Basketball in Turkey

...doesn't seem like it would be that much fun to me. Sure, it still beats out roofing, laying concrete or, god forbid, being a stay-at-home parent because you would still be paid extremely well to play a sport for a living. But it doesn't trump staying at home (or going wherever you want to) and just living off the prodigious sum of cash you've been paid to be a professional athlete the past few years, does it?

Well, according to Deron Williams, the answer to that question is yes. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported that Williams is planning on going to play in Turkey if the NBA lockout remains in place through the fall. This, of course, has sent all sorts of shockwaves through the minds of NBA personnel. To me, it it just dumbfounding. There are only two reasons Williams could possibly have for doing this: (a) he's broke, or (b) he REALLY REALLY loves playing basketball.

If Williams is in fact broke, then he should definitely go play overseas. Supposedly he's being offered $5 million, plenty of money to get by for a year or two. But I'm just not sure I buy it, given that Williams is making just shy of $15 million a year right now.

The stunning thing is, though, the answer to why he's threatening playing in Turkey can't possibly be option B. If Deron Williams REALLY REALLY loves playing basketball, then he wouldn't have stopped working hard while he was with the Jazz and forced them to trade him. It just wouldn't have worked out that way.

So Deron, what's the deal, man? Don't you understand that you aren't going to have any friends in Turkey, the clubs aren't going to be what you're used to (although perhaps a eurotechno trance club is right up D-Will's alley) and the women aren't going to be as excited about you as they were in the U.S.? You get all that, right? Then why not just stick around here and spend the weekends in NYC, LA and Vegas? That sounds awesome. Just blow $10 million in a year on trips to bars, clubs and casinos. And when things are ironed out with the NBA, your contract will still be around, and you'll go back to bringing $15 mill in.

Far be it from me to tell Deron Williams what to do. If he actually wants to go to Turkey and play basketball, he should go for it. But I wish he'd tell me why he's doing it first. Cause I just don't understand.