Sooner or later, you figured Dirk Nowitzki would come to the conclusion that his balky right knee wasn't going to get better without arthroscopic surgery.

He probably should've had it done last week, but he's a guy who's never had surgery, so you can't blame him for being apprehensive. Frankly, Dirk has earned the right to take his time, and he has earned the right not be pressured by Mark Cuban, Donnie Nelson and Rick Carlisle.

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Jean-Jacques Taylor and Nate Newton weigh in on Dirk Nowitzki's decision to have surgery on his knee. Listen

Now, every MFFL -- Mavs Fan For Life -- can breathe easy because Dirk had surgery on Friday morning, and he'll be gone for about six weeks or 12 games. All you really need to know is this season was going to be an utter disaster if he didn't have surgery.

That's because he wouldn't have been able to practice consistently because of the wear and tear on the knee. And he'd be getting it drained all the time. And he'd have to occasionally miss games.

The knee might still bother him from time to time during the season, but it won't be anything like it would've been without the surgery.

All of that gives the Mavs hope they can compete for a playoff spot. Without Dirk, they're a lottery team.

Period.

Cuban and Nelson salvaged this season by acquiring a collection of quality role players and signing them to one-year deals. Their philosophy was all built around Dirk being the epicenter of the team.

Dirk will miss a few weeks, but he'll be back. And it won't take him long to play like the Dirk we've seen dominate the NBA for more than a decade.

Without the surgery, that never would have happened.