NBA: Nowitzki: Comeback? “I start from zero”

The beleaguered superstar Dirk Nowitzki has come only a small step closer to his comeback in the NBA.

I started running slowly on the treadmill,” said the 40-year-old from Würzburg on Wednesday before the game of his Dallas Mavericks at the Los Angeles Lakers.

The former international is still plagued by a foot injury. A return to the playing field is not to be expected in the near future. “We talk for weeks, not days,” Nowitzki said. He said he didn’t want to rush things: “We’re going to take it slow now. There were some setbacks when we increased the workload.”

The injury set the superstar back a long way. “I’ll start from zero,” said Nowitzki. The next goal is to run on the field again.

While Nowitzki still has a long way to go, newcomer Moritz Wagner is about to make his debut in the L.A. Lakers jersey. The Berliner, who has been out of action for weeks due to injury and still without NBA deployment, is part of the squad against Dallas.