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Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron (merged threads)
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:13 pm
by Don Draper
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/ian_thomsen/08/01/lebron.greece/index.htmlWhat if Olympiakos were to offer him $40 million per year? Or $50 million? Who knows how much the Greeks would be willing to pay? The point is that the limitation on his salary is entirely up to them.
Last month Olympiakos signed Josh Childress, a sixth man of the Atlanta Hawks, to a three-year contract worth $20 million "net'' (meaning that most of his taxes and living expenses are paid by the club in addition to his salary) that exceeded his value in the NBA. The Aggelopoulos brothers, the young billionaires who own Olympiakos, do not expect to earn revenues to cover the cost of that contract. They signed Childress simply in hope that he will help them win basketball games.
At the most expensive levels of European basketball, the club owners are obsessed with bringing glory to their club and their fans as well as to their city and country. Imagine the glory that the recruitment of James would bring to Olympiakos. At the very least, he would destroy their cross-town rival Panathinaikos: The value of that alone would be priceless to Olympiakos.
The owners of Olympiakos already lose millions annually on their player payroll. It may be worthwhile to them to lose $40 million or more in exchange for the grandeur of LeBron.
From James' point of view, playing overseas for a year could enhance his marketing status and turn him into more of a global star than he is now. He could build up his name in an entirely unprecedented way and then return home as a free agent to sign with the NBA team of his choosing.
Too bad this will NEVER happen. People are drinking too much of the Euro koolaid.
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:16 pm
by BballFanAddict
I guess we will really find out who plays for just the money. I cannot blame someone for getting paid. However, I have a lot more respect for someone like Rudy Fernandez who left several million on the table to pursue his dream to play in the NBA. He says it isnt about the money, its about challenging himself and playing the game he loves against the best players in the world.
Then he will get paid. ehhe.
Still, gotta love his attitude.
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:17 pm
by KRANG
Whats to stop him from playing over there for 1 season. The guy wants to be a global icon, what better way to hurry that along. I think its entirely possible.
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:19 pm
by Rasho Brezec
Will they offer him serious money? Yes.
Will he accept it? I doubt it.
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:27 pm
by Mumbles
(zzzzzzzzzzzz)
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:29 pm
by Bernman
He won't get as lucrative of endorsements in Greece, so that makes up for the net salary differentials. Plus, the perception still exists that the EuroLeague is "inferior" to the NBA, fair or not, especially to an American like Lebron. The EuroLeague has certainly made up an immense amount of ground this decade, but they have a long way to go. Therefore, even if he's the best player in the EuroLeague he can't stake his claim as the best player in the world. Kobe, Jordan, Lebron, etc. want to be considered the greatest. He's not signing with a EuroLeague team this contract. If he wants to be a global icon he can accomplish that when he's over the hill.....like Beckum in the USA.
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:30 pm
by bstein14
If they offered something out of this world like 2 years $100 million tax free I could see him jumping ship to go dominate the Euroleague.
But lets be honest... he makes $30 mil a year in the US with endorsements already so unless he gets some major endorsement deals over there its not going to be worth it.
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:32 pm
by Aventador
and he'd lose a year to pad NBA stats.
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:33 pm
by BubbaTee
KRANG wrote:Whats to stop him from playing over there for 1 season. The guy wants to be a global icon, what better way to hurry that along. I think its entirely possible.
What if he goes over there and doesn't win? That would hurt his legacy.
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:37 pm
by -]NYK[-
The salary is just one thing. Maybe a european club has a few millions left. But what about the money of the sponsors like Nike? I don't think, that LeBron would get much money from Nike, while he would be playing overseas.
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:38 pm
by HarlemHeat37
doesn't win? Lebron almost beats teams on his own IN THE NBA..I would bet anything that he would completely dominate the Euro league and beat teams on his own..I don't care if "they play differently", Lebron is arguably the best player in the NBA and is physically dominant..he would completely take over their league..players on the opposing teams would cry themselves to sleep every night after Lebron is through with them..
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:40 pm
by Onus
Lebron does want to become the first sports billionaire ...
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:43 pm
by NetsForce
Lebron is too self-conscious he's not going to tarnish his "legacy" by going overseas to play in a third rate league.
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:48 pm
by JusBlaze
About how I feel about it. People have taken the idea that sub-par Euro players are taking more than double what they would make in the NBA to go back to Europe to play story and run with it. Non-story here.
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:48 pm
by theTHIEF
I could win a million bucks playing the lotto...
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:55 pm
by klvanzu
There's no way Lebron is leaving the NBA. What's $20M more per year to a guy who's already making big time money in the states on his contract, and tons more money on endorsements. They'd have to pay him something like $100M per year and even then I bet he'd turn it down.
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:55 pm
by Ballings7
Their fate would be failure.
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 9:58 pm
by klvanzu
Onus wrote:Lebron does want to become the first sports billionaire ...
Hasn't Tiger Woods already beat him to the punch? I know Tiger will be there for sure by next year if he isn't already.
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 10:04 pm
by Jaykoolzboy
I think it's possible he is going to leave NBA for 1-2 season if Euro teams offer him like 20-25Mil EURO per year, consider the economy we are having in the state, the conversion might be $1 to 0.6 Euro couple years later. That means there is a possibility that LBJ going to get 35Mil+ USD (after tax and everything) per year, that is no brainer to me. Thank you President Bush.
Not to consider LBJ going to play less games per year while taking his vacations in cities like Roma, Barcelona, Milan,Amsterdam, Athens, Paris, Madrid........................
Re: Olympiakos Could Make Run At LeBron
Posted: Fri Aug 1, 2008 10:08 pm
by panacea
I don't wanna be a backseat moderator but.....