On a day as somber as Friday, August 1, it’s hard to focus on anything but the tragic incident involving Paul George. One of the league’s premier players suffered a gruesome leg injury that shook the association at its core.
When something like this happens, it’s hard to do anything but offer support. Regardless of how hard it may be, it is necessary to look forward and acknowledge that this impacts more than just George and the Indiana Pacers.
The NBA will be altered by this injury. Team USA will be at the heart of it all.
For those who didn’t see it, George’s injury was comparable to the infamous Shaun Livingston leg destruction on February 26, 2007. If that’s not an adequate comparison, then it can be likened to the recently sidelined Anderson Silva of UFC or the injury suffered by Joe Theismann on November 18, 1985.
Fortunately, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports that George underwent successful surgery. Unfortunately, he’s expected to be out for the 2014-15 NBA season.
Pacers guard Paul George had a “good surgery. No ancillary damage” but likely out for next season, a source told Yahoo Sports.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) August 2, 2014
What’s important is that George is expected to recover.
Amongst those shaken up by the injury were NBA owners and general managers. Together, they saw the unfortunate risk in non-NBA competitive basketball.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, this could change the future of international basketball.
Owners and GMs united tonight: Paul George injury could be tipping point for use of stars in international play. “Game-changer,” GM told me. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) August 2, 2014
It’s hard to blame any general manager or owner for reacting this way.
It wasn’t until the Dream Team at the 1992 Olympics that elite NBA players unanimously signed up to play for Team USA. There were big names on the previous teams, but the squads were generally made up of college stars and players who were early in their professional careers.
Since the Dream Team revolutionized basketball, playing for Team USA has become something of an expectation for great players.
The 2012 Olympic basketball team included LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony. The 2008 Redeem Team included Bryant in his prime, James on the rise and everyone from Dwight Howard and Deron Williams to Michael Redd and Dwyane Wade.
2016 might look a little different.
Relatively quietly, it was announced that Manu Ginobili of Argentina and the San Antonio Spurs will miss the FIBA World Cup. Buck Harvey reported that the Spurs denied Ginobili the right to play for his country.
The injury makes this a bit of an exception, but it’s still a major occurrence.
Spurs sent @manuginobili a letter — citing stress fracture and recovery time, they will not grant him permission to play @FIBA. #Spurs — Buck Harvey (@Buck_SA) July 28, 2014
If that doesn’t do it for you, try this:
Kevin Love didn’t play because of the possibility of what happened to Paul George.This will be a turning point.No more NBA stars in FIBA.$$$ — MarkJonesESPN (@MarkJonesESPN) August 2, 2014
To reiterate, 2016 might look a little different from past Team USA Olympic basketball teams. It could look the same. Per Marc Stein of ESPN, it’s all about the NBA’s agreement with FIBA.
NBA deal w/FIBA states that its teams can’t bar players from international comp unless there’s “reasonable medical concern” going in. So … — Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) August 2, 2014
Stein continues:
So that would suggest NBA teams won’t be able to put up any more resistance to international play unless/until its deal with FIBA changes — Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) August 2, 2014
That’s a vital piece of information.
Unless there’s an injury going into the competition, the players currently determine whether or not they’ll compete for Team USA. For instance, a team such as the Chicago Bulls could make a case for removing Derrick Rose due to his lingering knee issues. The Oklahoma City Thunder, however, couldn’t remove Kevin Durant due to concern alone.
Representing one’s country is an incomparable honor, but it’s also a serious risk for both players and organizations. While the games tend to be lopsided when Team USA plays, they’re still highly competitive and tough on the body.
When effort is rabid, freak accidents like George’s can happen.
The same can be said for when someone walks down the street. The difference is, players aren’t jumping three feet into the air while running at full speed with another massive human being running alongside them when they walk down the street.
They are in competitive basketball.
Shaun Livingston Reacts
Optimism is running rampant throughout the NBA, and the general consensus is that George will recover. No matter how gruesome the injury, the only rational thing to wish upon someone is a speedy return.
George thanked his Twitter followers for the immediate support after news of the injury broke.
Thanks everybody for the love and support.. I’ll be ok and be back better than ever!!! Love y’all!! #YoungTrece — Paul George (@Paul_George24) August 2, 2014
It was as heartbreaking as it was gruesome, yet George remains confident in his future. As he should be. One of the most significant names to respond to the situation at hand was Livingston. As previously alluded to, he suffered a devastating and similar injury less than a decade ago. Livingston added to the optimism that’s growing throughout the NBA community.
believe in Paul George and his recovery back to the top! 100 — Shaun Livingston (@ShaunLivingston) August 2, 2014
If anyone knows what it’s like to be in George’s shoes, it’s Livingston.
While the league rightfully embraces optimism, owners and general managers will follow a different route. Their thoughts and prayers will remain with the injured Pacer, but they will be posing a simple, yet intricate question about any player they allow to compete on a competitive stage other than the NBA.
“Why did we let him put his body at risk?”
Blaming the organization is senseless, but that doesn’t mean they won’t take it upon themselves to ask the what-if questions. For instance, would players be less likely to suffer an injury if they were to rest over the summer instead of playing internationally?
If the owners find the answer to be yes, their relationship with the NBPA could become even more strained than it already is.
Players clearly enjoy competing for their country. One can only presume that they also enjoy having a contract with financial and job security.
Team USA provides an unforgettable opportunity, but it’s the NBA that gives players the money to support their families and pay their bills. It’s the NBA that’s giving athletes the chance to live out their dream and make a career out of it.
This is hardly an open-and-shut case. The owners simply have a strong argument in reference to having the final vote on the availability of their players to international squads.
It’s vital to not be a prisoner of the moment, but that’s exactly what’s going to happen. This wasn’t a role player on a decent team; it was the best player on the team that led the Eastern Conference in wins and was two games away from the NBA Finals in 2013-14.
A 24-year-old who was putting an organization and a community on his back. An All-NBA player whose two-way brilliance makes him one of the Top 15 players in the league.
George has become a symbol of unity in the NBA as a player who people unanimously want to see recover.
His injury has become a horror story for organizations that allow its players to compete in international basketball
Around The League
- The Atlanta Hawks brought back one of their more popular role players. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, power forward Mike Scott agreed to a three-year deal with Atlanta. “Mike Scott has agreed to a three-year, $10M deal with Atlanta, league source tells Yahoo Sports.” Scott, 26, averaged 9.6 points in 18.5 minutes in 2013-14.
- Eric Bledsoe and Greg Monroe still don’t have contracts. Just a friendly reminder that NBA free agency can be wildly unpredictable.
very unfortunate freak injury. i forsee even more NBA teams discouraging their guys from partaking in international competition and quite frankly i don’t blame them because things like this can always happen. and this happened at the most inopportune time.. right before his big contract kicks in
Not likely to have a big effect, as Marc Stein reports. However, it does support Kevin Love’s decision not to play.
Manu not playing could really be Manu’s preference, disguised as a decision by the Spurs.
Fortunately Paul George has 91 million still coming to him. Most of the best players will be financially secure when they decide to play for Team USA. Its the lesser players that may have to think twice about participating.
George’s absence will affect the final Roster. Likely would mean that Parson’s make’s team and KD is asked to play more SF, allowing Millsap to be chosen at PF (I think Millsap deserves to make regardless). It could also mean that Korver makes team.
Truth be told, right before the accident, bloggers were commenting that George didn’t real show much in the scrimmage. He may have been trying to make up for it, with a big defensive play.
The real effect of this injury, as countless blogs will be saying in coming days, is that Indiana will now be fortunate to make the playoffs. I’ve always maintained that Injuries were the key to how the EC turns out. I didn’t expect a major injury this early, though.