The only people that I’ve seen supporting the proposal that Olympic basketball players be under 23 years old are NBA executives. The fans are against it, the players are against and it’s a shame that the greed of a few select people may change something that the majority of the population loves.

Team USA center Tyson Chandler threw in his two cents on the matter.

“It’s ridiculous,” Chandler said. “Why would you want to do that? Because like I say, throughout the history, just about every time a player has played for the U.S. team, he comes back and had a better season. That goes around the board.”

There are stats to back up Chandler’s claims, and players seem to avoid injury during international competition. I have said many times that I hope David Stern and the NBA owners don’t get their way and switch around Olympic basketball rules. It would destroy the international competition only for the purpose of generating some extra money for a select few.

The Olympics also keep the NBA’s best sharp in the offseason.

“Thing is, summertime, we normally play pickup games,” Chandler said. “When it gets closer to the season, guys start playing pickups, you work out with guys you know or your teammates. But it’s light. You ease back into it. You’re joking around. When you are practicing like this here, it is similar, but it is 100 percent harder. We are playing for something here, so guys are out there competing. You have no choice but to get better.”

Chandler isn’t alone either, other NBA players have supported keeping things the way they are. Kobe Bryant called the under-23 rule stupid and Manu Ginobili said if he was 24, he’d be “crying in that corner.” There are plenty of rising stars in the NBA that are probably looking forward to representing their country in the next Olympics that may never get the chance.

Tyson Chandler is right. This whole thing is ridiculous.

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