I have no idea how prime 2000 Shaq not wanting to play in the Olympics have anything to do with old gymnastics and old Bill Russell's game films not being shown on TV. Nobody said he should compete in the Olympics indefinitely, he was still in his prime and have a reason not to go. I am sure Josh Childress have a good reason to leave nba too. Telling me why Shaq didn't want to compete in the Olympics doesn't quite make whatever point you are trying to prove.
I am showing you the flaw in your logic, you claimed Shaq quit the Olympics, he didn't. Shaq completed his Olympic career. He didn't go halfway through an Olympic qualifying tournament and then leave.
The best competition in Shaq's sport is in the NBA, not the Olympics. He didn't need to keep going back and he's not the only BBaller who hasn't. In sports like Gymnastics, Swimming and Track and Field, their biggest stage is the Olympics.
99.9% of the basketball players in the world wants to play in the NBA. Using a select few exceptions to trying to prove it otherwise is just dumb.
But claiming that the Euroleague is the qualifying round for the NBA is smart?
There are so many limitations NBA faces to expend, I can't even tell you all of them. I am sure having a franchise in Shanghai would be profitable, but there are multitude of problems with that. To say profitability is the only limitations just shows how ignorant you are.
What makes you think having a franchise in Shanghai would be profitable? Travel expenses would be hell, the travel itself would make the team playing there and the visiting teams tired and they would probably play poorly and it's likely most players wouldn't want to play there with no other NBA teams on the same continent, which means that team would be pretty bad. Since bad teams don't usually get fan support, it's likely that an isolated team in Shanghai would be pretty unprofitable in the long term.
On the other hand there probably will be a European division in 15-20 years, when it becomes beneficial to do so.
Outside that and international politics, there really aren't any reasons why the NBA can't expand. But why don't you humor a simpleton like me and tell me them?
It seems like you also needs a lesson in perspectives.
To the "thousands (or tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of even millions)" of basketball players around the world and in the U.S who wants to join the NBA, Eastern Conference Championship is very impressive. Just like to the "thousands (or tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of even millions)" of athletes who wants to compete in the Olympics, silver is very impressive. To the hundreds of players who are already playing in the NBA and NBA viewers who has no idea how big the world basketball community is, winning 2nd in the NBA championship might not be as impressive. Just like to the handful of players who already made to the Olympics, Silver medal is no where near as impressive as Gold medal. "90% (more likely 99%)" don't use 2 different perspectives to compare things, you in the other hand clearly do..
So you're trying to tell me that a Gymnast who has been training since she was five, gets selected to the national team, survives all of the qualification rounds, performs an awesome routine and falls to second by less than a tenth doesn't think a Silver is worth even mentioning? Of course she'd be happier with a Gold but I guarentee you the Silver is going to be front and center in her trophy case. You claim I need a lesson in perspective yet you ignore that she may never get to the Olympics again, with the next one being four years away. If the NBA had a season every four years, each player would be much more pleased with a ECF or WCF ring than they are now. Currently if they lose the Finals, most of that team comes back the very next year to take another stab at it. They get 12-18 chances to win the Championship. Olympic athletes get one or two, maybe three. If you gave an NBA player a three year career and he made it to the Finals and lost, he would be damn proud of his ECF or WCF ring.
You are terrible at this, stop wasting my time, and everyone else's time to read your crap.
Ahh, when all else fails, throw some insults and claim the argument is wasting your time. Way to finish like a chump.
