Olympics threatening NBA assets...

Olympic glory too high a cost for NBA
By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports
3 hours, 1 minute ago



BEIJING – As the worst nightmare for an NBA dynasty unfolded on the floor – San Antonio Spur Manu Ginobili crumbling with the agony of an ankle hurt all over again – the world witnessed one more window into how an Olympic basketball war of attrition threatens to deepen the gap between the United States and its reeling rivals.

So yes, the Americans beat Argentina 101-81 to reach the championship game against Spain on Sunday. The gold medal is 40 inevitable minutes away. Yet peel back the restoration of the U.S.’s good name, the sparkle of Kobe and LeBron, the selling of the swoosh, and allow everyone to balance these spastic glory days with the dark side of Olympic basketball:

For its image makeovers and marketing might, the NBA is slowly, surely decaying multi-million dollar assets.

The excess of talent for the United States has largely insulated the red, white and blue because America’s staggering roster of talent isn’t as burdened with pressures to play hurt, to log minute after draining minute on the court. The U.S. team can share the load, the way its smaller opponents never can. Just understand: Hundreds of millions of dollars in guaranteed NBA contracts have played hurt here in these Olympics and the long-term price to pay could be staggering.

One more bad turn of that ankle, the Spurs privately feared, and Ginobili could need surgery. Argentina fought back with such toughness and tenacity after Ginobili was lost just four minutes into the game, but the 2004 gold medalists were dramatically diminished without him. His Argentine teammates would walk into the halftime locker room, and there was a loyal son of Argentina, one of the game’s greatest winners in absolute agony.

“He was pretty bad,” Argentina’s Carlos Delfino told Yahoo! Sports, shaking his head. “He was in pain. …He was in pain.”

Ginobili was on his way to a hospital for a dreaded MRI late Friday here, and the real possibility that his jammed ankle from the Western Conference playoffs – with swelling that never subsided – could cost the Spurs a chance for a fifth NBA title in 11 years. Ginobili is 32 years old and Spurs management had understood that a decade with his national team has come at a cost for them. To watch him turn that ankle, hobble to the sideline and collapse just broke your heart. Ginobili would do anything for that Argentina jersey on his back – and did.

The Spurs never wanted Ginobili in these Olympics. Yet they understood the sentimental pull to play for Argentina, the way that his DNA almost demands that he don that uniform in this tournament. “He was there to protect his gold medal,” Team USA’s Jason Kidd said.

So, just who was protecting the Spurs’ interests? This goes for the Houston Rockets, who are at the mercy of China’s sports machine with the way it overuses Yao Ming. His over-taxed lower body needs rest and recovery and China is merciless on him. He was a shell of himself for most of these Games, out of shape.

The Los Angeles Clippers were frightened over 7-foot center Chris Kaman taking the pounding of an Olympic qualifying tournament and then these Games for Germany. He confessed that an injury ankle was still bothering him.

Just signed to a $76 million contract, Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut sprained his left ankle playing for Australia. Argentina’s Andres Noicioni of the Chicago Bulls hurt his knee in the quarterfinals against Greece and still played Friday.

Toronto Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo had to yell down to the Spain bench on Thursday as he watched his point guard, Jose Calderon, favoring his groin. Already, Spain’s insistence on playing Jorge Garbajosa cost him his future with the Raptors. Calderon missed Spain’s semifinal victory over Lithuania on Saturday, but will undoubtedly feel the burden to join his teammate to avenge a 37-point loss to the Americans with a gold medal on the line.

This creates an uneasy conflict of interest, because Bryan Colangelo just traded his other point guard, T.J. Ford, to the Indiana Pacers, signed Calderon to an extension and will certainly push his point guard to rest the gold medal game. Of course, Colangelo’s father, Jerry, happens to be the managing director of Team USA and would benefit with Calderon on the bench.

Where else could you have all this dysfunction, all these conflicts but the Olympics? This is an enterprise with a lot of well-meaning ideals and a lot of unintended consequences.

And do you think international basketball’s governing body, FIBA, cares? Their bureaucrats went on and on Friday with little regard for the welfare of anything but their coffers. All they could talk about were unprecedented TV ratings and arena ticket sales (“There are still some very wealthy people trying to get into the game tonight,” Secretary general and IOC member Patrick Baumann crooned). What’s more, FIBA has ratcheted lobbying efforts to get 16 teams into the 2012 Olympics. More teams, more athletes, more NBA franchises fearing the worst.

This way, France can return and play the Spurs’ Tony Parker with a broken finger. Who knows? Maybe the Netherlands can make it back, and clear ex-Spur Francisco Elson to play with a broken eye-socket again.

When I asked FIBA’s president, Bob Elphinston, about the trepidations of NBA owners and executives of international basketball wearing out their players, about how medical care is so unbalanced between big and small countries, he went on a long lecture about how all the Olympians dream of wearing those national uniforms and how everyone is so supportive of FIBA and how all the great players will keep showing up for these tournaments. He was completely detached of reality. “Yao Ming talked about how he had dreamed of playing in the Olympics since he was 5 years old,” Elphinston said.

Well, Yao didn’t think that someone would make him do it still hobbling on a broken foot. Baumann listened to his colleague, and then did allow, “We need to have a uniformed policy on medical matters.”

They’ve talked about it for years, but the NBA and FIBA have never gotten it done. If the NBA has to subsidize medical care for federations, perhaps that’s what’s needed to protect its players. Too often, the selfish need of a country trying to advance in a tournament pushes players too far to perform. Whatever you want to say about national pride, your responsibility is to the team that signs your check.

“Even among the national teams, you have a real inconsistency of care with no set of agreed-upon guidelines between FIBA and the NBA,” Spurs GM RC Buford said. “The quality of care is different between an NBA team and national teams, but it’s even different among the national teams themselves.

“In the especially poorer countries, they don’t always have the national team doctor at the tournament with them, and they’re using a freelance doctor who may have or not have experience with sports injuries, nor the understanding of the risk-rewards of clearing a guy to play who has a $100 million contract.”

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had two 30-something maximum-salary players – Dirk Nowitzki and Kidd – in these Olympics and had long been leery of exposing his franchise stars to so much risk. He watched an archrival, Ginobili, go down on Friday and understands that whatever gloss that comes with Team USA’s golden glory, the dirty little secret of Olympic basketball doesn’t go away.

“I absolutely continue to worry about it,” Cuban said Friday in an email. “Maybe we should do something similar to the soccer approach and limit it to players 23 and under. The real question is whether or not the NBA, with our increasing global strength can create our own global tournament to replace the Olympics and make money doing it.”

Sooner or later, the NBA has to take a look at the good of these Olympics beyond the needs of Nike and the commissioner’s global imperialism. Maybe the Americans are protected with the waves of talent that they can turn to, but that gap will just drive the rest of the world harder and harder to catch them. More risks with multi-million dollar investments, more Ginobilis crumbling to floors around the world. These are the NBA’s casualties, too.

“It is a tough decision to make,” Delfino said. “We come here with pride. We play because we want to represent our country.”

Manu Ginobili, loyal son of Argentina and the NBA, went down on Friday and Kobe and LeBron and Stern just pushed past his anguish and agony on the way to marketing gold and global goodwill. Sooner or later, there will be a price to pay.

It is funny to read these articles. When I lived in England the soccer clubs over there would whine about releasing players to their national teams too.

Players have a right to play if they want.....it is the nature of the business.

DD

maybe these owners will be smart
if play in stupid games
you get hurt your contract is void

It could be a good thing if he has to have surgery that he gets it now... rather than sometime after the season started

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Originally Posted by ducks

maybe these owners will be smart
if play in stupid games
you get hurt your contract is void

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you continue to break idiot guiness records every fucking day.

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Originally Posted by SequSpur

you continue to break idiot guiness records every fucking day.

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breaking records is something you can not do shorty

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Originally Posted by ducks

breaking records is something you can not do shorty

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Dumb ass

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Originally Posted by SequSpur

Dumb ass

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whatever fatass

fantastic article

hmmm.....

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Originally Posted by DaDakota

It is funny to read these articles. When I lived in England the soccer clubs over there would whine about releasing players to their national teams too.

Players have a right to play if they want.....it is the nature of the business.

DD

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I think it depends on the country you're from. In Australia if you're carrying a injury that could put your career at risk then you have a valid excuse to miss out on repping your country.

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Too often, the selfish need of a country trying to advance in a tournament pushes players too far to perform. Whatever you want to say about national pride, your responsibility is to the team that signs your check.

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I for one want players to be able to represent their country if healthy but ultimately it has to be by their choice. If a player isn't 100 percent then they shouldn't feel obligated or pressured to play for their country.

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Originally Posted by DaDakota

Players have a right to play if they want.....

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Not when those players are receiving guaranteed multi million dollar deals from those NBA Teams they don't. That's simply not fair.

The NBA don't care at all about the health of its players. There is more than 100, 48 minutes long, games per year for some players. The drug policy is also weak.
Even without international events, there are tons of serious injuries. The NBA breaks bodies at a disastrous rate. That's the aspect I dislike the most in this league.

Complaining about how international games wear down players is quite absurd. I really hopes than one NBA the NBA will reduce the amount of games played. Playing that much games bring nothing basketball wise. I also think that playing less games won't hurt a lot NBA's incomes.

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Originally Posted by SequSpur

you continue to break idiot guiness records every fucking day.

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for the first time...we agree.

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Originally Posted by Bruno

The NBA don't care at all about the health of its players. There is more than 100, 48 minutes long, games per year for some players. The drug policy is also weak.
Even without international events, there are tons of serious injuries. The NBA breaks bodies at a disastrous rate. That's the aspect I dislike the most in this league.

Complaining about how international games wear down players is quite absurd. I really hopes than one NBA the NBA will reduce the amount of games played. Playing that much games bring nothing basketball wise. I also think that playing less games won't hurt a lot NBA's incomes.

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perfect analysis. i'm still waiting for some evidence from tpark, dbreidren and the rest of the anti-olympic crew proving that players who play in the olympics are more susceptible to injury than those that "only" play in the NBA.

most of the doom and gloom equates manu's current situation to grant hill. grant hill ruined his career at age 28 playing in the NBA, with "first world" (oooh!) NBA medical staff advising him, and concerned american fans egging him on. Manu is 31 and unlike Hill, manu played international ball every year since he was a kid, and had deep playoff runs in the NBA.

its not hard at all to see what is different, and what is the same.

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Originally Posted by whottt

Not when those players are receiving guaranteed multi million dollar deals from those NBA Teams they don't. That's simply not fair.

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+1

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Originally Posted by whottt

Not when those players are receiving guaranteed multi million dollar deals from those NBA Teams they don't. That's simply not fair.

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Favor ain't fair.

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Originally Posted by whottt

Not when those players are receiving guaranteed multi million dollar deals from those NBA Teams they don't. That's simply not fair.

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Sorry, fairness has nothing to do with it. They have a personal right to be able to play, it is the off sesason, and it is their choice.

If you don't want them to play, then you have to write it into their contract.....

Because right now, that is not happening, and most players, especially foreign ones, would not sign it....

So, the players are going to play in the Olympics for their country....which, IMHO...is a great thing.

I do find it ironic that people were ok with Manu trying to play in the Lakers series, when he was clearly injured, and then turning around when he is healthy and whining about him playing for his country.



DD

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Originally Posted by GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI

It could be a good thing if he has to have surgery that he gets it now... rather than sometime after the season started

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Although i personally think Manu will be fine. I agree, if he needs surgery then do it now. Let Roger jump on in and get dirty. With some of the luck we've had signing and bringing in players from other countries. The worst thing that could happen is manu sits most of the season. Manu gets healthy and we make it into the PO's wherever we can, and take our chances. If somewhere down the road it doesnt look like its worth blowing the rest of his career, on an occurring injury. Then lets give our young boys alot of time, maybe hit the lottery, and sign another American player who could take Manu or Tims place for the future. Parker will need someone in a couple of seasons at the most, in order to keep the Spurs contenders. We've done it before, and it worked out pretty well. :wow

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Originally Posted by Bruno

The NBA don't care at all about the health of its players. There is more than 100, 48 minutes long, games per year for some players. The drug policy is also weak.
Even without international events, there are tons of serious injuries. The NBA breaks bodies at a disastrous rate. That's the aspect I dislike the most in this league.

Complaining about how international games wear down players is quite absurd. I really hopes than one NBA the NBA will reduce the amount of games played. Playing that much games bring nothing basketball wise. I also think that playing less games won't hurt a lot NBA's incomes.

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100% agreed. This isnt baseball we're talking about. Broken nails, sore shoulders. This is basketball where very big men, make serious physical contact. Its business and the nba doesnt care about the health of most of their players. Its hard to believe that nba players make it thru mulitple seasons without ever looking into drugs of some kind for whatever reasons. With that in mind its business as usual. :wow

What eventually has to happen is that FIBA and the NBA have to find a way for the NBA teams to be compensated more fairly for their players involvement in international competition.

Mark Cuban's main beef (and one that I think he is correct on) is that he's paying Dirk and Kidd multi-millions, but he's eventually stuck with injured players if they get hurt during international duty with nothing to compensate him.

This has been a major issue in soccer for many years now. Just recently, FIFA and the major soccer federations came to an agreement so that the club teams get a share of the profits for allowing their players to play in FIFA events (international competitions such as the World Cup). This way, the teams are being compensated more fairly. A similar arrangement is needed for FIBA and the NBA.

The Spurs had been out in front of international scouting for years and these players had been playing for their NT long before they came to the NBA. IMO, the Spurs knew, or should have known, what they were getting into when they signed Manu and Tony. Manu is clearly done with international play, but Tony still has a few years left to play with France. Are we going to be having these same conversations about him next summer?

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Originally Posted by Bruno

The NBA don't care at all about the health of its players. There is more than 100, 48 minutes long, games per year for some players. The drug policy is also weak.
Even without international events, there are tons of serious injuries. The NBA breaks bodies at a disastrous rate. That's the aspect I dislike the most in this league.

Complaining about how international games wear down players is quite absurd. I really hopes than one NBA the NBA will reduce the amount of games played. Playing that much games bring nothing basketball wise. I also think that playing less games won't hurt a lot NBA's incomes.

---

so the nba has to shorten the schedule to match euro to care about the health of players:rolleyes

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Originally Posted by Bruno

The NBA don't care at all about the health of its players. There is more than 100, 48 minutes long, games per year for some players. The drug policy is also weak.
Even without international events, there are tons of serious injuries. The NBA breaks bodies at a disastrous rate. That's the aspect I dislike the most in this league.

Complaining about how international games wear down players is quite absurd. I really hopes than one NBA the NBA will reduce the amount of games played. Playing that much games bring nothing basketball wise. I also think that playing less games won't hurt a lot NBA's incomes.

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BRAVO :clap

If you're going to pick up an international player, you'll have to live with the benefits and the risks.

The Spurs got Manu on the cheap most likely because he is an international player. A US born and bred version of Manu would be costing in the $15+ million range. So the Spurs saved a fortune because Manu is a foreigner, they'll have to live with the fact that alot of foreign players consider the Olympics as the height of their life, not the NBA.

Even Tony Parker is somewhat "cheap" considering he's one of the top PGs in the NBA.

The Spurs have made a championship team over the years with 3 foreign starters (Manu is a "starter") and one of the lowest payrolls in the NBA. Now, the risky side of that business is starting to show up, Spur fans have to accept that is ALSO part of the deal.

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Originally Posted by spurschick

The Spurs had been out in front of international scouting for years and these players had been playing for their NT long before they came to the NBA. IMO, the Spurs knew, or should have known, what they were getting into when they signed Manu and Tony. Manu is clearly done with international play, but Tony still has a few years left to play with France. Are we going to be having these same conversations about him next summer?

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Yes :bang

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Originally Posted by Allanon

If you're going to pick up an international player, you'll have to live with the benefits and the risks.

The Spurs got Manu on the cheap most likely because he is an international player. A US born and bred version of Manu would be costing in the $15+ million range. So the Spurs saved a fortune because Manu is a foreigner, they'll have to live with the fact that alot of foreign players consider the Olympics as the height of their life, not the NBA.

Even Tony Parker is somewhat "cheap" considering he's one of the top PGs in the NBA.

The Spurs have made a championship team over the years with 3 foreign starters (Manu is a "starter") and one of the lowest payrolls in the NBA. Now, the risky side of that business is starting to show up, Spur fans have to accept that is ALSO part of the deal.

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San Antonio is a small market, Manu sign a contract because he believe SA is the best place to win a Championship (not the best market to make money), he's coming off the bench (as a starter) and help to win 3 rings in 7 years, all for the same price. All for help the team.

But, if Money is all that matters:
-he should play for Panathinaikos instread Bologna
-he should play for Denver instread San Antonio
-he should play the Euroligue (Euros) instread the NBA (Dollars)

His work is the NBA but his spirit is the National Team ...Injuries can happen anytime and everywere (you like it or not, playing or not, resting or not, in the NBA, the olymplics, the parking lot, etc)
Loyalty and money are not the same thing for Manu. That's why San Antonio´s small market will never be THAT lucky again with a big steal in the 57Th pick for less money.