New Jersey Nets’ Deron Williams made waves when he made the decision in principle to head overseas to 
play in Turkey as the lockout rages on. Soon after, many speculated if another All-Star caliber player follow in Williams’ footsteps.
Mid-level players such as Sonny Weems, and Zaza Pachulia have agreed to play overseas but the question still remained, will another star player make the switch as well and could that player be Miami Heat’s Dwayne Wade?
“If there’s an opportunity there, I’d consider it,” Wade told The Associated Press at a Chicago-area high school, where he and Bears receiver Devin Hester have been running basketball and football camps this week.
And as far as the decision Williams made, Wade had this to say, and reiterated his consideration about playing overseas:
“It’s not just something that came overnight. [Williams] didn’t wake up and say, ‘All right, go play in Turkey.’ Obviously, this is something that he felt that if a lockout was to last a long time, ‘I would consider playing.’
If Wade does head off overseas then the NBA, the owners have a real issue on their hands. They will see their million dollar investments risk injury, or suffer fatigue if and when the new NBA season begins.
Furthermore, should Wade follow in Williams’ footprints, it would probably be the domino that causes the chain reaction for other star players to head overseas such as Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire:
Knicks guard Roger Mason said teammates Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire contacted him after the news broke about Williams. “I can see anybody doing it,” Mason told Newsday. “This is what people have to understand – a lot of guys love the game and want to be able to compete. I’ve talked to a lot of the star plays – Chris Paul, Amar’e, Melo. I think those guys are open-minded to anything.”
Though Amar’e’s agent did say Amar’e is not considering playing overseas.
So here we are. Little by little, NBA players are seeing Europe as a viable option should the lockout eat into the NBA’s regular season. The ball is in your court owners. Your players are circumventing your lockout. They are getting paid, playing ball, expanding their brand, and get to come back to the NBA once all this CBA mess is over.
(photo: daylife.com)
