Is the NBA in trouble?

[Daseal]

I was just watching PTI, and they mentioned that a basketball team from Greece may be targeting LeBron James when his contract is up. Another thing they mentioned is that these leagues have no salary caps, so folks can go overseas and make considerably more cash and the competition is still pretty solid in many of these leagues. Josh Childress already left for the same team that is rumored to be interested.

I could see the NBA losing a lot of their talent to overseas clubs.

What do you guys think?

[That Guy]

money isn't there. some low level foreign players can make more at home than here, but that's because they'd be league minimum deals as NBA players.

also, you have the tax issues and the problem with whether or not you'll get paid (which is a real issue in some foreign leagues), plus, lebron's marketing value would go to sh*t overnight back in the US, and i doubt greece can match his endorsement money...

i mean, when jordan left his endorsements paid him a lot more than the NBA did.


so, in short, nothing to worry about.

[Daseal]

The money isn't there? You mean like the Billionaire brothers that own the team in question? Maybe in some places there will be money issues, but there are respectable teams in Europe with far more money than many American owners.

Josh Childress was a rising star in this league, just stuck on a very bad Atlanta team.

[dmek25]

Childress is average at best. and that guy is spot on. the overall money just isn't there. and what if your team just doesn't want to pay you? then what?

[Daseal]

There's a contract there. It's just like other sports that people go overseas to play. There are legal systems, and contracts are typically pretty bulletproof. Maybe nothing will happen, but I could definitely see it being a slow process bringing talent out. As we've seen, Europe has certainly caught up in talent with the US.

[SmootSmack]

It shouldn't be dismissed so lightly. Granted, you probably shouldn't take the comments of the likes of Wade, Kobe, and LeBron taking big money in Europe to seriously. And I don't think it's a threat per se to the NBA but it could have serious implications if the trend continues. First of all, the influx of talented Europeans to the NBA will dwindle as more and more top European players decide that the money is better in the Euroleague, and the level of competition is just as strong. Plus they'll get a chance, most probably, to show off more of their skills in Europe. Those "second-tier, glue" guys that are often thrown a mid-level exception and overlooked in the NBA (by management and fans) will be more inclined to take more the money and more playing time in Euroleague. And finally, the bigger impact may be on the NCAA if top high school players decide to go play in Europe for a year or two and get paid until they are eligible for the NBA, instead of toiling in college. (I think they'd be in for a rude awakening in Europe though).

[jdlea]

Lebron would consider playing overseas

For $50 mil a year, but he'd still think about it.

To think that losing players to Europe means nothing is downright foolish.

[That Guy]

how is a euroleague team going to re-coup 50$mill a year + the money to buy a good team to put around him + profit?

i just don't see it making sense financially, unless the rest of the league chipped in to bring in a guy to beat them multiple times a year (since it'd help the league as a whole).

i mean, we did this to soccer in the 1970s (cosmos) and look how that turned out. big contracts to a loss leader team and rampant over expansion killed it pretty quick.

[jdlea]

Originally Posted by That Guy

how is a euroleague team going to re-coup 50$mill a year + the money to buy a good team to put around him + profit?

i just don't see it making sense financially, unless the rest of the league chipped in to bring in a guy to beat them multiple times a year (since it'd help the league as a whole).

i mean, we did this to soccer in the 1970s (cosmos) and look how that turned out. big contracts to a loss leader team and rampant over expansion killed it pretty quick.

When you're this guy He's the multibillionaire owner of Olympiakos. If you don't think he could afford it, you're out of your mind. Also, he'd be paying Euros, I doubt Lebron thinks he'll get 50,000,000 Euros.

He also owns the most popular football club in Greece, merchandising and ticket sales from combined soccer and basketball would easily make up for whatever he decided to play Lebron. I'd be interested to see how much revenue a guy like Lebron generates in a year, I don't think it would be that much of a loss.

Basically, it's up to how much the guy would like to spend, if he's got the stomach to put up $50 mil, I say, good for him. Besides, Lebron will have Chills over there to keep him company and show him where to eat/live!

[jsarno]

Until Greece becomes more popular (or equally popular) in the US than the NBA, I don't see this becoming a problem.
We, as americans, don't really care about overseas sports...maybe that would change if marquee players go over there, but considering Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, and we don't follow Manchester United for instance, I am not too concerned about it.
We have had several MLB players that went to Japan to play, and no one cared. Granted none of them were massive names, but we americans are wrapped up in our american leagues. We didn't even care about the CFL when big named players went there and they are right next door.

[BDBohnzie]

The one thing to remember is that these billionaires aren't just relying on the team to remake monies. They pump personal fortunes into these teams. $50 million a year isn't too far fetched. Whomever signs LeBron (if it happens of course) will have no trouble recouping part or all of the money they give him in a contract.

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by BDBohnzie

The one thing to remember is that these billionaires aren't just relying on the team to remake monies. They pump personal fortunes into these teams. $50 million a year isn't too far fetched. Whomever signs LeBron (if it happens of course) will have no trouble recouping part or all of the money they give him in a contract.

What we are failing to take into account is that LeBron wants to be the best...if he's over there, he won't be in the picture.
As that guy pointed out, Jordan made over 100 million a year, and his salary was something like 20 mil, meaning his endorsements is where the money was. I'd have to say that James is making far more than 50mil right now, so to lose those endorsements is not something he'd be interested in.
Besides, it doesn't appear big names will go, they are big names because of where they play. America is the place to be. Someone like Childress isn't talented enough to have serious endorsements, so he'll take the short term money. For him it was a good decision. The middle of the road guys would benefit from the move...the good players likely would not.

[jdlea]

Originally Posted by BDBohnzie

The one thing to remember is that these billionaires aren't just relying on the team to remake monies. They pump personal fortunes into these teams. $50 million a year isn't too far fetched. Whomever signs LeBron (if it happens of course) will have no trouble recouping part or all of the money they give him in a contract.

Exactly! Even if Olympiakos runs at a loss, he owns one of the largest IT firms in the world. He could stand to lose the money on Lebron just to have him over there.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by jsarno

What we are failing to take into account is that LeBron wants to be the best...if he's over there, he won't be in the picture.
As that guy pointed out, Jordan made over 100 million a year, and his salary was something like 20 mil, meaning his endorsements is where the money was. I'd have to say that James is making far more than 50mil right now, so to lose those endorsements is not something he'd be interested in.
Besides, it doesn't appear big names will go, they are big names because of where they play. America is the place to be. Someone like Childress isn't talented enough to have serious endorsements, so he'll take the short term money. For him it was a good decision. The middle of the road guys would benefit from the move...the good players likely would not.

Is there some sort of rule that says he can't earn endorsement money while playing overseas?

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Is there some sort of rule that says he can't earn endorsement money while playing overseas?

Not at all, but do you think his american sponsors would still pay him the money if he was no longer in america?
I could be wrong, but I think they would drop him like Vick and Kobe got dropped after their "altercations". I feel his market value would drop considerably.