Andre Drummond #25, DeMarcus Cousins #36 and Chandler Parsons #34 of the 2014 USA Basketball Men's National Team reacts after Paul George was badly injured defending a play in the fourth quarter of a USA Basketball showcase at the Thomas & Mack Center on August 1, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Paul George #29 of the 2014 USA Basketball Men's National Team is tended to as he lies on the court after badly injuring his leg defending a play during a USA Basketball showcase at the Thomas & Mack Center on August 1, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The rest of the exhibition was cancelled after the injury.
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USA Team White center Andre Drummond looks on as teammate Paul George is tended to after suffering a leg injury during the USA Basketball Showcase at Thomas & Mack Center.
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Team USA basketball players clap as injured teammate Paul George is lifted on to a gurney after suffering a leg injury during the USA Basketball Showcase at Thomas Mack Center.
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James Harden #32 of the 2014 USA Basketball Men's National Team reacts after Paul George #29 of the 2014 USA Basketball Men's National Team was injured while defending a layup by Harden during a USA Basketball showcase at the Thomas & Mack Center on August 1, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The rest of the exhibition was cancelled after the injury.
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Anthony Davis #42 and Kevin Durant #52 of the 2014 USA Basketball Men's National Team hug on the court after the game was called in the fourth quarter after an injury to Paul George during a USA Basketball showcase at the Thomas & Mack Center on August 1, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Head coach Mike Krzyzewski (C) and members of the 2014 USA Basketball Men's National Team huddle on the court after Krzyzewski told the crowd the exhibition was cancelled in the fourth quarter after an injury to Paul George during a USA Basketball showcase at the Thomas & Mack Center on August 1, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Paul George's injury reignited a relatively recent debate: Should the NBA allows its players to participate in FIBA events such as the World Cup and Olympics?

Two summers ago, there was a movement to introduce an age limit for men's basketball at the Olympics and make it 23-and-under, similar to the men's soccer competition at the Summer Olympics.

But FIBA, the IOC and — this is important, too — NBA players resisted that movement. And, before George broke two bones in his leg in the USA Basketball scrimmage Friday in Las Vegas that likely will force him to miss the 2014-15 season, there was no significant effort to change the Olympic age limit. The NBA still plans on sending most of its best players to the 2016 Rio Olympics.

In a lengthy e-mail that detailed the benefits of international basketball, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told USA TODAY Sports, "I don't anticipate a major shift in the NBA's participation in international competitions."

"Of course, there's no doubt that this will be a hot topic at our next NBA Competition meeting in September and our Board of Governors' meeting in October and we will continue to evaluate the pros and cons of participating in international tournaments."

At the 2012 London Olympics, FIBA secretary general Patrick Baumann said, "We should keep this (format) certainly for a while."

USA Basketball, the NBA and FIBA are partners, and both FIBA and USA Basketball will continue to push for inclusion of all players regardless of age.

"Basketball has unquestionably taken incredible strides since 1992 when NBA players began playing in the Olympics, not to mention, the jump many of our players have made in terms of ability, leadership and passion for the game by playing for their home countries," Silver wrote. "Injuries can happen any place at any time. The experiences our players have enjoyed by participating in their national teams, however, are ones that are unique and special in almost every other way."

When reached by e-mail on Sunday, Cuban replied, "Nothing to add. Nothing has changed. We are just as dumb today as we were ten years ago."

George's tibia-fibula fracture is the first that will cost a U.S. player all or the majority of a season, and that's a strong track record — one in which USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo is proud. Colangelo has sold the notion that not only do players return to their NBA teams healthy, they return better.

Pacers president Larry Bird did not blame USA Basketball or international competition for George's injury saying in a statement, "We still support USA Basketball and believe in the NBA's goals of exposing our game, our teams and players worldwide. This is an extremely unfortunate injury that occurred on a highly-visible stage, but could also have occurred anytime, anywhere."