Kobe Bryant. Pau Gasol. Dirk Nowitzki. Andrew Bogut. Steve Nash. Manu Ginobili. LeBron James.

Seven of the best basketball players in the world.

And none of them will be on the court at the world championships in Turkey at the end of this month.

Why? Some, like Bogut, are recovering from injuries. For others, the world championships just aren't important enough. I know that sounds ludicrous when we're trained to believe that anything with the words "world" and "championship" in it represent the ultimate in competition.

But for many American players, and for a growing number of international stars who make their living in the NBA - the world championships are little more than an inconvenience. The tournament is less prestigious than the Olympics, and it falls smack in the middle of the NBA off-season.

NBA owners, who invest millions in their teams, aren't crazy about sending their players off to a world championships. Like international soccer, the concept of "club versus country" becomes a major issue, and in basketball, when it's not the Olympics, the club usually wins.

Nowitzki - who just signed a new four year, $80 million contract with Dallas - will not play for Germany because he wants to focus on his upcoming season with the Mavericks. Nash, 36, with a bad back, is saving himself for the Phoenix Suns. Ginobili and Gasol also cited demands on their bodies after rigourous NBA seasons with the Spurs and Lakers respectively.

Consider these numbers as well. There have been 15 world championships of basketball, and the USA has only won three, with the last title coming in 1994. More importantly, though it's been 16 years since the US won that gold, it's not exactly a burning issue on the minds of American sports fans.

The Olympics, however, are a completely different kettle of fish. There have been 17 Olympic basketball tournaments, and the USA has dominated, winning 13 golds, including the first seven in a row. When Team USA has failed - think of the controversial 1972 loss to Russia or the bronze medals at Seoul in 1988 and Athens in 2004 - fans and media scream bloody murder.

1992's "Dream Team" was the emphatic response to 1988's failure, and it's no coincidence that team contained the greatest assemblage of basketball talent in history. Similarly, 2008's gold-medal winning group in Beijing was called the "Redeem Team," and included superstars Bryant, James and Dwayne Wade.

Now another world championships has rolled around and again, the US is sending a team that is less than its best.

Don't get me wrong, the squad has talent. Kevin Durant might be the next true NBA superstar, and Rajon Rondo is one of the league's best point guards. But you'd hardly call the rest of the team (eg Rudy Gay, Lamar Odom, Derrick Rose) household names, even though they are legitimate NBA stars.

The good news is this doesn't mean the tournament will be any less entertaining. In fact, with the USA and Spain weakened, other countries will fancy their chances.

Australia, in the midst of a rebuilding phase, will benefit from the lack of star power in its own group. Brett Brown's new-look Boomers will have a legitimate shot against both Germany sans-Nowitzki and Argentina without Ginobili.

Still, if you're craving that big-time Team USA action or a full-strength Spain or Argentina, you'll probably have to wait for London 2012.

World championship groups (top four in each group advance)

GROUP A: Angola, Argentina, Australia. Germany, Jordan Serbia

GROUP B: Brazil, Croatia, Iran, Slovenia, Tunisia, USA

GROUP C: China, Cote D'Ivoire, Greece, Puerto Rico, Russia, Turkey

GROUP D: Canada, France, Lebanon, Lithuania, New Zealand, Spain