NBA Lockout: NBA Ballers Levying Nothing More Than Empty Threats at Owners

The 2011 NBA lockout has quickly become an ugly battle between the owners and players.

New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul is one of the stars of the league and is widely considered one of the best ambassadors for the game. So when he says a quote like this, it really gets your attention:

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Obviously, everyone knows that we are very far apart right now. I’m hoping like everyone else that something turns and happens. But if not, we’re prepared.

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The players are not stupid, they know the whole negotiating process is no joke and it must be taken very seriously. After getting a resounding "W" in the 1999 labor dispute, the players are obviously reluctant to give up all of the benefits they have been reaping for the last 12 years.

So when the owners constantly talk about the hundreds of millions of dollars they are losing (the approximate number has still yet to be found), they are doing so to get leverage. They are trying to sway the fans opinions in the dispute. It's their way of controlling the media's message and that's their biggest bargaining tool...how can a league be successful when over half the league is in the red?

Yet the players aren't going to sit back and let the owners sway the fans.

Their latest bargaining idea is telling the media they will begin to explore options for playing overseas. Deron Williams made headlines last week when he announced a deal with a team in Turkey to play with if the lockout were to bleed into the regular season.

Now the floodgates have opened and stars like Kobe Bryant, Amar'e Stoudemire, Kevin Durant and Ron Artest have all openly suggested they will strongly consider perusing a team overseas. Nate Robinson even has talked about trying out for an NFL team.

But will they actually consider the move?

Probasketballtalk.com writer Kurt Helin talks about the bluff the players are currently pulling off:

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The players union has threatened to take action to make sure players can go overseas now. Of course they are, they want the leverage. Which is why you see this coordinated “I’ll consider playing overseas” line from so many stars. We’re still skeptical many will follow, but the players would love to tell the owners they have other legitimate options (even if those options pay a lot less).

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Money is always the root of any decision an athlete makes and European teams simply can't compete in this department. The contract of Williams would be worth $200,000 a month in addition to a personal driver and other various perks.

If the lockout ends in time, Williams will make $16.6 million with the New Jersey Nets. That's the equivalent of playing for his Turkish team 12 months a year for the next seven.

The gap in salary is far too great for the big name players to risk their bodies and the odds of a star going to Europe are slim to none.

Sure the love of the game will be weighing heavily on the players, but protecting the greatest asset—their body—is the most important thing here and ultimately their agents will remind them of that.

It's a great idea in theory to stay in shape and get a taste of overseas ball...but money talks and it's loud and clear on this issue. This is the player's best way of scaring the owners into thinking they don't need the NBA. Yet in reality, if they want their Hummers and mansions—they need the league badly.

So when you read the latest story of a star player going overseas, remember they are bluffing. The players aren't holding a full house...they have a two and a four.

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