This is a bad, bad sign for the NBA
Friday, July 25, 2008 at 05:00PM Avid sports fans, like myself, rarely think about anything beyond stat-lines when it comes to our teams, but that may be about to change.
The news that Atlanta Hawks Forward Josh Childress inked a deal with the Euroleague has sent minor shock waves through the NBA for the simple reason that he did it for the money.
Childress signed the most lucrative contract in Euroleague history -- worth $20 million after taxes -- and the Hawks simply couldn't (or wouldn't) match it. I can't ever remember a quality player like Childress, in the prime of his career, jumping to an overseas league for the money -- in any sport. Sometimes foreign players return home, but an American going abroad for more money? Never.
It's happening, and with growing frequency. Blame it on the weak dollar and the weak economy. The strong euro is making the overseas basketball and hockey leagues look more attractive, and players are taking notice. Just a few weeks ago, the NHL lost of one of its marquee players, Jaromir Jagr, to the Russian hockey league for more money. Truth be told, the NHL is at greater risk than the NBA because so many of its stars are Europeans and Russians. In fact, there's a very real possibility that the Russian hockey league will supplant the NHL as the most lucrative and desirable destination for the sports stars.
The NHL has had this issue on their radar for some time (even if they still don't have a plan to combat it), but for the NBA this is a new experience. And they had better figure out how to deal with it.
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