04/20/24
March 11, 2003
The NBA's Global Game Plan: Time magazine looks at the NBA's building the league into a global brand.
posted by kirkaracha to basketball at 12:48 AM - 3 comments
I think the influx of good players from all over the world is going to have such a positive impact on the game of basketball in the long term. European players are so seasoned by the time they come here, that they are much more valuable than the 18 year olds coming out of our own high schools. Pretty soon, there aren't going to be any roster spots for the second tier high school players that can't be filled by Europeans who are ready to play right out of the box. Those high school players will go to college (or maybe the instructional league) for seasoning (read: learn how to play defense, positioning, free throws, jump shots, etc.) and when they do come out they will raise the overall level of play. We have been mouring the decline of the jump shooter for some time now. If European players who can shoot it start seriously taking up roster spots the American players (or the American feeder/farm system) will have to adjust. As far as the NBA developing teams in Europe, or even a separate league, that would be an interesting experiment. If it caused American-Euro stars such as Nowitzki and Gasol to go back to Europe, that will shift the power balance East. Eventually you'd see the best Euro team playing the best American collection of 22 year old individuals in a seven game series that I don't think the US would win. I love what the Europeans in particular are doing. They're better at the team game of basketball than we are right now. Why do you hate America so much, vito? Why don't you move to Europe if you think it's so great. Blah, blah, blah.
posted by vito90 at 09:41 AM on March 11, 2003
By the end of the decade, predicts NBA commissioner David Stern, "there will be multiple NBA teams in Europe," either as regular expansion franchises or in a separate league. Regular expansion franchises wouldn't work. That's far too much travel. A separate all-Europe league would be interesting. I know many countries have their own pro leagues, but is there a tournament (like the Champion's League or UEFA in soccer) for the b-ball teams? If there was to be a EuroNBA, it probably would exist more as a minor league though. B-list Americans and a mix of up-and-coming and close to retiring Euros. It wouldn't hold the same amount of prestige as the real NBA, but could prove interesting for those that live over there. On preview: I agree with Vito except that I don't see the money or competition in Europe being comparable enough to draw back the Nowitski's and Gasol's. I'm much in agreeance (sic) with the bit about team playing though. They can be a huge breath of fresh air.
posted by Ufez Jones at 09:50 AM on March 11, 2003
From the article: Some observers have suggested staging a Ryder Cup of pro basketball, with U.S. stars battling a team of their international colleagues, perhaps in place of the traditional East-West All Star matchup, as the National Hockey League now does. I would think this would be fun to watch, but not as a replacement to the all-star game and I don't know how realistic it is, especially since the NHL switched back.