Dirk Nowitzki isn't upset with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban's decision to keep him from the German national team.

"I'm not mad at Cubes at all," Nowitzki told ESPN.com's Marc Stein in a phone interview. "He's been great to me these last 10, 11 years. He always let me chase my dream. And we always agreed that if I made the Olympics, it would be [time] to take a break.

"This time he basically told me, 'I'd prefer if you not play.' He kind of left it up to me. I think if I would have really kept harping on it, then he wouldn't have tried to stop me. But I think it's the right decision.

"I'm happy I'm keeping my word to him, because he kept his word to me for the last 10, 11 years."