The Paul George Effect
by Corey Tulaba
By now every basketball fan and their mother has seen the horrific video of Paul George’s leg injury during the team USA scrimmage on ESPN. The game was supposed to highlight the game’s young stars and give us our first glimpse into Derrick Rose returning to action against elite level competition. For the first 3 quarters that is exactly what we got. Then in the 4th quarter on a James Harden breakaway layup, Paul George tried going up to block Harden and got his foot caught on the stanchion (it was placed closer than NBA regulation). The freak accident has George being ruled out for the upcoming FIBA World Cup and the 2014-2015 NBA season (and possibly beyond).
The George injury has led to many questions from NBA league executives and is going to have a ripple effect on the future of USA basketball and the upcoming NBA season. According to Yahoo Sports Adrian Wojnarowski who spoke with an anonymous NBA GM, the injury is a “Game changer” in regards to star players playing in international competition. This may have a huge effect on players, but I believe it will have the biggest effect on the guys still on their rookie contract. This would be the Lillard’s and Thompson’s of the world. These guys haven’t had huge NBA paydays yet and an injury could affect their first big contract; that risk may not be worth the reward. Now on the opposite side of the coin, this is the first major injury suffered by a team USA member since 1992 when the US first started using pro players. It was also a freak injury that could have happened anywhere. Earlier this month George showed up to a pro am known as the Drew League which is a popular league that some NBA players play in during the off season. These games are glorified pickup games that are not regulated by the NBA in any way and include players that may be looking for something to prove against actual NBA players. If there is risk in FIBA play which is regulated, there is way more risk in pro am games.
NBA teams surely don’t want their stars playing in these competitions or pro am’s as they are the ones paying their maximum salaries. If there is a major injury, the player’s teams are the ones feeling the repercussions the hardest. In the Pacers case, Paul George is on the hook for 27% of their cap and although they received an injury exemption worth about 5 million dollars this year, they are so close to the tax level that they more than likely won’t use it. This leaves the Pacers in a tough spot. With the loss of Lance Stephenson and a roster of complementary players which includes an aging David West and timid players such as George Hill and Roy Hibbert, the Pacers are going to feel this injury. There are just no shot creators and there is very little shooting and teams are going to force the Pacers in to tougher shots than they have been accustomed to. The defense will still be there, though nowhere near the level it was last year as Paul George was able to lock down opposing wings and Stephenson was no slouch defensively. The offense, however, is going to massively struggle. The Pacers had the worst offense in the league towards the end of the year and losing your two best offensive players will not help in any way. CJ Miles and Rodney Stuckey are two guys who wont help much when asked to carry a bigger offensive load. This is a lottery team to me and a team that should think about blowing it up. Larry Bird won’t be looking to do that right away and may have to play the season by ear before he comes to that decision. This is not a Bulls without D-Rose situation though. Without Rose, Joakim Noah became an effective player in setting up teammates from the high post and I don’t believe Indiana has anyone on the roster capable of stepping up like Noah. The Bulls also made terrific use of the mid season pickup of DJ Augustine (someone coach Vogel made look like a D-Leaguer). I personally would look to move West to a contender and play my chances in another strong draft with the hopes of George coming back strong and finding a second complimentary young star to run with him when he returns hopefully to full health.
With George out for the World Cup, it leaves another position open on the wing. George was going to play the 2012 Andre Iguodala role of taking open shots and locking down other countries best wing guy. That spot is now a question mark for team USA. The most likely candidate to take over that spot is Klay Thompson. Thompson will space the floor better than George and while he is not the defender George is, he can more than hold his own. For the Warriors he takes the best wing guy every night, covering up for Steph Curry. The guy who was probably on the outside looking in but now has a legit shot at making the squad is DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan represents a player unlike most wings currently on the roster. DeRozan is a super athlete, with killer slashing and mid range ability, and is an improved long range shooter. He also possesses the ability to be a lock down wing defender off the bech who can pressure the ball every minute he is on the court. He can bring a dimension to the team that Korver, Parsons, and Hayward can’t right now.
The risk of injury to star players is going to be a major discussion point at the next NBA competition committee meeting in September, but league commissioner Adam Silver doesn’t believe there will be a major shift in NBA players playing in international competition. Silver sees the benefits to playing for team USA and has said he thinks playing in the games are special and unique experiences that have improved leadership, playing ability, and passion for the game. Look no further than Kevin Durant taking control of the 2010 team and helping him become the undisputred second best player in the league (this years favorite to take the jump is Anthony Davis). It has also helped the game and players brands worldwide as basketball continues to grow into the world’s second favorite sport. I believe that Adam Silver is mostly right and that we won’t see many players passing on the team USA experience, especially Olympic play. Injuries can happen anywhere at any time and a freak injury won’t stop most players from wanting to represent their country.
The games officially start on August 30th and the players are going to play their heart out without any fear of injury to honor Paul George. I think if team USA wins the World Cup it will make a great national story and may cause the counrty to pay a bit more attention to the Cup games. I also believe the camaraderie the players feel will carry over into the next international competition which will be the 2016 Olympic Games. The Olympics is an even bigger event than the World Cup and a Gold Medal is something players want to add to their resume. I believe we will see the LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony’s participate in the next Olympic Games and the rest of the elite players will follow suit. As sad as the Paul George injury is, the trickledown effect will be a minor one for USA basketball; for the Pacers and the 2014-2015 NBA season however, it could be major.
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