ImageDirk Nowitzki has been a regular on the German national team roster since 2001, when he led the team to an excellent fourth place in Turkey.

Much to the displeasure of the Dallas Mavericks, and undoubtedly at the expense of Dirk’s own NBA career, which has suffered under the huge number of games and lack of extensive breaks the blonde German superstar has had over the years. Considering the sacrifice he has made playing for his home country, nobody in Germany is criticising Nowitzki for skipping this year’s Eurobasket. And indeed, there’s some new fresh air in the German squad, brought in by a number of promising youngsters that the 2009 Eurobasket is coming too early for to make a lasting impact, but not too early to gain experience.

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