Serious Dirk Nowitzki Injury Will Destroy the Dallas Mavericks' Season

The list of players who have carried a team to an NBA championship in the fashion that Dirk Nowitzki carried the Dallas Mavericks to one a season ago is a very short one.

Nowitzki has been off to a slower-than-usual start this season, but if any team can't afford to have their star player injured, it's Dallas.

He means that much to the Mavericks.

That's why Mavericks fans have to be holding their breath to find out exactly how serious Nowitzki's knee injury turns out to be.

He's out a minimum of four games, and if turns out to be something more serious, it will without a doubt wreck the Mavericks' season and any chances of repeating. Hopefully it's just as it was reported and is a conditioning program for his knee.

Those chances may have been slim anyway, but Dallas has picked things up after a slow start to the season.

Winners of seven of their last 10 contests, the Mavericks have turned their season around with defense and rebounding, something they were brutal at in the early going.

As it turns out, Dallas may not really miss Tyson Chandler after all, but they will miss Nowitzki dearly.

The one thing holding them back right now is the offense, which has a lot of new pieces to begin with.

Even with Nowitzki in the lineup, Dallas is among the bottom 10 teams in the NBA in scoring to begin with. With not only Nowitzki but Vince Carter out as well, consistency in offensive performances could be few and far between.

The timing is horrible for Dallas, as this could be the first opportunity of the season to really separate themselves from the .500 mark.

They had to go at it without Nowitzki for a stretch a season ago. The results weren't good, going only 2-7 without their star.

This year, though, their team defense, which has held 14 consecutive opponents under the 100-point mark, can keep Dallas in games in the short term without Nowitzki.

But if his knee problem eventually turns out to be something serious, you simply can't replace what Nowitzki brings to the table on a nightly basis.

If that's the case, consider the Dallas Mavericks' season destroyed.