11/05/24
January 26, 2004
Country first, fatigue second.: What do Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Tony Parker have in common? In the summer they were each a major force playing for their country at the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. And now they are having below par seasons with their NBA teams.
posted by gspm to basketball at 12:50 PM - 8 comments
Like bill points out, this happens all the time in Soccer, and the NHL (amongst others) during the Olympics. It's a part of sporting life. The fact that the NBA is just now coming around to signing a bunch of International players doesn't give them the right to prevent it. They can bitch all they want, but if Cuban actually stepped in and prevented Nash or Dirk from playing in those games, I for one would be mighty pissed. And FWIW, you do have to consider a lot of other factors in declining production. Dirk's attempts per game have been down by almost 2 compared with last year. Nash's are down by 2.6. That happens when you bring in an Antoine and an Antawn. Dirk has stepped up his game in other areas (his passing as of late has been much better than ever, and he's even trying a little on defense nowadays), and Steve's increase in Assists speaks for itself. I'm sure that playing this summer had some impact, but looking strictly at the stats, as always, doesn't tell the whole story.
posted by Ufez Jones at 01:16 PM on January 26, 2004
"I'm not going to change my mind about playing -- I've always dreamed about playing in the Olympics representing my country -- but it's something to think about," McGrady said. "There is such a thing as playing too much basketball. Sometimes, your body can't take all the games." "I don't want to sound un-American, because I love playing for my country, but all you have to do is look at that roster from Puerto Rico," Brand told reporters in Los Angeles. "A lot of guys have had problems." Boo-Fucking-Hoo. It's for the Olympics. It's for the chance to represent your country on the National Stage. To bring honor and respect to your country. Suck it up.
posted by lilnemo at 01:20 PM on January 26, 2004
Boo-Fucking-Hoo. Word...I know its been said before, but they play a friggin SPORT for MONEY. While the fact they make more money than I'll see in my lifetime doesn't bother me, their bitching about anything related to their job makes me want to give em a good slap upside the head (and then run away before they can crush my skull with their bear hands)
posted by jmd82 at 01:36 PM on January 26, 2004
Ditto. One wonders if there were a more pointed correlation betwixt advertising revenue and Olympic participation if T-Mac would have the same beef. Call me when you hear: "Oh, I don't know about the All-Star Game this year. I'm so tired already, I don't want to let down the team..."
posted by forksclovetofu at 02:18 PM on January 26, 2004
It's the owners that have a big beef with it, not the players. In this media conference call with Mark Cuban and the Maloof boys, the question was asked: Is there anything that you see that can be done to preserve your players who play overseas for their national teams in the offseason? Joe Maloof: The more I think about it – Gavin and I – we’re against it. It’s too dangerous. We pay these guys tremendous salaries and to have one of them injured in one of those games would be devastating to our fans, would be devastating to the league and to us. I don’t think it’s a good move. Cuban: With the exception of Peja really, with our guys and other guys around the league, it’s been detrimental. I know Dirk (Nowitzki) and Steve (Nash) both got off to tougher starts this year. They both needed breaks and wanted more breaks. It takes a toll on their bodies because these guys are so competitive and plus they have to carry so much more load on their respective teams. It’s not like you’ve got – like Steve Nash had a whole lot of help around him or Dirk Nowitzki had a whole lot of help around him. And at the end of the day, even Pop (Gregg Popovich) said in an interview that he saw it was taking a toll on the Tony Parkers and that impacts the quality of our product. Why in the world would we give our most valuable asset to another tournament knowing that when we have to offer our product it could potentially have a negative impact? That’s just dumb business.
posted by dusted at 03:16 PM on January 26, 2004
Nice link, dusted. That was interesting read. And like I said, I understand the owners want to bitch about it, and from a business POV, I can see where they are coming from. But the moment they actually take any action to deter players from competing for their home countries, any and all empathy is flushed.
posted by Ufez Jones at 03:27 PM on January 26, 2004
Also from a business POV, isn't eventually in these owners interests to have the sport grow internationally? More marketplaces mean more consumers. If guys lke Cuban wouldn't spend $40 million on the Raef LaFrentzs of the world it wouldn't be such a problem.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 07:17 PM on January 26, 2004
Saw this complaint a lot last season in the EPL, MLS and other soccer leagues post-World Cup. Seems like there is little in the way of alternatives though, if we choose to continue with both club and country competitions.