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Sean Deveney - Sporting News

Posted: July 21, 2008

If you're thinking that restricted free agent swingman Josh Childress is using an offer from the Greek powerhouse Olympiakos -- reported to be three years, $20 million -- merely as a bargaining chip to strong-arm the Atlanta Hawks into putting forth an offer, think again.

Childress and his advisory team, including agents Lon Babby and Jim Tanner, are in Greece now, meeting with officials from Olympiakos. It's doubtful that the entire group would have gone all the way to Greece simply to dupe the Hawks. This certainly looks like more than a bargaining tool. Reached by e-mail, Tanner said, "(Josh) is definitely considering it. We're here now."

Think back to last year, and the drama around restricted free agents like Sasha Pavlovic, Anderson Varejao and Charlie Bell. All had the overseas threat in their back pockets, though none of them made good on it. (It might be worth revisiting, and don't say we did not warn you about this.)

Now, Childress is exploring this European adventure, though most personnel types stateside seem to think this is a free-agent ploy. But perhaps NBA-types have become too convinced of their league's superiority.

Already, we've seen several lower-tier players spurn the NBA to play in Europe, including guard Juan Carlos Navarro and forward Bostjan Nachbar. Former Temple star Lynn Greer, in fact, passed up NBA offers to play for the same Olympiakos team that Childress is meeting with -- Greer got a two-year, $7 million deal. Remember big man Maciej Lampe? He had been getting some NBA nibbles but turned them down to play in Russia for three years, $10 million. His deal not only includes a car, but a driver, too.

The difference is that Childress is a significant NBA player. He was the sixth overall pick in the 2004 draft and has four years in the league. He has averaged 11.1 points and 5.6 rebounds, serving as one of the better sixth men in the league. But it's doubtful that, with NBA salary rules, Childress would get an offer starting at much more than the mid-level exception. And with the rules of restricted free agency allowing the Hawks to match any NBA offer Childress receives, he won't even get that. He'll likely have to play out his final year and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Basically, Atlanta is bidding against itself for Childress' services.

So, why not Europe? Three years, $20 million is more money than Childress can get here. And there are perks. Housing is provided. A car is provided. Utilities are paid for. There are no taxes (there is an IRS bill for income earned overseas, but much less than an NBA player would pay here). Players who have been to Europe generally love it.

"The money is great, and you can't measure the amount of fun you have," says former Sacramento Kings forward Corsley Edwards, who has bounced all over the globe (Turkey, Spain, China, Italy) playing pro ball. "In the NBA, everything is straight business. Unless you are LeBron James or Michael Jordan, you're just a player, just a warm body. But you go play overseas, and you are Michael Jordan to them. Everyone loves you. It's like a college atmosphere."

Former North Carolina forward Jawad Williams -- who played in the NBDL and briefly with the Clippers -- has been carving himself a career overseas, too, playing first in Japan and then for Galil-Elyon in Israel. "The big difference is that, in Europe, you're really going to be part of a team," Williams says. "In the NBA, you know the ball is going to the star player, they're going to create mismatches and just keep going back to the same play over and over. That's not really a team game."

As a business decision, Edwards and Williams agree, playing abroad is shrewd. Both admit that it's tough to give up on the NBA dream, but, as Edwards says, "Why should I bust my butt trying to get a veteran's minimum contract in the NBA, giving 52 percent of that to taxes, buying a car, buying a house, trying to keep up with the Joneses? I can get more money in Europe and not have to worry about any of that. All I pay for is food."

Indeed, it makes sense for a guy looking at the veteran's minimum to go off and do better in Europe or China or Israel. And it makes sense for, say, Nachbar or Navarro, born in Europe, to return closer to home. But it's a much bigger leap for a player in the middle of a bright career -- like Childress -- to bolt for Greece. To most of us, at least. Guys like Edwards and Williams, who have actually played in overseas leagues, know better.

"Playing for Olympiakos? For that money?" Williams said. "You can't knock that. Greece is a beautiful place. To get $20 million guaranteed to play there, when you can't get that much in the NBA, he has to be thinking about it seriously."

Edwards was more direct: "He has his four years in the NBA. He played in the playoffs and all. He experienced the NBA. Now, take the money. Go see the major cities, the major artifacts, the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum, the Seven Wonders of the World. Live in Greece. He'll love it. If he goes back to the NBA this year on a one-year deal, he might get hurt. This way, no matter what, he has $20 million. And he is going to love it. If I was him, it'd be a no-brainer. I'd be signing the contract by now."

Sean Deveney is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .