Billy Preston: Most likely the next LeBron James

[weepinwillow]

Cavs seem a whole lot more invested in Isiah Taylor & Dakota Mathias that Billy, since they were offered real NBA contracts.

Probably right, but Mathias' contract isn't fully guaranteed and I think Taylor might be insurance if they deal Hill at some point.

It is funny that there are 24 pages here. Like buying a lottery ticket 3 months out and keeping a live journal about what you'll do as you see the pot grow and shrink and grow and shrink.

 

[daytripper]

I have very low expectations with Billy Preston. If the Cavs get anything out of the guy, it will be a pleasant surprise. The guy didn't even get a real spot on the team. It shouldn't be called a "2 way" contract. They should call it a "1/2 way" contract. Cavs seem a whole lot more invested in Isiah Taylor & Dakota Mathias that Billy, since they were offered real NBA contracts.

Still, I suppose I should note that the Cavs have Preston pictured on their 15 man roster and those other guys ain't. https://www.nba.com/cavaliers/roster
Could just be that they are not official signings because the Cavs are waiting on the Hood situation to resolve to sign Taylor & Mathias using a portion of the MLE for 3 year deals.

Mathias signed with a team in Spain after summer league.

 

[Cavatt]

Mathias signed with a team in Spain after summer league.

He actually grew on me. I was hoping he would stick

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

He actually grew on me. I was hoping he would stick

Yeah, me too. Bummer.

 

[Nathan S]

He actually grew on me. I was hoping he would stick

On the bright side, it's probably true that Mathias will learn and develop more in the ACB League this year than he would have on the Charge or as the 15th man on the Cavs. Hopefully the Cavs are his first choice if he really starts to look promising over the next few years and decides to take a crack at the NBA.


Also, how many college grads went overseas to play basketball this year? All three 2018 grads on our summer league team who didn't get NBA contracts went to Europe instead of staying to play for Canton (Mathias and Brodziansky to the ACB league, and Blake to the BBL). Is that what most NBA teams are experiencing?

 

[buzzdog]

On the bright side, it's probably true that Mathias will learn and develop more in the ACB League this year than he would have on the Charge or as the 15th man on the Cavs. Hopefully the Cavs are his first choice if he really starts to look promising over the next few years and decides to take a crack at the NBA.


Also, how many college grads went overseas to play basketball this year? All three 2018 grads on our summer league team who didn't get NBA contracts went to Europe instead of staying to play for Canton (Mathias and Brodziansky to the ACB league, and Blake to the BBL). Is that what most NBA teams are experiencing?

I'd bet these guys can get paid better in Europe than they do in the G-league, plus they get to live in Europe instead of Canton while they get to develop and put themselves on game tape. If any or all of these things are true then it's a no-brainer, isn't it?

 

[Cavatt]

I'd bet these guys can get paid better in Europe than they do in the G-league, plus they get to live in Europe instead of Canton while they get to develop and put themselves on game tape. If any or all of these things are true then it's a no-brainer, isn't it?

They may just work better on a team with a team concept. Nothing wrong with Europe.

 

[Nathan S]

I'd bet these guys can get paid better in Europe than they do in the G-league, plus they get to live in Europe instead of Canton while they get to develop and put themselves on game tape. If any or all of these things are true then it's a no-brainer, isn't it?

Yeah, G-League base salary is 35K. From a financial perspective, it's basically a roll of the dice hoping you get called up to an NBA team.

European leagues typically don't require their teams to make contract information public, but the ACB league, for instance, has a budget floor of around 2.7M for its teams, while Europe's richest team (CSKA Moscow) has a budget of around 43M. Based on that, a college grad who's not quite good enough to earn an NBA contract would probably make something in the 100-400K/year range as a rookie in Europe, I would guess, with the potential to earn a significantly larger contract if they excel.

On top of that, many of the better Euro teams are established pipelines to the NBA.

The team Blake signed with, Braunschweig, is the team Schroeder played for before being drafted in 2013 and is also the team where Daniel Theis began his career.

The team Brodziansky signed with, Obradoiro, kickstarted Mike Muscala and Maxi Kleber's professional careers a few years ago.

The team Mathias signed with, Joventut, has been home to countless NBA players including Rubio and Rudy Fernandez. Mathias is likely to start at SG between Nicolas Laprovittola and Quincy Miller, both of whom have NBA experience, giving him a great opportunity to gain experience and putting him firmly on the radar for NBA teams looking to add depth.

 

[TitleTown]

I'd bet these guys can get paid better in Europe than they do in the G-league, plus they get to live in Europe instead of Canton while they get to develop and put themselves on game tape. If any or all of these things are true then it's a no-brainer, isn't it?

It depends on WHERE in Europe you're talking about. Canton is WAY better than large portions of Europe. It's not like every team is in Paris or Portugal.

But, yeah, the money side of it is probably better in many cases.

 

[Nathan S]

It depends on WHERE in Europe you're talking about. Canton is WAY better than large portions of Europe. It's not like every team is in Paris or Portugal.

But, yeah, the money side of it is probably better in many cases.

Look up Badalona, Santiago de Compostela, and Braunschweig...those would all be nice places to live on a 6-figure salary.

 

[TitleTown]

Look up Badalona, Santiago de Compostela, and Braunschweig...those would all be nice places to live on a 6-figure salary.

Not if you don't speak the language, feel isoloated, and can't afford to bring friends along with you. 6-figures in Europe is a lot less money than 6-figures in somewhere like Canton.

Lots of places are amazing to visit for a week or two, but suck ass to live there permanently.

This is PRECISELY why many of these guys prefer the G-league.

I'm not trying to be anti-Europe or anything like that. All I'm saying is that it's not as peachy as it might sound at first.

 

[Nathan S]

Not if you don't speak the language, feel isoloated, and can't afford to bring friends along with you. 6-figures in Europe is a lot less money than 6-figures in somewhere like Canton.

Lots of places are amazing to visit for a week or two, but suck ass to live there permanently.

This is PRECISELY why many of these guys prefer the G-league.

I'm not trying to be anti-Europe or anything like that. All I'm saying is that it's not as peachy as it might sound at first.

Do they prefer the G-League, though? I noted above that all three of the 2018 grads on our summer league team went to Europe. Is that what basically all 2018 grads who don't get guaranteed NBA contracts are doing? I honestly have no idea, but I think it's a really interesting question.

 

[TitleTown]

Do they prefer the G-League, though? I noted above that all three of the 2018 grads on our summer league team went to Europe. Is that what basically all 2018 grads who don't get guaranteed NBA contracts are doing? I honestly have no idea, but I think it's a really interesting question.

Yeah, you might be right. I'm not trying to make a strong counter claim.

Here's what I would wonder: how many go over for a year or two, and then miss home?

I've had a couple friends who lived over seas in cool countries, loved it at first for a couple months or years, but then eventually couldn't wait to get back home.

Again, I'm not saying the USA is better than Europe, but cultural differences can become really exaggerated over long periods of time. But some people go over seas and thrive, and never move back home. It's probably a very relative question that depends on location, the temperament of the player, and how well they are able to integrate into the local culture.

It would be interesting to see the stats on something like this.

 

[TheISHT]

Damn......this is so fucking sad in a way.

 

[Nathan S]

Yeah, you might be right. I'm not trying to make a strong counter claim.

Here's what I would wonder: how many go over for a year or two, and then miss home?

I've had a couple friends who lived over seas in cool countries, loved it at first for a couple months or years, but then eventually couldn't wait to get back home.

Again, I'm not saying the USA is better than Europe, but cultural differences can become really exaggerated over long periods of time. But some people go over seas and thrive, and never move back home. It's probably a very relative question that depends on location, the temperament of the player, and how well they are able to integrate into the local culture.

It would be interesting to see the stats on something like this.

If money wasn't an issue I bet a much larger fraction would stay in the states. But to a recent college grad, money is such a big issue. What if you play in the G-League for 10 years and never get called up? Then your basketball career is over, and you probably have less than 100K in savings...you have to find another job and go back into the workforce. If you go to Europe instead and play a fairly unremarkable 10-year career in one of the top domestic leagues, you probably make enough money to retire and live comfortably wherever you want. That's a huge difference.