The Dallas Mavericks are one of many teams that have not allowed their players from playing for their respective countries this summer. Dirk Nowitzki wasn't allowed to represent Germany, while J.J. Barea wasn't allowed to play for Puerto Rico. This issue creeps up with teams all the time.I'm going to tackle it from a team and players standpoint, then give my thoughts on it.If I pay guys millions of dollars to play basketball, why risk fatigue or injury for something that doesn't affect what your team's doing? That's how owners think. They think more about what it does for their endeavor, rather than the players themselves.I think of the case of Zydrunas Ilgauskas. A couple years back, he wanted to play for Lithuania. The Cavs declined because of his long injury history. While Z is now healthy for the most part, I'm sure the Cavs would still not allow it. That's just how these teams are with guys that get hurt.But then you look at what the Spurs and La...
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