Ex-Hawk Childress signs with Greek club team - ESPN

[uva3021]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3501488

ATHENS, Greece -- Josh Childress signed a reported three-year deal worth $20 million with the Greek club Olympiakos after leaving the Atlanta Hawks.
Pond Jumpers

Josh Childress became the fifth player to leave the NBA for a European team this offseason.

Leaving NBA for Europe in '08 Player NBA team European team Primoz Brezec Raptors Virtus Roma Josh Childress Hawks Olympiakos Carlos Delfino Raptors Khimki BC Juan Carlos Navarro Grizzlies F.C. Barcelona Bostjan Nachbar Nets Dynamo Moscow
Olympiakos announced the deal Wednesday. The guard was a restricted free agent, but the Hawks do not have the ability to match an offer from a European team."It's official. I've signed," Childress said. "I was in a situation that I really didn't know what my answer would be when I got to Athens. But it's a great city and a great team, and they did everything to make me feel at home."
Olympiakos finished runner-up in the Greek basketball league last year, behind rival Panathinaikos. It has boosted its roster with summer transfers -- including Greek star Theodoros Papaloukas, who was signed from CSKA Moscow.
The deal is the most lucrative current contract in European basketball and the biggest in Euroleague history, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which first reported the signing. It follows the decision by top prep prospect Brandon Jennings to sign with an Italian club team rather than play a season at Arizona.
The newspaper reported Monday the Hawks had a deal on the table worth nearly $36 million, with a first-year salary in excess of the midlevel exception of $5.6 million.

[Titan15]

This is a big story for the NBA... when the European players were signing with teams to go back to Europe it wasn't as big of a hit to the NBA because you can justify it with Europeans want to go back home. But for a American athlete who could easily hold his own in the NBA to be lured to Europe... the NBA should be scared that this doesnt become a trend. This summer has proven that not every basketball player is striving to be in the NBA and that should have David Stern sweating.

[tx_twostep]

true...true

[revnecro1273]

Originally Posted by Titan15

This is a big story for the NBA... when the European players were signing with teams to go back to Europe it wasn't as big of a hit to the NBA because you can justify it with Europeans want to go back home. But for a American athlete who could easily hold his own in the NBA to be lured to Europe... the NBA should be scared that this doesnt become a trend. This summer has proven that not every basketball player is striving to be in the NBA and that should have David Stern sweating.

this one is not so hard to imagine...dude is a stanford grad so he has an open mind and knowledge of the world...now if a ghetto dude decided to make the jump, then the nba for sure should be worried

[dave nz]

Originally Posted by Titan15

This is a big story for the NBA... when the European players were signing with teams to go back to Europe it wasn't as big of a hit to the NBA because you can justify it with Europeans want to go back home. But for a American athlete who could easily hold his own in the NBA to be lured to Europe... the NBA should be scared that this doesnt become a trend. This summer has proven that not every basketball player is striving to be in the NBA and that should have David Stern sweating.

Get used to it because its going to happen alot more.....its the power of the Euro currency, there is alot of money in Europe and it has quality leagues.