The Arrogant, Entitltled World Champion Los Angeles Lakers

[AlabamAlum]

#1 could stand to lose a few.

[Bklyn]

I'd give her a few, personally.

[AlabamAlum]

Fatties need loving too.

[Jungle Rat]

That's what DS is for.

[Bklyn]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/ ... ing-europe

The only aspect of the current NBA labor dispute more curious than the owners' insistence on a save-us-from-our-own-stupidity system is the growing number of players talking about playing overseas as though it's a logical alternative should the 2011-12 season be truncated or aborted.

I can appreciate a player wanting to defy commissioner David Stern telling him he can't ply his craft, but for the vast majority of NBA players the thought of playing in Europe is reckless at best and closer to outright illogical.

For Sonny Weems, the 25-year-old Toronto Raptors forward who made $850,000 last season, locking in a similar deal in Lithuania rather than risking a year making nothing is shrewd. Same with 33-year-old Philadelphia 76ers free agent Darius Songaila signing with Turkey's Galatasaray for $1.5 million.

For Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Rudy Gay, Amare Stoudemire, Deron Williams or any other star risking his current NBA contract and future earning power, to play for a significantly smaller, non-guaranteed contract? Hardly.

But don't take my word for it. Phoenix Suns swingman Josh Childress returned to the NBA this season after spending the previous two playing for the Grecian version of the Boston Celtics, Olympiacos. Now that he's back in the NBA, I asked if he'd consider returning to Europe to play during the lockout and jeopardize the last four years of his five-year, $33 million deal.

"No, I wouldn't," he says. "And I don't know why guys would. I understand that guys really want to play. But you sometimes have to look at what you have and treat this as a business. The only way I could see it making sense is if you're a player from a particular country going back. But for an American player with a good-sized guaranteed deal here, I can't see why you'd do it."

One great misnomer is that a player is just as at risk of a contract-voiding injury playing at Pauley Pavilion or in some other offseason pick-up game as playing overseas.

"Couldn't be further from the truth," says agent Mark Bartlestein, whose agency, Priority Sports & Entertainment, has nearly 40 NBA clients and two dozen players overseas, including Songaila. "Every NBA player contract that I'm aware of has language in it that allows them to play pick-up basketball. But you're not protected if you're playing in a summer league, charity game or for a team in Europe. For a player who is in a big-time lucrative contract, there's tremendous risk."

It's known as the "For the Love of the Game" clause, or Exhibit 5, and it's the part in every standard NBA contract in which protected activities are listed. Bartlestein says it's routine to list informal offseason training sessions under it, including even summer pro-am leagues. But unless Kobe Bryant had the foresight to stipulate in his Exhibit 5 that he has the right to barnstorm China or play in Italy, should he injure that balky knee and be impaired upon his return, the Los Angeles Lakers would have grounds to take some or all of the $83.5 million they owe him over the next three years. Same goes for Williams and the $33 million the New Jersey Nets owe him over the next two years if he's hurt playing for Turkey's Besiktas.

Bill Duffy, head of BDA Sports Management, suggested there could be strong legal grounds to prevent an NBA team from voiding an existing contract, seeing as the lockout is forcing players to play elsewhere to earn income. But that still wouldn't protect a star, such as Williams, who could suffer an injury that isn't career-ending but simply value-diminishing. Several agents gave the same example: Shaun Livingston. A potential franchise-cornerstone point guard, Livingston was building toward a maximum-salary deal or close to it before shredding his knee on a fast break four years ago. He's back playing but the chances of him signing an eight-figure deal are gone.

"For the NBA player with a market value of $2 million or more, Asia and Europe present very little in the way of legitimate playing options," says Mark Termini, whose agency has been placing clients with European teams for the past 25 years.

One report had Williams' contract with Turkey's Besiktas worth $5 million, but sources say that figure is inflated by incentives as lofty as Williams being the league MVP and Besiktas reaching the Turkish Finals, which it has done twice in its 108-year history, most recently in 2005.

Childress, comparatively, signed a three-year, $20 million deal with Olympiacos, but that's when its owners were trying to make a splash and Childress had to agree to stay at least one full season. With Greece's economy in ruins, both Olympiacos and Panathanaikos are now up for sale, leaving the number of teams able and willing to offer a deal comparable to Williams' at "less than 10," according to multiple sources.

Several teams from the Turkish League are spending lavishly because the country's economy is booming, but it is the exception thanks to, in part, not being a full member of the European Union. Not only are the days of the Greek government arranging tax-free concessions for its sports franchises over, but the cost of bailing out Greece has prompted other governments in the European Union to close tax loopholes for their country's teams as well.

NBA players are aghast at the thought of not having guaranteed contracts, but that's what they'd be signing with any European club. Childress doesn't see anything in Europe worth risking the $27 million remaining on the contract he signed with the Hawks as part of a sign-and-trade deal that landed him in Phoenix.

"One of the biggest things guys will have to realize is that whatever offer you get, there's no guarantee you'll actually get all that money," Childress says. "If a guy isn't playing well or a team is out of the playoffs, they'll just stop paying you. I know tons and tons of players who just walked away because they didn't want to go through the hassle of going to court to get their money."

And while Besiktas gave Williams an option to leave whenever the NBA lockout ends, the best teams in Europe are not inclined to do that.

"They want to build a team, not just get guys for a few months of entertainment," Childress says.

"Those teams don't look at themselves as a younger brother to the NBA or a feeder system or inferior level of competition," says one agent, who requested anonymity. "Their perception and pride is not what it was 10 years ago."

Star players, no matter how big, should not expect star treatment, either. By anyone.

"Here the stars run the show," Childress says. "Over there it's the coach, and the coach only. You really have to buy into the system. The style of play is slower, a lot closer to a college style. It's a lot less reliant on talent and more on tactics and execution. They definitely have a high opinion of how they play the game and view NBA basketball as street ball. You go over there, you're playing against everyone -- other players, fans, referees, everyone. You don't get calls because you're stronger, faster and more athletic, so they think you should be able to take it."

The chance of injury, or falling out of favor, is heightened by travel and training that is considerably more spartan as well.

"I played for one of the biggest clubs in Europe," Childress says. "But there were still six- and seven-hour bus rides, we didn't stay at the best hotels and we flew commercial nine out of 10 times. And not all coaches care about your body. It's more military style. There's no getting tired. I'll be interested to see how guys' bodies respond."

Childress says he believes there may be a couple of select opportunities still available overseas and doesn't begrudge anyone from looking into them. But he had a word of advice:

"Do your research. Look into who the coaches are and the teams that don't pay. The worst thing is going over to play for however many months and then having to fight to get your money. I welcome guys to ask me questions. I can help them out. They play by different rules over there."

Ric Bucher is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine.

[Bklyn]

Bynum still learning to play well with others

By KEVIN DING

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

If you were to ask which Lakers player is most likely to park in a handicapped space and have it turned into a local news investigation, it's an easy answer.

There's just something about Andrew Bynum that fits the unfortunate description perfectly.

He isn't on his own planet like Ron Artest, he isn't as menacing as Matt Barnes and he isn't as self-absorbed as Kobe Bryant.

But parking in a handicapped space – as Bynum was shown to do in KNBC/4's report – is just the sort of small act of privilege, short-sightedness and inelegance that fits Bynum because he has a history of small acts of privilege, short-sightedness and inelegance.

None of that is enough to condemn him as a bad man or write him off as Lakers trade bait, especially given his relative youth. Yet it's unfortunate for the Lakers as they still stare at a roster that features Bynum and only Bynum as a top-flight talent whose best days are not behind him that he keeps taking baby steps backward (as in, acting like a baby) to go with forward progress as the team's biggest man.

After years of health misfortunes and letdowns, Bynum proved his mettle to all the veterans around him by powering through torn knee cartilage to give the Lakers just enough to beat Boston in the seven-game 2010 NBA Finals.

Then he stepped right back by waiting 41 days after the season ended to have surgery on his knee.

Surgery was more complicated than initially assumed – although Bynum's doctor warned him of that possibility in advance – and Bynum's recovery stretched until Game 15 of the next season while Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom grew weary much earlier than anticipated with no relief. Even worse, it was obvious Bynum could've played sooner than that but he never considered it, oblivious to the growing feelings of resentment inside the team's inner circle.

Still, he stepped back up at the All-Star break, finally embracing the team's need for him to dominate on defense and in rebounding. It was the most significant mental breakthrough of his career – and he was also staying physically sound.

Yet all that momentum didn't lead to a dominant postseason, a time when he didn't play well with others at all – as seen by eight assists against 20 turnovers – and then put his ugly signature on the Lakers' embarrassment with by blasting little J.J. Barea in the season's final game with the result long decided.

Bynum earned a five-game NBA suspension for that unsportsmanlike crime – and it was a final reminder that he's not nearly there yet. He doesn't know how to deal with defensive double teams, and he obviously doesn't know all the right moves to make off the court either.

As I noted when discussing this on the "Petros and Money Show" on Fox Sports Radio on Thursday, though, I have a ticket for driving solo in the high-occupancy-vehicle lane on my record. It isn't quite the same, but it isn't right either. I also have a ticket for driving in excess of 100 mph, similar to the ticket Bynum drew in November, according to TMZ.

I bring those personal violations up because we all have our moments of lacking grace. It's not an indictment to have missteps along the way or require a little sensitivity training the hard way. After the KNBC report Tuesday, Bynum offered this via his Twitter account Wednesday: "There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from."

Bynum actually has a unique thirst for knowledge even if he has a record of not always listening to Lakers coaches or staffers trying to help him. What he loves to do is figure things out on his own, devouring books and connecting with great enthusiasm last season with Phil Jackson friend and sports psychologist George Mumford.

And if you take the long view, Bynum actually has come a long way since being the youngest player drafted in NBA history in 2005. He was shopping at Bristol Farms for presumably fresh and healthy groceries when he inexcusably parked his convertible awkwardly in the handicapped space and over into the handicapped loading ramp area, maybe shopping for his nutritionist to cook one of her all-natural meals instead of swinging through the McDonald's drive-thru the way he would in his really misdirected years as a professional athlete.

Helping himself and helping others are not nearly the same, but this is a massive summer for him, a rare chance to be healthy in the offseason and actually use it to improve his body and his game. He is doing his promised boxing training and looks well on his way toward making the next season his first All-Star campaign (if the lockout is settled early enough for an All-Star Game).

Improving his game that much will earn back some Lakers fans appalled by Bynum's sense of entitlement now. That's just the way it works, fair or not.

Beyond that, Bynum deserves some time to improve himself otherwise, too.

He's still doing some stupid stuff, for sure, but let's stop judging for a moment and bear in mind that you're not supposed to have figured out how to play the game of life at age 23.

Bynum is neither the moral compass nor the leader of the Lakers. He's just not ready.

That's OK, even if some of the things he has been doing are most definitely not.

[T Dot O Dot]

maybe I forgot...

but I didnt realize he got 5 games for Barea elbow, I expected 1-2 games, 3 max

[Bklyn]

Yeah, they dropped that ruling on him before The Finals even started, I believe. He earned it, especially because it seems to be a pattern with him.

[Chuck Nevitt]

He'll turn 24 this year, right? 24 imo is the year most people pull their head partway out of their ass and start to think like a grownup. So there's hope for the kid.

[Bklyn]

I will say, looking at Ding's article, the first sentence is not an easy answer. However it is almost a two man race. Derrick Caracter would be a heavy bet receiver...if not leading the odds.

[T Dot O Dot]

Haha

thereare some violations I "get"

like using that police "official" laneway to pull a u-turn on an interstate, I totally get that one

I also get speeding (to a certain degree past the limit)

I have never understood parking in the handicap spot, maybe it's just me

[Johnette's Daddy]

Lakers are like your favorite TV show after the original writers have left and their letting the cast members write and direct episodes.

[Bklyn]

President Fish

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fish ... labor.html

[Bklyn]

I didn't realize that it could've been Kobe, Shaq & Magic...

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_d ... nba-wp7099

[Bklyn]

Overpaid Kobe

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_ ... s-a-burden

[Bklyn]

On Tex...

http://cgscoutperspective.blogspot.com/ ... ht-of.html

[Owlman]

Was Tex ever a head coach?

[Bklyn]

In the NBA? No. In college, yeah: Long Beach and Kansas State, at least.

[Chuck Nevitt]

http://www.ocregister.com/sports/walton ... ryant.html

[Bklyn]

Ding article on Brown. Not sure how this is gonna work out...

http://bit.ly/qxTIfG