The USA Men’s Basketball team is preparing to play in the FIBA World Cup in the next few weeks. Team USA looked to be the odds on favorite to win the gold medal, but that may be in jeopardy after the injury to Paul George, and the sudden departure of Kevin Durant. Durant recently stated that he will no longer be participating in the FIBA world cup due to being mentally drained.
Durant won a gold medal in 2012 Olympics, and he has a lot of miles on his body after playing extended time during the last few seasons. Durant has every right to feel tired. He is only second to LeBron James when it comes to minutes played since 2010 so it’s fair to say he his mentally and physically drained. On the other hand, with LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Kobe Bryant not being attendance it gave Durant a platform where he can finally be recognized as the best on team USA. Durant would have been in good company playing with Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, and Kyrie Irving so it wasn’t like he had to shoulder the load to single-handedly will team USA to a gold medal.
Some people feel that Durant deserves the time off and some feel that KD should be representing the NBA as an ambassador of the game by playing in the FIBA World Cup. Durant is one of the most recognizable faces in the NBA and it would only help to continue to build the NBA’s brand on an international platform with Durant playing. Playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder is what Durant is required to do if your Durant, but playing for team USA is an honor. If team USA wins the FIBA wins the gold medal it will perfectly fine if Durant missed out, but if team USA falls short he should garner some blame. Do you think deserves a much needed break, or is he getting a pass for not playing in the FIBA World Cup?
