Some owners have been very skeptical about loaning their star players to play in international games like the FIBA run Olympics and World Cup. In the wake of Paul George’s gruesome leg injury during Team USA’s scrimmage, one of the biggest advocates against the notion, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is speaking out.
via Marc Stein of ESPN:
“The (International Olympic Committee) is playing the NBA. The IOC is an organization that has been rife with corruption, to the point where a member was accused of trying to fix an Olympic event in Salt Lake. The IOC (pulls in) billions of dollars. They make a killing and make Tony Soprano look like a saint.
“The pros in multiple sports are smart enough to not play when they are eligible free agents. But teams take on huge financial risk so that the IOC committee members can line their pockets.
“The greatest trick ever played was the IOC convincing the world that the Olympics were about patriotism and national pride instead of money. The players and owners should get together and create our own World Cup of Basketball.”
Cuban is all about his money and just wants a piece, hence why he’s proposing the NBA run their own World Cup. He’s basically using George’s injury to help further his agenda. The players are at a risk for injury when they play these games but injuries also happen during practice, training camp etc. It’s just something you can’t predict.
