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Gordon Monson's column in yesterday's Salt Lake Tribune is interesting:
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/52219471-77/allred-nba-players-team.html.csp
He shared experiences from local boy Lance Allred who has played all over the world. It's worth a read. He basically says the spoiled NBA guys are in for a rude awakening when it comes to not having all the perks they are used to like: travel, apartments, training schedule, paycheck delivery, relationships with teammates and coaches, etc. Maybe they all come out of it with a deeper appreciation of how good they actually have it in the NBA.

Interesting read, Personnally if the union decertifies and goes to court than players agreeing to play for less money really plays into the owners hands.

How can you justify your wages when you are willing to work for other owners for less.

I read where deron said he had the unions blessing, but I wonder if the union said it to put pressure on the players to not decertify the union, and then remove those working as the union laywers.

All of these players going overseas are in for a rude awakening....... They have no clue how good they have it here in the NBA......

I think they know, it's not like their agents don't know what it's like there. It's not like they haven't asked former team mates (Memo, Dee Brown) about what it's like. I think they are making a statement and looking at it as a chance for a little adventure and to say to the owners they aren't the only game on Earth.

But the whole thing is, the NBA is the only game in town when it comes to professional basketball.....

Most European teams (outside of a few owned by billionaires, and most of those are in Greece, Turkey or Russia and susceptible to the worldwide economic conditions) do not have the money to pay ANY current NBA players outside of the 11th and 12th men....... Basketball is just not that commercially popular in Europe......

Is Dwight Howard really going to play for $50,000 a game? With no insurance, no private jet, and in stadiums that in the United States wouldn't be fit for most colleges?

Most NBA owners have other business ventures that are going to allow them to survive even a prolonged lockout....... The players have no such thing, unless they are actually going to start working for a living, and I don't see that happening.......

How much money would it take.........for you to give up your extended ellipsis?............

Soul Patch wrote:How much money would it take.........for you to give up your extended ellipsis?............

There's not enough money in the entire state of Utah for that........

red4hf wrote:

Soul Patch wrote:How much money would it take.........for you to give up your extended ellipsis?............

There's not enough money in the entire state of Utah for that........

Damnit.......

It is one thing to hear reports and get warned second hand.

Its another to go over and live the reality. I hope as many NBA players as possible go overseas. All it will do is provide the NBA with more leverage.

Come on...other than the scrubs that are going over, these guys aren't going to Europe just to enjoy supplementary paychecks and amenities. They know it's different. It's about global branding, sticking it to the NBA, and doing something with all that spare time. They'll be able to stay in shape and play basketball, and make a little cash on the side...which is actually a lot better than making no cash.

Do you really see Deron and Kobe crawling back? I don't. It's just wishful thinking.

It may be the advertising dollar appeal rather than the paycheck. Deron was on TV in Turkey more than other countries.

Neon Black wrote:Come on...other than the scrubs that are going over, these guys aren't going to Europe just to enjoy supplementary paychecks and amenities. They know it's different. It's about global branding, sticking it to the NBA, and doing something with all that spare time. They'll be able to stay in shape and play basketball, and make a little cash on the side...which is actually a lot better than making no cash.

Do you really see Deron and Kobe crawling back? I don't. It's just wishful thinking.

Besiktas' soccer group is already under investigation for fixing games and they had their assets frozen during the investigation in a story published earlier. So as far as making side cash that sounds far from guaranteed. And yes--I do expect these stars to come back--crawling or otherwise. They do as well since they have signed clauses to get out of their deals once the lockout is over. I'm thinking if it completely sucks compared to the lifestyle they are used to in the NBA that they would be less willing to hold out for longer periods of time and more motivated to reach a deal.

Another crap article by Gordon Monson.

First of all, while somewhat besides the point, it bears mentioning that Lance Allred is a frickin scrub lucky to be drawing a paycheck for playing basketball anywhere on this planet. While I've never been to Turkey, I think it's safe to say Deron Williams experience there will be different than Allred's

Second, Monson should Google "2004 NHL Lockout" and read about how well it worked out when half the league played in Europe. An entire season was lost because, in part, most of the players were scattered around the globe and weren't putting pressue on the union to make a deal.

candreww wrote:Another crap article by Gordon Monson.

First of all, while somewhat besides the point, it bears mentioning that Lance Allred is a frickin scrub lucky to be drawing a paycheck for playing basketball anywhere on this planet. While I've never been to Turkey, I think it's safe to say Deron Williams experience there will be different than Allred's

Second, Monson should Google "2004 NHL Lockout" and read about how well it worked out when half the league played in Europe. An entire season was lost because, in part, most of the players were scattered around the globe and weren't putting pressue on the union to make a deal.

But that's because there's a market in Europe for Hockey....... In some countries, Hockey rivals soccer for being the number one sport (russia being the biggest)....... That's not the case with basketball....... In addition salaries in NHL are much lower than in the NBA, meaning players are much more affordable for the European teams (the average NHL salary is less than half the average NBA salary)...... The average salary in the NBA would be a salary that only a few select superstars would ever receive in Europe......

There are no teams in Europe that are going to sign an NBA star, rearrange their entire team around him, only to have him leave halfway through the season because the lockout is over....... That's just not going to happen......

The latest stories say Kobe is no where close to a deal with Besiktas.