"Perhaps it is a bit dramatic to call him the godfather of German basketball, but Detlef Schrempf was the first major German NBA star and a member of the 1992 team from Germany that finished seventh in the "Dream Team" Olympics.

Not surprisingly, he's one of Dirk Nowitzki's biggest fans. The Nowitzki-led German team made the Olympics for the first time in 16 years.

"Dirk has done amazing things for German basketball," Schrempf said. "To play every summer is extremely hard and tough on the body. I did it for a few years. You're away all summer, traveling, and it's tough. This is the last chance for Germany for a while because they're losing a lot of players and there are not a lot coming up. So it would be nice if they could medal."

Schrempf, whom the Mavericks selected with the eighth pick in the 1985 draft but subsequently traded before becoming a three-time All-Star, was in Dallas as part of an adidas basketball tournament that featured players 18 and younger from the U.S., Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe and Latin America.

The young players are competing in a tournament at the Integrated Athletic Development Facility in Carrollton. The public is invited to attend the event.

Games will be played at 10:30 a.m. and 6:45 p.m. today. The final will be at 3 p.m. Monday.

Several of the NBA players who attended the tournament will be facing unique situations this season and talked about their challenges on Saturday.

Former Texas guard T.J. Ford will be playing for his third team in five years.

He was traded from Toronto to Indiana in July in a deal that sent Jermaine O'Neal to the Raptors.

Ford said it was tough being traded again, but he did not take it as an insult.

"If you look at some of the best point guards in the NBA," Ford said, "you'll see that most of those guys took a journey before they found a situation where they were able to be successful. Steve Nash - look at the teams he's been on. Jason Kidd took a journey before he found a place where he was an All-Star player. Baron Davis and Chauncey Billups were traded. I'm starting to look at it from that standpoint, where I just have to take a journey that makes me stronger before I find a home. But I hope Indiana is it."

Josh Smith had an active week. The 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward was a restricted free agent and signed a five-year, $58 million offer sheet with Memphis. On Friday, however, the Hawks matched the offer, and Smith will stay in Atlanta.

"I have a combination of feelings," Smith said. "I feel bad because Memphis was good to me and didn't get what they wanted. But at the end of the day, it's a business, and I'm happy to be home because I'm from Atlanta."

Desmond Mason, a native of Waxahachie, will be starting his ninth year in the NBA and will be playing for his sixth head coach. Scott Skiles was hired by the Milwaukee Bucks, who have missed the playoffs the last two years.

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