Rick Carlisle wanted to make it clear that the Mavericks are not playing it coy with Dirk Nowitzki's strained right Achilles.
They simply are doing the right things to make sure Nowitzki has the best chance of playing as much as possible this season without any lingering problems.
Carlisle said "indefinitely" is the best term to describe how long Nowitzki will be out. He's already missed 12 games with the injury, including tonight's visit by Chicago to American Airlines Center.
"I talked to Casey (Smith, athletic trainer) about it (on Friday) and I think he's going to be out for a while," Carlisle said.