ORLMagicGirl15 wrote:I don't understand the rumor that Orlando is pressuring him. We knew he was playing in Euroleague. Orlando limited his summer league to 2 games due to fatigue and the knowledge that he's playing overseas. If it's true, I hope Orlando let him play and if he gets injuried in Euroleague or next season due to fatigue, that's his own fault. I'm really not up for this rumor mill to start with a rookie who have yet to play an NBA game.
We allowed Andrew, Nikola, Moe and Evan to all play in Euroleague while letting Harris and Oladipo to train for the squad for FIBA. I get it, they weren't rookies at the time but I still don't understand the rumor.
'EuroBasket'. Euroleague is on the club level.
Andrew played in the FIBA Americas competition in 2013 (and he most likely will again this summer)
Moe passed up a chance to play for Puerto Rico at the FIBA World Cup (where Evan was last year).
Evan's with France again, should make 12-man roster for EuroBasket. The French host their group stage in France, and then the knockout stage is also in France.
Vooch probably won't play for Montenegro until qualifying for EuroBasket 2017 comes around.
Tobias and Victor will have a strong chance to be chosen for the 2019 FIBA World Cup and/or 2020 Olympic team now that they'll both be participating in Team USA activities for the second consecutive year.
I have always been a strong supporter of players participating in international competitions early in their careers while they're young, as long as the coach isn't purposely burying these guys on the bench (unlike the previous Montenegrin coach with Vooch).
Playing actual games in late July, August, September is more valuable than simple training. The training you get done in May, June, July.
Also, depending on the tournament and location, it exposes these guys to big time crowd atmospheres and new pressure situations.
Traveling the world and experiencing new places and cultures is beneficial for a human being.
Harkless was told by his representatives that it'd be better to train in the U.S. instead of play for Puerto Rico. We now know that that didn't exactly pay off.
I really want Mario to play at EuroBasket, even if I know he'll probably be the backup SG or SF. He's part of that nation's international future (along with guys like Saric). Considering Croatia's group stage games are indeed being played in Croatia, Hezonja is going to get a lot of heat from his basketball federation, fans, and even players if Mario skips out on an important chance to grow the national team back to prominence.
Croatia hasn't won an international medial since the mid-'90s.
This batch of Croatians is capable of getting back on the podium, starting with this tournament (I give them a small chance at reaching the podium if they handle their group well).
Yes, Hezonja played 60-70 games for Barcelona. But - even factoring in 2-a-day practices - Mario shouldn't be that fatigued considering he didn't average a lot of minutes on the court. He's 20. Playing against tough EuroBasket competition in September will help get him prepped for Magic training camp and a spaced out preseason. Insurance shouldn't be a big issue.
). Just one of many, many things that show that we humans are still at a VERY primitive stage ...
