It was the injury heard throughout the sports world as Pacers’ Paul George’s leg snapped nearly in half during Team USA’s recent scrimmage in Las Vegas.
The injury was so gruesome, the scrimmage was called off as George was carried out of the arena on a stretcher while his fellow teammates looked on cheering him on.
And with such a devastating injury, one would think many players would reconsider playing in the offseason for fear of suffering a similar injury. However, that’s not the case for Blazers’ Damian Lillard.
“Nah, It’s a part of the game unfortunately,” he said. “It’s a risk any time you step out on the basketball court. I haven’t thought about stepping away [from Team USA]. I’ll stay in.”
Since Paul’s injury, it has sparked a debate on whether high-profile players like Lillard and George should even face the risk.
On one hand, it was a freak injury and could have happen to any player at any time. On the other hand, why risk it? The risk did not pay off for Paul and the Pacers as now he will be lost for the entire 2014-15 NBA season.
George is expected to make a full recovery but the debate has not, and probably won’t settle any time soon.
We here at Crossover debated the issue but we would like to hear your input.
Where do you side on the question of whether NBA players should play or not to play in international competition in the offseason?
