Los Angeles Lakers: Lakers Must Use International Popularity
By Marcus Bass
“Eurostash” is NBA jargon for players who NBA teams draft with the intent of developing outside of the league. It’s a popular technique used for international scouting and a long-term rebuilding tool the Los Angeles Lakers haven’t used.
However it’s one they should take a hard look at in the immediate future.
The Lakers are in a very unfamiliar territory. For two seasons in a row, they haven’t been able to sign their top free agent targets, in addition to an inability to keep their own. Living in Los Angeles and playing with Kobe Bryant hasn’t been enough for the Lakers to recruit the type of free agents they need to move the franchise back into top gear.
It’s not an issue of competitiveness. Seeing the Lakers in a Western Conference Finals again within the next few years is a safe assumption.
However there’s a growing problem in Lakerland and it should be a major concern for Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak. The Lakers notoriety as a brand has been increasingly overshadowed by NBA clubs that are more exciting and have been winning at a greater rate.
What once was the most recognizable NBA franchise has started to fade.
Perhaps it’s the transition of superstars to blame. Although Kobe Bryant’s jersey is No. 3 on Forbes list of top-selling jerseys, it seems the Lakers age and losing records in recent seasons are to blame.
Next season will be Bryant’s 19th, and while the average age of an NBA rookie is 19 or 20, many of tomorrow’s future icons will grow up idolizing players like LeBron James, who just finished his 11th year.
Youth seem to favor younger stars like James, Paul George and many others. Not many times did you hear Bryant’s name during this years NBA draft when draftees were asked “which NBA player did you grow up emulating?”
Losing seasons and an aging icon equal troubled waters for a team that desperately needs to acquire talented young players. It’s a process the Lakers have had the luxury to avoid, as seemingly every summer free agency until recent years was their oyster.
There hasn’t been much competition as most free agents wanted to head west to sport the purple and gold.
To sum up the Lakers last two offseasons, they’ve been sub-par at best. Although drafting rookie Julius Randle is a bright spot and reason for optimism, there hasn’t been much of late for Lakers fans to cheer for.
In fact, skepticism and dwindling faith in the Lakers front office plan is at an all time high.
It’s understandable as to why there’s been such a shift in the NBA landscape for the Lakers. Going from the top player destination to just another team in waiting for another shot at the Finals is rough.
However it’s imperative the Lakers remember that they’re a global brand and icon. To move this franchise forward in a more clearly defined way they’ll have to act as such.
With less appeal at home than they’ve had in recent years, the Lakers will have to look internationally to jump start their rebuilding effort.
Why not? They’re poised to do so, and while they’re not the top draw in the United States, the Lakers are still top dog in most corners in the world.
During the Team USA introductions before the last Olympic games (2012) Bryant received the loudest applause and most attention from journalists. Although his superstar flame might be expiring in the States, it’s never been more alive overseas.
For almost two decades until the 2011 season Kobe Bryant rarely gave up the No. 1 spot in jersey sales, if ever. In recent years he’s been surpassed by LeBron, however Kobe’s still the highly visible and influential Lakers global brand ambassador he’s always been.
If you’ve followed Kobe’s career you’re familiar with him being possibly the biggest global chameleon the NBA’s ever seen. He spent part of his childhood in Italy, where his father Joe Bryant played pro ball. As demonstrated by his recent tweeting during the World Cup, he’s an avid soccer fan, speaks fluent Italian and Spanish and even credits his Italian youth coach for developing his basketball game.
An uptick in international scouting efforts only makes sense for the Lakers. With a similar pitch that hasn’t seem to work domestically, it’s a way to acquire talent that has minimal risk and great reward.
“Come to America and play with the NBA’s greatest guard.”
While labeling him the “NBA’s greatest guard” might be an overstatement at the moment, Kobe still has gas in the tank and appealing to the demographic that loves him most is a another way to make use of his heavily criticized two-year contract. In the event that the Lakers don’t see that money well spent next season on the hardwood, they can get an idea of how he’d serve as an exec.
The San Antonio Spurs bought into this idea years ago. Head coach Gregg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford have pioneered the NBA’s international efforts; specifically how teams scout, manage and develop international talent.
That effort was never put on display any better than their recent championship roster. Their second unit was affectionately referred to by Spurs fans as the “Foreign Legion” due to its vast international composition.
The Spurs second unit, or “Legion,” featured players from North America, Europe, Australia, and South America. They led all NBA second units in both minutes and production in the 2013-14 season and what’s most impressive is the majority of the Spurs bench was built gradually by Buford and Popovich through the NBA draft.
The Spurs aren’t the only team buying into an international philosophy. While they recently hired Ettore Messina (once a Lakers head coaching candidate) as an assistant coach, the Cleveland Cavaliers made a step in a similar direction. David Blatt’s hire with the Cavs marks the first international coach to receive a head coaching position in the NBA.
It’s time the Lakers made moves in international waters as well.
Aside from acquiring former Lakers forward Pau Gasol, and current point guard Steve Nash, their list of foreign-born players hasn’t been very impressive. A decade ago Vlade Divac played his last season with the Lakers.
In exactly a decade since, the Lakers have had Christian Eyenga, Sasha Vujajic, D.J. Mbenga, Stanislav Medvedenko, Vladimir Radmanovic, Ater Majok, Chukwudiebere Maduabum and Ronny Turiaf. None of the aforementioned incite enthusiasm or a slight raise of the brow.
Out of those players mentioned, the Lakers acquired only five through the NBA draft. Divac was taken in the first round (26th overall),Vujajic first round (27th overall), Turiaf in the second round (37th overall) Majok (58th overall) and Chukwudiebere (56th overall).
The rights to Chukwudiebere were traded to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for a future second-round pick, which was later included in the package to land Nash.
There’s an advantage to using the international model of farming players until they’re ready to enter the NBA stage or heavily scouting overseas in the interest of acquiring a Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili.
Money and experience being the greatest advantages.
Many foreign prospects start their professional careers at 17 years of age and sign contracts with international teams. Upon making themselves eligible for the NBA draft, or becoming eligible to be an undrafted NBA free agent at the age of 23, many players have already signed professional contracts with foreign teams.
Once a player agrees to a buyout that would allow him to join an NBA team regardless as to whether it’s through the draft or free agency, NBA teams can only kick in up to $600,000 in the buyout process. Typically there’s a buyout clause made exclusively for the NBA that’s inserted into foreign contracts.
Finding role players for the price of up to $600,000 price tag is an ideal scenario, especially since any portion of a buyout does not count against salary cap. According to Larry Coon’s NBA Salary Cap FAQ: For a salary between 80 and 120 percent of the scale amount, it is possible to write the contract for 120 percent of the scale amount, with the player paid less than that amount and the remainder used as a buyout to the international team in excess of the excluded amount.
Drafting these players in the first round is key but can prove to be tough, as many prospects make every attempt to drop into the second round, where there’s more room for salary negotiation. When a prospect is drafted in the first round, the team that drafted him retains his NBA rights but does not pay him. The European club does.
As such, the Lakers can bring him back at any time by signing the prospect to a rookie deal, although the player (by that time) may have greater than rookie skill.
In any corner of the world where there’s professional sports, that’s called a steal.
With many foreign prospects taken in the second round of the NBA draft, their dollar value is even lower while talent level possibly being higher. One might consider that risky territory for the Lakers as an internationally drafted prospect might elect to return to his foreign team, instead of working on a buyout and immediately joining the team.
However, holding the rights to a player that’s gaining greater experience than one would acquire in the D-league, with an ability to bring him in as a rookie within a year is ideal. It suggests the Lakers should begin to hoard draft picks.
The idea of stockpiling picks should be appealing to the Lakers. Due to CBA restrictions Bryant couldn’t accept a salary longer than two years. It’s unknown as to whether he will continue to push forward at the end of this contract or retire.
Finding inexpensive but experienced bodies to throw into uniform should be high on the Lakers agenda.
During the regular season the San Antonio Spurs didn’t play their three foreign-born stars Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan more than 30 minutes per game. For Kobe to move forward well after his next two seasons and to support Randle’s growth, the Lakers will need to bring in experienced players capable of building the teams competitiveness as they try to get back to a level that is attractive to domestic NBA free agent market.
Until the brand as a whole regains its popularity and attraction to younger U.S. born players, the Lakers might have to find competitiveness on the global stage.