Nenad Krstic rules out major player movement to Europe – NBA Update
Nenad Krstic, who played with the Boston Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, has said that it is unlikely that a large number of NBA players could make the move to Europe during the lockout.
Big names in the NBA have hinted on the possibility of doing so, such as Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki, perennial super star Kobe Bryant and scoring champ Kevin Durant. However, Krstic believes that the current situation in the European
leagues is not feasible for hosting large number of NBA stars,
“I don’t think you will see a lot coming here,” Krstic said. “Europe is not in a great situation financially. There are only four or five teams now that can offer much to NBA players, and those teams right now are almost full.”
Krstic, himself a citizen of Serbia, filled up one of those spots almost immediately after the season ended. He ended the NBA season with the Boston Celtics and promptly signed for European club CSKA Russia, where he will play
next season.
Krstic revealed that getting major financial returns for NBA players is hard and revealed that he got a big contract because he made his move early. Now with more and more players looking to come over, the contracts can only get
smaller,
“That’s a problem for NBA players, I think,” he said. “It was a reason why I had to go right away. I got maybe the best contract in Europe because of that.”
Although the NBA players have been threatening to do so, going to play in Europe is not as straightforward as it seems. Not all the players can be accommodated in the top few teams and the rest will have to play in the lesser know
names. That in turn means lesser contracts as well as a toning down of the lavish lifestyles many NBA athletes enjoy in the United States.
There is also a difference of culture in terms of approaching the game. The NBA is fast paced and allows the players a lot of room to express themselves. However in Europe basketball is more focused on tactics, played at a slower
place and contact allowed is at a much lower level than what the NBA players are used to. The coaches hold much more power in the European circuit and the players can be severely reprimanded if they do not fall in line.
If some NBA players would still be willing go to the other side of the Atlantic, they will have to get a special waiver from FIBA that allows them to play there whilst under an NBA contract.
Nenad Krstic certainly knows what he is talking about.
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