NBA Pulling Out of International Games?

The NCAA released a press statement on February 6^th, 2015 announcing that during the NIT tournament, taking place in late March, that they were going to experiment with reducing the shot clock from 35 seconds down to 30 seconds. 

The restricted arc under the basket is also being increased from 3 feet in diameter to 4 feet. 

Both of these parameters are standard in international games played under the rules established by FIBA.

So the question begs to be asked – is this really an experiment to try to increase scoring in the NCAA or is this experiment just a ruse for the eventual rule changes in May so that the NCAA players are better prepped for international tournaments?

According to the NCAA the average scoring last year was 67.5 which was the lowest since the 1951-52 season.  The idea of shortening the shot clock and increasing the restricted arc will lead to more possessions which should parlay into more scoring and exciting games.

It isn’t as if attendance or viewership has changed.  The Final Four tournament is still pulling 20 million plus ever final while averaging over 10 million per round leading to the finals.  To put that in perspective this year’s Superbowl drew 115 million (by far the winner), the NBA finals 18 million on the final game (and averaged 15.5 million in the games previous), and the World Series drew 19 million on the final game (and averaged around 14.9 million in the other games).

In 2014 Team USA saw no less than 5 players withdraw their name from the international roster.  Most famous was Kevin Durant who cited ‘physical and mental fatigue’ as his reason to withdraw.  Other notable withdrawals were Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge and NBA finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.  Durant’s stepping down also came on the heels of the leg break of Paul George which has kept George off the line-ups of the Indiana Pacers all season so far.

The 2014 World Championship also saw Manu Ginobli not play for Argentina because the San Antonio Spurs laid down the law, and only exemption they could use, in stating Ginobli was not medically cleared. 

In 2008 the Toronto Raptors tried the same thing with Jorge Garbajosa after he recovered from a broken leg but Spain snubbed their nose at the franchise and list Garbajosa on their roster. 

The led to Toronto buying out Garbajosa’s contract and releasing him.  No other NBA team touched him afterwards.

Many owners have publicly backed the trials of the NBA going to the FIBA run events but secretly how many have the same feelings as outspoken critic Mark Cuban? 

He’s been very vocal against the usage of players stating that the NBA pays the players salary and FIBA is generating income off of free usage of these players.

With FIBA having publicly discussed going to a more soccer style age restriction format for the Olympics, that being a team of under 23 year olds with 3 exemptions, many in the NBA are voicing displeasure.  Kobe Bryant referred to the idea as ‘stupid’ and LeBron James stated he’d stop playing international games if that occurred.

The players seem to like the idea of going to the Olympics and for that reason alone the NBA hasn’t withdrawn…yet.  The 2016 Olympics in Brazil will feature NBA players but what about 2020?  Apparently no one is sure the NBA will partake in sending players. 

The Olympics have been good exposure to the NBA with their televised growth having gone from being watched in 88 countries in 1992 when The Dream Team played Barcelona to now being seen in 217 countries.  The number of foreign players has jumped from 23 international players representing 18 countries in the NBA in 1992 to a total of 74 players representing 35 countries.

The league may have hit its apex in exposure and possibly the owners are thinking “we’re big enough to stand on our own”.  Once that happens the Olympics, and FIBA, will have a harder time selecting players to play from the NBA ranks. 

College players, whom were selected until the creation of The Dream Team, will be back in the fold as representing the USA.  Maybe USA Basketball is aware of this and having the NCAA ‘test’ these new rules are just a precursor to training the college athletes to be better prepared internationally once they get that call again.

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Building the Canadian Basketball Community

This might be the most important time ever for basketball in Canada. The growth of the game and the continued rooting into the fabric of the nation is at a crossroads. 

During the next couple of months we will see whether the game takes another step forward and moves up in most played and most watched sports in this country.

I am not kidding myself when I say most played and watched. Basketball will never out pace soccer as the most played or hockey as the most watched. All I am asking for is growth.

The stage has been set. The Toronto Raptors are coming off a banner yet surprising season. Winning the Atlantic Division, coming a final shot short at making the second round of the playoffs, and bringing together the collective nation of fans not only in Toronto but in Canada. 

Outgoing head of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Tim Leiweke, was forced to bring out the campaigns of 'The Northern Uprising' and 'We The North' a season early. The National Basketball Association is bringing its’ all-star game to Toronto. A new practice facility is being built and players actually want to play for the Raptors, see Kyle Lowry and Lou Williams. The franchise is on track and they might have the best general manager in the association with Masai Ujiri.

The climate in Canada is ripe for sport to take that next leap. Two first overall picks in a row in Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins with many others drafted and signed to training camp contracts. The National Basketball League continues on with a shoestring budget. 

High school programs are getting bigger and more professional trying to compete with Canadian AAU teams. Those teams are churning out talent while beating most programs from the south. 

They are even attracting players from other countries with the Orangeville’s Athlete Institute Basketball Academy bringing in potential stud Thon Maker. 

Of course American high schools and universities are littered with Canadian ballers. Carleton University and the University of Ottawa compete with and beat some of the top programs from the NCAA.

Easily seen on most streets is the money spent by teens and twenty year olds on hats, uniforms, shorts and kicks. The game has now become the in sport with kids from all walks of life and yes has even become water cooler talk.

So what will it take for basketball to fully be ingrained in the fabric of Canadian culture. Most would say winning but it isn't as simple as that. It will take two factors to make that happen: money and the media.

The money is obvious as most believe that if you pump dollars into the system the basketball infrastructure will only get better and hence so will the players. More money equals better gyms, better coaching, better training and the list goes on. But is there money out there in Canada to go around? 

Of course there is. Spend more money, more people play the game and the more it becomes ingrained in society.

We have some of the biggest conglomerates in the West controlling everything from television to mining. All of our hockey teams are owned by Canadians. There is lots of money to go around. Rogers and Bell, two of the largest telecommunication (they do more) companies in the world have money to spare. 

The both own MLSE who lost out on a bid to buy the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills. So why not put that money into basketball? How many Canadian companies run some of the largest mining corporations in the world? Too many to count. So why can’t these companies and their rich board member give money to high school, university or college programs or to spend on adverts for the Raptors?

The money is there to spend. If Rogers can build a state of the art facility for hockey coverage why can’t Bell to do same for basketball? WuTang said it best: Cash Rules Everything Around Me. 

But my biggest complaint about the state of basketball in Canada is pointed at the media. Like I stated earlier, this is a make or break couple of months for the game. 

Why hasn’t the media capitalized on this? Rogers bought the entire, almost, hockey package leaving Bell and its’ sports channel, TSN, with scraps. Why hasn’t Bell bough the entire basketball package? Why hasn’t Bell spent money on a new production studio and brought in some of the best basketball minds and scribes to put the game on everyone’s doorstep and mind. 

Canada is a hotbed of basketball talent. The Raptors were the only team in Toronto to make the playoffs but nothing has changed.

Basketball coverage in television, radio, newspaper and the inter webs still trails hockey, baseball, football and in some circles soccer in the amount of dollars spent. The sports media in Canada is what drives what the public wants to see and hear. 

The more you talk about a sport, you more you cover it, the more you make stars and villains the more people want to hear and watch. There is a huge population of people who want to talk, read and watch basketball 24/7. But the Canadian media has missed the boat.

The FIBA World Cup just finished in Spain. Canada did not qualify but most believe the team is ready to make a move in the next Olympics and future tournaments to come. Did any Canadian sports outlets television or otherwise send a journalist over? 

Only my colleague and friend from HoopsLounge.com Marc Griffin covered the event. He covered it with a Canadian angle. He made a name for himself and for his website. The teams and ballers will remember Marc and his questions the next time they see him.

And how did he get there. He had to get his own media passes secured. He had to pay his way and then set up a Kickstarter project to cover the rest of his costs. He and his team of Phil Boileau and Mota Elb are working hard for the game. Their love of basketball shows in everything they do. I wish others in more powerful media spots would do the same.

Maybe it will take a team like TheBenchGuys.com to do the same. I am ready to do it. There are others like me and my team who want to do it. But we all do it for the love of the sports. The big media outlets get paid but don’t take advantage of their standing and access to put the game of basketball on the forefront.

That will be my goal with TheBenchGuys.com. Basketball all the time, every time, from everywhere with an unbiased opinion. You may not like but then you have every right to let me know. We want to create a community that discusses all things basketball because contrary to the opinion of the bigwigs in the media that is exactly what people want.

Shahab Khan

@SchoolboyShebe

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2014 FIBA WORLD CUP AFTERTHOUGHTS

Sunday marked the end of the highly entertaining 2014 edition of the FIBA World Cup in Madrid, Spain.

While the final game of the tournament left much to be desired, it in no way diminished the excitement, suspense and positive play during the past two plus weeks. Well, minus that Aussie fiasco…

The tournament provided viewers with clutch shots, upsets, new national heroes, glimpses into future powers and a whole lot of rowdy supporters. I’m looking at you Finland and Gilas fans!

After sitting back to reflect and take a closer look into the games, these were my biggest takeaways and parting thoughts…

The parity of the field bodes well for the future of the sport

The play during the Group Phase of the tournament was about as tightly contested as you could have hoped for.

Obviously, it wasn’t without its share of blowouts and uninspired play but overall the end result struck a nice balance. Most of this of course, can be directly attributed to the growing parity among the basketball loving nations.

Thanks to more resources, better understanding of analytics & new technologies in sport, and increased knowledge sharing of proper developmental models, the world is catching up to the elite powers in basketball.

As the tournament progressed, you began to see the talent gap that still exists between the elite and the rest of the field, open up. Hard work clearly remains ahead but the competitive balance will continue to trend upwards after a strong display in Spain.  

USA dominance nearly historic

Leading up to this September’s event, USA Basketball found itself heavily scrutinized for what were perceived as “questionable decisions” concerning their roster selections. The reality is that the circumstances dictated the end result. After losing key players, including their core leadership from previous games, Coach K and his staff put together a group of players they deemed the best suited for the international game.

With no mega-superstars on the roster and tons of first timers, maybe the time was finally right for another country to put an end to the 6-year reign. Fast-forward two weeks and it’s the same old story. But following the 129-92 dismantling of Serbia in the Championship final, this just felt like a completely different USA championship.

Some will continue to call this the United States’ “B” team that won.

I’m sure the players could care less with their gold medals now securely in hand, and the coaches and management know they brought the best team available. In any event, if this is indeed the 2^nd tier team, what a scary thought that would be after watching these guys practically ran everyone out of the gym.

Throughout their 9 games in Spain, the US managed to outscore their opponents by an average of 33pts per game, while connecting on over 40% behind the arc (including 50% on 30 attempts in the finals). A remarkable stat only bested by their previous (since pros were eligible) yet much more accomplished regimes, the 1992 Dream Team (43.8pts - Barcelona) and the 2008 Redeem Team (37.75pts - Beijing).

Better luck in Rio!

Tournament’s breakout players will be heading to the league

Zoran Dragic, Miloš Teodosić and Petteri Koponen all have something in common. They’re all on their way to inking fresh new contracts in the NBA.

They may not all come over right away but expect to see them join the likes of fellow Spain 2014 breakout players Bojan & Bogdan Bogdanovic (not related… or even countrymen), Jonas Valanciunas, and most recently, Joe Ingles of Australia who signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Zoran, younger brother of Phoenix Suns star Goran Dragic, is said to be coveted by multiple NBA teams but the most likely scenario sees him teaming up with his big bro in Arizona. If the World Cup was any indication, the Slovenian guard should be more than capable of filling an effective role without trying to live up to his brother’s billing.  

According to ESPN, reports out of Spain indicate Petteri Koponen is eying the 2015 season as his NBA debut. The Finnish point guard has one year remaining on his contract with BC Khimki of Russia and currently has his rights owned by the Dallas Mavericks after they made a draft-night deal with the Portland Trailblazers in 2007.

Like Koponen, Miloš Teodosić isn't exactly an up-and-coming YOUNG prospect (he’s 27), but there is certainly no denying his talent and on the heels of guiding Serbia to a 2^nd place finish, his value has never been higher in the eyes of NBA executives. Miloš is said to be commanding a salary of over $3M per year to make the move overseas.     

Major changes are coming in basketball’s international landscape

Africa

Perennial qualifier and 11-time FIBA Africa Champion including 7 of the past 8, Angola will be challenged by Senegal for the foreseeable future. Angola has had a stranglehold on Africa since 1989 but their core is at the end of its prime and currently boasts very few prospects waiting in the wings.

Yanick Moreria enjoyed an impressive debut on the international stage (17.8 ppg & 8.2 rpg) and is undoubtedly the one expected to carry the torch for Angola's program. The 6’11 forward has an incredibly high ceiling which is aided by having one of the game's premier coach in Larry Brown at SMU.

If Angola wants to remain the team to beat in Africa, they’ll need Moreria to be at his best and build on his World Cup performance from Spain. At any rate, the road through Africa just got harder.

Despite nearly missing the tournament altogether had it not been for a last second, 4-point play to beat Ivory Coast by 1, Senegal's play in Spain showed they may be the team to beat in Africa.

With an intriguing nucleus led by the Minnesota Timberwolves forward Gorgui Dieng and Rutgers alum and current D-Leaguer Hamady N’Diaye, Senegal will be ready to go for its first FIBA Africa Championship since 1997 by the time the tournament starts in 2015.

Americas

There were obvious signs of progress on the part of the lesser accomplished FIBA America representatives. Especially during the Group Phase of the tournament.

Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic and Mexico all joined the US in the Round of 16 to make it an impressive 5/6 of its members to advance. Sorry, Costa Rica.

The United States would end up the lone rep after just the Quarters but it remained a strong showing by FIBA America nonetheless. More showcases like this are on the horizon but not until the federation endures a MASSIVE power shift.

Spain 2014 saw the end of the ‘Golden Generation’ in Argentinean basketball. Moving forward, Argentina will have a very difficult time maintaining its ranking among the world’s elite programs and any chance of building on the successes of the past decade are surely gone.

Unfortunately for Argentina, while some bright spots remain in the program (Facundo Campazzo), the next generation of stars is not of the same ilk as its predecessor and will take time to develop. 

Perhaps the team most capable of taking Argentina’s place as top challenger to the US from the America’s is the very team who ousted them in Spain. Brazil, after years of struggling vs its neighbours to the south, finally got over the hump in Round of 16 play thanks to an emphatic 20-point beat down. Brazil boasts several notable NBA players on its roster and has a long history of being one of the top nations in the international game.

Then there is Canada, the wildcard of the group. With the 2^nd most NBA players in their system outside of the USA, Canada is getting extremely close to fielding an All-NBA roster, including the previous two #1 overall picks in the NBA Draft. 2015 will be one of the biggest years in the history of Canada Basketball as it prepares for next year’s FIBA America Championships in Monterrey, Mexico.

Asia

After 40 long years, plus an overtime, the Philippians finally found their elusive win. Before beating Senegal in pool play 81-79, the Gilas hadn't won on the world stage since a 1974.

In the process NBA vet Andray Blatche will forever be remembered as a Gilas basketball legend after averaging an impressive 21.2 ppg & 13.8 rpg. Not a bad time to post stat lines like that when still an NBA free-agent. Way to capitalize, Dray!

Korea & Iran finished the tournament a combined 1-9 and don’t appear to be on the verge of a dynasty...

At the very least, shout out to Hamed Haddadi of Iran after his strong performance of 18.8 ppg & 11.4 rpg throughout his 5 games.

Europe

This was supposed to be Spain’s year. Everything lined up perfectly for their MASSIVE opportunity to capture its 2^nd World Cup championship and first ever on home soil. With a formidable backcourt and the Gasol brothers giving every other frontcourt nightmares, coupled with a US roster seemingly at its weakest in years, this WAS their time. Then the France-Spain quarterfinal game happened. With Spain being dealt a decisive blow in front of their home crowd, so too was any hope of an American take-down.

No disrespect to Serbia, France after downing the Spaniards was probably thought of as the next in line to give the US a scare. Although even the biggest French supporter would have to admit their squad would need everything to break right. Like having the US announce they've decided to start Coach K at point. Regardless of the situation, there is little reason to think they would have fared any better than Serbia.

So what does this all mean for the future of European basketball? Serbia and France appear well-positioned to make a run, starting next year at EuroBasket 2015, and will battle against the likes of Lithuania, Slovenia and Croatia as well.

Where does this leave Spain? Much like the Argentineans but perhaps not as drastic, Spain should begin to see its basketball ‘Golden Generation’ pass and with it, its hold on Europe. The latter of which was tenuous at best given their 2013 EuroBasket performance. However, any country that boasts a high-caliber professional league such as the Liga ACB will never fade away completely.

Europe should be fairly wide-open in the foreseeable future, which has all the makings of an outstanding EuroBasket Championships next summer!

Oceania

The Oceania Basketball Federation saw both representatives (Australia, New Zealand) reach the bracket rounds in Spain. Unfortunately for both, that would be very short-lived as both teams were bounced in the Round of 16.

Australia was stunned by a late…very late three from Turkey's Emir Preldzic, rendering their intentional loss to Angola to setup a more favourable draw, pointless. Still, the Aussie's at times looked very solid and with the young prospects in the pipelines, the future does appear very bright.

New Zealand earned a lot of respect for their hard fought style of play and if the development of Steven Adams in OKC is successful, this squad should continue to challenge Australia in the coming years. The edge still remains with the Aussie’s who have defeated NZL in 18 of 20 Oceania qualifying championships.

All things considered, even with the impending merger between Oceania & Asia to form the Asia-Pacific Zone, these two programs should face little issues qualifying for future games.

My All-Tournament Team
C – Paul Gasol, Spain
F – Kennith Faried, USA
F – Nicolas Batum, France
G – Miloš Teodosić, Serbia
G – Kyrie Irving, USA

HM: Bojan Bogdanovic (Croatia), Goran Dragic (Slovenia), Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania), Klay Thompson (USA)

FINAL STANDINGS

1. USA (9-0)

2. Serbia (5-4)

3. France (6-3)

4. Lithuania (6-3)

5. Spain (6-1)

6. Brazil (5-2)

7. Slovenia (5-2)

8. Turkey (4-3)

9. Greece (5-1)

10. Croatia (3-3)

11. Argentina (3-3)

12. Australia (3-3)

13. Dominican Republic (2-4)

14. Mexico (2-4)

15. New Zealand (2-4)

16. Senegal (2-4)

17. Angola (2-3)

18. Ukraine (2-3)

19. Puerto Rico (1-4)

20. Iran (1-4)

21. Philippines (1-4)

22. Finland (1-4)

23. Korea (0-5)

24. Egypt (0-5)

Starting in 2017, all of FIBA’s continental championships will be held on a four-year cycle. The continental championships will no longer be part of the qualifying process for either the World Cup or Olympics but for the 2017 World Cup, the field is set to expand from 24 to 32 teams.

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Derrick Doesn't Dance

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After Team U.S.Aaculously prevailed over Nenad Krstic and Team Serbia in a 129-92 at the FIBA World Cup final tonight, they took the platform to celebrate.

They did so by performing the Schmoney Dance.

Well not all of Team U.S.A. was "getting money till they fall out". 

As we clearly can see, Derrick Rose, third from the far right, don't play dat. 

In an interview a few years ago, Rose stated that he can shuck and jive 'but there is a time and a place.'

So when is that time and place to dance? 

 It's definitely not during an All Star Game introduction.   It's definitely not when there is a stoppage of game.

In fact Derrick Rose hates dancing so much he'll go far as to humiliate people who do it for a living on the basketball court. Regardless of gender.

Look at him while he stares in awe (disdain?) at the New Zealand team performing the Hakka dance.

But why does Rose hate it so much? Is it because he's the greatest dancer of all time as evidenced by this little gem of a video?

Alright, that may or not be the 2011 Most Valuable Player but Derrick, why so serious? Let lose a little. You won the FIBA World Cup. 

You know who would be lettin' their back bone slide if he was not cut from Team USA? 

This man.

Actually I'm pretty sure John Wall dances like that after a morning poo

But I digress, if I am to infer what Derrick Rose is saying. The best time and place for Derrick Rose to bust a move is when he hoists the Larry O'Brien trophy over his head. The time will be ripe then for him, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah to whip their hair back and forth. And until that time, Derrick will not dance. 

When he does though, it will be worth the wait.

Sorry that's not Derrick Rose but it will be just as great.

Join us next time we examine, "The Allure of the Raptors' Mop Girl"

Budda Perera

@Prabudda on Twitter and Instagram

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Kiwis Shock Americans

I absolutely love this video.

I have seen the haka performed thousands of times in my life in a variety of situations - but clearly Team USA wasn't entirely prepared for what they were about to be a part of.

The haka is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance or challenge from the Māori people of New Zealand. It's a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment.

The New Zealand rugby team's practice of performing a haka before their matches has made the dance more widely known around the world. The New Zealand basketball team has also picked up the tradition.

Unlike Turkey's national team, that completely disrespected the Kiwis by walking off the floor, Team
USA showed respect and reverence and went to show respect immediately after the haka was completed. 

Great entertainment.  Well done.

For those that care, the Americans went on to crush the "Tall Blacks" 98-71.

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325 Million Buys You More Than You Think

Kevin Durant made headlines earlier this month by pulling out of the United States FIBA World Cup team. Durant was excused by many league executives and the media throughout the NBA. 

His reputation of always showing up when asked for his country precedes only his play whenever he pulls on the red, white and blue uniform. Paul George's gruesome injury also gave credence for some understanding his decision.

These factors, and the idea of Durant being a nice guy have stopped the media making his pull out from the World Cup team a larger story. The real story starts with 325 million dollars, the amount of the new endorsement contract he will sign with Under Armour. 

UA will play him all those dollars over ten years to wear their shoes and gear at all times and to show up for any of their sponsored events.

Why is the money not the real big deal of this story? USA basketball, currently, is a Nike sponsored organization. The swoosh is seen on all the uniforms, warm up tops and any and all formal communications. Durant himself has been in the Nike program for as long as he has been in the association. His contract expires on September 30^th, the eve of this season's training camp.

As soon as Durant pulled out of the team, news of the deal started to hit the airwaves. Roc Nation and Jay-Z's name started popping up. Jay-Z is Durant's new agent and the UA deal is his first big basketball deal. Did UA or Jay-Z ask him to leave the camp and team? Did they not want him to shown and pictured in Spain with Nike paraphernalia on? Durant now becomes the face of UA. With Nike he would always play second fiddle to LeBron James. If he moved over to Adidas he might be second fiddle to Derrick Rose. UA is based in Baltimore, Maryland which happens to be the hometown of Durant.

He is making close to 19 million this year and over 20 million next season. He will be an unrestricted free agent in 2016 which will be his tenth season in the league. He will be eligible for the maximum salary with any team who has room in the association. That maximum salary could be between 25 to 33 million if revenues continue to grow as expected.

Durant will sign for the maximum where ever he goes but that amount is way below what he could get in a free market. Imagine what he could earn in a non salary cap league such as Major League Baseball but that is an aside. Now add in his 35 million a year from UA. Then his yearly intake sounds about right. Therefore Durant's decision in 2016 will surprisingly not be about money.

Durant's UA deal affords him the ability to sign with any team he wishes and that is the real story with him leaving the US team headed for Spain. He will make his decision on his own terms. As long as the team has cap space then he can sign with them. Actually, going Durant's reputation he might even take a pay cut to be with a winner or to be with his hometown club the Washington  Wizards. He might sign with his boyhood favourite team the Toronto Raptors. Yes I said the Raptors as his love for Vince Carter might sway him that way.

Durant is now in the driver's seat. He is the owner's worst nightmare: a player with his future in his own hands. Many thought when the current incarnation of the salary cap was brought in before the 1984-85 season it would hamper player's rights and abilities. It might have but as the association has grown it's revenues have as well and in turn so have players' salaries. It is those salaries, the rise of endorsements and growing importance of stars in the American sports landscape that have now swayed the balance of power to the players' side. This change was perfectly seen in the Donald Silver situation at the end of last season.

Maybe Durant should teach a class at the NBA's rookie symposium. I wonder if the association would let that occur. I am very surprised that most of the basketball media have stayed away from this end of the story. My guess is that LeBron signing for only two years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Kevin Love Andrew Wiggins trade and George's injury have taken most of eyes and ears away. So here's a toast to a player taking his own future in his hands. An athlete with a brain is a good thing.

As I write my thoughts down, I keep telling myself how nice it must be to make decisions about your future without someone telling me why and what I should do just to pay my bills. I think about how nice it would be to be in Durant's shoes in two years. Then I realize that his agent is Jay-Z and he is signed to UA. Didn't they just ask him to leave the World Cup camp? Didn't Nike and Converse ask Earvin Johnson and Michael Jordan, among others, to cover up the Reebok symbol on their uniforms at the Olympics in Barcelona? Would Jay-Z and UA let him sign for the Raptors in Canada? Would they let him be in a non-American market? Would they let him sign for a small market American team?

Ah there's the rub! But that's for another discussion for another time.

Shahab Khan

@SchoolboyShebe

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