OT: Impact of Childress

[mantis32]

What impact does Childress signing with greece have for the rest of the NBA? i honestly could see some more talented players that are better than Childress get some big money overseas. childress would never see 3yrs/20mil from a club over here, IMO, but bigger stars could start to migrate if the money is like that- especially with the dollar dropping. Do you guys see this becoming a trend in the next few years?

[CeltsfaninDC]

YES
especially for international players or those players who wish to have an international presence. This is already happening in the NHL and if the money stops being an issue who wouldn't want to spend a few years playing in EU and living the good life.

Can you imagine the impact LBJ would have playing in Europe (or China)? Can you say NBA global expansion?

[Tricky Ricky]

the thing is Childress isnt the first this offseason, you already have role players such as Bostjan Nachbar and Primoz Brezec among other leaving the NBA already this offseason. Now those players can easily be looked over but when a former lottery pick and in my mind big time restricted free agent leaves the NBA to go overseas I think the NBA needs to react. One thing I hope the NBA does is get rid of having restricted free agent. If Childress was free to go to any other team in my mind he would still be in the NBA

[ParticleMan]

I'm surprised and I do see it as an increasing trend, but until some big marketable stars go I don't see the NBA being all that concerned. Of course Euros are much more likely to go back to Europe to play, since they're comfortable there and would be closer to home anyway. But I don't think Stern is that concerned about losing guys like Childress. If Lebron or Kobe or Pierce were to consider it, then that would be when the NBA would get concerned.

[jfs1000d]

This is going to happen more and more as long as the us. dollar is weak abroad.

This is an economics lesson for younglings. A weak dollar enhances american exports while hurting imports.

Childress is educated, so he will like greece and Europe, and he has an out after a year. That means he can come back next year when more teams have cap space. This may also lead stern to raise the NBA salary cap. In this weak dollar environment, a lot of players aren't going to come over, or may bolt. Same thing happened in NHL with Jagr leaving.

Heck, the canadian dollar is stronger than ours. This will allow toronto to compete much easier.

Childress is going to walk away with so much more money. The thing is, these international teams aren't overpaying, they are getting a discount because of exchange rates. If the dollar was strong, no way this gets done, teams would have to break the bank for an american of childress' caliber.

[TheSheriff]

It is because of the stupid restricted free agent system. If Childress could leave for any team he would have taken the MLE and stayed in the US. The NBA should open up the CBA and do away with restricted free agency.

[Tricky Ricky]

It is because of the stupid restricted free agent system. If Childress could leave for any team he would have taken the MLE and stayed in the US. The NBA should open up the CBA and do away with restricted free agency.

Exactly, the thing to do is get rid of the restricted free agency

[TheSheriff]

, IMO, but bigger stars could start to migrate if the money is like that- especially with the dollar dropping. Do you guys see this becoming a trend in the next few years?

the Euro teams cannot afford stars. They can afford 7 million a year for Childress, but they cannot afford 20 million a year for a Lebron James.

[mantis32]

but even if he was an unrestricted FA, do you really think he would've gotten 6/7 mil a year from a team in the NBA. this is Childress, a guy some of you didn't want to give the full MLE, and he got more than that overseas. I don't think it necessarily matters whether he restricted or not, he chose more money from an international team that is going to be worth more overseas than if it was in the US. Seeing an opportunity to grow and expand their leagues overseas, i can see more euro teams dishing out higher contracts to better players, exactly what hockey is experiencing and obvs soccer

[Dogen]

, IMO, but bigger stars could start to migrate if the money is like that- especially with the dollar dropping. Do you guys see this becoming a trend in the next few years?

the Euro teams cannot afford stars. They can afford 7 million a year for Childress, but they cannot afford 20 million a year for a Lebron James.

If there was a way they could get LeBron James I think they would come up with the money. FA is an important variable in this, but it's the economy that is the main driver.

[tombattor]

Who cares about Childress? He's not that good. Still, the best players in Europe are coming to the US. The globalization still favors the NBA over European league. Who gives a 2 crap about Childress when we're plucking guys like Dirk and Parker from Europe?

Childress went to Europe because no team in the NBA would offer him as much money. And he's no Lebron where he can make up the difference in endorsement. It's the same thing in baseball or soccer. A lot of teams in the top leagues (MLB and English/Italian/Spanish/German leagues) lose players to countries with lower level leagues because those leagues can pay these marginal players as their main stars more than they would get as role players.

[TheSheriff]

, IMO, but bigger stars could start to migrate if the money is like that- especially with the dollar dropping. Do you guys see this becoming a trend in the next few years?

the Euro teams cannot afford stars. They can afford 7 million a year for Childress, but they cannot afford 20 million a year for a Lebron James.

If there was a way they could get LeBron James I think they would come up with the money. FA is an important variable in this, but it's the economy that is the main driver.

If they could afford 13 million euros for Lebron don't you think they would have offered that as soon as they could? Well they would have to offer more than that to actually get him to leave the US. If they offered him 17 million euros (about 27 million dollars) he would have to consider it. But it looks like they cannot offer that much.

[Collinto]

the Euro teams cannot afford stars. They can afford 7 million a year for Childress, but they cannot afford 20 million a year for a Lebron James.

You need to be more specific. 7 million or 20 million what? Dollars or Euros. And Euro teams pay for the tax...so it is essentially tax free money. So a 20 million DOLLAR contract in the US nets the player around $12 million (not an account correct as needed). A 12.5 million EURO contract nets the player around 20 million DOLLARS.

The exchange rate and tax is a HUGE factor.

[GreenGrizz]

He was the whole Atlanta bench depth. Their starters won't have any breather in the fourth quarter every game. I guarantee you that Josh Smith will be injured and out of season. Al Horford's fire will be cooled off.

[threrf23]

The offer Childress accepted was somewhere more along the lines of 3 yrs / 27 mil - as his team agreed to to pay his taxes as well.

Maybe he's back in the NBA in a year. He stood to get that kind of money in the NBA perhaps if he waited a year to begin with. I would imagine there were teams willing to pay him something similar, maybe even better, but if ATL has his rights, well...

Childress' move is IMO not comparable to Nachbar's or Brezec's. Nachbar is a good shooter and okay player but all in all isn't significantly better than Scal or VladRad. Brezec is just plain horrible, a poor man's Mark Blount. Maybe these guys fit in better overseas, but I don't consider them a big loss to the league (especially considering these were foreign players to begin with).

What Childress' move will do, is spark debate over the new collective bargaining agreement. He'll be the poster boy for the players' association when its trying to tell people that the current draft salary stuctures prevent players from getting fair market value offers when it is QO time. I don't think anything needs to be changed, considering a player has the option to take a qualifying offer for one year and then become unrestricted, I think its fair. And I don't see all too many players' in Childress' position following his lead.

Now, with Jennings, combined with the offers other players are beginning to get....I would hope other high schoolers will follow his lead because its in there best interest. I also would assume and have assumed in the past that certain high schoolers that in previous years may have declared for the draft prematurely, they'll neglect applying to colleges and start taking out loans persay based on plans to play in Europe, setting themselves up for perhaps more failure than they would be in line for without the age limit. I am still very much against the age limit (and I'm still not sure it would hold up to legal scrutiny, as well).

[celticfan42487]

Well it all comes down to endorsements, as long as the NBA is far and away the highest league of play in the world guys like LeBron will make more money via endorsements playing here rather then abroad.

He has what a 100million dollar deal with Nike? That's about 20 mil a year alone.

Beckham was brought over because of endorsements, don't believe a crap league like the MLS (or this greece team) is paying him more then 10 mil a year.

[TheSheriff]

the Euro teams cannot afford stars. They can afford 7 million a year for Childress, but they cannot afford 20 million a year for a Lebron James.

You need to be more specific. 7 million or 20 million what? Dollars or Euros. And Euro teams pay for the tax...so it is essentially tax free money. So a 20 million DOLLAR contract in the US nets the player around $12 million (not an account correct as needed). A 12.5 million EURO contract nets the player around 20 million DOLLARS.

The exchange rate and tax is a HUGE factor.

i meant dollars and it doesn't matter who pays the taxes because it is still an expense for the team. If euro team offers a guy 3 million euros a year they still need to pay an additional 1.5 million in taxes. A 12.5 million Euro contract would cost his team about 19 million euros, (or almost 30 million dollars)

[tombattor]

Well it all comes down to endorsements, as long as the NBA is far and away the highest league of play in the world guys like LeBron will make more money via endorsements playing here rather then abroad.

He has what a 100million dollar deal with Nike? That's about 20 mil a year alone.

Beckham was brought over because of endorsements, don't believe a crap league like the MLS (or this greece team) is paying him more then 10 mil a year.

It's not all about the endorsements. While guys like Lebron make a ton in endorsements, most players, including the super stars don't make nearly as much in endorsements as they do in salary.

The reason NBA is the highest paying league is because it has the biggest market (US) cornered and basketball in general is more popular in the US than it is in other countries.

[Dave_From_NB]

I had read that the deal for Childress was an all-time EuroLeague record, so they still have a ways to go to match an NBA max contract if that's true.

The NBA salary cap is the problem in my mind, not the restricted free agency. The reason Childress couldn't get more than MLE, is that very few teams were able to offer him anything more than the MLE. The ones who could have offered him more, teams like Memphis, just aren't interested. So we end up with a buyers market for the RFA's, because under the salary cap there are few teams who can buy.

I don't think it's good for NBA salaries to go crazier than they already are, but the market is the market, and the NBA now has competition for the players so needs to accomodate that.

When we look at losing a Posey, personally I don't think the value of the contract was the issue. Rather, the length of the contract was the issue. Perhaps we would have paid him $21 million over 3 years instead of 4 if we could, but having him pick up $5 mill in the 4'th year was the deal breaker due to whatever Ainges plan is for post APG current contracts.

I think significantly raising the salary cap is going to get some serious attention.

[BillessuR6]

Well, Childress got $20 million NET in Europe for 3 years, so the difference is huge!

And if Lebron or some other big star was prepared to go to Europe there are definitely owners who would offer him 20, 30 million € or whatever would take...