New player defections: Durant? Perhaps. No World Peace in the UK, though

NBA stars like Amar'e Stoudemire can muse aloud, or via Twitter, all they want about possibly heading overseas to play international hoops during the time in which the NBA locks its players out. But it is the player agents, the representatives that have to determine just how many roster spots are actually open overseas (not many), and whether or not their players would want to work for anything less than a top-of-the-line team (they won't) that have to do all the leg work.

And all the answering of the many, many questions; as the league's latest in-vogue time killer during this lockout has to be whether or not players will jump to international teams. The latest in documenting the will he/won't he is Aaron Goodwin, speaking on behalf of All-Star Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant, to SI.com's Sam Amick during a charity game in Los Angeles this week:

"If the opportunity presents itself and the lockout persists, he's going to have to consider it just as other players are considering it," Goodwin said. "Kevin has shown some interest to know what the situation is and we'll reach out to the players' association and make sure that they're aligned with the guys in case they do take an offer. But I think what you're going to see happening is a lot of players are going to look at the opportunity if the lockout prolongs that they can go somewhere and play basketball.

"If they're not allowed to play in the NBA, they've got to look at other opportunities. If you have teams that want you to play and the NBA is willing to sit out a year, why sit out a year?"

Especially when that league signs you to a contract in good faith and legal terms as negotiated in a collective bargaining agreement that was in place when Durant signed his contract extension last summer, and then decides to stop paying you because they didn't like all the contracts they signed in good faith and legal terms during the last collective bargaining agreement. There's that, too.

(Of course, Durant was playing on the back end of his cheapo rookie contract as he nearly led the Thunder to the Finals this year, but that's a story for another day.)

On the flip side is Ron Artest's -- er, Metta World Peace's -- agent David Bauman, who was quick to throw some cold water on the idea of his client playing in England during the lockout, something World Peace mentioned last week.

He spoke to ESPN Los Angeles' Dave McMenamin:

"I told him, 'Ron, the league over there is not strong enough to really give you the competition that you want,' " Bauman said in a phone interview with ESPNLosAngles.com on Monday. "Even though that makes sense from a (convenience standpoint), it doesn't make sense from a basketball perspective."

[...]

"England is probably the 10th or 12th best league in Europe," Bauman said. "That isn't going to make sense. If we do Europe, it's going to be Israel, Russia, Greece, Turkey, Italy or maybe France. ... When we spoke about the lockout, Ron said, 'Find me the best teams.'"

Bauman also went on to express dismay at the thought of (let's just call him by his original name, this time) Artest being hurt while playing overseas. "Can I get," he asked McMenamin, "a 22 million dollar insurance policy on Ron? I don't think so."

The jerk take on these dueling arguments is to point out that the sainted Kevin Durant will take just about any gig he can get overseas, due to his love of the game. And that goofball Ron Artest wants either an English-speaking country or a posh engagement, with insurance in case he hurts himself.

The smart thing to take from this is that it's still early in the proceedings, and though those roster spots are filling up, there is a lot to figure out before pulling the trigger on an international contract.

The smartest thing would be for the NBA's owners and commissioner to treat the game and the people that work around it (say, the stadium worker who is without an income to rely on for the foreseeable future, not that the NBA cares ...) with respect, to quit showcasing its mettle and bargaining savvy, and get back to the table for the sake of what's right.

Bob Cousy Dave Cowens Billy Cunningham Dave DeBusschere Clyde Drexler