With Pau Gasol out for at least 3 months with a broken foot suffered in the World Championships, the question arises again on whether teams should have some say on their stars playing for international teams. The owners are the ones paying the contracts, which are guaranteed, but the decision on whether or not a player's on the National team is entirely outside of their control. Yet if a player gets hurt, not only could the owner lose a lot of money, but also the team itself and the fans pay the price with a lesser team. As the Grizzlies owner pointed out, it could just as easily have been LeBron or Wade getting hurt as it was Gasol.
So, should the owners have some say? And if so, what could possibly be done to be fair to everyone? After all, could we really back a proposal that wouldn't allow someone to represent their country? And if the star player on your favorite team goes down in international play are you bitter, or do you just accept it as acceptable risk?
Posted by Drez, the Risk/Reward Professor at 9/5/2006 12:15:00 PM |
