Samuel Dalembert will be in a hard cast for the next few weeks recovering from a stress fracture in his foot.

The 76ers say Dalembert should be ready by training camp, but the Sixers’ 6-11 center should take as long as he needs, because Dalembert is one of those players whose game will suffer if he can’t run comfortably. Two years ago, Dalembert had a hip strain in camp, tried several times to come back too early and never found his stride. So it’s better that he recuperate now, and even into the preseason, than risk a season-long, nagging injury.

We will closely monitor Sam's status over the next three weeks, but we 

anticipate that he will be ready to return to the court in time for the start of 

training camp," Sixers president Billy King said in a release.

His injury also points to the reason teams aren’t always thrilled to have their high-priced athletes playing for national teams during the summer. After years of flirting with the idea, Dalembert finally got his Canadian citizenship and played for Team Canada at the recent FIBA Americas Championship. It was during that tournament, after an 18-rebound game, that he first noticed some discomfort.

That said, injuries can happen at any time, and if a player wants to play for a national team he should be allowed.