[BASKETBALL 101]

It's not all rest for Nowitzki

Dirk Nowitzki was not allowed to practice Friday because of his sprained right ankle, but it was still an important day for him.

After the Mavericks practiced, five junior players from Germany took the court to rub elbows with Nowitzki. Three boys and two girls were chosen out of more than 14,000 kids who took part in a street-ball competition in Germany.

"Sprite and I have been working together for two years," Nowitzki said of his camp in Germany. "We have street-ball tournaments in six or seven cities. We have coaches in all the cities scouting, and the top 50 or 60 from each tournament come to the camp in that same city a week later and some NBA assistant coaches work them out.

"Then, we take the top five or six from each camp, so we have 40 or so kids come to our camp in my hometown with other NBA coaches, and I'm there helping them work out. The top five out of that camp get to come here."

The junior players will take in Saturday's preseason game against Philadelphia, then go to New York for a Knicks game and a few days of sightseeing.