Sports Blog
Check out the sports blog, where the State News sports staff will discuss everything from Spartan to professional athletics on a daily basis.
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Recent posts
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Fantasy football, week 12
No in-depth opening this week, let’s get straight to my picks:
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Early men's hoops awards
With my term coming to an end as an MSU men’s basketball beat reporter since the spring, I can’t help but still feel connected to the team.
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Appreciating the great camera work
So after the blizzard that struck during the attempted second half of Sunday’s field hockey game, I have an extra appreciation for what our camera people do.
Childress takes his game to Europe
Former Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Childress is the latest passenger on the NBA European Express.
Childress, who averaged 11.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last season, signed a three-year deal with Greek club Olympiakos worth about $20 million after taxes. The deal, which is currently the richest in European basketball, has a clause that will allow him to opt out of the contract and return to the NBA each year.
Childress isn’t the first person to sign a deal overseas, but he’s probably the most renowned. Forwards Bostjan Nachbar and Primoz Brezec, as well as guards Juan Carlos Navarro and Carlos Delfino also signed with European squads. Earlier this month, decorated high school phenom Brandon Jennings spurned Arizona to sign a deal with an Italian team.
What’s the reason for this trend?
For the most part, decreasing value in the U.S. dollar. But that can’t be the only reason, as the amenities and fanfare NBA players receive should compensate for the difference in dollar values.
I truly feel the NBA has simply lost some of its luster, and I think David Stern is the main reason for that.
Every year, the NBA begins to feel more like a dictatorship. Between the recently implemented dress codes, the draft rules, the outrageous fine amounts and the Tim Donaghy scandal, I think some of the players are fed up.
I’m not suggesting that any of those factors played decisive roles in the players’ decisions to leave, but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that a combination of those factors have contributed.
The NBA has been losing credibility at an alarming rate, and now the league is paying the price it. Which player will leave next?
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