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Competition is generally considered a good thing, bringing out the best attributes and ensuring we continue to grow and develop as a result. However, extreme competition might not be such a positive, and the NBA is one of those places that highlights the increasing downsides of a fiercely competitive environment.

When a player is released from his contract in the NBA it can usually mean the end of such a players career irrespective of their age. Many would rather sit and home and wait till they get another opportunity at an NBA franchise instead of trying their fortunes overseas.

I mean consider a situation like soccer when a player is released from a club. There are so many options and offers to consider it is almost inevitable to find another offer in a relatively short amount of time. This is because while there are a few dominant leagues in terms of popularity and financial attractiveness, it isn't a single option and others even while paling in comparison tend to be lucrative enough offers for players to consider.

Again, it isn't so in basketball. The NBA is the dominant brand, and it is the dream of any professional anywhere in the World to play there. I have highlighted the reason for this in the past here and it is a acknowledged problem, but with little changes over time.

The major reason why the NBA continues to be so dominant is the sheer amount of funds available to franchise clubs. Take for instance the minimum starting salary in the NBA to be about $1million. For further demonstration, the Euroleague - which can be considered the NBA's closest competitor has a starting salary of around $300,000. This is considerably lower when you look at other domestic leagues in other countries, with some salary packages necessitating the need for a part time job, thus potentially preventing a players peak development.

Even in the U.S.A, clubs and organizations outside NBA franchises struggle in comparison. The NBA G-league for instance, which is a development arm of the league has a an average salary of around $37,000 a year, considerably less than what NBA players make in 10 day contracts. Other basketball leagues that have tried to come up within this period has failed.

The Talk of Expansion

No doubt it appears the NBA still represents the most realistic option for growing the game of basketball globally and giving players from all over the World alternatives to play professionally. There has been talk of an internal expansion - increasing the number of teams in the league, but this itself is a costly venture and there are few franchises for now that have the financial capacity to play in the NBA.

Then we have overseas expansion. We are already seeing the NBA making inroads into Europe and Africa but this is a long term project. The game of basketball would need to be grown to a sufficient enough level in order to attract the kind of global interest that brings sponsorships and fans knocking at the door. This is still the best route in my opinion, albeit a long one.

Conclusion

For the NBA to become less hostile to underperforming talent, there needs to be a larger pool for talents to swim in. We cannot make the mistake of having an elite-only NBA, with only the best of the best. There are great disadvantages to having that form of exclusivity, and we certainly need variety in the game of basketball.