn’t really show his true potential until the beginning of the year. He played well at that point but it didn’t last long as he tore his meniscus before the playoffs began.

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Others who received surgery in the offseason include J.J. Barea, who had a knee surgery as well. Barea’s knee scope was far from invasive, and the Puerto Rican point guard is back at it already without major effects slowing him down.

Deron Williams was the final recipient of offseason surgery as he required a repair on the sports hernia he acquired at the end of last season. It shouldn’t have any lingering effects going into this season but the Mavs injury list is long and stitched together over a lengthy period of time. For a full report on D-Will’s surgery, click here.

Devin Harris may not have any major injuries in the last few years, but he has had injury concerns most of his career. If we can keep him healthy, he still brings an amazing amount of energy and hustle to every game he gets in. Health has always been his biggest issue.

With that being said, here are a few players that Mavs fans really need to keep an eye on this season due to their history of health concerns.

Andrew Bogut

Andrew Bogut was the first overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, and for good reason. The early years of his career in Milwaukee showed just what he was capable of. But, one day, Bogut sustained a freak injury while going up for a dunk. Sadly, his career was never really the same.

This injury setup a long line of tough injuries for Bogut, including a knee injury suffered in the Finals last year. Bogut claims to be healed from the injury of last season now. Keep an eye out for Andrew Bogut and the injuries that could become relevant once again this year.

Kyle Collinsworth

Kyle Collinsworth was an absolute stud in NCAA basketball at Brigham Young University. Aside from setting collegiate records in career and season triple-doubles, Collinsworth was also a vocal leader for his team.

Kyle suffered a torn ACL while playing college basketball and required surgery to fix it. Those who have experience with ACL tears, know that it isn’t always an easy one to come back from. But Collinsworth was determined.

After Collinsworth came back, he was as strong as ever, recording multiple triple-doubles before the end of his college career. The effects of the knee injury did not appear to slow him down any and he was as explosive as ever.

Dirk Nowitzki

Dirk Nowitzki has had a number of injuries, most notably a few knee injuries that have held him out of multiple games. Although Dirk is 38 years old and over 7’0″, he has remained incredibly healthy, all things considering.

But, the body can only take so much abuse in a lifetime, and as we get older, it becomes more of a possibility to get injured. Although there is no other reason to be concerned with injury to Dirk this season, the Mavs All-Star is getting older.

These are just a few of the injuries that the Mavericks are dealing with this season, but it sounds a lot scarier than it actually is. Truthfully, most NBA teams have a long list of previous injuries but the only thing that really matters at this point is how they affect the team in the future.