NBA Lockout: The View From Across The Pond

Besiktas has assembled exactly one-half of an NBA dream duo.

Day 24 of the NBA lockout. More and more players are considering taking their talents overseas.

As ESPN.com's NBA insider and intel guru Chris Broussard reported Thursday, an anonymous agent pointed out that 80 percent of the league's players are (mostly privately) pursuing contracts with European and Chinese teams. Superstar players are now looking outside the borders of this country, following the example set by the Nets' Deron Williams and the Hawks' Zaza Pachulia, who both signed with the Turkish club Besiktas earlier this month.

In the past few days, Besiktas has revived its pursuit of the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, and the agents representing the star shooting guard have reached out to the Turkish basketball club. While it seems like the two parties have a mutual goal, there are still roadblocks to a potential deal. According to this report on ESPN.com, Besiktas has offered $500,000 per month, but Bryant's agent is asking for $1 million. Also, issues are cropping up over insuring his massive contract, should injury arise (the premiums for which would be astronomical), and subsidizing his paycheck with an endorsement deal.

Other NBA stars are looking overseas as well. Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, and Kevin Durant have all indicated that they'd be receptive to offers from European or Chinese teams.

Now, there are two sides to the debate over players taking their talents abroad: fantasy and reality.

Future starting five for the Liaoning Dinosaurs?

As Kobe lies in his bed at night, he fantasizes about the exposure he'd get from taking his talents to Istanbul...Plane lands, I get out, everyone's cheering. I'm a god to these people. I can't walk the streets without getting mobbed. First game, drop 40, crowd goes wild...my jersey sales are through the roof, the Kobe Zoom VI is flying off shelves, I just filmed a spot for Nike, and there's a picture of me and my rings on the side of a 20-story building downtown. Yachting in the Mediterranean, clubbing in Istanbul, tearing the Turkish league down with my man D-Will. L.A. was stressful...life's good when you're back on top.

Sorry to poke holes in your (and your agent's) glamorous fantasy, Kobe, but overseas ball is not all fun and games.

In light of the expected exodus, former and current American players have been speaking out about their experiences abroad. The Phoenix Suns' Josh Childress, who played two years for the Greek club Olympiakos, offered some words of caution in an interview with ESPN Radio Los Angeles.

"It's a different style of play, mentality, overall just a completely different animal. And I think you get some situations where some coaches, you're going to get two-a-days every day, and you're going to be playing one game a week, one to two games a week. It's just different. There's not a ton of things I can say about it other than it's just different and that you're aware of that. I wouldn't want guys going over there thinking it's like the NBA, because it's not."

The Bucks' Brandon Jennings, who sidestepped college for a season of pro hoops in Italy, isn't eager to head back overseas. In a text to Broussard, Jennings noted, "Right now, I'm just grinding and staying in the weight room. I wouldn't mind going back overseas if it's the right situation. And I would have to get paid everything up front.''

Once the initial euphoria of balling in a foreign land fades, players will find themselves unaccustomed to two-a-day practices, sharing a room with a teammate, rowdy and sometimes violent fans, and, as Jennings references, unreliable methods of payment.

Josh Boone, a former UConn Husky and former New Jersey Net, now of the Zhejiang Chouzhou Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association, sat down with Chris Sheridan for a chat. While Boone insists that a player like Dwight Howard would be treated like a king in China, he sheds light on the culture shock that inevitably hits American imports, including curfews, limited internet access, weird foods, isolation, inflated expectations, and caps on playing time and the number of American players allowed on teams (three quarters and two, respectively).

With the glut of players competing for jobs overseas, these problems could be compounded.

European and Chinese teams don't have NBA money, so salary expectations have to be modest, even for the most talented players out there. They may not be as eager to open their wallets to "rent-an-NBA-player," who could show up and leave as quickly as he comes. Roster slots may be available only to the best the NBA has to offer. Other players may have trouble competing with foreign-born NBA players, NBA players with overseas experience, and those who choose to leave the NBA behind for good (example: Celtics center Nenad Krstic signed a two-year deal with CSKA Moscow with no opt-out clause). Players could face difficulty negotiating a clause into their contracts that would allow them to return to the U.S. when the lockout ends.

Although the NBA is still head-and-shoulders above the worldwide circuit, leagues across the world have developed significantly in the last decade. The level of competition is higher, fans are more passionate, and coaches and owners care more about winning. Having "NBA Player" on your resume will no longer bring team owners to their knees to beg for your services. If Kobe Bryant, one of the best players ever and one of the most visible athletes on the planet, is having trouble navigating a satisfactory deal overseas, then that spells trouble for other, less talented, and slower-to-react players.

Hasheem could go the 'tea and crumpets' route.

As rosters fill up and money wears thin, expect to see the middle-of-the-road players signing contracts for less money for less than desirable teams in middling leagues (Hasheem Thabeet on the Cheshire Jets of the British Basketball League, anyone?).

Here's some advice for NBA players: stay healthy, maintain your fitness, and consider doing as Baron Davis does...exercise your brain!

As for Kobe, if he cherishes his remaining time in the NBA, he should hold off on making plans for a Euro trip. Going into his 16th season, he can't afford to put extra mileage on his weary and injury-prone body. This time off the court should be spent getting completely healthy, so he can be ready to guide the Lakers into the Mike Brown era, and perhaps have one last shot at a MJ-tying sixth championship ring.


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Dean Karoliszyn is the Coeditor-in-Chief and cofounder of Jabroni Free Sports.