Dirk Nowitzki said that in hindisight, playing for the German national team last summer was a bad idea and that he should have taken time away from basketball.

"Playing in the Euros, looking back now was obviously not the right decision, but it was a decision I made for my country," Nowitzki said. "But it definitely didn't help me get ready for the season. So I started working out basically late November, then I had a good three weeks or a month for five, six games a week, so it wasn't cutting it. I consider this week here, for me, as another week of training camp where I can use it and get better. Got a little fire back; a lot of guys say I'm done. I obviously read the stuff. Hopefully, I'll be back soon."

Nowitzki acknowledged Wednesday night that the knee, the same one he sprained last season and forced him to miss nine games, has caused him problems with movement, although he said it felt better now than it did three weeks ago.

"You saw it. I couldn't go by anybody off the dribble and that's part of my game," Nowitzki said. "Right now is just basically a pop-up shooter every time I caught it, and if I didn't have it [a shot] I had to swing it because I just couldn't make a move, couldn't go by anybody and just didn't feel comfortable."