The NBA regular season will be here in no time, and Dallas Mavericks fans can’t wait for the schedule to be released later this month.
Dallas has been rumored to be playing the Minnesota Timberwolves on Christmas Day, and their opening night matchup should be a fun one as well whoever that ends up being against.
Basketball fans are eager for the NBA season, but their excitement has taken a hiatus due to the Olympics going on in Paris. The Mavs have two players represented in the Olympics, as Dante Exum played for Australia, and Dwight Powell is playing for Canada.
While Powell and Exum have both played well, there’s one Maverick who got snubbed from playing in the Olympics entirely, and the reasoning behind this decision is puzzling, and there seems to be a long rabbit hole of events to go along with it.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Maxi Kleber wanted to play for Germany (subscription required), but since he didn’t make himself available to play in the FIBA World Cup last summer (that Germany ended up winning), “there was little chance (he) would be invited to play on the Olympic squad.”
Going into last offseason, Kleber was healthy, but he did tear his hamstring during the middle of the season. He likely could have played in the World Cup, and he wanted to, but a German teammate decided to openly criticize Kleber for not playing in the summer prior as he was recovering from injuries.
Dennis Schroder fired some shots at Kleber, and seemingly in response to that, he backed out of playing in the World Cup for Germany. It’s a shame that Kleber didn’t get to play in the Olympics this year largely because he missed the World Cup last summer, and if it wasn’t for Schroder, he likely would have been representing his country right now in Paris.
Schroder’s public unnecessary comments about Kleber likely would have caused awkwardness in the locker room as well, and it’s wild to think that the German team could have been even better than it already is in these Olympics with the addition of Kleber.
Although it is disappointing that Mavs fans don’t get to watch Kleber in the Olympics, him not playing does give him some extra time off and time to work on his game.
Kleber suffered a nasty shoulder injury during the playoffs, and even when he returned, he wasn’t himself. The Mavs need Kleber to return to his old self, and if he doesn’t, he is someone who could get moved before the trade deadline.
Kleber has been a good veteran for the Mavs on and off the floor for years, and him not being able to participate in the Olympics partially due to Schroder causing drama between them has to be frustrating for him.
