Shutting Down Dirk Nowitzki For the Greater Good

Five games into his 19th season in the NBA, Dirk Nowitzki is being shut down by Rick Carlisle and the medical staff as he tries to get his Achilles back on track.

After missing two of the first four games for the Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki made his home debut Friday night against Portland, but only played two quarters.

After coming out at halftime to warm up, he immediately went back into the tunnel as his night was over due to lingering soreness in his Achilles. With the Mavs losing their fifth straight game, this was the cherry on top for their depressing start to the season.

As Nowitzki was ruled out for the rest of the game, nobody knew the severity of the injury until Mavs Head…