Leap to Europe for LeBron possible but highly unlikely

"It would be unthinkable for a top-level NBA star to leave and play in Europe. (But if anyone did, it's not hard to imagine it would be LeBron James.)

Just as it was unthinkable for an American Olympic team with NBA players to lose the gold. (Bronze in 2004.)

Just as it was unthinkable for an international player to be the NBA's Most Valuable Player (Dirk Nowitzki, 2007) or to be the NBA's top draft pick (Yao Ming, Andrew Bogut, Andrea Bargnani).

In an ESPN.com poll, 70 percent of voters, many of them perhaps prematurely despondent Clevelanders, said they expected a big NBA star to jump to Europe. Will it happen? Probably not. Is it remotely possible? Absolutely.

European basketball isn't really the bush leagues, although it is a big step below the NBA. The big difference is the cut-throat capitalism of European front offices. There is no salary cap. NBA rules let a player's current team pay him more than NBA rivals trying to sign him. It doesn't apply in international basketball.

Earl Boykins, the 5-foot, 5-inch Munchkin from Cleveland Central Catholic and a former Cavalier, is now the highest-paid player in Italy at $3.5 million per year. That's a pittance in the NBA, but Boykins' deal with Virtus Bologna gives him a cut of marketing and sponsorship income.

That's outlawed in the NBA, as is a slice of the ownership pie, another possible European inducement. That might intrigue James, who sees himself as a business tycoon.

He wants to be a billionaire. The rumored European salary is $50 million a year. Compare that to Michael Jordan's top NBA salary of $33 million.

Years ago, eager for NBA gold, James briefly considered challenging the high-school graduation rules in effect at the time for pro eligibility, then backed off.

James is certain to be a Cav for two more seasons. When his contract is up in 2010, he can sign for 25 percent of his team's salary cap. It's 20 percent now. That's why he only re-signed for three years, not four."