INDIANAPOLIS -- With all due respect to George Karl, it has been too long since the former ABAer and current Team USA coach got up and down a court if he truly believes playing in the World Championship is a great way to get in shape for the NBA season.

Argue that the honor of playing for one's country should outweigh all other concerns. Or that with fat guaranteed contracts, it's not as if protecting their earning power is an issue. Or that young players with little playoff exposure can gain valuable experience playing under pressure. Or that the pomp and circumstance of being on the international stage is not to be missed.

But play nine games in 11 days against opponents who all see it as the chance of their lives to make history? Having to compensate for lack of cohesion by outworking that same geeked-up opposition? With two, rather than three, referees, thereby allowing off-the-ball play that borders on dirty? With fans, based on attendance and TV ratings, showing little support but still expecting gold? All of it in India-no-place for 10 days away from home and family?

Don't get me wrong, it's noble and admirable that Michael Finley, Ben Wallace and the rest are here and willing to work their tails off on defense to compensate for their lack of offensive continuity and thereby uphold the national program's honor. On behalf of anyone who takes pride in being the world's greatest basketball nation, I thank them. (Reggie Miller gets props, too, but let's not go overboard -- he and Jermaine O'Neal are playing at home, and as an elder team statesman, Reggie can hoist a few 3s and call it a day.)

But I'm not about to bust on anyone as unpatriotic or lazy or selfish for taking a pass, especially if they've worn the stars and stripes before; Shaq, KG, Tim Duncan, Jason Kidd and Vince Carter all qualify. I can even somewhat understand why Kobe, who has played more than 100 games three years' running, hasn't participated, although rumors that he strung the selection committee along before saying no is another story. If Paul Pierce fades in April or May next season, are Celtics fans going to forgive him because of what he contributed to the national team this week? Not likely.

And don't point to the foreign NBA players here, either. Peja Stojakovic and Dirk Nowitzki are still relative newcomers to piggybacking NBA and international play. They're also single and in their early 20s. They should be here as much as Andre Miller and Elton Brand should. Where's 30-year-old Pistons/Yugoslav center Zeljko Rebraca? At a personal mountaintop training camp, that's where.

"I enjoy being with the guys and I'm young," Stojakovic says. "When I stop enjoying it, I'll stop playing for the national team."

Yugoslavia and the U.S. also are two of the only countries who can afford to have players decline an invitation. "In our countries, there are only 12 or 14 guys who can play at this level," says Argentina guard Pepe Sanchez, a former 76er who reportedly signed with the Pistons this week. "Our country couldn't compete here if guys said no, and we understand that."

In any case, this is not the ideal way to prepare for an 82-game NBA season. The competitive gap is no longer so marginal a U.S. player can afford to work on his weaknesses, or take a day off if a hamstring tightens up. There's also something to be said about the restorative powers of family time in light of the travel-heavy NBA schedule.

"For me," says Miami Heat and New Zealand forward Sean Marks, "it's always been that I get to represent my country on the world stage, but it is draining. Yes, we'd be working out anyway, but would we be playing this many games and risking injury? I don't think so."

The U.S. team does have the luxury of depth, meaning no one has to play more than 30 minutes. But being unfamiliar with the rules, particularly the trapezoid lane, and having to compete against teams who can reduce their workload with defensive zones and precision offense honed over years arguably makes playing time here more grueling than NBA minutes. Maybe it's coincidence, but some of the most durable and well-conditioned stars -- Karl Malone, John Stockton and Tim Duncan, to name three -- have sustained fatigue-related injuries after a summer of international competition.

"It's very hard to play through the season and then play here," Sanchez says. "I hope to play here and in the Olympics, and then that's it. It's great for young people coming up. Old people should leave it."

Ric Bucher covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ric.bucher@espnmag.com.