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THE NBA’s EUROPEAN ROAD SHOW!
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THE NBA’s EUROPEAN ROAD SHOW!
Just to Clarify: “NBA Europe Live” is an annual event in which teams play pre-season games in Europe in an effort to spread the popularity of basketball abroad. It is NOT a basketball aid program intended to ship NBA players overseas like supplies to post war Afghanistan in order to inspire good will towards America; but, maybe it should be!
More NBA players have decided to sign contracts with European teams this off season than any in recent memory, terrifying American fans in the process. However, to those afraid of a watered down league, I would say that even with the loss of a few talented players, the globalization of basketball is well worth the trouble…in the long run.
By playing overseas Josh Childress will greatly increase the popularity of basketball and help to inspire the next Dirk Nowitzki to start working on his jump shot instead of on his free kick or his beer recipe. I am by no means implying that Josh Childress is martyring himself, or even that he looks at himself as a new age globe trotter because his motivation is probably money. (To be fair, it is a lot of money!) Is the quality of play in the NBA considerably lower without Josh Childress, Carlos Delfino, and Juan Carlos Navarro (the three point shooter on my fantasy team!)?
If you think it is, and are considering investing in CSKA Moscow season tickets then consider the following: Our worst basketball related fears will NOT be realized!
(Quick note before I move on. I may not have a favorite Euro League team just yet, but I definitely have a least favorite. Of the 20 players that make the most money in Europe, eight of them play for CSKA Moscow! <EIGHT!!!> On top of that, they are attempting to persuade Delonte West to join their team and be the ninth. Did George Steinbrenner buy a basketball team in Europe when no one was looking?)
Because the NBA has put so much money and effort into marketing Lebron James and Kobe Bryant as the two best players on earth, (which they may or not be) the worst case scenario would be if one, or both, decided to leave the league for any amount of time. Unfortunately, both players have something to gain by doing exactly that.
James has stated on numerous occasions that what he wants is to reach “his full potential”. Meaning (in his own words) A. becoming a brand name (like Jordan) and B. making a billion dollars! (Initially instead of ‘making a billion dollars’ I wrote ‘earning a billion dollars’ but then thought better of it.) If he could get the 50 million dollar PER YEAR salary that he would reportedly seek, then in theory he would be well on his way to reaching his lofty goals.
Bryant grew up in Italy and it would not be a stretch for him to consider moving back if he thinks he can be happy there (and away from Shaq’s now infamous ass). Kobe’s image has never recovered from the Colorado incident; and basically, it makes him sad when people call him names. Not having to worry about his tires being slashed, would do little to keep him away! (I think it is ironic that the idea of a guy I hate leaving the NBA is ‘the worst case scenario’.)
This section however is not about ‘why our hero’s will abandon us,’ it is about why ‘Our worst fears will NOT be realized’. While James and Bryant continue to keep the idea of playing in Europe on the table (for negotiating leverage) neither player will actually make the transition from living in a mansion to living in a villa. Both guys have too much to lose by leaving the NBA.
If he leaves now, James has not accomplished enough to ensure himself continued economic growth in America. Jordan was not a star because he made all star teams or won scoring titles. MJ is a global icon because when he was in his prime, no one could stop him when it mattered most (No one!). James cannot reach ‘his full potential’ until he accomplishes his NBA goals, and leaving the league for even a few years (during his prime) would do more harm than good. While one could argue that MJ left during his prime as well, it was different because he had already won three championships; James has won zero. (Is it bad that I still cannot say the word championship without grinning like an idiot? GO CELTS! Sorry where was I? Oh yeah...)
While Bryant has been an NBA champion, he has never been considered ‘the man’ on any of those teams, and that clearly bothers him to the point that a few yeas ago he demanded Shaq be traded. How could a man whose legacy obviously means so much to him risk being remembered as a guy who could never win without Shaquille O’ Neal? He cannot. (Also why would Kobe want to own a Euro team, he already runs the Lakers!)
Even if either James or Bryant decides to leave the NBA, they still have to find a team willing to pay them what they want. The NBA pays its players more collectively than any other basketball league in the world (by far). Figure 1 shows the top 10 salaries in Europe prior to the Influx of NBA talent. No one comes close to making what James hopes to. I can’t imagine an owner willing to pay any individual as much money as he paid his entire team the season before! (Olympiacos is the Greek team rumored to be most interested in James. Last season their entire payroll was 60 million.)
If LBJ and Kobe are not going anywhere then who is?
When a player first enters the NBA his goal is to prove to himself that he belongs. As he gets older that goal evolves into making the playoffs and winning a championship. But since only 12 players a year can accomplish this, some guys end up playing for the love of the game or for the money. That is why it comes as no surprise that most of the players who have either signed overseas, or are considering it, come from teams with as much chance of winning a championship next year as I have, none. They figure if they cannot win, they might as well get paid.
Most of the players who would consider a move fall comfortably into one of the following groups:
•1. Foreign born players (especially on bad teams), who were stars in their respective countries, but are role players in the NBA (Bostjan Nachbar, Juan Carlos Navarro, Jorge Garbajosa etc). Notice that there have been no rumors of foreign players on either the Lakers or the Spurs considering a return.
•2. Players who are either on terrible teams and cannot win or who would simply rather make bank than win. (Josh Childress, Jannero Pargo?, Delonte West???)
•3. Players who have done a poor job saving money, are getting older and are broke. (Oh Yes, they do exist. Think Kenny Anderson would have played in Europe for a few extra bucks? I do.)
•4. Veteran Stars at the ends of their careers. (This is a particularly interesting possibility that my buddy Tom opened my eyes too.) When a veteran’s skills begin to diminish and his heart is still in it, playing in Europe becomes a serious possibility. Scottie Pippen for example played overseas last season at the age of 107.
•5. High School kids who would rather get paid for one year in Europe before entering the NBA draft than go to college. Terrible Idea by the way! Anyone who decides that they would rather move to another country and put a bull’s eye on their backs instead of going to college and having the time of their lives is CRAZY! What a surprise though, High school kids from rough areas not getting it. (Brandon Jennings started this trend and it will be interesting to see how he feels about his decision around this time next year.)
•6. Troubled players who have burned bridges in the NBA and need the ultimate change of scenery. In case you are wondering, yes, Stephon Marbury did inspire an entire category. (I wonder if anyone in his posse speaks a foreign language or if he would have to hire a full time translator. Either way, a reality TV show should not be far behind.)
So how does the player movement hurt the average NBA fan? If the Celtics had lost a guy like Rajon Rondo from the 2006 team, would anyone have cared? I am not sure how many fans of lottery teams would notice if their franchise lost a role player! Never has the phrase “DAMN IT! Ike Diogu is hurt, what’s the point of watching now!” been uttered by anyone except maybe his mother. No general manager of an NBA team has ever flown to Africa, crossed an alligator filled swamp and snuck through a jungle filled with locals shooting poison darts for the chance to watch a potential role player play.
Basketball (more so than any other sport) is a game dominated by its superstars, and while guys like Rondo (circa 2006) and Diogu are important parts of their respective teams, they are both easily replaced and (fortunately for the fans) easily forgotten! Besides, it is not like a majority of the players who have signed with European teams will never return to play in the NBA. It is just a matter of either teams getting under the salary cap (more teams should be under next off-season), or the United States economy improving (insert George Bush joke here). The NBA understands this and as a result no significant effort to keep players in America has been made. (No rule changes. No increase in the salary cap. Nothing.)
In either case the globalization of basketball is well on its way. Playing pre-season games overseas was just the beginning. This summer when several players signed European contracts they unknowingly helped the NBA take the next steps in the process that it so desperately wants to succeed. The next logical move could be to establish an NBA division in Europe full time and take advantage of the talent and money that such a move would bring in. I can practically hear David Stern‘s super villain laugh as he watches his master plan unfold ahead of schedule.
One thing is for sure, the next few NBA off-seasons will be very interesting.
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