Quote:
Originally Posted by NemesisX
Then why not reduce the regular season from 82 games to, say, 60 games? That would help to reduce the risk of injury far more than preventing players from playing for USA basketball. Hell, let's go to 40. Reducing player risk has never been the only goal of the NBA. They are an entertainment business first and foremost.
There's nothing inherently more dangerous about playing in a USA basketball scrimmage than there is playing in a typical, regular season or pre-season practice scrimmage with your own team. Paul George unfortunately fell victim to a freak accident.
Now, Mark Cuban's more subtle point is that neither players nor owners are paid to play international basketball but players (and owners) assume non-zero risk for zero immediate, direct return on investment. But, playing in these international tournaments for free is the first step in expanding the NBA globally which will bring in more money (eventually), not to mention they provide entertainment value for the fans even if it's not (yet) as popular to watch as the NBA playoffs.
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NBA is not about the players, is all about the money.