Oct 19 - Dirk Nowitzki will miss the start of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) regular season after having knee surgery that is expected to keep him out of the lineup for six weeks, the team said on Friday. If everything goes according to schedule, the 34-year-old Nowitzki will miss about a dozen games starting with his team's Oct. 30 season-opener versus the Los Angeles Lakers. The German, the only European to win the NBA's Most Valuable Player award, started having troubles with his right knee before last season. ...