Childress Pioneering New Trend?

by TKB Staff on July 23rd, 2008 at 11:21 pm

In the category of “under the radar” during a summer day in New York, Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Childress signed a 3 year $20 million dollar contract with Olympiakos in Greece. With the strength of the Euro and the restrictive nature of an NBA salary cap could this be a new trend? Mike Dougherty of the Journal News even speculates that Stephon Marbury might get another payday just yet.

We all laughed when Marbury talked about going to Italy. Actually I didn’t laugh I said good riddance. I don’t want to overreact to the Childress move because playing overseas is more detailed then just money. You hear stories about players going to different countries and they wind up miserable because of the difficulty adjusting to the culture. That is probably why Childress has an opt out every year of his deal. However, this is something to keep an eye on. Just imagine you now have to compete with the “world” to keep your free agent. Do you think there is room for Zach Randolph’s agreement somewhere overseas?
  • theghostofwillisreed

    it’s a huge problem for the nba because what’s to stop lebron/bosh/wade/anthony from leaking out the possibility of going to europe in order to exhort more moolah to stay in the nba? what about a guy like nate robinson or amare stoudamire?

    when you already have prep stars who because they are academically ineligible to play in the ncaa say screw it and jump overseas?

    david stern is not having a good year at all.

  • TrentMotherTucker

    Umm…. we tawkin Josh Childress!

    For him, it’s either money or wanderlust. There’s just no way a NBA baller goes abroad and trades in their Escalade for a smart car. Plus there’s no comfort food in Europe.

    By comfort food I’m tawkin fried chicken.