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DBFAN
08-11-2008, 07:33 PM
I do not know if anyone has brought this up yet or not, but I find it a little disheartening to hear LeBron, Kobe, and Dwayne Wade all making comments about being willing to consider offers from European teams for X amount of dollars. I mean I do not have a real big problem with that itself, but rather the fact they are saying these things during the Olympics. I mean hear are a bunch of guys talking about winning for America, and this and that, and once they get on the camera they are just trying to promote themselves for more money. Maybe I don't have all the facts, but from the surface it seems pretty shady.

DukeUsul
08-11-2008, 07:47 PM
I do not know if anyone has brought this up yet or not, but I find it a little disheartening to hear LeBron, Kobe, and Dwayne Wade all making comments about being willing to consider offers from European teams for X amount of dollars. I mean I do not have a real big problem with that itself, but rather the fact they are saying these things during the Olympics. I mean hear are a bunch of guys talking about winning for America, and this and that, and once they get on the camera they are just trying to promote themselves for more money. Maybe I don't have all the facts, but from the surface it seems pretty shady.

Pure free market capitalism. What could be more American?

DBFAN
08-11-2008, 07:50 PM
Not calling them Un American I just find it disturbing that they could not wait until they got back to the states to say these things.

CrazyCat
08-11-2008, 08:28 PM
DBFAN, I had heard this a few days ago and thought this was well... a little rude and inconsiderate. They are their representing the USA, but yet they are trying to sell themselves for some foreign currancy...

Jumbo
08-11-2008, 08:33 PM
Not calling them Un American I just find it disturbing that they could not wait until they got back to the states to say these things.

They're being asked the question constantly. Should they just ignore it? All they are saying is that they'd consider a ridiculous amount of money to play professionally in Europe. Big deal. They'd still play for their country in international competitions. What's "Un American [sic]" about that?

I suppose you also have a problem with Ricky Rubio answering any questions about entering next year's NBA draft, since he's currently playing for Spain, right? Can Dirk talk about the Mavericks? Can Andrei Kirilenko talk about the Jazz?

Look, everyone gets a little patriotic during the Olympics. That's part of the fun. But there's a fine line between patriotism and jingoism, and you're going way overboard with your statements.

CameronBornAndBred
08-11-2008, 08:43 PM
I think the Olympics is the perfect setting to express your willingness to display your athletic talents in another country.

CrazyCat
08-11-2008, 09:36 PM
CameronBornAndBred,
Would you not agree that most countries are very much aware of our talents on the court already?

ForeverBlowingBubbles
08-11-2008, 09:56 PM
goes to show people on these boards never take anything out of context.

Jumbo
08-11-2008, 10:14 PM
CameronBornAndBred,
Would you not agree that most countries are very much aware of our talents on the court already?

Huh?

CrazyCat
08-11-2008, 10:51 PM
Jumbo,

Let me put it this way. Most countries are very well aware of our basketball players. I don't think they have to travel to other countries to show their talent off. I am just saying....

COYS
08-11-2008, 10:52 PM
I'll be honest, I think this is a great thing. I personally would love to see Stern and FIBA standardize their rules, start pitting NBA teams against Euro or Asian teams in exhibition matches, and (this is really dreaming) eventually have the equivalent of a Champions League for basketball. The only way this is going to happen is if the Euro Leagues can start to compete with the NBA for top players. That takes money. If MLS can get David Beckham, there's no reason why the right European team couldn't nab an American star or two in the near future.

The fact that Lebron, Wade and company are answering these questions while at the Olympics is only right, in my opinion. These guys are extremely popular around the world and it makes sense for reporters at the Olympics to ask these questions. If it makes their brand more valuable, more power to them. Maybe if playing in the Olympics becomes profitable, it will make what happened in 2004 when so many players turned down the offer a thing of the distant past. I personally don't care if the US players profit from playing in the Olympics. It's not a particularly big deal to me.

Jumbo
08-11-2008, 10:57 PM
Jumbo,

Let me put it this way. Most countries are very well aware of our basketball players. I don't think they have to travel to other countries to show their talent off. I am just saying....

Again, what are you talking about? They didn't travel to another country (China) to "show their talent off." They traveled there to, you know, win a gold medal. Or are you talking about traveling to other countries to play professionally? If so, why shouldn't they be allowed to play pro hoops wherever they want?

wilko
08-11-2008, 11:00 PM
Coaches pimp themselves and self promote all the time at the Final Four. Looking to jockey jobs... meet the "right" boosters.. all that stuff.

I dont have a problem if players want to play abroad.

I dont have a problem that Horvath married a Kiwi and changed citizenship.
Its his life, hes gotta take his happiness where he finds it. Good for him!

Nah, I dont have any issue that these guys are marketing themselves. The Olympics are unpaid. These guys are making a sacrifice and so are their respective league franchises. If they rake it in from talking things up and selling a few jerseys or headbands or whatever.

God bless. No hard feelings.

gep
08-12-2008, 12:25 AM
I heard one comment on the radio this morning... how do American companies feel about this after pouring all the millions into endorsements for particular players, only to have them play their game in another country. Maybe this takes their product(s) global?... maybe international companies will also start pouring their millions into these players?... just a thought...:rolleyes:

CameronCrazy'11
08-12-2008, 12:43 AM
Sort of an aside: just how big is basketball in Europe? Do people actually watch these teams on TV? Is it the second most popular sport behind soccer? What sport in the US would you compare it to in terms of popularity? I'm just trying to get a grip on how big a salary these players should be able to command.

Cavlaw
08-12-2008, 01:19 AM
Spreading the love sounds good to me. I've always found it a bit presumptuous (and rather silly) that we call our MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, etc. champions the "World Champions". I guess, other than the NFL, the winner has to at least play some Canadians, so there's that...

COYS
08-12-2008, 09:47 AM
Cameron, I'm not exactly sure how popular the NBA is in Europe or how popular basketball is in relation to other sports. I would imagine that in Great Britain, cricket and rugby are far more popular than basketball. From what I can gather, however, it does seem like basketball is second and/or third in many other countries, which quite frankly isn't that different than the United States, where Basketball is always second to football and sometimes second to baseball in popularity. I would think that if there were some sort of basketball Champions League or at least some exhibitions between the top European and Asian teams against NBA teams that interest in NBA would increase in Europe. If a few US players start going over seas, that will increase US interest in European basketball. I think the biggest obstacle to overcome for something like this is scheduling. The NBA already plays 90 games plus the playoffs. It's hard to add more games, especially if those games require travel to another continent.

ForeverBlowingBubbles
08-12-2008, 10:20 AM
I heard one comment on the radio this morning... how do American companies feel about this after pouring all the millions into endorsements for particular players, only to have them play their game in another country. Maybe this takes their product(s) global?... maybe international companies will also start pouring their millions into these players?... just a thought...:rolleyes:

Nike, Adidas, Reebok, etc... all operate internationally... Having players of our NBA stars magnitude play in those leagues would probably not hurt their US sales substantially... and would really have the potential to vastly increase sales as the popularity of basketball would surely go up in whatever country they played in. There might be some slightly different sponsors.... but the shoe companies operate on both sides of the sea believe it or not... sprite is sold on both sides too...

Classof06
08-12-2008, 12:08 PM
Not calling them Un American I just find it disturbing that they could not wait until they got back to the states to say these things.

I find it disturbing they can't wait until they're free agents to say these things. To me, it's a slap in the face to these respective franchises. The Lakers bent over backwards to keep Kobe Bryant happy, they win the West, and then the offseason hits and Kobe's talking about playing overseas? Are you serious?

Yes, I'm a Cavs fan so I'm biased but I feel the same way about Lebron. The guy's under contract with the Cavs for two more seasons and all summer he's talking about playing in NY and playing in Europe. That's just not right, IMO. And I may be biased but Charles Barkley is not and he ripped Lebron for the exact same thing last weekend on Phoenix radio. In fact, I'm surprised it didn't make any headlines.

If Lebron leaves in 2 years, then so be it. But while some of you feel it's OK to discuss these things because it's the Olympics, keep in mind that the Olympics don't cut Lebron James his paychecks; the Cleveland Cavaliers do and will for the next 24 months. A little respect for the employer isn't too much to ask.

MIKESJ73
08-12-2008, 12:56 PM
It would be crazy to think that a hugely marketable player playing in the best league in the world would consider playing in a foriegn country in a inferior league in a sport that isn't as popular in that country. Just ask David Beckham.

Lavabe
08-12-2008, 05:34 PM
I do not know if anyone has brought this up yet or not, but I find it a little disheartening to hear LeBron, Kobe, and Dwayne Wade all making comments about being willing to consider offers from European teams for X amount of dollars. I mean I do not have a real big problem with that itself, but rather the fact they are saying these things during the Olympics. I mean hear are a bunch of guys talking about winning for America, and this and that, and once they get on the camera they are just trying to promote themselves for more money. Maybe I don't have all the facts, but from the surface it seems pretty shady.

They're available to the world press for the first time since Josh Childress jumped the NBA for Greece. What are they supposed to say?

I imagine David Stern is up for anything that attracts European/worldwide interest.

Cheers,
Lavabe

miramar
08-12-2008, 06:00 PM
Sort of an aside: just how big is basketball in Europe? Do people actually watch these teams on TV? Is it the second most popular sport behind soccer? What sport in the US would you compare it to in terms of popularity? I'm just trying to get a grip on how big a salary these players should be able to command.

Basketball was just a minor cult sport 20 years ago, but it has gotten much more popular lately, particularly with the success of European players in the NBA. Nevertheless, even if you consider it the second-most popular sport, it is light years behind soccer. Nobody is making anywhere near the kind of money that these guys are earning in the NBA, although I suppose some teams would be willing to open their checkbooks to lure a big time star.

CrazyCat
08-12-2008, 10:02 PM
I think the Olympics is the perfect setting to express your willingness to display your athletic talents in another country.

Jumbo, this is the post I am talking about. Now, these players are there to win the Gold as you stated. What I do not agree with is some of these players who are there representing the USA, but trying to vie for a job in another country. These games only last a few weeks, I think they could wait until the games are over to do any job hunting.

hughgs
08-12-2008, 10:04 PM
Jumbo, this is the post I am talking about. Now, these players are there to win the Gold as you stated. What I do not agree with is some of these players who are there representing the USA, but trying to vie for a job in another country. These games only last a few weeks, I think they could wait until the games are over to do any job hunting.

LeBron, Kobe, and Dwayne Wade are vying for jobs in Europe?

mgtr
08-12-2008, 11:14 PM
Jumbo, this is the post I am talking about. Now, these players are there to win the Gold as you stated. What I do not agree with is some of these players who are there representing the USA, but trying to vie for a job in another country. These games only last a few weeks, I think they could wait until the games are over to do any job hunting.

Mark this as the bad post of the month. I don't believe any of these players are job hunting in another country. It is unlikely that any country could realistically compete for their services.
C'mon, if XYZ company says "are you available to move to our company?", a reasonable answer is "sure, if the money is right." That is all we are talking about here, a sort of flip answer to a silly question.

Jumbo
08-13-2008, 12:18 AM
Jumbo, this is the post I am talking about. Now, these players are there to win the Gold as you stated. What I do not agree with is some of these players who are there representing the USA, but trying to vie for a job in another country. These games only last a few weeks, I think they could wait until the games are over to do any job hunting.

What on earth are you talking about? No one is vying for a job. Why don't you produce a quote that indicates anything like that? Oh wait, you can't? Guess why -- none exists.

Let me explain this to you again. There are legions upon legions of international media at the Olympics. They are asking the U.S. players all sorts of questions, especially in light of Josh Childress signing with a Greek club.

LeBron was asked about going to Europe someday. Here's what he said (http://olympics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/would-lebron-ever-play-in-europe/):
"Growing up, you never think about any other league besides the N.B.A.” James said at the United States men’s basketball team news conference Friday morning. “But things are changing really fast and you never know. I can’t throw all my eggs in one basket. There are going to be a lot of opportunities for me in 2010 to decide if I want to stay with Cleveland or if I want to go elsewhere.”
Asked if he ever imagined the possibility of playing abroad, he added: “Did I ever imagine it? No. Is it a possibility? Yes.”

Then a reporter asked if Kobe would take $50 million (which no one is offering, making it ludicrous) to play in Europe. Here's what he said (http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2008/08/kobe_to_italy.html):

“I’d go. I’d probably go,” said Bryant, during a USA Basketball press conference on Friday morning. “Like Milan or something like that, where I grew up or something like that… Peace out.”
Bryant continued: “Do you know any reasonable person that would turn down 50 (million dollars)?”


In other words ... big deal.

gep
08-13-2008, 03:09 AM
Then a reporter asked if Kobe would take $50 million (which no one is offering, making it ludicrous) to play in Europe. Here's what he said (http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2008/08/kobe_to_italy.html):

“I’d go. I’d probably go,” said Bryant, during a USA Basketball press conference on Friday morning. “Like Milan or something like that, where I grew up or something like that… Peace out.”
Bryant continued: “Do you know any reasonable person that would turn down 50 (million dollars)?”


Coach K? I assume he's a "reasonable" person...:D

cf-62
08-13-2008, 07:36 AM
I find it disturbing they can't wait until they're free agents to say these things. To me, it's a slap in the face to these respective franchises. The Lakers bent over backwards to keep Kobe Bryant happy, they win the West, and then the offseason hits and Kobe's talking about playing overseas? Are you serious?

Yes, I'm a Cavs fan so I'm biased but I feel the same way about Lebron. The guy's under contract with the Cavs for two more seasons and all summer he's talking about playing in NY and playing in Europe. That's just not right, IMO. And I may be biased but Charles Barkley is not and he ripped Lebron for the exact same thing last weekend on Phoenix radio. In fact, I'm surprised it didn't make any headlines.

If Lebron leaves in 2 years, then so be it. But while some of you feel it's OK to discuss these things because it's the Olympics, keep in mind that the Olympics don't cut Lebron James his paychecks; the Cleveland Cavaliers do and will for the next 24 months. A little respect for the employer isn't too much to ask.

Really? Lebron is asked by a reporter if he'd consider playing in Europe for $50M / year. He says "sure I'd consider it." And you really think Danny Ferry should feel like he's been slapped in the face?

The story is now. The JR Reynolds and Becky Hammon stories have opened up the mainstream press' eyes to european basketball, and how they take care of their American superstars.

Is Lebron pulling a Manny, and demanding Danny release him? Is Kobe? I'm sure they're just happy to not answer the same stupid questions about how many dunks per game is good sportsmanship, or how they're going to win when they can't shoot.

If one of these guys had a debilitating injury tomorrow, they would be released by their team -- period. It's the nature of the game on both sides, and it's okay because you play hard for your team while you're there.

And I would say that the Lakers made out more than Kobe did personally through his actions last year. They pulled an NBA Finals appearance out of the freaking ether by making moves to "keep Kobe happy." Why did they do it? To WIN!

calltheobvious
08-13-2008, 09:33 AM
...making otherwise sane people crazy since forever.

If the organizations we were talking about were Microsoft and Google and the numbers being thrown around were 75K and 150K, this would be a complete non-issue.

SupaDave
08-13-2008, 01:26 PM
goes to show people on these boards never take anything out of context.

Post of the day!

hudlow
08-13-2008, 06:27 PM
If all the good players went to Europe, Carolina would dominate the NBA.

SupaDave
08-13-2008, 06:39 PM
If all the good players went to Europe, Carolina would dominate the NBA.

Brilliant!! However, I think you mean the UNC Bobcats! LMAO!

hudlow
08-13-2008, 06:51 PM
Brilliant!! However, I think you mean the UNC Bobcats! LMAO!

Both;)

weezie
08-13-2008, 08:18 PM
the Lakers made out more than Kobe did personally through his actions last year. They pulled an NBA Finals appearance out of the freaking ether by making moves to "keep Kobe happy." Why did they do it? To WIN!


Stand up sir and accept your applause. Right on, right on...because it's a BUSINESS.
A business on both sides, player and management. If the product is no longer selling, or it's damaged, out with the old and in the the new.

CrazyCat
08-17-2008, 08:03 PM
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/crowe-team-year-2123153-teams-season

This is the complete article. I will admit I did word my post wrong when I said they were vying for jobs, however, it is pretty clear that Kobe is keeping his options open and looking around at other countires.

blu62
08-17-2008, 08:37 PM
Really? Lebron is asked by a reporter if he'd consider playing in Europe for $50M / year. He says "sure I'd consider it." And you really think Danny Ferry should feel like he's been slapped in the face?

The story is now. The JR Reynolds and Becky Hammon stories have opened up the mainstream press' eyes to european basketball, and how they take care of their American superstars.

Is Lebron pulling a Manny, and demanding Danny release him? Is Kobe? I'm sure they're just happy to not answer the same stupid questions about how many dunks per game is good sportsmanship, or how they're going to win when they can't shoot.

If one of these guys had a debilitating injury tomorrow, they would be released by their team -- period. It's the nature of the game on both sides, and it's okay because you play hard for your team while you're there.

And I would say that the Lakers made out more than Kobe did personally through his actions last year. They pulled an NBA Finals appearance out of the freaking ether by making moves to "keep Kobe happy." Why did they do it? To WIN!


It would be crazy to think that a hugely marketable player playing in the best league in the world would consider playing in a foriegn country in a inferior league in a sport that isn't as popular in that country. Just ask David Beckham.

Can't imagine Danny Ferry would be upset as he opted to play in Italy when he didn't care for the NBA team that drafted him.

blazindw
08-18-2008, 09:50 AM
I don't mind at all what Bron Bron, Kobe and Wade were saying about it. Why? 1) I know it's unrealistic. It's not like TV channels will start broadcasting Euroleague games in Cleveland should LeBron go there. Euroleague ratings will not be at an all-time high in L.A. should Kobe play in Italy. The recent influx of players opting to go to Europe is an interesting trend, but in the end, they know their earnings potential is highest by staying in the NBA. The two biggest markets in the world for basketball, China and the U.S., only watch the NBA. 2) Players will get forgotten about. I think it's great that Josh Childress will play overseas, but he will be mostly forgotten about by the average basketball fan. Sure, we keep track of overseas Dukies, like Langdon and Horvath, but we have an interest in their careers as having once played in Cameron. However, very few of us scour the internet to catch their games live. In 3 years, the only people who will have really kept track of Childress' career at Olympiakos is NBA scouts who will look to bring him back stateside (along with other Euroleague scouts). Finally, 3) Let's face it, if someone offered you $50 million to go overseas and do your same job that you do in the states, of course you're gonna listen to what they have to say. In the end, you may turn it down, or you may accept it. All they're saying is that is someone drops $50 million on the table, they will listen. That doesn't mean they will accept.

Again, I find the trend interesting, but as for LeBron, Kobe and Dwyane? They're all smart, and they will continue to play in the NBA as long as they can. Now, Kobe I could see retiring from the NBA in his late 30s to play a season or 2 in Italy, but that too I find remote.