Photo by John Locher/Associated Press/http://www.nytimes.com/
Written by: Elijah Gonzalez (@abajo14)
Edited by: Curt Ashcraft (@cashcraft740)
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On Friday August 1st, basketball fans witnessed NBA star Paul George go down with one of the most gruesome injuries since Kevin Ware and Joe Theismann.
This injury occurred in a USA Blue vs. White Scrimmage to help prepare the team for the upcoming FIBA World Cup of Basketball in Spain. The winner of this tournament will get an automatic bid to the 2016 Olympic games. George’s severely fractured leg, however, will keep the Pacers’ All-Star not only out of the rest of international play this season, but it is expected that he will miss the entire 2014-15 NBA season.
Paul George’s injury sparks a debate that will continue for years to come. Who should USA Basketball send to international play, pros or college all-stars? While both sides have very valid points, I strongly believe that USA Basketball should send the NBA professionals to international play.
Professional athletes have played in international basketball tournaments for a while now. The 1992 Olympic Dream Team, one of the best teams to ever be assembled in any sport, was a group of NBA All-Stars who played for their country and dominated the rest of the world.
The American talent in the NBA includes the best basketball players in the world. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, James Harden, Stephen Curry and the list goes on and on. Most of these players will suit up in the 2016 Olympics, and they will put on a show that will more than likely lead the United States to yet another gold medal.
When the NBA players put on that USA Basketball uniform they feel it is an honor. They know how much our country takes pride in our basketball, and know that anything less than a gold medal is a disappointment.
Think about the 2004 Olympics in Greece. The USA team had Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, and oh, just a guy named LeBron James. That team was a great basketball team. However, think about how disappointed our country was when we only won the bronze medal in those Olympics.
If we have the best, why not send the best? If we can prove that we are the best basketball country in the world by fielding a team of NBA All-Stars, why should they be denied the right to represent their country in international tournaments.
You don’t see soccer countries like Germany, Brazil, and Argentina not sending their best talent to the World Cup. Those players are also making millions of dollars playing for their clubs in elite leagues around the world.
Of course, we are only having this argument because of the injury to Paul George. This was a freak injury and I understand you can say it would not have happened if he was not playing in a meaningless exhibition game. However, that injury could have happened in a pickup game during the off-season, or even in an NBA game during this upcoming season. Teams can only protect these players to a certain extent. The Pacers, who may struggle to make the playoffs without George, said in their statement that they are in full support of USA Basketball and that they know that George’s injury could have happened anytime and anywhere.
Kevin Ware, a former player for the University of Louisville, had this same injury a few years back in the NCAA Tournament. After he recovered, Ware transferred to Georgia State and will most likely finish his basketball career at that university. Because Ware was not quite the same player he was before the injury, Louisville decided to move on and find new players to replace Ware while he was rehabbing.
While it is horrible to see Paul George down and out with this injury, the fact that he is a pro will help him because the Pacers will give him plenty of time to rehab, and because he is guaranteed a contract, he will still have a spot on an NBA team when he finishes his rehab.
Let’s look at the other side of this argument. Why should pros play? The college athletes that play at the major universities in America are some of the best amateur athletes that any country has to offer. These athletes are not paid professionals. They are still in school getting an education and playing the game they love without the worry of money.
Take a minute and think about one of the greatest upsets in American sports history, the 1980 Olympics at Lake Placid. The USA Hockey team defeated the all mighty Soviet Union team, who was more talented and more experienced than that American team. The underdog USA team was full of college kids that created something special.
The pro athletes that are competing in these international competitions are risking injury by playing all these extra, highly competitive international games. This is a big risk for NBA teams who pay millions of dollars for these players. However, if you put amateur athletes in these competitions, these million dollar NBA All-Stars are not risking injury, and allow the pros to go through a regular and less rigorous offseason. Also, the college kids get a chance to show the world what they can do.
While I understand why some people want to see college athletes return to the international stage, I still believe that NBA players should continue to play in these international games.
As a basketball fan, I really enjoy seeing these pros come together and create teams that are so incredibly talented and a real sight to watch.
Not only am I proud for our county to look at that podium at the end of the Olympics and say that we are the best country in the world, but for these All-Stars, it is an honor to stand up there and put that gold medal around their neck.
These professionals are grown men. They have families they take care of, and it is my belief that these guys can decide on their own if it is right to compete in international competition. They know what is best for their careers.
What people also don’t realize is that these athletes who are not playing for team USA would be playing in pickup games and going through the same workout routines that they are during international season.
To be the best, you have to send the best, and for a country like the United States, who takes pride in the sport of basketball, why not show the world that we have the talent to prove that we are the best.
