Kleeman's Last Word

Mavs owner's comments highlight NBA's Olympic dilemma

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban impugned the Olympics earlier this week for what he calls 'The Games’ money-driven mission.

He aired his complaints about the upcoming Beijing games just after a report from unidentified sources confirmed that the 35-year-old point guard he will pay $20 million next season had made the U.S. Men’s Basketball Team.

If Dirk Nowitzki can lead Germany to victory in a looming qualifying tournament, he too will compete in August. Cuban told the Dallas Morning News that he questions his two stars risking injury abroad in the name of their Mavericks paycheck.

"It's not that I don't like the idea of them representing their countries," Cuban said by e-mail to the Morning News. "If the Olympics were truly a nationalistic endeavor built on sport and part of the public domain, I would be willing to take risk and support their playing. What I don't like is that we lie to ourselves and pretend that the Olympians represent our country."

"They don't. They have taken relatively low paying jobs working for the Olympics, who in turn sell the broadcast and marketing rights for billions of dollars in profits, all the while creating enormous risk for those of us who pay them for their day jobs that support their families. It's amazing how players who are free agents won't participate, but those with guaranteed contracts will."

"I hate the fact that we lie to ourselves and pretend this is about representing country," Cuban said. "It's not. It's about money."

In another lesser-reported story, Gregg Popovich has asked Manu Ginobili not to participate in The Games because of a nagging ankle injury, the same one that inhibited his performance in the Western Conference Finals, the San Antonio Express-News reported. The head coach cannot force Ginobili to skip Beijing thanks to the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Though Popovich did not admonish the spirit of the games, his comments about Ginobili’s responsibility to the Spurs mirrored Cuban’s thoughts on Nowitzki and Kidd.

The Houston Rockets have been much more understanding publicly about Yao Ming’s desire to play in The Games. Daryl Morey and Rick Adelman know how much this means to Yao, competing as China’s biggest star when it hosts the world competition.

When the Rockets drafted Yao, they promised China that he would partake in his national team’s summer outings. The Chinese Government might exile Yao and sever his citizenship if his health allows him to compete and he chooses not to do so. No way will Yao miss the Olympics. No way.

Cuban called Olympic participation a “risk not worth taking.” Three international NBA stars, perhaps the best three in today’s game, and Kidd to a lesser extent, face tough calls.

China’s team would be smothered if Yao chose not to compete. They are already heavy underdogs with him on the roster.

The Argentina National Team cannot defeat the United States if Ginobili stays in San Antonio. The U.S. would beat up then cremate Argentina if its best player sat out.

The German National Team, much like China’s, has little hope of winning squat even if Nowitzki plays at a high level.

What about the NBA franchises that allow these three players to live comfortably in the U.S. and compete in All-Star games?

All three players missed significant chunks of the regular season’s finale stretch because of serious injuries. With Nowitzki shelved for a few weeks, the Mavs nearly missed the playoffs.

The Rockets trudged on and completed the second longest win streak in NBA history without Yao but a first round exit at the hands of the Utah Jazz showed how much they missed him.

Ginobili’s health wavered throughout the playoffs and his ankle pains caused him to play one of the worst series of his career. As a result, the defending champion Spurs lost to a seemingly inferior Los Angeles Lakers team in five games.

Their national teams cannot win without them nor can their NBA teams. Which loyalty is more important? The patriotism that Cuban alleges is a fake excuse to host The Games or the responsibility to stay healthy for the pro sports squad that pays the bills?

Pat Riley must be thrilled that Dwyane Wade wants to toss himself into world competition, right after having a season-ending surgery. Kobe Bryant avoided surgery on a torn hand ligament so that his Lakers would not relinquish the Western Conference’s top spot. He carried them all the way to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics in six games.

We don’t know how serious his ailments are and playing with the Olympic team could aggravate them.

The current Olympic model aggravates Cuban. His gripes may sound scathing and selfish, but this time, the owner’s rant deserves more than a hush sign.

If Ginobili worsens his left ankle’s condition in Beijing, Popovich won’t be the only one searching for words. Thousands of Spur fans will look for championship No. five in the Tim Duncan era but silence will blind the path.

posted by Robert Kleeman @ 4:26 PM