Dwight Howard on International Bandwagon

[Indazone]

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/feed...areer-overseas

FAIRBURN, Ga. — Dwight Howard's frustration with the NBA lockout has caused the Orlando Magic star to strongly consider playing overseas.

In an exclusive interview Sunday with The Associated Press, Howard said he would consider playing in China or Europe if the NBA lockout doesn't end.

Dwight Howard's frustration with the NBA lockout has caused the Orlando Magic star to strongly consider playing overseas. (AP Photo)
Howard, a five-time All-Star who led Orlando to the NBA finals in 2009, stopped short of saying he's in contract discussions with teams overseas.

"I'm not at liberty to talk about it," he said, "but there's a huge possibility about me going to China or me going overseas to play basketball."

New Jersey guard Deron Williams said recently after signing with a team in Turkey that Howard could become a worldwide star if he played in China.

Howard, who hosted a celebrity basketball game Sunday at Langston Hughes High School to raise money for his charity, didn't disagree.

"The big thing for me is not giving too much information away, but at the same time I still need to let people know what's going on with me," Howard said. "I don't want to just sit over here and forget about basketball and waste, you know, opportunities for me to get better."

Howard wasn't interested in discussing his potential free agency at the end of next season. Along with Williams and New Orleans guard Chris Paul, Howard is a marquee name for potential free agency in 2012.

He saw no point in discussing the 2012-13 season when there's no guarantee of an NBA season in 2011-12.

That's why an opportunity overseas could make sense soon.

"If I decide to go overseas, the main thing is for me to continue to get better, not to do the things that I normally do, but do better at the things I'm not good at," Howard said. "So I can use that talent to go overseas, working on my skills and staying in great shape."

Howard recently hosted 400 kids at a youth basketball camp in Spain and was planning to host "a bunch of them in China, but the lockout messed everything up."

The former overall No. 1 NBA draft pick loves working with kids in his native Atlanta, but he's also longing to spread his appeal in other parts of the world.

"Being a role model lasts longer than being a basketball player," he said. "Right now I have an opportunity to do a lot of great things. I'm blessed with a lot of talents, but one of my talents is being great with kids. Being a good role model, you just want to lead them in the right direction."



Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/feed...#ixzz1STNqp2TT

[Indazone]

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said he is keeping his options open during the lockout, and he’ll consider heading overseas to Europe or Asia should all or part of next season be lost, Reuters reports (via the Los Angeles Times).

A report this weekend said that Turkish club Besiktas was close to a deal with Bryant but had its accounts frozen in the wake of a soccer match-fixing scandal and is not permitted to sign players. Besiktas is the team that signed Deron Williams to a $5 million annual contract, and for whom Allen Iverson played last season.

"One thing about basketball is that it is a global sport now," Bryant told Reuters. "So you can play anywhere you want to. As far as myself, I just train. I just train and be prepared for anybody that calls. ...

"Whether the NBA starts again or a team in Europe or here in China decides to call, I'll be ready," he added.



Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/feed...#ixzz1STODEHJv

[log in/log out goods]

an NBA player heading overseas during the lockout? Thanks for posting, very shocking news imho

[Indazone]

One way to look at it, might be the best thing for basketball as a global sport to ever happen.

[cheguevara]

D12 full of BS

[Dex]

Pretty sad when this is the best leverage the players can come up with.

"Well, we don't want to play in your league anyways!"

[jdiggy0424]

Howards gonna get eaten alive when bigs he guards are taking jumpshots 15-18 feet from the basket. Maybe he'll finally see how 1 dimensional a player he really is and work on expanding his game...though i doubt it.

[dirk4mvp]

um are you implying Howard wouldn't completely and utterly dominant the Euro bigs both offensively and defensibility? Why would he not be able to hold them 15 ft out? He's bigger, faster (both laterally and up and down the court), and stronger than all of them.

[Axe Murderer]

Howards gonna get eaten alive

crofl

[ElNono]

If we go by Manu_Forever's account of things, they should all improve their games playing in Europe.

It's a win-win, tbh.

[ALVAREZ6]

Pretty sad when this is the best leverage the players can come up with.

"Well, we don't want to play in your league anyways!"

It's not like they have many options... lol it's the only thing they can do if they wanna play basketball professionally. And imo it would take relatively few players to put a nice threat on the NBA if enough of the main stars jump over.

[DMC]

Howards gonna get eaten alive when bigs he guards are taking jumpshots 15-18 feet from the basket. Maybe he'll finally see how 1 dimensional a player he really is and work on expanding his game...though i doubt it.

NBA's DPOY eaten alive by the likes of less than Splitter? LOL

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Howards gonna get eaten alive when bigs he guards are taking jumpshots 15-18 feet from the basket. Maybe he'll finally see how 1 dimensional a player he really is and work on expanding his game...though i doubt it.

This guy probably thought he was saying something really smart tbh

[DMC]

This guy probably thought he was saying something really smart tbh

You remember that one time though, when that one guy shot that one shot over that other big guy? That was a sign.

[TimmehC]

Howards gonna get eaten alive when bigs he guards are taking jumpshots 15-18 feet from the basket. Maybe he'll finally see how 1 dimensional a player he really is and work on expanding his game...though i doubt it.

Lorbek > Howard

tbh.

[DMC]

Lorbek > Howard

tbh.

[frodo]

has been linked to a number of s clubs as well, but rumours just be rumours. might have said so but it looks to me more like an intimidation rather than he would actually do it imo, if i were DH i'd rather retire instead of playing in s land tbh. i believe the players & stern will reach an agreement just in time and the season will begin as was scheduled.

[DMC]

has been linked to a number of s clubs as well, but rumours just be rumours. might have said so but it looks to me more like an intimidation rather than he would actually do it imo, if i were DH i'd rather retire instead of playing in s land tbh. i believe the players & stern will reach an agreement just in time and the season will begin as was scheduled.

Have you been to Orlando? It's full of Asian tourists.