Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Apparently, the Celtics traded Semih Erden to Cleveland because they felt he would return to Europe anyway out of homesickness. The Cavaliers have yet to see what they have in Erden because of shoulder and groin surgeries and a lack of conditioning. The Celtics relayed to Cleveland that Erden needed shoulder surgery, but the groin issue is new. Erden played in just four games after being acquired from the Celtics Feb. 24.
We all wondered why the Celtics shipped a young, semi-athletic big man who played fairly well in small spurts for a 2nd round pick. Now we have our answer.
You can't underestimate the culture shock these young foreign players experience.
The anonymous NBA star dubbed Player X by ESPN Magazine (the guy who called KG a punk coward) says some NBA stars will jump to Europe should there be a full-season lockout. Player X also says some guys will stay there:
This particular "Player X" article is written by an NBA star, who hypothesizes that if a lockout occurs in the NBA, then "at least 15% of the NBA will be playing be playing somewhere else if we call of the season."* But what this player states next is the sentence that jumps off the page. He claims that "some will stay there."* Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are just two of several NBA players who have already stated they would seriously consider going overseas to play if a lockout occurs. As discussed in this article, the NBA community and its fans are already starting to witness a new trend of former NBA players making a move to overseas teams, with highly publicized examples of Stephon Marbury and Allen Iverson.
I'm not buying this for one second. Even if the money is good, these guys will miss the media and adulation unparalled in the US.
Marbury and Iverson are horrible examples. Did either last one season?
The rest of the links:
News OK – Perk to work on silencing critics | ESPN Boston – Draft Focus: Kenneth Faried |
(h/t to Celtics Town for unearthing the Semih nugget)
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