Nba/Europe

[matmat8]

I've noticed a lot of players playing in Europe don't want to join the Nba. Players like Scola, Oberto, Bodiroga, Navarro and many others prefer to remain in Europe. Also some great players like Stombergas, Macijauskas, Jasikevicius, and again many others are just left out.

My point is the Nba doesn't include the best players in the world anymore. There are so many crappy players playing in the Nba compared to those guys right now. To me the Nba has always been the "elite" and the best league to play in. But now players are declining offers from teams like San Antonio (Scola) for example and the US olympic team with Nba players got beaten by Europeans playing in Europe.

The Nba is losing poularity over the years in the US for different reasons and these Olympics aren't going to make it any more popular. With the last World championship and these OG the Nba's reputation is getting worse in Europe too. The league is in danger!

[hmm]

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[.]

There are a few reasons why the European players want to play in the Euro league instead of the NBA.

-They dont want to leave their family
-They make more money in Europe (yes, players who play for teams like Barcelone get payed bigtime)
-They know the US game is different then the international game and they dont want to play under those rules, there are a few players who play just as good in Europe as in the NBA, maybe even better like Dirk Nowitzki and Pedja Stojakovic, but remember that most European bench warmers in the NBA are superstars in Europe, and they do not suck or whatever, they just dont fit in the US game.

The NBA is getting less populair because of the lack of true superstars, when you look at the NBA during the mid 90´s, the NBA was loaded with superstars like Michael Jordan, David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing, John Stockton and so on, in the NBA that we know today there are only a very few true superstars like Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and Shaq. But I think the popularity will gain again since the very strong draft class last year with stars like Melo, James and Wade, also players who got drafted earlier like Amare Stoudemire and Yao Ming. I will always watch the NBA however.

[Sauru]

i would say the main reason why they want to stay in europe(btw mr.t was dead on with his 3) is that they are treated like gods basicly. foreign countries put thier stars on such a high pedastal its not even funny. why leave all that for the nba. i think the 2 main reasons why one would leave there for here is A. money(this could go either way but you will get much better sponsor $$$ in america) and B. competitive nature/wanting to know they can hang. this is a big one. i know this from personal experience. now i aint on thier level but when i play a spot and i start outplaying everyone i like to move to new courts, new areas, and try my stuff on new people. i think thats a big one for them comeing.

they risk alot comeing over here, and when there is a chance to be treated like darko was last season, or a god in europe, they are probably going to tell us to shove it.

[j.23]

how much more do euro players get paid compared to us players?

[Colin]

how much less do euro players get paid compared to us players?

Fixed it for you.

[FanOfAll]

i would say the main reason why they want to stay in europe(btw mr.t was dead on with his 3) is that they are treated like gods basicly. foreign countries put thier stars on such a high pedastal its not even funny. why leave all that for the nba.

Exactly. The main reason Bodiroga has never come over despite being the Kings' 2nd rounder in 96 (I believe they still hold his rights) is that he's probably the best player in Europe right now. In the States, he would be a roleplayer, at best an All-Star. He won't have that Bird status anymore.

[Sauru]

I don't know what the heck you are talking, but no, and I mean NO country in the world reveres and admires its' athletes likes the USA. People grow up here idolizing people like MJ. From my personal experience here in college, I know many Europeons, and I've had this conversation with most of them... not a single one thinks Europeons place even close the amount of importance and worship (whatever you'd like to call it) on sports and their athletes like we do.

I'd say a more realistic reason is that Europeons value history, tradition, culture, and family much more than we do, and most would prefer to stay right where they are.

you are wrong. they treat thier players far better than we do. we give shit to everyone and i mean everyone. shit we got a post about yao cause he cant block everyshot in the game. in china he was a god. these players can do whatever they want in thier home countries, they basicly are the country. yeah everyone loved mj right? wrong. for every fan mj had he had atleast 1 saying fuck him. kobe? probably more haters than fans. you think we treat our athletes good? we just shit all over our olympic team for only getting a bronze. hell we shit all over them before the games ever started. you my friend are on crack if you think we treat our athletes good.

[Incubus]

That`s why, you should have players like Bodiroga, Stombergas, and some other guys,with good potential to the NBA.Basically,you can`t say,that Melo, LeBron ,are the everything in NBA, those younger european players can suit very well to the league.

[Sauru]

you make alot of good points but how many international players do you know come here and get those huge endorcement deals you are talking about(yao aint doing bad though). lets take darko right now, if he stayed in his country he would be loved and held higher than any other. in america he is basicly hated on every single day. yao ming, one of the better international players we got, in china he is thier main man, over here we bitch cause he dont get 7 blocks a game simple cause he is so tall. what about dirk? instead of us saying what he can do all we say is what he cant, which is defense. shit half the american born players cant play D so why bash dirk for it. then you got peja, who constantly gets bashed by his own teammates. granted he has his problems(playoff performances above all else) but all he hears is how he cant do certain things.

point is if they stay in thier country they will be treated 100 times better than they will here, unless if they are at the level of a yao or dirk. and hell like i said we even bash them.

[hmm]

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[Fresh8]

Yao introduced the NBA to the blind eyes of the brainwashed Chinese people.

Period.

Well... Mr L Brown already told people whjy Euro players can't play in the NBA... basically, not being racist, (It counts for asians too...) most of those international guys are great players but they lack the athleticism to play in an NBA game... let alone a 82 game + season.

I agree with him. Only the real special Euro players will succeed in the NBA but I do think that this NBA could use a few more pure shooters. Those guys just need to get into shape!

But wait for 3-4 years... asian players will rule the league... lol

[Sauru]

nba has changed alot over the past 5-6 years. both highschoolers and international players are being drafted really high. now all these international stars who play here will tell the young players of thier country the hardest thing they have had to adjust to. this in turn will make alot of the euro players start to learn how to adjust to the nba before they even make it. i think in another 5-10 years international players will be able the hang in the nba just fine, though probably not in thier first season or 2.

[Jay-Peso]

Just curious, Euro players recieve a lot of money too but don't they get it tax-free?

[Sauru]

i think the way it works is, for the first 7 years in america you dont have to pay taxes. dont quote me on this as i am not a legal buff or anything but i think thats what i heard.

[allamerican08]

The main reason Good Euro players don’t want to play in NBA is, like most said, Money. In their L they have money, in NBA nothing is guaranteed. Its because NBA is THE ELITE L is why they don’t want to play there.
NBA just has too much talent.

As far a popularity goes, USA doesn’t advertise its best players. When I say best, I don’t mean T-mac, Melo LBJ Kidd. I’m talking about players who have won. The best place to advertice is at Olympics. And so far no players have played who wona title. Now they send Melo and LBJ etc, all good players who have BIG contracts and nothing to show for it. Back in 92 when THE DREAM TEAM came, everyone knew it was gona be big, because they were winners.

Its no secret NBA has the best players. No matter how much USA lost in Olympics, everyone knows USA is more then capable of winning. But they have to send players whop have achieved something, in order to get the worlds attention.
The crossover and a big dunk don’t mean anything anymore. You have to take the next step forward.

But don’t confuse popularity with players not wanting to play for NBA teams. Players know were they want to play. It’s a question of room.

[magius]

lebrone or carmelo may not be on the team if the great players that had been offered spots hadn't chickened out like pussys. Don't blame usa, blame the greedy punks who didn't go.

some good euros dont play in the nba because as we saw euro ball and nba ball are different monsters. Being good in europe doesnt guarantee you'll be good in the nba, and unless you have that guarantee why would you want to leave something safe?

Notice that in most cases the best players on the european,international teams already are in the nba (gasol, ginoboli, nowitzki, stojakovic, ming [ i know some didnt play this time round, but they are the best in their country}), which means that if you think at it literally, the best euro/international players DO go to the nba. Its the average-good ones that stay in euro, because only the unarguable best would have a chance of succeeding and earning a living in the nba. Also, a lot of the players considered stars in their leagues in europe are straight up shooters sometimes lacking size, sometimes lacking athleticism, and I think in the nba, under nba rules, you can't just be a shooter and expect to succeed (see trajan langdon).