On September 16, 2011, I wrote that Jamal Crawford was on to the next one after he officially terminated Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management as his representative.  Crawford had not given any indication as to who would become his next agent of record.  According to the NY Daily News, Crawford has finally made a decision, opting to sign with Andy Miller of ASM Sports.

Frank Isola of the NY Daily News seemed to somehow think that Crawford’s new relationship with Miller, in particular, may lead him to signing with the New York Knicks or the New Jersey Nets.  He seems to base that theory on Miller being domiciled in New Jersey, close to both teams.  Yes, that logic sounds silly to me, as well.  However, Miller does have three clients on the Knicks roster.

Jamal Crawford Picks Andy Miller Of ASM Sports For Representation from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

The biggest news of the weekend was undoubtedly the proclamation that there will be a 2011-12 NBA season (albeit reduced from 82 regular season games to 66 regular season games). The announcement was made between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. early Saturday morning. The season will tentatively kick-off with 3 Christmas Day games, including the Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat.

While the big problem regarding the split of Basketball Related Income (BRI) between the players and owners has been rectified, there are still a variety of “B issues” (including drug-testing and whether players will have to be 20-years old and 2 years out of high school to be eligible for the NBA Draft) that remain to be resolved. Once the parties come to an effective agreement on all issues, a majority of the owners and a majority of the players must vote to approve what will become the NBA’s next collective bargaining agreement. The NBPA must also reclaim interest in representing the players as their official bargaining entity. If a majority of either the owners or players are not in favor of the agreement, then the announcement of a 2011-12 season starting on Christmas Day was all for naught, and the players’ lawsuit filed in Minnesota against the NBA and its member teams will resume (the lawsuit has not yet been dismissed).

From what I have read, it seems that the players and owners have agreed to a 50/50 split in BRI with the possibility of that split sliding to 51/49 in either direction, year-to-year, based on meeting certain projections, which will be fleshed out once the agreement is finally (hopefully) signed. Players had been taking 57% of the BRI under the previous deal.

An important note for agents – free-agents will be permitted to sign with NBA teams as early as December 9, 2011 under the new agreement, if executed. December 9 will also be the official opening of training camps, although I am told that many agents working with their clients to put together more organized “un-official” workout program.

Another thing to follow – what will happen to the NBA players who signed in China? The biggest name to sign was Wilson Chandler, who is playing for Zhejiang Guangsha in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Due to the fact that Chandler, and all other NBA players who signed in China this offseason, acquiesced to China’s demand that no opt-out clause exist in his contract, he is effectively prevented from leaving his CBA team and signing with an NBA team.

NBA and Players Close To New Deal; Is Wilson Chandler Happy? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Last week, Caron Butler, Ben Gordon, Anthony Tolliver, and Derrick Williams filed a Class Action Complaint against the NBA and its member teams in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.  At roughly the same time, another class of NBA players filed a similar lawsuit in the Northern District of California.  The California lawsuit has since been dismissed without prejudice, and the Complaint filed in Minnesota has been amended to include the Plaintiffs from the California suit.

The following list displays the current class of Plaintiffs in the Minnesota lawsuit along with their respective agents.

• Carmelo Anthony – Leon Rose (CAA)
• Chauncey Billups – Andy Miller (ASM Sports)
• Caron Butler - Raymond Brothers
• Baron Davis – Bill Duffy (BDA Sports)
• Kevin Durant – Aaron Goodwin (Goodwin Sports Management)
• Ben Gordon - Raymond Brothers
• Kawhi Leonard – Brian Elfus (Impact Sports Management)
• Steve Nash – Bill Duffy (BDA Sports)
• Leon Powe – Aaron Goodwin (Goodwin Sports Management)
• Anthony Randolph - Bill Duffy (BDA Sports)
• Rajon Rondo - Bill Duffy (BDA Sports)
• Sebastian Telfair - Andy Miller (ASM Sports)
• Anthony Tolliver - Larry Fox
• Derrick Williams - Rob Pelinka (Landmark Sports Agency)

With the addition of the new Plaintiffs, there no longer appears to be a claim that all Plaintiffs are somehow tied to the state of Minnesota (other than the fact that they all travel to Minnesota in away games against the Timberwolves).  My friend Marc Edelman, who I consider to be one of the leading experts on Antitrust in Sport, believes that the NBA players smartly dismissed their California Complaint in favor of joining up with the class in Minnesota.  He feels that it will be easier for the class to argue market power in the Minnesota jurisdiction as opposed to the Northern District of California jurisdiction, where precedent may have worked against the players’ arguments.

NBA players will now put up a fight, in unison, in the same court that NFL players were heard within the past year.  The Honorable Patrick J. Schlitz is the judge that has been randomly selected to hear the NBA case.  As Michael McCann has pointed out, Judge Schlitz was a lawyer in the case concerning the Timberwolves’ attempt at relocating to New Orleans and has represented the NFL in several cases.

NBA Amended Complaint in Minnesota

Players Add Plaintiffs, Amend Their Minnesota Complaint v. NBA from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

“By some combination of mendacity and greed, the agents who are looking out for themselves rather than their clients are trying to scuttle the deal.  They’re engaged in what appears to be an orchestrated Twitter campaign and a series of interviews that are designed to deny the economic realities of the proposal.” – NBA Commisioner David Stern on 11/12/2011

I must have the wrong agents listed on The Master Twitter list of sports agents/agencies, because I have missed any semblance of a “Twitter campaign” led by agents who hope to quash a potential deal to end the labor battle between the NBA and the NBPA.  In fact, most agents that I talk to are eagerly anticipating the day that a new collective bargaining agreement will be struck, albeit with terms more favorable to the agents’ client.

Are agents looking out for themselves?  You better believe it.  But they are also looking out for their clients.  While money is not the be-all and end-all for every player, many of them are genuinely interested in keeping the various exceptions to the salary cap, increasing minimum salary, etc.  Agents certainly fear an environment where there is little room for contract negotiations, because that takes away their ability to legitimize a full 4% commission on individual contracts.  However, players should also be concerned about implementing any new restrictions on negotiating their salaries.

Stern is right about one thing, though.  Decertification is a losing strategy.  But it is not a losing strategy for the players.  It is a losing strategy for the entire NBA, which includes all owners and players.  Decertification will likely end the hope of any kind of 2011-12 NBA season, force the NBA and NBPA to spend a large amount of money to their respective lawyers, and kill whatever goodwill the league earned in a fantastic 2010-11 NBA slate of games.

Basketball Agents Are Greedy Twitter Campaigners from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

We have been doing Miami Heat season previews every year for the past four years.  While it is uncertain as to whether or not there will even be a 2011/12 NBA season, Bryan Saul took the time to prepare a preview…just in case.

Team Name: Miami Heat

Last Year’s Record: 58-24

Key Free Agents:

• Restricted: Mario Chalmers (qualifying offer extended)
• Unrestricted: Mike Bibby, Eric Dampier, James Jones, Juwan Howard, Jamaal Magloire

Team Needs: Point Guard, Center, Perimeter Defensive Stopper

1. What are your team’s biggest needs this offseason?

The new era Miami Heat, in their first season together, reached the NBA Finals; a place many thought the team should reach, but one that many did not think the team would reach. Regardless of their immediate success on the court, there are strides that need to be taken to get this team over the hump. The same could be said at the beginning of last season that is said now – this team needs upgrades at the point guard and the center position. Mario Chalmers showed great improvement throughout the season, which was culminated by his stellar play in the NBA Finals. The Heat have shown confidence in Chalmers as a starting point guard, as evidenced by Pat Riley striking a deal to move up in the draft to take Norris Cole (the senior point guard out of Cleveland State). Although the team seems poised to go with this point guard rotation, do not look over the roll the lockout will play in this scenario. If the entire season is wiped out, Cole will have lost an entire year under the Miami Heat coaching staff, something that will severely hinder his ability to play immediately. In addition, do not forget the ability of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to play the point guard role at an extremely high level. When it’s all said and done, don’t be surprised to see the Heat sign a veteran point guard to help the two young guns. The Heat also have a lingering need for a center. Pat Riley has always relished the opportunity to have a big man in the middle, and he seems poised to go after one in this year’s free agency. Only one problem – all the good big men on the market this year are probably going to be offered more than the mid-level exception (MLE). Several names have been thrown around in the past months, such as Samuel Dalambert, Nene, Tyson Chandler, Kwame Brown, etc., but getting one of these guys to sign a contract for less than they could get elsewhere (excluding probably Kwame Brown, who could get more money, but would then be extremely overpaid) will prove to be a tough mission.

2. What are the team’s biggest strengths & weaknesses? (so far)

When addressing the strengths of the Miami Heat, it is hard to look past the “Big Three,” but in an effort to make this article not sound like every other article addressing the Miami Heat, I propose we take a look at the Miami Heat’s defense and hustle stats. A lot was made of Erik Spoelstra this past year. People questioned whether he was fit to coach a team such as this, but after a rocky start, his players bought in, and eventually played Erik Spoelstra basketball, which for those of you who don’t know, is defensive basketball, where each player rotates on a “string.” The Miami Heat ranked in the top ten of every defensive category this past season. Spo’s Heat ranked sixth in points allowed, only allowing 94.6 ppg. They ranked fourth in assists allowed, allowing only 20.1 apg. They ranked second in opponent field goal percentage (43.4%). They ranked third in rebound differential, outrebounding their opponent by 2.9 rpg. They ranked ninth in blocks per game (5.3 bpg). They also ranked tenth in turnover differential (+0.7 tpg). I’m not saying that the “Big Three” is not the Heat’s biggest strength. What I am saying is that we all know the offensive prowess this team has. Now couple that with the defensive power the Heat displayed, and tell me how to beat this team (If Mark Cuban, Rick Carlisle, Dirk, or Jason Terry are reading this…stay quiet!).

In regards to the Heat’s biggest weaknesses, it has been addressed to an extent in the first question. The Miami Heat lacks consistency at the point guard position. Mario Chalmers showed in the NBA Finals that he can play at a high level, but has also shown throughout his career that this level of play is not always sound. In addition, the Heat lacks athletic depth at the center position. There are rumors throughout the Heat camp that Dexter Pittman will see more time than last year, but increasing your playing time from nonexistent is not very hard, so the amount to which he actually plays is still up in the air. If all stays the same, Joel Anthony will likely be the starter, although he is vastly undersized. With the insertion of Udonis Haslem (the heart and soul of this team), Bosh will be looked at to play some minutes at the center position, but like Anthony, he lacks the size to play against many opponents around the league. The Heat have people who could play effectively at both positions, but consistency and depth at the two positions could pose a few problems throughout the season (that is if we have one).

3. If there is no season in 2011-12, how is your team set up for 2012?

If the NBA were to cancel the entire 2011-2012 season, the Heat roster would look very similar to what it does now. Next year, the only players expected to hit free agency are Eddie House and Zydrunas Ilguaskas, both of whom see limited playing time as it is. Where the team will truly lose ground, if the season were to be cancelled, is in the development of two young players who the Heat are looking to to eventually have an impact with this team. The Heat have already liked the development of Dexter Pittman. Having dropped his weight to around 285 pounds, the second year center is showing promise, after dominated the D-League. The Heat hope to better his condition and refine his raw skill in an effort to make him an effective center for years to come. In addition, the development of Norris Cole will seriously be hindered. Riley loves this guy, there’s no doubt about it. He wants him to play and play soon, but missing an entire season will cause Cole to lose an entire year with the Heat coaching staff.

4. If you could make one change to the NBA’s new CBA, what would it be?

Apparently my mind is thinking more along the lines of the owners’ mentality, but the idea of non-guaranteed contracts is an intriguing one. Obviously, the contracts should not be completely non-guaranteed, but they should be somewhat similar to NFL contracts. Many owners are looking to install a Hard Salary Cap and do away with Salary Cap Exceptions, primarily because there are a ridiculous number of players who are extremely overpaid. With the implementation of partially guaranteed contracts, salaries will be lowered, and owners could cut their losses on underperforming players. Be honest. How many times have you looked at the team you are a fan of and said, why does so-and-so make so much money? Partially guaranteed contracts can eliminate this. No more Jermaine O’Neals making $20 million to barely touch the court. Players who are at the end of their career who are making big money, or players who are simply underperforming, can simply be cut, and the teams would only be responsible for paying the guaranteed portion of the contract.

5. Really, whose team is this?

LeBron James’ or Dwyane Wade’s? This is the big one. All of last year, from the second they all signed their contracts, this question came up, and I think it’s been answered. LeBron loves the spotlight; nobody is denying that. At times, he is the focal point of this team, offensively and defensively, but it’s still Dwyane Wade’s team. For you naysayers, answer me a few questions. Who has been with this team longer? Who yelled at who more (D-Wade of LeBron)? Who did the people of Miami want to have the ball in the last minute? Who is the captain of this team? All answers are D-Wade. Credit should never be taken from LeBron, because what he has brought to this team can never be matched. Simply put, he is an athletic freak, but Dwyane is so loved in Miami, by the fans and by the players. The Heat are still his team. He is the leader of this team on and off the court. Having said that, don’t overlook Udonis Haslem as a driving force behind this team. He has been and will continue to be the heart and soul of this team. His mentality and the way he plays the game bring so much to the Miami Heat on and off the court. That is why he is still a captain of the Heat, and will be so long as he is with Miami.

2011/12 Miami Heat Preview – In Case A Season Happens from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management has represented some of the best players in basketball.  At one point in time, he represented Rodney Stuckey, LeBron James, Al Horford, and Dwight Howard.  They all currently have different agents representing them.  Now add Jamal Crawford to that list.

Jamal Crawford has terminated his relationship with Goodwin Sports Management in an offseason where he is expecting a nice payday (through an extension) once teams resume signing players.  He has performed impressively with the Atlanta Hawks over the past couple of years, and should have quite a few teams as potential suitors, should the Hawks not be interested in providing Crawford’s future request for an extension.

Goodwin Sports Management’s big client is now Kevin Durant.  The company also represents Nate Robinson, Matt Barnes, Demar DeRozan, Terrence Williams, amongst others.  Crawford has not yet announced who his next agent will be.

On To The Next One: Jamal Crawford from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Aldridge expects the start of the 2011/12 NBA season to be stalled until Christmas, which means that almost three full months of regular season games will be missed, along with all preseason games.  His assessment is based on a group of owners he believes are ready to test the strength of the players’ union, along with a union that has been appropriately prepared for a lengthy work stoppage.  I found the following line to be most interesting:

Players are much more unified this time around than in ’99, in no small part because [Billy] Hunter has neutered the influence of powerful player agents like Arn Tellem, Mark Bartlestein and Bill Duffy, with an executive committee comprised mainly of middle-class players like Roger Mason, Jr. and Keyon Dooling.)

Take a look at the National Basketball Players Association Executive Committee.  Of the nine players on the committee, only one (Chris Paul) is earning a salary that is among the top thirty in the NBA.  There is no disputing that the Committee is comprised of what Aldridge refers to as “middle-class players,” but does that really affect the influence of powerful agents like Tellem, Bartelstein, and Duffy?  Take a look at the nine players on the Executive Committee along with their agents of record.

• Derek Fisher – Rob Pelinka (Landmark Sports Agency)
• Keyon Dooling - Rob Pelinka (Landmark Sports Agency)
• James Jones – Joel Bell
• Matt Bonner – Kenny Grant (Championship Sports)
• Maurice Evans – Roger Montgomery
• Roger Mason – Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports)
• Chris Paul – Leon Rose (Creative Artists Agency)
• Theo Ratliff – Joel Bell
• Etan Thomas – Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group)

Look whose names show up – the aforementioned Tellem and Bartelstein.  While Bill Duffy’s name is noticeably absent, heavy hitters like Leon Rose of CAA and Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports Agency are present.  Thus, if we are going to base the influence of particular agents on whether they have clients on the Executive Committee, then I do not follow Aldridge’s thinking.  Furthermore, I cannot quite comprehend why Aldridge would think that the makeup of the Executive Committee would somehow affect agents and agencies’ role in negotiations.  The Executive Committee is an influential group, but is certainly not the only voice for the players (especially in a world with Twitter and Facebook).  If Hunter somehow “neutered the influence of powerful player agents” in some other fashion, I am all ears.

I would love for no games to be missed in the 2011/12 NBA season.  More realistic is a hope that the season gets started before January 1, 2012.  But it is naive to think that the “middle-class players” will control negotiations on the players end, especially when a big problem with the current system is the large dollars that mid-level players are receiving.  The heavy hitting agents will be involved, whether or not they represent any players on the Executive Committee.  You’re invited to the party too, Bill Duffy, even if Aldridge has not left a place card at the table for you.

Has Billy Hunter Neutered The Influence Of Powerful Player Agents? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Other than a couple kids from Kentucky (Josh Harrellson and DeAndre Liggins), the following is a comprehensive list of players selected along with their agents of record.  Do not pay too much attention to the teams listed, as a lot will change based on trades.  Based on the information that is listed below, BDA Sports, Octagon, and Creative Artists Agency each had 5 clients selected.  Priority Sports and ASM Sports each had 4 clients selected.  The real winner was Wasserman Media Group, with involvement in the representation of 7 player selected.  30 players were selected from the 6 agencies listed above, accounting for exactly half of the entire draft.

First Round

1. Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers) – Jeff Wechsler (24-7 Sports Management) – This is the first client of Wechsler’s to be drafted #1 overall.  However, Wechsler is no stranger to having 1st round clients.  He represents Larry Hughes, D.J. White, Quentin Richardson, Mike Sweetney, and used to represent Penny Hardaway – all of whom were selected in the 1st round.
2. Derrick Williams (Minnesota Timberwolves) – Rob Pelinka (Landmark Sports Agency) – Pelinka has a lot of talented clients, none larger than Kobe Bryant.  However, he also represents names like Carlos Boozer, Wesley Johnson, James Harden, Derek Fisher, and Andre Iguodala.
3. Enes Kanter (Utah Jazz) – Max Ergul – Not much info on Max Ergul; however, he does represent former Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova.
4. Tristan Thompson (Cleveland Cavaliers) – Leon Rose (Creative Artist Agency) – Leon Rose and CAA happen to represent another former #4 overall pick named Chris Paul.  The agency also represents LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade.
5. Jonas Valanciunas (Toronto Raptors) – Sarunas Broga (East Players) w/CAA – All of Broga’s clients listed on his FIBA page were born in Lithuania.
6. Jan Veseley (Washington Wizards) - Aleksandar Raskovic w/Arn Tellem – Raskovic is said to be working with Wasserman Media Group to represent Veseley in negotiations.
7. Bismack Biyombo (Charlotte Bobcats via trade) – Igor Crespo (Xpheres Basketball Management) – 6th international player taken in the 1st 7 picks of the draft.
8. Brandon Knight (Detroit Pistons) – Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group) – I wonder if Knight will get along with Tracy McGrady, who is also a Tellem client.
9. Kemba Walker (Charlotte Bobcats) – Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management) – This is the same company that recently hired Casey Close and is quickly developing a very powerful baseball division.
10. Jimmer Fredette (Sacramento Kings via trade) - Jeff Austin (Octagon) – The crew at Octagon did a tremendous job boosting the marketability of an already marketable Fredette.  Let’s see what they can do with him once he is in the NBA.
11. Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors) – Bill Duffy (BDA Sports) – I had heard back in march that Thompson was a priority for BDA Sports.
12. Alec Burks (Utah Jazz) – Andy Miller (ASM Sports) – Along with Andy Miller, Justin Zanik and Andrew Vye represent players at ASM Sports.
13. Markieff Morris (Phoenix Suns) – Tony Dutt (Rival Sports Group LLC) – I covered the interesting story about Markieff and his brother signing with Dutt and how a man named Jason Martin may have played a big role.
14. Marcus Morris (Houston Rockets) - Tony Dutt (Rival Sports Group LLC) – Just read the linked story above.
15. Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs via trade) – Brian Elfus (Impact Sports Management) - Late 2010, Elfus became a part of Impact Sports Management, which has a history of representing a multitude of football players.
16. Nikola Vucevic (Philadelphia 76ers) - Rade Filipovich (BDA Sports)
17. Iman Shumpert (New York Knicks) – Happy Walters (Rogue Sports) – Shumpert joins another Happy Walters client in New York - Amar’e Stoudemire.
    
18. Chris Singleton (Washington Wizards) – Bill Duffy (BDA Sports) – 3 BDA Sports clients taken in the top 18 picks of the draft.
19. Tobias Harris (Milwaukee Bucks via trade) – Henry Thomas (Creative Artists Agency)
20. Donatas Motiejunas (Houston Rockets via trade) – Herb Rudoy (Interperformances) – The agency also represents Manu Ginobili and other foreign born players in the NBA.
21. Nolan Smith (Portland Trailblazers) – Joel Bell (Bell Management International)
22. Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets) - Thad Foucher (Wasserman Media Group)
23. Nikola Mirotic (Chicago Bulls via trade) – Igor Crespo (Xpheres Basketball Management)
24. Reggie Jackson (Oklahoma City Thunder) - Aaron Mintz (Priority Sports)
25. MarShon Brooks (New Jersey Nets via trade) – Seth Cohen (Original Creative Representation)
26. Jordan Hamilton (Portland Trailblazers via trade) - Lee Melchionni (Wasserman Media Group)
27. JaJuan Johnson (Boston Celtics via trade) - Kevin Bradbury (BDA Sports)
28. Norris Cole (Miami Heat via trade) – Joel Bell (Bell Management International)
29. Cory Joseph (San Antonio Spurs) – Leon Rose (Creative Artists Agency)
30. Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls) - Happy Walters (Rogue Sports)

Second Round

1. Bojan Bogdanovic (Minnesota Timberwolves via trade) – Marc Cornstein (Pinnacle Management)
2. Justin Harper (Orlando Magic via trade) – Lance Young (Octagon)
3. Kyle Singler (Detroit Pistons) - Greg Lawrence (Wasserman Media Group)
4. Shelvin Mack (Washington Wizards) - Doug Neustadt (The Neustadt Group)
5. Tyler Honeycutt (Sacramento Kings) - Tony Dutt (Rival Sports Group LLC)
6. Jordan Williams (New Jersey Nets) - Andy Miller (ASM Sports)
7. Trey Thompkins (Los Angeles Clippers) - Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group)
8. Chandler Parsons (Houston Rockets) – Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports) – Go Gators!
9. Jeremy Tyler (Charlotte Bobcats) - Makhtar Ndiaye (Wasserman Media Group)
10. Jon Leuer (Milwaukee Bucks) – Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports)
11. Darius Morris (Los Angeles Lakers) – Brian Dyke (Shibumi Sports)
12. Davis Bertans (San Antonio Spurs via trade) - Marc Fleisher (Entersport)
    
13. Malcolm Lee (Chicago Bulls) - Brian Elfus (Impact Sports Management)
14. Charles Jenkins (Golden State Warriors) – Michael Lindeman (Excel Sports Management)
15. Josh Harrellson (New York Knicks via trade) – Unknown
16. Andrew Goudelock (Los Angeles Lakers) – Austin Walton (Walton Sports Management Group)
17. Travis Leslie (Los Angeles Clippers) - Andrew Vye (ASM Sports)
18. Keith Benson (Atlanta Hawks) – Leon Rose (Creative Artists Agency)
19. Josh Selby (Memphis Grizzlies) – Andy Miller (ASM Sports)
20. Lavoy Allen (Philadelphia 76ers) – Happy Walters (Rogue Sports)
21. Jon Diebler (Portland Trailblazers) –  Lance Young (Octagon)
22. Vernon Macklin (Detroit Piston) – Lance Young (Octagon)
23. DeAndre Liggins (Orlando Magic) - Unknown
24. Milan Macvan (Cleveland Cavaliers) - David Bauman (DB Hoops)
25. E’Twaun Moore (Boston Celtics) – Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports)
26. Chukwudiebere Maduabum (Los Angeles Lakers) - Ugo Udezue (BDA Sports)
27. Tanguy Ngombo (Dallas Mavericks) - Bill McCandless (Court Side)
28. Ater Majok (Los Angeles Lakers) - Michael Lelchitski (SIG Sports)
29. Adam Hanga (San Antonio Spurs) - Alex Saratsis (Octagon)
30. Isaiah Thomas (Sacramento Kings) – Byron Irvin/Dan Fegan (Lagardere Unlimited)
    

2011 NBA Draft Listing Of Players Selected And Their Agents from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

All three agents found opportunities with NBA teams on the west coast of the United States, but there is no reason to look too much into that.  The three gentlemen also had law degrees, which is rather interesting to note considering that in the 2008-09 NBA season, only one General Manager had a law degree – Donnie Walsh of the New York Knicks.  However, in addition to the hiring of Myers, Babby, and Levien, Rich Cho (General Manager of the Portland Trailblazers) and David Kahn (President of Basketball Operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves) have been hired by their respective teams in the past couple of years, and each has a J.D.

Many basketball agents and attorneys would consider the title of NBA General Manager to be a dream job, and it seems to be coming more of a possibility in today’s day and age.  Whether you have such an interest or not, I encourage you to read through a recently published article titled, “National Basketball Association General Managers: An Analysis of the Responsibilities, Qualifications and Characteristics” written by Glenn Wong of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Chris Deubert of Ginsberg & Burgos, PLLC.  It has everything from the demographics and career paths of NBA General Managers to the Duties of an NBA General Manager.

The entire published article is embedded below, but first, here are a few notes I took while reading it:

• In 2008, the average NBA salary was $5.34 million, the highest in pro sports.
• NBA General Managers are generally involved in almost all operations of the team, including finances, marketing, stadium issues, media, public relations, coach selection, scouting, contract negotiations, and player personnel decisions.
• The NBA was the first U.S. pro league to implement a salary cap.  The cap was $3.6 million per team in the 1984-85 season.
• The salary cap in the 2010-11 NBA season was $58.044 million.
• Under the current collective bargaining agreement, which is about to expire, players are guaranteed at least 57% of Basketball Related Income in total salary and benefits.  Teams must spend at least 75% of the cap.
• Salary cap exceptions include the Bi-annual Exception, Mid-Level Salary Exception, Minimum Salary Exception, Traded Player Exception, Veteran Free Agent Exception (aka the Larry Bird Exception) – all discussed at length in the article.
• The average playing career of an NBA GM is more than double the average NBA playing career.
• Only 4 GMs in the 2008-09 NBA season had not played college basketball.
• In the 2008-09 NBA season, 50% of the then GMs had NBA coaching experience.
• Only 4 GMs in the 2008-09 season had advanced degrees.
• The average age of an NBA GM in 2008-09 was 50.1.  Only two GMs were under 40.

Twenty-First Century NBA General Managers from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Yet another player selected in the 2011 NFL Draft has changed representation prior to even being permitted to sign with the team that drafted him.  However, this time that player has not made the jump to Drew Rosenhaus.  Instead, Kelvin Sheppard, who was taken in the third round (#68 overall) by the Buffalo Bills, has left mega-agency SportsTrust Advisors and signed with Universal Sports & Entertainment Management.  Sheppard played his college ball at Louisiana State University, where he was primarily an inside linebacker.  He earned First Team All-SEC honors (coaches and Associated Press) in his final year with the Tigers.

Universal Sports also represents two other 2011 NFL Draft picks: safety Da’Norris Searcy from the University of North Carolina, who was drafted by Buffalo in the fourth round (#100 overall) and defensive end Markus White from Florida State University, who was taken by the Washington Redskins in the seventh round (#224 overall).

On To The Next One: Kelvin Sheppard from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules