Josh Childress is returning to Greece.

"I still have some unfinished business to tend to," Childress said by phone early Tuesday morning. "I definitely have unfinished business in Greece."

I assume the unfinished business revolves around the millions of dollars he can make there and not here.

over 2 years ago hawksdawgs 11 comments 0 recs |

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Hey, Josh, you'll never be 25 again.

Nothing like wasting the prime of one’s career in the minor leagues.

by rbubp on Jul 14, 2009 9:17 AM EDT reply actions

foregone conclusion

Disappointing but expected. It would have been nice to have Josh back on the Hawks or at least be able to sign-and-trade him for another bench player. Now that we know JChils won’t be back, I guess re-signing Marvin looks like even more of a no brainer.

by redwards95 on Jul 14, 2009 9:27 AM EDT reply actions

Heh

Dude is getting like 30mil for two years and he gets to travel most of Europe on someone else’s dime. Not much I can fault with his decision there.

by Jesse28 on Jul 14, 2009 10:55 AM EDT reply actions

Yeah, if all you care about is money.

Would you turn down a chance to compete at the highest level in the world for more money competing against little leaguers?

Anybody who values the cash more than the opportunity to play with and against the best can stay away, IMO. JChills has relegated himself to a wealthy non-entity. Not only that, his skills will certainly erode playing against the chaff, lessening his ability to get a very good contract from an NBA team as he gets older.

by rbubp on Jul 14, 2009 2:41 PM EDT reply actions

From my understanding

He really hasn’t turned anything down this time around. His agent tried selling him around and no one was buying and the Hawks weren’t letting him go, so yeah, I take the 15mil and the experience over the measely four or five mil the Hawks would offer him.

You can say whatever you want about the difference between the NBA and the rest of the world, but just like it’s a business for the teams, it’s a business for the players. People make these kind of decisions in all walks of life and almost always moeny trumps all. I’m sure even you have made the same decision as well.

by Jesse28 on Jul 14, 2009 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Yup.

And all I’m saying is that this is the second career-damaging business decision he will have made in two years.

If you think four or five million dollars to play basketball is “measly” you’re missing the point. As for the experience of Europe, well, I think he can afford to do that all summer even if plays in the NBA. Maybe his 4 or 5 mil would be too measly, I don’t know, ‘cause he’s busy buying shoes.

by rbubp on Jul 14, 2009 4:36 PM EDT reply actions

Yes, it is measly

Comparatively speaking, 4-5 mil is most definitely measly when there is 15 mil to be had. I don’t see that either decision was career damaging. It was clear that at the time the Hawks were not going to offer him more than the MLE, no other teams were offering anything for the Hawks to match, so he accepted an offer to be a key player on a team making close to 15mil a year for two years. It just happens that the team in question plays in Greece. To me, that’s a smart business decision.

This year, they just couldn’t get the Hawks to accept anything his agent worked out with other teams so it makes sense, again, for him to stick with Olympiakos. He’s not sitting out for a year due to injury or stuck on the bench and just not playing, so I still don’t see how his decisions have been ‘career damaging’. I understand if you feel betrayed or spurned by Childress as a fan, but it isn’t personal.

Plus, it isn’t like a hold-out in the NFL where a player simply refuses to play, much like Starbury, and it isn’t like he hasn’t tried to work something out so that the team gets something in return. By all accounts he was well within his bounds as a player to jump to Europe and play ball there.

I guess all I’m trying to say is to be a little more objective about it instead of getting upset and burning the guy. We didn’t lose anything by him not playing so maybe it was for the best anyways.

by Jesse28 on Jul 14, 2009 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions

I am being objective.

The NBA teams’ near-total lack of interest validates my point. If the best you can do right now is get not even an actual offer from the BUCKS, then you’re not getting jack when you come back next year a year rustier and a year older.

And, hey, if the Hawks are screwing him by not allowing a trade, well, that’s their prerogative and he should have known that they would not respond kindly when he bolted last year.

He’s a rich dumbass if he ever thought he would play in the NBA again.

by rbubp on Jul 14, 2009 7:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Pretty much...

I think that assessment would be spot on. He’s not at the “Artest” level of his career yet… Where it’s, “Not about the money anymore.”

Josh is 26…
Artest is 30 is November….

Don’t wait that long, kid.

Joe is a Beast
Al is a Beast
Smoove is a MONSTER!

by Garrison Hayes on Jul 14, 2009 5:33 PM EDT reply actions

I was hoping

I was hoping this situation would have a resolution and conclusion this summer. Unfortunately my hopes were dashed. It really is fine, our team has improved we didn’t really play worse when he was not here and so as long as we don’t allow him to walk away for free I am fine with him trying to get his championship in Europe.

Though having Josh on the sidelines would have been nice.

by RealSquawk on Jul 14, 2009 5:57 PM EDT reply actions