The Nets denied Eduardo Najera permission to play for Mexico in the FIBA Americas tournament because his abdomen injury has yet to heal.
Five months after he underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia, Najera agreed with New Jersey's decision.
"They were right. I wasn't ready," the forward told the Star Ledger. "I learned from the best that I have to slow down, especially with my age and this injury. I want to play so bad; I was under a lot of pressure to play, and I felt like I let them down. But my loyalty has to be to the Nets, and luckily they kicked some sense into me. The doctor and trainers -- and Kiki and Rod -- all said they don't think it's a good idea to risk being reinjured."
Najera is one of Mexico's most beloved athletes, so it wasn't easy for him not to represent his country.
"Oh, I can't tell you -- it was extremely hard to say no," he said. "But I explored every option. The interest in the team was so high. The media was pushing for it. I was supposed to compete, and this could be the last year I can play for the national team at a high level. But it basically came down to not being ready physically. And if I didn't re-injure the abdomen, I'd injure something else.
"This injury has been the toughest to recover for me. This has been such a pain in the butt. Getting old really sucks. You don't heal as fast as you used to. And obviously my brain is programmed like a professional athlete -- I just want to go. I'm used to pain, but you've got a threshold and you have to pay attention as you get older. So I'm trying."