Dirk Nowitzki's mentor: 'Play until you die and they drag you off the court'

Dirk Nowitzki's long-time mentor believes the Dallas Mavericks' 12-time All-Star is not near retirement and could play "three or four more years easily" if he's not injured.

Holger Geschwindner, who has mentored the 35-year-old Nowitzki since his time as a teenager in Germany, explained his opinion on early retirement to ESPN after Mavericks practice on Friday:

"The basic idea is as long as it's fun to go into work on the court and it's still interesting, he should do it, because I think the worst is if you stop and then you sit at home and think, 'Oh,' and you want to come back. You know all the big names that tried to do that. That does not work and it doesn't make sense. So play until you die and they drag you off the court. Then it's over. Then you really know it's over and you can live with it."

Nowitzki is a free agent at the end of the season and has expressed a desire to re-sign with Dallas at a reduced rate on a two or three year term. He is playing arguably his best basketball since the Mavericks won the 2011 NBA Championship, posting his best field goal percentage in three seasons (48.8).

Nowitzki's 21.4-point average puts him in elite company among players 35 and older. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Alex English, Michael Jordan and Karl Malone are the only players to average more points at that stage of their careers.

As Nowitzki's athleticism fades, the concern is he will lose his primary offensive weapon: the one-legged fade-away jumper. But Geschwindner is confident Nowitzki can adjust his game to suit his capabilities.

"If you watch all the other big guys, like Marc Gasol and those guys, everybody is shooting out of standing," he said. "They do not shoot a jump shot. If Dirk's jump shot is gone, he still can do the shooting and standing, I believe. We will see."