NBA in Europe? David Stern Says Yes

David Stern sees the NBA's future in Europe. (celtic-nation.com)

As NBA Commissioner, David Stern's job is to make decisions. Be it an act like voiding the Chris Paul-to-the-Lakers trade or something much more influential like, say, regulating pre-game handshakes, his final word on the business of professional basketball in America has often led to backlash. Stern's perceived heavy-handedness has not been without positive results, though. During his tenure as commissioner — which began in 1984 and is set to end in 2014 — Stern has been a major player in growing the sport of basketball around the globe.

In an interview with ESPN Radio's Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo on Thursday, Stern does not see that growth ending with his retirement. From the man himself:

"I think so. I think [there will be] multiple NBA international teams. Twenty years from now? For sure. In Europe; no place else. In other places, I think you'll see the NBA name on leagues, and other places with marketing and basketball support but not part of the NBA as we now know it."

Basketball is already huge in Europe and, thanks to Stern's shrewd marketing of the NBA product and the league's foreign players, around the world. The sport is second in global popularity trailing only soccer, according to FIBA. It is a natural progression for the NBA to expand its official brand into overseas markets and executives would be ignoring a potential money-grab by refusing to expand Association-branded competition in other countries, especially with players such as Kobe Bryant already commanding large fan bases outside of the U.S.

This means that the NBA should be able to avoid the pitfalls suffered by NFL Europe, which appealed to a relatively small audience outside American borders and eventually shuttered its doors after several re-branding maneuvers and an attempt to use it as an avenue for young players to gain playing experience, a la the D-League.

However, there are several hurdles the NBA must clear before making Stern's prediction a reality, the least of which is finding willing ownership for a franchise based in Europe. Already filled with regional and national leagues, Europe is not a basketball-deficient continent and while the official NBA logo alone will help sell tickets, the logistics of competing with these other groups is not something the Association has never dealt with. As Kurt Helin of NBC's Pro Basketball Talk and Ball Don't Lie's Eric Freeman point out, adopting established clubs such as FC Barcelona and CSKA Moscow (the former home of players like Andrei Kirilenko and Alexey Shved) to become the NBA's official branches in Europe is the most logical move as it requires fewer start-up strategies, with the clubs already having fan bases and branded identities.

Scheduling these clubs — and there would have to be several to justify a separate division in Europe — to play against existing NBA teams would be the tough part. International travel would necessitate long road trips for teams to play each overseas opponent in a single go, rather than setting up back-to-backs beginning on one side of Atlantic Ocean and ending on the other (obviously).

Freeman also notes that racial tension is significantly higher in Europe, even in sports like soccer, and that recent NBA expansion teams in Vancouver, Toronto and Charlotte have all struggled to gain footholds among local audiences, prompting one move (to Memphis, for the Grizzlies) and a continued cold shoulder from American-born players skittish to play outside of their homeland's borders.

In the interview, Stern insists the league he has overseen for the better part of 30 years is "poised for global growth" and that he is "very pleased with the prospects for growth," even going as far as to offer his services to travel internationally and negotiate on the league's behalf. As an aside, he also mentions the NBA's return to Seattle, saying he "hope[s] there will be" a franchise there in the near future, a direct contradiction of his own 2007 statement that "if the team moves, there's not going to be another team."

The growth of basketball under Stern's watch is undeniable, whether it be that of his own league or the sport as a whole, and it looks like his precedents will be the map the NBA follows for the foreseeable future. There seems to be no way around it at this point, so the question is not if the NBA will have teams in other countries but if the plan to expand to Europe will work as a sustainable endeavor.


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Kirilenko's Worth It, But Complicates Deep Frontcourt

The Timberwolves are planning for more celebrating after a busy offseason. (Getty Images)

When I heard the Minnesota Timberwolves were signing Andrei Kirilenko to a contract worth $10 million per year, I couldn’t help but laugh. Kirilenko hasn’t played in the NBA for a year and wasn’t doing all that well before he left. Also, it’s my gut reaction to laugh at anything David Kahn does because at this point, I just assume it’s something silly. But it seems like now, just as I did when Ricky Rubio started playing, I might be going back on my words.

Let’s start with his work in Europe. He signed with CSKA Moscow during the lockout. Something about going to his home country must have rejuvenated him because he ended the season with both the Euroleague MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards.

After Euroleague was over, he continued his multinational dominance by leading the Russian national team to a bronze medal in the Olympics.

He tallied 20 points and 8 rebounds in the bronze medal match against Argentina; he scored 19 points against Brazil; and got 19 points and 13 rebounds against Lithuania. The best part about Kirilenko's game was the way he looked. He was creating his own shot and not just settling on spot-up jumpers. He was playing the energetic and stifling defense that he originally became famous for, and best of all, he just looked confident.

Kirilenko is 31 now and while he may not be getting better physically, it looks like he’s back mentally. He should be a good fit next to Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio (when he returns). He will also be playing next to his Russian teammate Alexey Shved. The only downside to this move is the possible logjam it creates at the forward position. I’m not sure if Kahn knows that you need more than just forwards and point guards to win games. The team still has Kevin Love and Derrick Williams, they traded for Chase Budinger and drafted Robbie Hummel, a small forward out of Purdue. In addition to them, they also have Dante Cunningham and Anthony Tolliver on their roster.


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Keep an Eye on Alexey Shved in the Olympics

Stateside, Alexey Shved is not yet a known quantity, but the Russian guard has averaged 15 points, 9.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds through two contests in this year's Olympic games, posting 16 points and 13 assists as his national team dominated Great Britain 95-65.

Alexey Shved cannot bother with your defense. (iamagm.com)

It is a small sample size, but something NBA fans would be wise to note. Shved is making the move from CSKA Moscow, Russia's premier basketball club, to the Minnesota Timberwolves when NBA action begins this fall.

At 6’6”, Shved has optimal height to play at either guard spot, though Ricky Rubio (assuming he fully recovers from the torn ACL he suffered last season) is entrenched as the Wolves’ starting point guard. That actually plays to the team’s advantage, since Shved plays mostly as a shooting guard, an unsettled position for the team in recent years. After shipping Wesley Johnson to thedesert, Minnesota is left with Malcolm Lee and the recently acquired, maybe-never-retired Brandon Roy to compete for the position.

A Washington Post profile mentioned general manager David Kahn’s intent to ease the 23 year old into NBA action, meaning Shved will learn from the bench. But Lee is not a starting-caliber player and head coach Rick Adelman will have to carefully manage Roy’s minutes due to his knee issues. So the possibility exists that Shved could make his way into the starting lineup in 2012-2013, much as Rubio began last season as a backup.

With starter’s minutes in Euroleague and CSKA play last season, Shved averaged 10.7 points and 3.1 assists per contest. With the T-Wolves, he’ll need to manage his turnovers (1.7 per game) and, ideally, make better shot selection from long range (40.6 percent from three) to earn the number of touches he’s seen in other leagues.

His weight could be another issue, with the WaPo profile pegging him at a rail-thin 160 pounds, while past measurements have put him in the 190-pound range.

That is the purpose of a simple entrance to pro basketball in America, though. Having gone undrafted two years ago, Shved improved his stock by patiently playing in his home country and showing up big in international contests. He is now set to join a playoff hopeful and could make sizable contributions for the Timberwolves. First, though, Shved is going to make all the noise he can for Russia in the Olympics.


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