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E pass For a variety of reasons, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant and/or Amar’e Stoudemire won’t follow Deron Williams to exotic locations like Turkey, Greece, Spain, and Italy. This trio may listen to offers. Their people may publicly express interest in Europe. And we -the media and fans- will eat it up because there’s nothing to discuss during the lockout. Bottom line: few, if any, superstars will join Williams. These high-profile athletes need insurance against injuries. This isn’t cheap, and would negate much of the salary they earned for playing. In some cases, the risk is too great. Stoudemire’s agent,


Happy Walters, has already said his client head won't risk the remaining $80 million on his NBA contract with the New York Knicks for a few games abroad. Italy, Spain, Greece, and/or Portugal are on the verge of bankruptcy, and need economic help from the European Union. Can these countries afford NBA superstars? And will their leveraged owners honor these big-ticket contracts?Because any app use potentially increases Kobo’s book sales, Serbinis believes these manufacturer alliances will help the private, Toronto-based company eventually take on the Kindle. Since its December 2009 launch Kobo’s strategy has been to grow by being the “partner of choice” for gadget makers and booksellers. Both groups, notes Serbinis, have reason to be wary of market leader Amazon. “Our stated goal has always been to be the Kindle’s number one competitor worldwide,” he says.

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