Dangers involved,
but coaches see benefit of summer competitions
BRIAN MAHONEY
Associated Press
After most of the Denver
Nuggets' frontcourt went down with injuries
last season, George Karl had plenty of reason
to hope Carmelo Anthony would skip the world
championships in Japan.
And there's no way Jeff
Van Gundy wanted to see Yao Ming, his franchise
center, running around on a recently broken
foot for a China team that had no hope of
winning anyway.
But here's the surprise:
Though acknowledging the dangers involved
- such as the injury to Pau Gasol that possibly
wrecked the Memphis Grizzlies' season before
it started - most coaches seem to understand
the benefit of playing in international
competitions.
"I personally think
the reward of what Melo did was worth the
risk that we took," Karl said. "He
gets to play on the stage of the best in
the world. He gets to compete with LeBron
and Dwyane and the top 15 players. Just
playing with those guys every day makes
you a better basketball player."
The debate over playing
in summer events was renewed when Gasol
broke his foot in the final minutes of Spain's
semifinal victory over Argentina. The All-Star
forward had surgery in September and was
expected to need four months to recover.
San Antonio avoided trouble
when Tony Parker broke his finger before
the tournament, instead of getting injured
at the end like Gasol. He withdrew from
the French team and was ready to play in
time for the start of training camp.
But even those who came
home healthy likely picked up some bumps
and bruises along the way, so keep an eye
on Miami's Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki
of Dallas. Both played deep into June for
their NBA clubs, then had little time off
before spending most of their summers playing
for their national teams.
Even Nowitzki, a notorious
basketball junkie, forced himself to stay
away from the gym for a little while after
leading Germany into the quarterfinals.
"I took some time
off after the worlds," he said. "I
didn't really feel great at the worlds because
I didn't work out enough to really be 100
percent in shape there, so afterwards I
took some time off. I got away a little
bit. It was good, and I'm fired up now."
Nowitzki's boss, Dallas
owner Mark Cuban, has spoken out against
players in these competitions before. And
given what happened to the Grizzlies, it's
certainly understandable. A 49-win team
last season, Memphis doesn't have nearly
as talented as Gasol, so expectations are
much lower.
"It's an unfortunate
thing," Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello
said. "It's the gamble that you go
through when one of your guys is lucky enough
to play for his country, and he's playing
in the offseason. There's extra wear and
tear on the body, and we got hurt by it."
The Grizzlies probably
would have preferred Gasol to rest this
summer. His foot was bothering him late
last season, causing him to miss a few games,
and he still wasn't at full strength when
the playoffs began.
But Fratello also understands
that even barring Gasol from playing - which
teams aren't allowed to do anyway - wouldn't
necessarily have prevented the injury.
"It could have been
broken over in Spain playing in a pickup
game, if he wasn't playing for the country,"
he said. "The only difference is when
you are playing for one of the teams in
the world championships, it is a steady
diet of heavy practice every day."
For a young team like Orlando,
that extra work could be a benefit. Third-year
star Dwight Howard got to practice against
players such as Elton Brand and Chris Bosh
while playing for the United States, and
the Magic also saw Darko Milicic (Serbia
and Montenegro) and Carlos Arroyo (Puerto
Rico) play very well for their national
teams.
Milicic was the No. 2 pick
in the 2003 draft, but received little NBA
playing time before he was dealt from Detroit
to Orlando last season. Any time on the
floor he can get is a huge boost for his
development.
"I think it's a positive
for us because two of our guys, Dwight Howard
and Darko Milicic, were 20 years old. And
I don't think you can simulate, in the offseason,
the type of competition that they see,"
Magic coach Brian Hill said.
"No. 1, just practicing
with their respective teams, the organization,
the coaching, everything that they're getting
in the offseason, as opposed to just going
back to their hometowns and working out.
You can't simulate that, and obviously any
time there is competition that's great."
Houston also learned something
about its players away from the pressure
of winning NBA games. Besides Yao, Vassilis
Spanoulis was in Japan - as was Shane Battier,
who logged plenty of minutes for the Americans.
And while Van Gundy understands
the injury concerns, he was happy that his
players did get the chance, especially because
a couple of them had some memorable moments.
Already China's biggest
star, Yao further enhanced his reputation
by promising a spot in the round of 16,
then delivering a sensational 36-point,
10-rebound performance in an upset of Slovenia
that clinched it. People were celebrating
in Athens after Spanoulis scored 22 points
in Greece's victory over the U.S. in the
semifinals.
"I think it's a great
honor to represent your country," Van
Gundy said. "I understand the business
side and the complaints by some about not
wanting - certainly if you have a Memphis
situation with Gasol getting injured in
one of those games - but I think the overriding
thing for me is that you get few chances
to represent your country and I was glad
for Shane that he was able to do that and
Yao obviously and Billy as well."
USA Basketball managing
director Jerry Colangelo said this summer
that no NBA team personnel had approached
him with concerns about their players playing.
And coaches did seem supportive: Karl took
in U.S. camp in Las Vegas, while the Heat's
Pat Riley and Cleveland coach Mike Brown
popped in on practice in Japan.
Brown said LeBron James
returned to the Cavaliers as a better leader
after serving as one of the captains of
the U.S. team.
Because they didn't win
the worlds, the Americans will now have
to play again next summer to qualify for
the 2008 Olympics. If Anthony plays in both
events, that could mean nearly 30 extra
games over a three-year span, on top of
all the games he plays for the Nuggets.
But don't expect to hear
Karl complaining - especially since he knows
his country needs the help.
"I've coached in Europe
where there have been players that have
played 11 consecutive years without much
more than a two or three-week break,"
he said. "It seems that when our players
commit to playing a couple years in a row
in the summertime, we start giving them
these built-in excuses.
"We were the best
team in the world for many, many years.
Our coaches and our players have now taken
this game and taken it overseas and taught
it very well and we've been great ambassadors
of the game. But now I think it's time for
us to reassert our dominance and initiative.
To do that, we need to play in the summertime."
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