Being a national hero is consuming, but Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki took time Sunday to answer questions e-mailed to him in his hometown of Wurzburg, Germany.

Today, he reunites with the German national team as it prepares for its first Olympic appearance since 1992. But on Sunday, he also discussed the state of the Dallas Mavericks and owner Mark Cuban's preference that NBA players not compete in the Olympics.

Nowitzki said he has heard from a couple of members of the Mavericks organization, though not Cuban, since he and Germany earned the Olympic berth by beating Puerto Rico last Sunday in Athens, Greece.

"I understand his position, but he knows how important the Olympics are for me," Nowitzki wrote in an e-mail Sunday. "I'm very thankful that he tolerates my decision to play for my country in the summer."

How important are the Olympics to Nowitzki? After the Puerto Rico game, he was too emotional to come out of the locker room for the press conferences.

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Dirk Nowitzki (right) led Germany into the Olympics with a victory over Puerto Rico last Sunday in Athens, Greece.

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"I never thought I would cry because of basketball, but I could not stop the tears," he said. "All the hard work I had put into realizing my dream finally became worth it."

Some Mavericks fans may not relish watching Nowitzki log floor time this summer. But perhaps they can take solace in his seemingly rejuvenated state of mind.

After Dallas lost in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season, Nowitzki called it "another wasted year," predicted sweeping changes and kept using the phrase "if I'm going to be here."

Since then, he has hosted new Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle in Wurzburg, made the Olympics and last week told German reporters how happy he is with his new girlfriend.

Euphoric German fans are campaigning for Nowitzki to be the nation's opening ceremony flag-bearer Aug. 8.

"Entering the stadium will definitely be a big emotional moment for me," Nowitzki said. "It would be a great honor to carry the German flag, but it's up to the officials to decide."

In Beijing, Germany will face China (and assistant Donnie Nelson) on Aug. 16 and the United States (and Mavs teammate Jason Kidd) two days later. Nowitzki said he prefers to "to enjoy this feeling" rather than look ahead, not that he has stopped thinking about the Mavericks.

"It was very special to have Rick come here this summer," he said. "We talked a lot about the upcoming season and the changes he wanted to implement. We signed a couple of players that will be great additions to the team.

"Now that I've achieved one of my big goals of my career, I can't wait to fulfill the next one with my team: an NBA championship."