Deron Williams all by his lonesome
Deron Williams and who?
Remember when the ex-Jazz guard left to play in Turkey during the lockout and predicted others would follow? Well, they did. Sort of. But not really. If you look at the list of superstars who have actually gone overseas, you have Williams and…um…well….
Williams is the only current All-Star playing overseas. San Antonio’s Tony Parker is there, too, but he’s playing for a team he owns in France. Mostly the overseas players are no-names. All of which bolsters my theory that the NBA lockout won’t last terribly long. The players don’t have many options. Come Nov. 1 when the season is supposed to start, they’ll be watching NFL games. It’s a pretty good gig until you realize that sitting on a couch in your boxers doesn’t pay well.
As I said in previous postings, Europe isn’t a strong alternative for many. It’s complicated to move there, the pay is relatively low and there are only so many spots available. All of which shows the reality of the situation: The players are going to have to work something out. It’s won’t be as good as the old deal, but honestly, who do you know that is doing better financially than they were three years ago?