Dirk Nowitzki still three to four weeks from return to Dallas Mavericks

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:

https://twitter.com/Caplan_NBA/status/270990414469799936

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.