Overseas is not an option for most NBA free agents - European basketball teams court NBA free agents during labor lockout - Column - Brief Article

You can count Zan Tabak among the few who can kick back and enjoy the rest of his summer. At least he knows where and when he'll be playing basketball this fall. Not many other NBA free agents can make the same claim.

Tabak accepted a lucrative, two-year offer from the Turkish team Fenerbahce, choosing the Istanbul-based club over the uncertainty of NBA free agency, the uncertainty of when the league might reopen for business, and the-uncertainty of whether his former team, the Celtics, even wanted him back. Measured against all those uncertainties, it was an easy call.

But is this a sign of things to come, or is Tabak's situation unique because of his Eastern European background and overseas resume? The consensus seems to be the latter Where once Europe was an attractive alternative to even midlevel NBA free agents--remember a then-valuable Danny Ferry bolting the Clippers to play in Rome in 1989?--it no longer is because the money isn't as good and the number of teams willing to pay big bucks are getting fewer and fewer.

"There are only a few teams that are willing to pay over a million dollars for a guy, and those jobs are hard to find," says Boston-based agent Frank Catapano, who has a long list of clients with European experience. "After that, you get down to $500,000, $600,000 and $700,000, and that's peanuts to what these guys can make in the NBA. Europe is there, but only for certain guys. It's not for every guy."

Andrew Vye, who handles European players for Santa Monica-based agent Steve Kauffman, says the average U.S. player can expect less money these days, especially if he's going over for the first time. He said-several years ago an NBA free agent could bolt to Europe and expect to receive no less than a $400,000 or $500,000 deal. That figure has been cut in half unless, Vye says, "you're lucky enough to be playing for the big boys."

Vye adds, "It's becoming polarized over there in much the same way it's become polarized over here. There are the haves and the have nots and the middle class is getting squeezed. If you are an average NBA player, it may be better to wait for the lockout to end."

What many European teams appear to be doing is banking on a panic factor in the NBA to get more attractive players. There are plenty of doom and gloom predictions out there about how long the lockout will last, including David Stern's ominous statement that several teams would do better by not operating this season.

There still are some roster spots open in Europe, but who among the valued NBA free agents is going to be interested? Jayson Williams said a couple weeks ago that he had heard from an Italian team, but that would be akin to financial suicide. One name heard is that of Jerome Kersey, who, despite being 36 years old and never an All-Star, would be deemed as a "marquee" attraction. Dominique Wilkins already has been told not to bother to come back at age 39, although he did have a good season in Bologna.

Wilkins, who last played in the NBA in 199697, is now counting on the league to be his employer again, which brings us to the most likely reason that players may find it difficult to go overseas: money. There's a shocker. The players are being told by their agents that when the smoke dears, two things will, in all likelihood, be changed in their benefit. One, the average NBA salary, which last season was slightly under $300,000 for veterans, will be raised, possibly a lot. And that there could be a sliding scale for veterans, which would mean someone like Herb Williams or Wilkins would not have to settle for the minimum but could get much more.

"It depends on the individual," says Chicago-based agent Herb Rudoy, who represents Tabak. "With Zan, it made a lot of sense. But for someone else, it wouldn't."

Most European teams open training camp next month, so the next couple of weeks may see some movement. But don't look for a flood. One article of faith in the NBA is that salaries have never gone down. The agents and players know that--and that's enough for most of them to keep their passports in the drawer.

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The lockout may prevent teams from contacting their player, but it hasn't stopped Antoine Walker and Rick Pitino from zinging each other. Pitino fired first, saying he was disappointed that Walker did not attend a pre-lockout workout session, complete with a shooting instructor. Although recognizing the camp was voluntary, Pitino said he thought Walker should have been there, if for no other reason than he was the captain. Walker, summering in Chicago, fired back, saying he would "never" attend such a camp and knew no "veteran All-Star" who did. He also said he would leave Boston after his third year if the Celtics do not re-sign him. ... Karl Malone is taking some heat for crossing into the world of wrestling, which is no less taxing than fighting for position under the boards. Amazingly, the Mailman has escaped heat for the single most damaging play of the last game of the NBA Finals: allowing himself to be stripped in the post with Utah holding a one-point lead. And, lest we forget, he did not show up in the interview room after the game, although teammate John Stockton made the long, difficult walk. ... Last fall, the NBA asked Richard Lapchick of the Center for Sport and Society to speak on race at the annual league meetings. David Stern was so impressed he ordered up diversity workshops for league employees. Stern also suggested teams do the same. The Rockets will be the first to do so. ... Celtics G.M. Chris Wallace says look out for Lithuania, Australia and Greece in the upcoming World Championship. "Greece has the most rabid fans in the world; it's not even close," Wallace says. "And they beat a U.S. junior team a few years ago." Australia won the 22-and-under title last year. Lithuania, Wallace says "is always good."

Peter May covers the NBA for the Boston Globe. Dave D'Alessandro's column will return in September.

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