Where Nets vs Galacticos (Could) Happen
Basketball, College Basketball, College Sports, Hockey, Major Sports, Soccer
Posted by Obiora, July 11, 2008 - 12:52 pm
Brandon Jennings, considered the best high school basketball player in the country this past season, will be taking his game to Europe next season because he didn’t ‘pass’ the SATs and so can’t play the requisite one year in college. This move has touched off a lot of speculation about whether American high schoolers may start going to Europe rather than college, whether they will be able to stand up to playing mature, skilled Europeans and most importantly, whether European teams would even want an immature ball-hogging 18-year old American brat to begin with.
The sidebar in this saga is the development of the European domestic leagues and their potential as rivals to the NBA. Marginal NBA players have been going to Europe for quite some time but the fact that an academically-challenged blue-chipper like Jennings would even consider a European league over the JUCO or prep school route is testament to the increasing prowess and financial viability of the European leagues.
We all know that foreign national teams have become more than a match for the US national team but the same cannot necessarily be said of foreign club teams, namely because the best foreign players ply their trade in the Association. I think it’s safe to say that if money wasn’t the issue, top foreign players like Tony Parker or Pau Gasol would be more likely to stay in their home country or at least consider staying in Europe. If nothing else, maybe Dirk Nowitski or Yao Ming would venture to Europe in the latter stages of their career, ala hockey where Jaromir Jagr is going to Avangard Omsk of Russia and Martin Straka to HC Lasselsberger Plzen in the Czech Republic.
I’m not an NBA expert but I would find it interesting to see a model emerge over the next couple decades wherein world basketball begins to look like world futbol (except this US league is good at basketball).
A more robust international club field where foreign teams are competitive in keeping or attracting some of the best talent would lead to the development of national styles in the various leagues. If player movement in world basketball approaches that of world futbol, an American player could gain even more valuable insight into the varied nuances of the game by playing for, say a Real Madrid. Then imagine his potential impact playing for the US National team, ala Fernando Torres crediting his experience at Liverpool for his play with Spain during Euro 2008.
It’s hard to imagine that leagues in Spain, Italy, Russia, or Greece may ever rival the NBA for spending power but I’d love to see a player of Agent Zero’s talent playing for Real Madrid pitted against a Lebron James and the Brooklyn Nets in a Club World Cup style tournament. Among the many questions to consider - how would Arenas’ upbringing in the US affect his ability to mesh with his Spanish compatriots and their [insert national style] way of playing basketball or how would James have to adjust his game to lead my Nets to victory over Madrid.
As a college basketball fan, I realize the evolution of a global basketball system similar to world futbol could eventually rob the college ranks of the best American talent. But if it results in those players left behind staying longer in order to get their game up or in true student-athletics returning to the court, I wouldn’t mind. As long as James and the Nets can handle the Agent Zero’s Galacticos.
Photo Credits: Tom Hauck/ESPN.com, Wizznutzz.com
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