Yes, I know it's only 300e. I also know that 300e is a pretty substantial sum when you play in crowds that number in the low 1,000's in your national league, with very little TV money and few other avenues for revenue. Where are you getting your numbers from? You are just pulling them out of thin air. If some team would offer a journeyman fringe talent like Korleone Young $500,000, of course he would take it. But nobody would, because he's a journeyman fringe talent. According to most available evidence, very young american players tend to get offers that are south of $100,000 - with little chance to play or prove themselves - Again please tell me what the incentive is for teams to rent raw, unproven, unfamiliar players who want to leave anyway? LOL - thank you for proving my point. Do you think Beasley or Rose made themselves more money by playing in the NCAA for a bit, like they did? Or that they would have made more money in the end had they played limited minutes in Marseille or Malaga for a few years? Easy, easy, easy answer. See Kevin Durant's Nike commercials & associated contract for the benefits of playing at home.
BEXCELANT - are you aware that ABA doesn't stand for Austrian Basketball Association? And btw, BEX, good luck diverting soccer funds when transfer fees for top players, are now up in the $100 million US range.. sure, hey why not divert the money to Team Handball too?!?!?!?!
BEX, it would be the same thing that stops Mike Batiste - the fact that nobody would know who f-k he is, or cares.
Agreed, but we are talking about one year only. If it is two years, I think there might be more reason to try Europe. I do concede the marketability point to you though, clearly by them playing on TV in college, it made them more marketable. But, even in that sense it still had to wait until they got to the league to do those deals. I guess we shall see after Stern makes it 2 years, if any players take the Euro and run. DD
...and it turned out to be a vastlly superior financial decision - which is not good when you're basing your argument on exchange rates They can't take it - if they don't get it.
SamFisher- DD and I have had disagreement on a lot of topics on this board, but none have been turned to try to make a guy look stupid or dumb. For some reason anytime u answer back, that's what ur trying to do. I mean I expect some of the immaturity from some of the younger newer posters, but not a vet like yourself. We have had a thread similar and despite what u say, it is realistic with the money those euro club teams are offering. I used the example of myself. I played D-1 south of where DD lives now (hint,hint) and was offered 3200 per week for 24 weeks in 94-95. I wasn't hurting and had a young child and was a marginal prospect. If we're to believe that 14 yrs later that a prospect coming out of high school that can't get into D-1 and come from a very poor background and is offered 300k or so wouldn't jump, then I don't know what to say about ur logic. I mean go to juco for 2 yrs and keep eating noodles or go to europe for 2 yrs and enter the draft. U decide.
With all due respect - how does a marginal prospect getting offered a minor sum to play at low-level european clubs affect this debate? You weren't going to play at the NBA level anyway - the calculus you had to make about playing college basketball/NBA is not the same as the calculus that will be made by a top level prospect. And in your case - you didn't go either, did you? Like I said before,, fringe players have gone over for years - I know guys in college who went to play in the Netherlands or something. it's nothing new and no big deal.
A guy like Carmello and the background he came from. As a senior hs player, he was a top prospect. If the new age limit was in effect, why wouldn't he consider that money while still get money from a shoe endorser for 2 yrs?
Because he wouldn't get the money from either the team or the shoe endorser - I just don't think euro teams are willing to fork over big $$$ for unproven rentals who aren't likely to get much PT in any event. Sure, a veteran Bob McAdoo or Dominque Wilkins or something would be one thing, and it would put people in bleachers in Europe - but Carmelo Anthony? i didn't know who he was coming out of high school - you think a casual european basketball fan would?
I knew who carmello was as a sophmore. Just like D. Jordan, Nick Wise, Oden, and all these guys are known well before their senior year. Just like when japan starting shipping in the datsun b210, they knew the fuel economy of a buick electra in 1975. Its all part of a strategy to get more visibilty and marketing dollars. LeBron James playing 2 yrs is France, Italy, or Spain would have been huge in anticipating him coming back to play in the nba. It didn't happen, but I think once the age limit goes up to 20, I think there will be possibilities. Plus, I think it would be a good thing. I mean u think Rose,Beasley, Mayo and guys like that ever went to class. I mean they show up, don't go to class or don't evn try, get put on sco pro for the 2nd semester, but who cares because they'll be in the lottery an done with school by March. That scholarship could have gone to someone else.
Then that places you in a pretty small minority. Off the top of my head, in any given year, I can probably name 1-2 top HS basketball players. And I follow basketball (not HS or college very much, mind you, but at least NBA). Trust me, I'm pretty sure Nick Wise and DeAndre Jordan can walk down streets in most American cities and not be overrun by paparazzi. I certainly wouldn't recognize them. Export this to Europe and I'd be surprised if you could find 1,000 people who could name any american high school basketball players. I mean it has very littl exposure here in the US compared to other things, I can guarantee you that it has zero presence in Europe. I mean NONE. I would probably say that if you're a top high school b-baller in the US, your name recognition in Europe is about the same as the top English Junior league Cricketeer is here .... none. Who is going to give these guys a big shoe contract, when they 1) have no presence or name recognition in Europe 2) will probably not play anyway, and 3) don't speak the language so aren't going to be good spokesmen anyway? It's terrible marketing strategy to go to a place with no visibility and very few marketing dollars available.
Sam, You are completely out of touch with today's absurdist marketing preferences in Europe. Germany, in particular, would love to have inarticulate, unknown American kids hawk things like hybrid cars, solar panels, rifles, and don't forget beer. Lower drinking ages mean absurdist commercials with unknown inarticulate American kids drinking beer are incredibly viable.
I think it has a lot to do with what players, for example Ginobili and Scola are great examples, both view the NBA as an scenario to show the world what they worth, play for glory and then for money, so both resigned money to come to the NBA, although San Antonio could not bring Scola it was due to their incapacities as Houston took 1 week to sign him. Ginobili was going to sign a contract due 2 and 3 millions for 2 years and Scola 8 for 2 years, and both came to the NBA basically for glory. I think that the key to bring foreign players is to know them before you draft them, to see the person behind the player, because if you don´t you end up pulling a Tiago Splitter.
