One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. What’s horrible for one person may be the best thing that ever happened for someone else. It’s really all just perspective. And in the case of the 2011 NBA Lockout, the big winner may turn out to be Turkish team Besiktas.
Recently, news broke out that Nets guard Deron Williams inked a deal with Turkish club Besiktas that would take him to Turkey but would allow him to return once the lockout ends. Considering that the Nets gave up half of Newark to acquire the All-Star guard earlier this year, this news has to upset the entire Nets basketball community. The cons of going to Turkey outweigh the pros, especially for an injury prone star like Williams.
However, this could get worse for the NBA as Ergin Ataman, the coach of the Turkish club Besiktas, has set his eyes on Lakers’ shooting guard Kobe Bryant. Sources close to Bryant indicate that he would be willing to take his talents overseas if the lockout goes on for an extended period of time.
In regards to Kobe’s possible future in Turkey, Ataman said:
“After we signed Deron, we started to look around and find a friend of his, find other NBA stars, who want to come over and play with us, If Kobe wants to play with Deron in Istanbul, we can discuss this.”
This whole prospect of stars playing in Turkey seems far-fetched, but as long as it remains even a remote possibility, it just might force the NBA to get their act together.
Think about it for a moment. Kobe and Deron are both established stars who clearly do not need financial compensation to weather a lockout, and putting their careers in jeopardy for a short stint would not be in the best interests of their teams which both rely on them heavily. Lakers and Nets fans certainly would be upset if their star injures themselves overseas. Additionally, if other NBA players come out and state their intentions to take their talents overseas, this could grow into a real problem for the NBA.
If Suns point guard Aaron Brooks can go overseas and crack the starting lineup, it could inspire many other bench players stuck behind NBA stars. Considering that certain NBA backups could also use some cash during the lockout, this could cause a massive problem for the entire league.
If this doesn’t do anything, at the very least it might spur us to a new CBA.
