I am a little upset

[DBFAN]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

I think the Olympics is the perfect setting to express your willingness to display your athletic talents in another country.

[CrazyCat]

CameronBornAndBred,
Would you not agree that most countries are very much aware of our talents on the court already?

[Jumbo]

CameronBornAndBred,
Would you not agree that most countries are very much aware of our talents on the court already?

Huh?

[CrazyCat]

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...

[Jumbo]

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?

[CrazyCat]

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]

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]

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]

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:
"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:

“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]

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:

“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...

[CrazyCat]

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/c...3-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.

[COYS]

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.

[wilko]

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]

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...

[CameronCrazy'11]

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.