the NBA's new competition

[Devilzsidewalk]

In a potentially stunning move that reflects the growing challenge Europe’s basketball leagues pose to the NBA, Atlanta Hawks free-agent forward Josh Childress is strongly considering a three-year, $20 million offer from Greek powerhouse Olympiakos, several league sources said Sunday night.

Childress flew to Greece late Sunday and is scheduled to meet with Olympiakos officials on Monday. Childress, 25, is so flustered with the Hawks’ refusal to make a sign-and-trade deal to another team, one source familiar with his thinking believes there’s “better than a 50-50 chance” he’ll sign with Olympiakos.

“Unless he just gets there and doesn’t like it at all, I think he’s going to go,” one league source said.

Already this summer, the San Antonio Spurs’ 2007 first-round draft pick, Tiago Splitter, rejected an offer to join the NBA franchise because he can make more money by remaining in Spain. Toronto Raptors free agent Carlos Delfino signed a three-year, $13.5 million deal with Khimiki of Moscow. Juan Carlos Navarro of the Grizzlies returned to Spain for a reported five-year contract with FC Barcelona that could pay more than $20 million.

financially, they're able to offer more money than many NBA teams are willing to pony up. The only thing right now stopping them from taking the upper echelon home-grown talent is willingness to play overseas.

It'd seem it's not going to be too long before a Euro team takes a highly coveted free agent by showing the money. In the mean-time, European teams are finding that they can take advantage of the NBA's cap restrictions to snatch away these middle tier guys. If a guy like Childress can't make more than the MLE here, one of these European teams can offer him a little more and if these guys can handle the culture shock, they're winning out financially.

The NBA will have to establish a tighter relationship w/ FIBA if they want to keep this from happening more and more in the future. Money talks, and right now Europe's got the dough.

Personally, I'd love to make more money, get more perks, and live it up on the Peloponnese beaches for a couple years

[deeney0]

Brandon Jennings, now this. This is going to turn into a problem.

[Devilzsidewalk]

do they have cap restrictions in Europe? Could some Europe team offer Lebron like 30 million a year if they were so inclined?

[Gunny]

I know that FIFA soccer team organizations shell out major bucks for their players. Maybe it's the same for European basketball.

It could really become a problem down the road, but it really shouldn't matter if a few players here and there sign European contracts. All I know is that if elite American players sign in Europe, the NBA could lose out on a lot of money, unless a type of merger would occur, which is something I can see happening in the not-to-distant future.

[karch34]

A friend of ours did community relations work for the Clippers and got to know a lot of the players pretty well. She kept in touch with some former ones that were released and signed in Europe. What was interesting was of course people not near the Josh Smith level making huge money. Additionally, the money is tax free. Many of the teams are also owned by the town so the players get meals and other things for free and are treated like royalty. I'm sure it varies between locations, but it sounds like there is no cap and you can pretty much set yourself financially.

If Smith goes it could be the start of an interesting chain of events.

[prefuse73]

The only way we can compete in the future is to structure our salaries like football. big signing bonuses but no gauranteed contracts. If a team like the Knicks could just cut Marbury, Randolph, Jefferies and James and fix themselves financially, faster.

This will continue to become a bigger problem as the european leagues get better and the dollar continues to slide in value. You can simply live better over in Europe right now on a financial and personal level.

I can't imagine that the NBA will just let it happen, I am sure they will make adjustments.

[dunkonu21]

I have a feeling Carlos Boozer will be that first douche to go to Europe for the Money. Clearly, that is all he cares about.

[Frozen316]

What was interesting was of course people not near the Josh Smith level making huge money. Additionally, the money is tax free.

If Smith goes it could be the start of an interesting chain of events.

This is Josh Childress, not Josh Smith. I don't think any NBA team would let a talent like Josh Smith go to Europe.

But then again, this is professional sports. Big egos, selfishness, greed, meh.

[Calinks]

If I was good I'd play in the NBA until I started to decline and then I'd get a huge deal in Europe. Like KG signing with a European team when he is like 36. Sprewell should try to get back in shape and see if he can get a couple of years in. I remember Marbury a couple years back saying that he would like to play in Italy after a few seasons.

[Basti]

do they have cap restrictions in Europe? Could some Europe team offer Lebron like 30 million a year if they were so inclined?

theoretically yes. practically not (yet). unless there is a crazy russian (just playing with the stereotype of russain billionaires ) trying to make his own team better than any other team in the world I guess it still takes a few years for an euroleague club to have such an amount of money. right now the biggest clubs (cska moscow, real madrid, fc barcelona and one or two greek teams which I always confuse) have a payroll of about 25-30 million dollar per year. if they even have the same amount in euro it would be the same amount as the nba salary cap with the exception that there is no cap here in europe. so if the owners are willing to spend 30 million bucks a year for just one player it wouldn't be any issue. but then again, paying 30 million a year in a system that values the team rather than an individual player it is not as likely to happen as many seem to make it out to be.