Category: NBA (Page 30 of 595)

Carlos Boozer told ESPN The Magazine that he “definitely” plans to play overseas if the NBA season is delayed or canceled.

Boozer told ESPN The Magazine on Wednesday that he will pursue signing with a foreign team if the season doesn’t start on time.

“I think as players we have to look at this lockout as an unfortunate challenge, but one that can create other unique and positive opportunities,” he said. “When I was part of Team USA that won Olympic Gold in Beijing, that experience changed my life in incredible ways.

“If the NBA season gets delayed or postponed, I plan on using those months to experience something similar to what I did in the summer of 2008. That’s why, if the lockout continues, I definitely plan on playing overseas.”

Meanwhile, Dwyane Wade had this to say:

“I’m going to play basketball this year,” Wade said from New York, where he’s taking some business meetings. “I don’t know where, but I love the game so much that I will play it. And we will figure that out.”

This could just be posturing, but things are going to get really interesting if the lockout drags into October.

So says Matt Tolnick of HoopsHype. He suggests a system where players share in profits/losses alongside the owners:

So rather than assigning the players a fixed percentage of BRI annually (whether 45 percent, 57 percent, or anywhere in between), regardless of how profitable the business is, the players could receive two forms of payment: (a) a guaranteed, fixed percentage of BRI, and (b) a raise or paycut depending on the NBA’s profitability. So, if the NBA’s owners collectively profit, then players will receive additional money beyond their initial BRI allocation. If the owners take a loss, then the players would receive less than their share of BRI.

For such a system to work, annual increases or decreases in the NBA’s teams’ equity values would need to be accounted for (which may be difficult to accurately measure), and strict transparency of teams’ books (audited by a neutral third party) would be required to ensure that the NBA was being perfectly frank about its profits and losses.

It’s a good read, if a bit heavy on the numbers.

Per ESPN…

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant is in the early stages of contract negotiations with the same Turkish team that has signed Deron Williams and has been pursuing Kobe Bryant, according to Durant’s agent.

Agent Aaron Goodwin told ESPN.com on Tuesday night that he has met with officials from Turkish club Besiktas and has likewise begun exploring opportunities for Durant in Spain and Russia. Goodwin added that playing in China is not something Durant is considering at this time.

“The Turkish option is very intriguing,” Goodwin said. “We’re looking at other countries as well. Kevin hasn’t agreed to play anywhere yet, but we’re looking for the best fit.”

The longer this lockout goes, more and more big name players will find somewhere else to play.