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| Paul George pumping up the crowd at Bankers Life Fieldhouse Photo credit: lakersnation.com |
If you haven't heard yet, Paul George suffered a very serious leg injury last night playing in a team USA scrimmage in Las Vegas. George who is an up and coming superstar in the league had a break out season last year. Through the first half of the season he was even considered to be in the running for MVP. George was also already penciled in as the starting small forward for team USA.
Last night George was chasing down James Harden who got out on a fast break after a steal by Kevin Durant. George hustled back and tried to block his shot when his leg got stuck between the floor and the basket stanchion which resulted in a open tibia-fibula fracture. His teammates looked down at him in disbelief and some couldn't stomach the scene. The word is George will most likely miss all of next season. That's disappointing to anyone who is a basketball fan.
With all that said should the NBA's elite be competing in international play during the summer? The truth is that it's up to the players. The players choose whether or not they want to play in international play and that won't change. This is what these guys do for a living, they love to play basketball. It's not just FIBA and the Olympics that these players do in the off-season. NBA players play in pro-am's, charity events, street ball events, etc. A player can get hurt doing any of these things or just a simple work out. What happened to Paul George was a freak accident, but it just so happens that it happened in a team USA jersey and it was broadcast on national television. That why this question is brought up.
Fans of specific teams like to see there guys represent the USA. I can tell you as a Nets fan I enjoyed watching Deron Williams play in the 2012 Olympics. Of course I was worried about him getting hurt, but I loved watching every moment he was on the floor. I'm sure Pacers fans were enjoying every moment George was on the floor up until his injury.
Last night George was chasing down James Harden who got out on a fast break after a steal by Kevin Durant. George hustled back and tried to block his shot when his leg got stuck between the floor and the basket stanchion which resulted in a open tibia-fibula fracture. His teammates looked down at him in disbelief and some couldn't stomach the scene. The word is George will most likely miss all of next season. That's disappointing to anyone who is a basketball fan.
With all that said should the NBA's elite be competing in international play during the summer? The truth is that it's up to the players. The players choose whether or not they want to play in international play and that won't change. This is what these guys do for a living, they love to play basketball. It's not just FIBA and the Olympics that these players do in the off-season. NBA players play in pro-am's, charity events, street ball events, etc. A player can get hurt doing any of these things or just a simple work out. What happened to Paul George was a freak accident, but it just so happens that it happened in a team USA jersey and it was broadcast on national television. That why this question is brought up.
Fans of specific teams like to see there guys represent the USA. I can tell you as a Nets fan I enjoyed watching Deron Williams play in the 2012 Olympics. Of course I was worried about him getting hurt, but I loved watching every moment he was on the floor. I'm sure Pacers fans were enjoying every moment George was on the floor up until his injury.
Everyone is wishing Paul George a speedy recovery and we are all looking forward to him getting back on the court.
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