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If that was true, I'm sure Team USA consisting of 9 All-Stars and three NBA veterans would've finished better than sixth in the last World Championships. The opposite is true, amateurs in pickup games take every chance to dunk on the NBA-guy. Much higher risk there.
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Team USA finished so low because of poor play as a team, not because of lack of inidividual talent. However Dirk is not going to perfect his post moves, passing, and defense playing against inferior talent in international competition. Dirk's biggest improvement as a pro came after he played in the Mavs summer league. The style of play in international competition as well as the rules are much different than the NBA. And what works well defensively in international play may get you butt kicked in the NBA.
As for amateurs in pickup games trying to dunk on NBA guys. You can find pickup games which are almost exclusively NBA guys with few exceptions. In international play there are tons of amateurs. And they have much more incentive to play dirty than the guys in pickup games.