Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, and Mark Cuban Are Absolutely Right About the Olympics
If it wasn’t for the audacious elbow by Metta World Peace into the temple of James Harden, the biggest story today would probably be Mark Cuban’s interview with FoxSports.com.
"“It’s the biggest mistake the NBA makes. If you look up stupid in the dictionary, you see a picture of the USA Dream Team playing for free for corporate America so the U.S. Olympic Committee can make millions of dollars. If you come up with something that you own, that you give it to me for free so I can make billions of dollars, I want it.
And it has nothing to do with patriotism. It’s all about money. You don’t see the Olympic Committee saying, 'Oh we made so much money. Let’s give it to people.'
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Cuban didn’t bother to stop there. Cuban would go on to share his concerns about how a player injury will hurt the NBA and how the U.S. Men’s team should consist of players no older than 21 or 22. He topped it all off by saying, “Maybe that will be my next business. F--- up the Olympics.”
Cuban’s sentiments were harsh, but he certainly is not the only person in the NBA who believes the Olympic system isn't the best for the NBA.
All-Star shooting guards Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade have both made recent comments stating their desire for basketball players on the Olympic team to get paid.
In an interview with Fox Sports Florida, Allen stated:
"Everybody says, 'Play for your country.' But (NBA players are) commodities, your businesses. You think about it, you do camps in the summer, you have various opportunities to make money. When you go overseas and play basketball, you lose those opportunities, what you may make…If I'm an accountant and I get outsourced by my firm, I'm going to make some money somewhere else.
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Dwyane Wade made similar comments, but later backed away from them.
In the same article as Allen, Rajon Rondo discussed his lack of desire to be on the Olympic team. When Rondo was asked if he would have any desire to play in the 2016 or 2020 Olympic Games, he responded:
"I'm not focusing at all on the Olympics. At all. At all. No, I don't. I just don't…Wondering why? I love my summers. I'll leave it at that.
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Rondo went on to say he left the 2010 Olympic World Championship because he was, “homesick.”
What was the motivation for Rondo? This is a player who at the time just played in a Game 7 of an NBA Finals, and would have to report to camp a couple months later. Why would he forfeit his short break to play basketball for little to no benefit?
The fact is that Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen and even Mark Cuban have nothing to gain from the Olympics. The players do not get paid, it consumes their offseason and there is a risk of injury that may prevent a player from hitting any incentives they may have.
Owners, such as Cuban, really get shafted because they have millions invested into these players. Owners are businessmen and players are assets to owners. Why would they want to risk any asset for no return on the dollar? Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee and Olympic Partners pocket millions off of these players.
In my opinion, we shouldn’t pay the players. I do understand and respect the “spirit of the games.” That is why the best and simplest solution is to just send our amateurs, like Cuban suggests.
Let’s be honest here. We are America. We are number one in anything basketball, and most likely always will be. There is no benefit for our country’s basketball reputation to have Lebron James dunk on a 6’3” kid from Greece.
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