By: Slam
Earlier this week I chronicled how the big Turkish prospect Enes Kanter would be playing his high school basketball at Findlay Prep. Now, we’ve got another European coming to America, and he answers to the name Nimrod Tishman. The 6’6″ Israeli point guard will be playing for Billy Donovan’s Florida Gators, presumably filling the void left by Panathinaikos’ new toy, Nick Calathes.
It’s been said that Brandon Jennings and Jeremy Tyler might be starting a trend of American exodus, but what about the other way around? More and more, European prospects are turning down thousands if not millions of dollars in professional contracts in Europe to come over and play high school or college basketball in America with the hopes of making it to the NBA. I’ve never been a top European prospect, and it doesn’t look like that’s changing anytime soon; however, if I were, this would be my thought process:
European prospects passing up playing professionally in Europe for high school or college in America
Pros: 1. The safety net provided by a college degree
2. The chance to familiarize yourself with American culture
3. Exposure to NBA decision makers
Cons: 1. Money, money, money
2. Losing out on years of professional experience
3. Leaving the comfort of your native land
4. Money, money, money
Tishman averaged 18. 3 points and 2.3 assists for Israel in Under-18 European Championships, so one would expect him to be at least moderately successful. Even if he’s not, his journey warrants attention, and you can’t fault the guy for trying something different. Plus, it’s just fun as hell to say Nimrod Tishman.
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I think a lot of this is contingent on the talent level and the situation. If you are a star born in Europe or a U.S. college player brought over to start on a European team, the above is true.
Look at Nick Calathes. If he were the 20th pick in the NBA draft, he would have made approx. $3.6 million U.S. in his first three years (two guaranteed). Even with a good accountant, that’s no more than $2.3 million in total.
In Greece, he’s making between $4.5 million and $5 million U.S. (after taxes) for his first three years.
If, however, you are a European youngster that will be coming off the bench, your salary will be much lower and you will not get the game experience you need to maximize your value at age 20 or 21.
Rod (his nickname) Tishman will improve faster and add other facets to his game (cough, cough…DEFENSE) by playing in the SEC. In the long run, it’s probably a better financial decision for him.