France sends injured Joakim Noah back; Ensures insurance for its NBA players
The governing body of basketball in France, the FFBB, made two important announcements recently. To start with, France announced insurance for all players associated with the French International team. Secondly, Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls has been sent back to Chicago after failing to prove his fitness due to an ankle injury, he suffered earlier this year against the Philadelphia 76ers.
With the Eurobasket Tournament just around the corner, this news couple has been received warmly by the NBA teams and players alike.
Previously, NBA had always assisted International teams regarding player insurance issues, but the current lockout scenario has created a rather complex situation. According to the lockout, the NBA is neither willing to insure any players from team USA, nor willing to help other international teams in this regard.
Most international players seek to represent their national teams and the NBA has always encouraged international participation. However, the players currently find themselves in a quandary as the lockout does not allow any NBA team to cover the cost of a player’s injury.
The positive step taken by France is expected to set a precedent for other international teams and associations likewise.
France sent Joakim Noah back to USA to continue his ankle rehab. The French team doctors considered his injury serious enough and informed his agent, upon which, Noah’s agent requested his return. Although Noah will miss the summer action with France, he is expected to be back in action for the Eurobasket tournament scheduled to start from Aug 31 in Lithuania.
Managers across the NBA have appreciated this step by France as most teams are fearful that national teams might declare their players fit, in pursuit of an Olympic spot.
The Eurobasket tournament serves as a qualifying stage for the Olympic games and France has a star studded squad with the likes of Tony Parker, Nicolas Batum and Joakim Noah. France’s main concern was to avoid any tricky situation with Noah’s injury and make sure that he will be available by the time the tournament arrives.
Most other teams do not have a lot of players playing in the NBA and hence, it is still a concern for NBA managers that these teams will push their players to play through injuries. Whether this happens to be the case or not, still remains to be seen.
Overall, it has been refreshing to see that an international association has taken independent steps and has not sought the NBA’s help in such critical matters. France has certainly set a precedent here by depicting that issues can be resolved without the consent or intervention of the NBA.
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