What Now For Team USA?

Last night, Indiana Pacers forward Paul George suffered one of the most gruesome injuries in the history of televised basketball while playing in a scrimmage for Team USA.

In the middle of the fourth quarter, George chased down James Harden on a fast break and as he landed, his right leg got caught under the basket stanchion, snapping his lower leg.

I don’t have any intention of showing the video or image here. It’s pretty horrific, and you can find it elsewhere if you really want to, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

The injury has NBA executives repeating what they’ve been saying for years. International basketball isn’t worth it. The Indiana Pacers season is over before it even begins and George faces a long hard recovery. He may never be the same player again.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been one of the most vocal opponents of international play, stating that NBA teams carry all the risk and none of the rewards.

"It's just the epitome of stupidity that we would allow ourselves (the NBA) to be used so other corporations can make tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars," Cuban told ESPN reporters back in 2012. "There's some guys sitting at the Olympic headquarters going, 'Those dumb-asses, we're taking all their best guys for nothing.' "

Team USA doesn’t pay the players’ salaries, NBA teams do, and any injury will hurt the NBA team far more than it will Team USA.

I love international basketball, but it’s hard to argue against Cuban right now, and after last night’s injury, expect more to join his side of the debate.

Kevin Love and Blake Griffin previously opted to not play for Team USA in this year’s FIBA World Championships out of fear of injury and the Spurs sent a letter to Manu Ginobili forbidding him to play for Team Argentina for the same reason. That was pre-Paul George. There’s no doubt that even more teams will attempt to prevent their stars from playing internationally post-Paul George, leaving both FIBA and Team USA in flux.