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  1. #1

    I am a little upset

    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.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Back in the dirty Jerz
    Quote Originally Posted by DBFAN View Post
    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?

  3. #3

    Not really

    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.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Chicago
    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...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by DBFAN View Post
    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.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    New Bern, NC unless it's a home football game then I'm grilling on Devil's Alley
    I think the Olympics is the perfect setting to express your willingness to display your athletic talents in another country.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Chicago
    CameronBornAndBred,
    Would you not agree that most countries are very much aware of our talents on the court already?

  8. #8
    goes to show people on these boards never take anything out of context.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by CrazyCat View Post
    CameronBornAndBred,
    Would you not agree that most countries are very much aware of our talents on the court already?
    Huh?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Chicago
    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...

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    San Francisco

    eh?

    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.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by CrazyCat View Post
    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?

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    North Raleigh

    unconcerned.

    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.

  14. #14
    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...

  15. #15
    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.

  16. #16
    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...

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    San Francisco
    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.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by gep View Post
    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...
    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...

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham
    Quote Originally Posted by DBFAN View Post
    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.

  20. #20

    Overseas

    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.

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