DALLAS — Anyone who has even loosely followed Maxi Kleber’s six-year Mavericks career knows he’s a model teammate, as well a close friend of Dwight Powell, Josh Green and ex-Maverick Jalen Brunson.
Which makes it all the more jolting that Kleber abruptly has withdrawn from Germany’s national team roster for this summer’s FIBA World Cup, saying that it is “100 percent clear that I am not unreservedly welcome,” in the aftermath of stinging comments made by Raptors and Team Germany point guard Dennis Schroder.
Considering the sources of this verbal tiff, it’s natural to side with Kleber. After all, Dirk Nowitzki, the greatest German and European player and Dallas Maverick in history usually chose his words carefully or declined to comment altogether on the subject of Schroder, who has played for five teams in 10 NBA seasons.
