It’s been almost three weeks since the NBA locked out on July 1st.
Since then, the league has heard rumors of numerous players potentially moving overseas to play basketball.
It first started off with All-Star point-guard Deron Williams of the New Jersey Nets. Williams voiced his opinions on the lockout and made it known that he would be playing overseas if no agreement was made before the season began.
Fans and analysts didn’t know what to believe, and whether this was just another tactic that the players union was using to get the leagues owners to settle on an agreement.
But on July 16th, things became clearer.
Williams signed a one-year, $5 million contract with Besiktas, guaranteeing that he will be playing in Turkey if there is a lockout for the 2011-12 season.
With Williams setting the tone for the upper-echelon of NBA players, others have come out publicly to state that they could be playing overseas as well this year.
The most popular name being thrown around right now is Orlando Magic’s franchise player, Dwight Howard.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Howard stated that there was a strong possibility that he could be taking his talents to China or Europe if a lockout is still in place come season time.
“Making statements of playing overseas really does nothing,” said Nick Gelso, Co-host and Co-founder of CLNSradio.com. “Neither the league nor the teams can afford to lose more money.”
While Gelso believes that an agreement will be made and the lockout will be lifted before the season begins, owners and players are currently eons away from settling one another’s demands.
From an owners perspective, the last thing they would want to see happen is their franchise player leaving the United States to lace their shoes up overseas, only to fall short to a serious injury.
“The advantage to playing overseas for a player like Dwight is all in marketing and keeping his skills sharp,” said Zach McCann from OrlandoSentinel.com. “Howard can increase the money he makes on merchandising by increasing his popularity in foreign countries—especially China—and it’d be a good place to work on his offensive game.”
In a poll on ESPN.com, the question “What will Dwight Howard do if the NBA lockout extends into the season?” received over 46,000 votes, with 41 percent answering that he will stay in the United States.
