THE ALMIGHTY EURO

This season the Hawks had two exciting things happen. They made the playoffs, and as a result of that accomplishment they actually got to see what Philips Arena looked like with people inside. One would think that a team that had finally gotten a small taste of success (I say small because they were still 37–45 in the regular season) would be eager to take advantage of the excited fan base and continue to build toward a championship. For the Hawks to continue to improve, it was very important that they re-sign two of their key contributors, Josh Smith and Josh Childress, both of whom were restricted free-agents. In the NBA, being a restricted free-agent means that you can negotiate a contract with other teams, but your current team has the right to keep you by simply matching whatever offer you receive. There are generally two different approaches that teams take when dealing with their restricted free-agents. Some negotiate a contract that is fair to the player and the team, with the player before he even starts to negotiate with other teams. Others decide to let the player shop for a contract with other teams, thus letting the league establish the market value for the player. The Hawks decided to take the lazy approach in dealing with their restricted free agents. That is, they offered them below market value contracts and allowed them to test the market for a better deal. They also vowed to match any offer that they received from any other NBA team. This approach ultimately cost them Josh Childress.

Childress decided to leave the Hawks, but not for another NBA team. He decided to take his Awesome Afro and his very good all-around game to Athens Greece, to play for Olympiacos of the EUROLEAGUE. You might ask, “Why in the world would any player who is wanted in the NBA, decide to play basketball in Europe?” That question can be answered with three simple words (you know what they are, so say them with me), STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!!

This off-season there are not very many NBA teams with a lot of salary cap space to sign free-agents. Therefore the market for restricted free-agents is particularly tough. With this in mind the Hawks thought that they had the upper hand in the negotiations with Childress, because they felt that his options were limited. Apparently someone forgot to tell new Hawks GM, Rick Sund that the US is not the only place in the world where really rich guys own sports teams. Little did they know that a team from the EUROLEAGUE would come into play. Traditionally, the US looked at the EUROLEAGUE as basically minor league basketball. The Americans that chose to make their living playing in Europe were either players who could not make it in the NBA or players who wanted to lengthen their careers by playing a couple of extra years. These former NBA players were looked at as superstars in Europe and were treated like they were in the prime of their NBA careers. In the past such NBA stars as Dominique Wilkins, Bill Bradley, and Bob McAdoo enjoyed the limelight in Europe at or near the tail end of their careers. There have been many cases where European-born role players in the NBA have returned to Europe to play and be a superstar, but never has an American player entering the prime of his career chosen to leave the NBA for the EUROLEAGUE.

Josh Childress has now blazed that trail. He turned down a 5-year $33 million (which is basically 5-years for $17 million after HE pays his taxes) offer from the Hawks, in favor of a 3-year $20.1 million (that figure is the net amount because the team will be covering his taxes). So basically he will make $3.1 million more in two less years. Oh, it gets better. In addition to the tax free $20.1 million, the team will also provide him with luxury accommodations (usually an extremely nice condo), maid service, a car, and a personal driver. All of which is free of charge. Looking at these figures, Childress would be an absolute idiot to pass up this opportunity. In addition to the cash (or should I say EURO’s) and perks, Childress can also opt to return to the NBA after each of the three seasons at no penalty to him.

I feel as though this deal has done three things, which are:

1. Changed the way the NBA teams will deal with restricted free agents in the future
2. Started an arms race between EUROLEAGUE teams to find NBA talent.
3. Set the stage for an NBA All-Star to go to Europe to play for an absolutely ridiculous amount of money.

I am predicting that in the next five years that an American born NBA All-Star will go to Europe in the prime of his career. This will happen because there is NO SALARY CAP IN THE EUROLEAGUE. When it happens, remember that you read it first on STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!!

The signing of Josh Childress was not the only big move recently made by a European team. Except this blow was not only directed at the NBA, but also the NCAA. The NBA now has a rule stating that a player must be one year removed from high school and 19 years old to enter the NBA. This rule was instituted to prevent players from jumping directly from high school to the NBA. I think that this rule is absolutely asinine. There is no way that an organization should be allowed to deny employment to a qualified applicant simply based on age. That is blatant discrimination. If you ask me, the intent of this rule is to protect teams from using draft picks on players who may never be able to contribute on the NBA level. While that sounds good, it is not the job of the league to protect teams from themselves. There is also another very obvious social reason for this rule, which I don’t care to discuss at this moment. Let’s just say that this rule disproportionately affects one specific segment of society (I’ll let you figure that out). This rule also forces kids who have no intent of ever getting a college degree to spend a year on a college campus (where I’m sure that they take such difficult classes as SIT IN CHAIR 1000, and Principles of Basketball 1200) in order for the NCAA to exploit them for one season. This one season also allows NBA fans to get to know the next crop of NBA stars, so that their jerseys can begin selling before they ever touch the NBA hardwood. So basically everyone wins, except the “student-athlete”. That is until now.

Brandon Jennings, the top rated High School point guard in the Class of 2008 has decided to take a different route to the NBA. Instead of going to the University of Arizona and selling out their arena for a year, he has decided to spend next season playing in Europe. He will be playing for Pallacanestro Virtus Roma of the Italian Pro League. Not only will he be spending everyday concentrating on basketball, instead of sleeping through classes. He will earn somewhere in the neighborhood of $300,000 for his services. This decision is certainly unprecedented and will serve as a slap in the face to both the NBA and the NCAA, who I am sure never thought that this would ever happen. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against being college educated. In fact I myself hold a Bachelor’s Degree and am currently working toward my Master’s Degree. But in addition to receiving a great education during my college career, I also learned two other important things about college. The first is that college is not for everyone. Just because I have enjoyed my pursuit of higher education, doesn’t mean that my route is the route that everyone should take. The second thing that I have learned is that most people go to college to learn the necessary skills to get a job. Last I checked, you didn’t need to pass Differential Equations to shoot a mid-range jump shot.

It’s time for the NBA to stop being so arrogant and acting as though they are the only option for high quality professional basketball. We are truly living in a global marketplace and although you may be the only game in town, you are not the only game in the world. Teams all-around the world are ready, willing, and able to compete with you by spending lots of STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!!



****STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! HAD A BIRTHDAY****
Complete with a great dinner, a STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! Cookie Cake, gifts, and a FAT GOLD CHAIN complete with a dollar sign ($). Thanks to my Wife, Mother, Cousins, and especially my Little Sister for making it all happen. Thanks for all of the support. I couldn’t do it without you all.