Strength Of The Euro

Many people believe that money makes the world go round. For many NBA players, money has focused their attention elsewhere---Europe. A growing trend has occurred this past summer for some established NBA players and it involves that All Mighty Dollar.

Josh Childress, Janero Pargo, Carlos Delfino, Carlos Arroyo, Earl Boykins, Gordon Giricek and other NBA players have left their respective NBA franchises to join teams overseas in Europe. The most shocking story would have to be Josh Childress. Childress played a significant role for the Atlanta Hawks last season as they took the Boston Celtics seven games in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Averaging 11.8 points and 4.9 rebounds last season as the sixth man for the Hawks, Childress was not pleased with the way the Atlanta franchise took their time with negotiating his contract. That molasses approach by the Hawks forced Childress to sign with Greek club Olympiacos.

According to ESPN.com , the ex-Hawk signed the most lucrative current contract in European basketball and the biggest in Euroleague history. It was a three year deal worth $20 million after taxes. The money is guaranteed for Childress, he can also opt of his contract after every year and return to the NBA.

The deal stunned the NBA world as they now realize that competing with European franchises is now a reality. Childress has pioneered a movement from the NBA to Europe and fellow players have joined in this movement.

Ex-New Orleans Hornet Janero Pargo became another player to make the movement to Europe. A vital part to the New Orleans guard attack in last year's NBA playoffs, Pargo left the Hornets to sign a one year deal with Russian club Dynamo Moscow. He will make $3.5 million after taxes next year for just one season of basketball.

Everyone knows (hopefully everyone knows) that the Euro has more value and strength compared to the American dollar. In this era of sports, its all about money and how to get more money. I know that its very sad to see sports come to this, but its a reality and professional athletes want their piece of that billion dollar pie. European franchises don't have a salary cap for their basketball teams, therefore they are able to lure NBA players onto their teams and sign them to better contracts. Put yourself in the shoes of 5-foot-5 guard Earl Boykins. Boykins is a 10 year NBA veteran that has made numerous stops on NBA teams. The way the free agent market is in the NBA, it's very tough to secure a comfortable contract. The 32 year old Boykins avoided the frustration of free agent NBA contracts and signed a one-year deal with Italy's Virtus Bologna. Boykins will earn $3.5 million for just a one season of basketball in Italy. Keep in mind that the $3.5 million is tax free and Boykins will be spending at least 6 months in Italy.

Elite NBA players like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant both have expressed that they would think about playing overseas, if the money was right. According to ESPN senior writer Chris Broussard, a person close to James said that the Cavalier's superstar would strongly consider playing overseas if he was offered a salary of "around $50 million a year." If you thought about the magnitude of a LeBron James or Kobe Bryant leaving their NBA teams to go overseas, it would be mind blowing. But honestly, that is very unlikely to happen if David Stern has anything to do with it.

NBA commissioner David Stern has done a fantastic job by opening the NBA game to the world. Stern realizes that he may have to compete with European franchises or globalize the NBA. And in 10 or 15 years there might be NBA teams overseas. If you don't believe that, then look at the growth of the NBA in the past 15 to 20 years.

Broadening the NBA game overseas has been a goal for Stern and he has succeeded. In fact, he has succeeded so much that the rest of the world has as much skill as American born players.

It will be very interesting to see what will happen if an NBA superstar bolts the NBA and heads to a European team. If that does happen, just remeber the person that started it all....Josh Childress.

Be Peaceful

• Liar liar, pants on fire! After lieing to the Golden State Warriors about his ankle injury, Monta Ellis has been suspended 30 regular season games without pay. Ellis first told the Warriors that he injured his ankle playing basketball, but in actuality he injured it in a moped accident. Ellis is appealing the 30 game suspension.


• The NBA season will be kicking off in less than two weeks. Teams are winding down training camps and finalizing their rosters.

New Faces In New Places

Some NBA teams have made some noise during the off-season. Teams like the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors all have re-constructed their rosters to better their championship chances.

One of the biggest stories of the summer has been All-Star point guard Baron Davis. Davis, who opted out of his last year with the Golden State Warriors, signed a five year, $65 million dollar contract with the struggling Los Angeles Clippers. Davis left a reported $17.8 million dollars on the table from the Warriors to join the Clippers in hopes of teaming up with Elton Brand. Clipper nation drooled over the combination of a power guard in Davis and a very consistent low post scorer and rebounder in Brand. But Brand shocked everyone when he signed a five year contract worth $79.795 million with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Even though the loss of Brand hurt the Clippers, the signings of Marcus Camby, Ricky Davis and Jason Williams eased the pain of Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor. Add in rookie Eric Gordon with this group of new faces and the Clip show has an opportunity to turn some heads in the city of angels.

Back in Oakland, the Golden State Warriors were still in disbelief that leader Baron Davis opted out of his final year of his contract. Searching for a replacement for Davis, the Warriors simply looked at one of their top scorers from last season -- Monta Ellis. Ellis signed a six year, $66 million contract to stay put in the Bay Area with the Warriors. Ellis was a second rounder in the 2005 NBA draft that made $770,610 last season. Ellis will now earn $11 million during the 2008-2009 season, this is one of the highest raises in NBA history. Filling Baron Davis's shoes in Oakland will take some time for Ellis. In August, Ellis tore a deltoid ligament in his ankle in an unclear accident in Mississippi. He will be out for three months, missing the first half of the NBA season.

The Warriors also signed ex-Clipper Corey Maggette and ex-New Jersey Net Marcus Williams to their roster. Maggette will move to the small forward spot and Williams will become the starting point guard due to the Monta Ellis injury. The Warriors also re-signed center Andris Beidrins to a six-year contract.

In Philly, the 76ers were jumping out of their seats when low post presence Elton Brand was added to their roster. Brand has averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds since his arrival into the NBA in 1999. In that draft, Brand was the number 1 pick by the Chicago Bulls. The move to the East Coast has bolted Philadelphia's position in the Eastern Conference race. According to ESPN.com Brand said "I'm prepared to do some big things this year". You can't doubt Brand because he will be teaming up with emerging star Andre Igoudala and shot swatter Samuel Dalembert. These three players form a tough and efficient front court in the Eastern Conference.

With veteran point guard Andre Miller at the healms, the 76ers have closed the gap between themselves and the top tier Eastern Conference teams. Philadelphia will battle for a good playoff spot this upcoming season.

Also in the east, the Toronto Raptors added faded star Jermaine O'Neal to their frontcourt. O'Neal will patrol the paint with gold medalist Chris Bosh as they deepen their Raptor team. O'Neal was traded from the Indiana Pacers for guard T.J. Ford, forward Maceo Baston and center Rasho Nesterovic. O'Neal will be playing with a chip on his shoulder this upcoming season because of people saying that he cannot return to his All-Star form. The re-signing of point guard Jose Calderon, who sustained an injury during this past summer's Olympic games, will boost a Raptor team looking for respect in the Eastern Conference.


Be Peaceful

• Congratulations to Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon and Dick Vitale on being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Difference Maker?

With the NBA training camp weeks away, the time has come to see if the Chicago Bulls investment in Derrick Rose will pay off.

Rose was the number 1 pick this past June in the NBA Draft. Some say that Rose is the point guard of the future because of his quickness, strength, and mature point guard IQ. Others say that his jump shot needs a lot of work and that he will not be able to flourish in a Chicago Bulls uniform. What I say is that Rose is a huge step into bringing the Chicago Bulls back to a respectable franchise. Everyone knows about Rose. Everyone knows about the back to back high school state championships and his mature leadership at the point guard position while he was at the University of Memphis. Rose has always proven his game, whether it was at Murray Park on Chicago's Southside or in front of thousands of screaming fans in the NCAA Championship game, Rose has lived up to the hype.

Now is the opportunity to show the basketball nation again that he can continue his dominant abilities. The Bulls were in desperate need of a lot of tools in order to rebuild their team. Inconsistent guard play by Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Chris Duhon led to the decision by general manager John Paxson to draft Rose. With the signing of Luol Deng , who agreed to a multi-year deal worth around 70 million dollars, the Bulls made the decision not to bring guard Ben Gordon back. With Gordon's contract negotiations going nowhere during the summer months, Gordon simply said in a quote to ESPN Magazine "I guess it's safe to say I've played my last game in a Bulls uniform". Gordon, who lead the Bulls in scoring in the last three seasons, was unable to bring any defensive presence on the court. So out with the old and in with new is the attitude that embodies the Bulls franchise.

As a point guard, Rose possesses the rare ability to combine speed and power with the basketball. He will have low post veteran Drew Gooden and wingmen Larry Hughes and Luol Deng to ease the transition into the NBA. Head coach Vinny Del Negro, who still is a unknown person in Chicago, will be patient with his young phenom. Del Negro should have many ways to implement Rose into his new offense .

The point guard is the catalyst for many NBA teams. The game of basketball has become very reliant on floor generals and quick guards . Drafting a Derrick Rose puts the Bulls into the category of a New Orleans Hornets and Utah Jazz. These franchises have great point guards on their teams that make them better. These guards also attract a huge fan base within their city and throughout the NBA. Rose is backed by an eager city that has watched him blossom since high school. Being in the public eye doesn't affect Rose because of his strength and guidance of his family. Having three older brothers helped Rose distance himself from the evils of Chicago's Southside streets.

As each day passes by, training camps will be close to opening and the excitement is growing for the Chicago Bulls. Everyone is on edge to see the stoic phenom take the floor and return glory to this city. But be patient, inorder for a Rose to be beautiful, it needs to grow.



Be Peaceful

• Congratulations to team USA! They defeated Spain in the gold medal game of the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. This huge accomplishment returns America to the top of the basketball world.