ESPN’s Player X has written about everything from the art of trash-talking to maintaining a marriage.
In his latest column, which appeared in ESPN The Magazine today, the anonymous NBA player says
he’ll be headed overseas if there is a lockout.
“There are a lot of reasons the NBA should do everything in it’s power to avoid a lockout. But in my opinion, one stands above the rest, Lock the players out and we’ll leave, a lot of us, to play overseas. And many of us won’t come back,” Player X said.
He also said overseas teams would not have a problem welcoming NBA troublemakers seeing as how they rolled the welcome mat out for Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury.
San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker has already said he will play in France if there is a lockout, and Miami Heat forward LeBron James has reportedly been offered more than his current Heat contract.
But aside from money, Player X says several overseas teams offer something as intriguing, better coaches.
“Let me tell you American basketball’s dirty little secret: Our coaches are terrible. And not just in the NBA. Coaches across the whole game stink–high school, AAU, college,” Player X writes. “They’ve grown fat on our natural athletic abilities, and they’ve gotten way too lazy. Nobody coaches fundamentals anymore.”
“Players are beginning to realize that if they go overseas, even for a season, they’ll come back with more skills, and that translates into greater success and better contracts back here,” he said.
Using Phoenix Suns forward Josh Childress, who played two seasons in Greece, as an example, I’m not sure many would agree with that notion. Childress’ stats this season dipped from his final season with the Hawks before he left for Greece.
Closing out his column, Player X made several bold predictions for the next 10 years, including China turning into NBA-lite, the NBA having a five-team Euro division and half of every NBA roster made up of foreign players.
Most teams aren’t far off from having a foreign-dominated roster already, but we’ll have to wait and see if any of his other predictions come to fruition.
(photo: daylife.com)
