Rick Morrisey had a lame flag-waving column imploring that NBA stars join the olympic squad, despite fears of injury and safety. Lately the team has seen its stars drop like flies, causing coach Larry Brown and columnists like Morrisey to start wringing their hands:
That's not going to be enough to change the minds of men who have to answer only to their next impulse. That's the real problem here, not terrorists. Asking the standard-model NBA star to shrink his ego for the benefit of something bigger is like asking the standard-model NBA star to hold his breath for an hour. Or to go a week without his GameCube.
If the question for these players is, "What's in it for me?" the answer is, "Not much except widespread admiration." Most of these guys have more money than most small towns. A few commercial endorsements from the Olympic experience isn't going to affect their lives.
If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll see how much crap I think this sentiment is worth. If not, here's a reminder. Too summarize, nobody cares about Olympic basketball, its not worth the hassle of risking NBA talent.