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

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

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

• Hassan Adams – David Lee (David Lee Services). Currently playing for Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketball Association.
• Gilbert Arenas – No agent
• Jerryd Bayless – Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management)
• Mike Bibby – David Falk (FAME)
• Chase Budinger – Kevin Bradbury (BDA Sports)
• Channing Frye – Rob Pelinka (Landmark Sports Agency)
• Jordan Hill - Kevin Bradbury (BDA Sports)
• Andre Iguodala - Rob Pelinka (Landmark Sports Agency)
• Richard Jefferson – Todd Eley (Stratosphere Sports)
• Jason Terry – Dan Fegan (Lagardere Unlimited)
• Luke Walton – James Tanner (Williams & Connolly)
• Marcus Williams – Aaron Goodwin (Goodwin Sports Management). Not quite sure what happened to him.

BDA Sports and Landmark Sports Agency both seem to be in the lead with two players each, but no one firm has dominated Arizona basketball over the years.  Other big names seen at many other schools include Williams & Connolly, Lagardere Unlimited, and Excel Sports Management.  Thus, it seems like anybody has a shot at Derrick Williams, who has to be leaving after this year.  As stated last week, BDA Sports, Landmark Sports Agency, and Wasserman Media Group (which is not listed above) are all pushing for the right to rep Williams.  Time will tell who the victor will be.

Agent Selection Scenarios: Arizona Basketball from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

• A.J. Abrams – Keith Glass. Signed with Scaligera Basket Verona in Italy.
• LaMarcus Aldridge – Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group)
• D.J. Augustin – Thad Foucher (Wasserman Media Group)
• Kevin Durant – Aaron Goodwin (Goodwin Sports Management)
• T.J. Ford – Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group)
• Daniel Gibson – Andy Miller (ASM Sports)
• P.J. Tucker – Andre Buck (ISM)

Wasserman Media Group certainly sticks out amongst the crowd, and I have heard that Texas star Sophomore Jordan Hamilton is leading in their direction.  He is not the only potential first rounder in the 2011 NBA Draft.  If Freshman Tristan Thompson decides to leave, he could also be a fairly early selection.  Texas is a scary team if both players come back, but it is unlikely that either stick around Austin no matter what is being said at this point in time.

Agent Selection Scenarios: Texas Basketball from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

• Matt Bonner – Kenny Grant (Championship Sports)
• Corey Brewer – Happy Walters (Rogue Sports)
• Taurean Green – Andy Miller (ASM Sports). Currently plays for CB Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands.
• Udonis Haslem – Henry Thomas (Creative Artists Agency)
• Al Horford – Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group). Aaron Goodwin was not pleased about losing Horford.
• David Lee – Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports)
• Mike Miller – Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group)
• Joakim Noah – Bill Strickland (Lagardere Unlimited)
• Marreese Speights – Andy Miller (ASM Sports)
• Jason Williams – Dan Tobin (Wasserman Media Group)

Another school where Wasserman Media Group has a strong presence.  Arn Tellem and his crew have established themselves on quite a few campuses.  Other familiar names include Priority Sports, ASM Sports, and Lagardere Unlimited.  Brewer was not originally with Happy Walters when he left the University of Florida.

I think the draft stock of Florida players will have a lot to do with how the team fares in the NCAA Tournament.  Patric Young will not be leaving after his Freshman year, even though if he did, he would likely be a first round pick.  Chandler Parsons is an interesting player that a team may take a chance on.  At 6’9 he has strong ball handling skills, and seems to be “good” at just about everything, other than shooting free throws.  Twenty-four year old Vernon Macklin would really have to step it up in the Tournament to be a 2nd rounder.  He could still find himself on an NBA roster eventually, though.

Agent Selection Scenarios: Florida Basketball from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

There has been a flurry of agents who have been dropped by major clients in the last few weeks.

If players don’t get the kind of contract they think they deserve, they fire their agent. That’s the new trend in the NBA. Players are changing agents like they change socks.

The agents, at times, become scapegoats for their clients’ shortcomings. It’s a tough market out there right now. Teams aren’t throwing money around like they once did, especially with a possible lockout on the horizon.

The list of agents who have been fired recently is staggering: Chris Paul fired Lance Young from Octagon; Dwight Howard, Al Horford and Rodney Stuckey fired Aaron Goodwin; Ike Diogu fired Arn Tellem; Roger Mason fired Mark Bartelstein; O.J. Mayo fired LRMR; Andray Blatche fired Eric Fleisher; Lou Amundson fired Mike Higgins; and Marc Gasol parted ways with Herb Rudoy.

Sometimes players think agents can wave a magic wand and get things done. It’s not that easy. Teams have salary cap and luxury tax issues that the players don’t seem to comprehend.

Other times, a player’s entourage gets in his ear and fills his head with nonsense. “You should be getting $10 million a season,” they’ll say.

Next thing you know, that player has a new agent.

It is not just in basketball.  Players change agents with regularity in football and baseball, and baseball does not have the salary cap issues that Finnan cites as something basketball players do not seem to comprehend.  And it is not only the small agents who are being fired for those with impressive client rosters.  Arn Tellem, Mark Bartelstein, and Aaron Goodwin are amongst the biggest names in the industry, yet each has been fired by at least one client this year.  It seems as though Goodwin has had the most difficult year of the crew.

Sometimes agents are fired because they have acted in a way that has hurt their clients.  Other times there is absolutely no grounds for the change of representation.  An agent might even give all of his time and energy to servicing a client, earning that client publicity and off-field/court contracts that no other agent would have been able to provide the client, yet the client still decides to make a change.  It often appears that this type of behavior occurs more in the agent profession than in any other profession.

Basketball Agents Getting Fired; Nothing New from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

I am not sure how this originally got past my radar, but over the weekend, I read for the first time that Aaron Goodwin plans to file a formal complaint (if he has not already), with the NBA Players Association, against Arn Tellem.  The complaint will be based on Al Horford’s switch from Goodwin to Tellem and Wasserman Media Group (WMG) mere days prior to Horford being able to discuss a contract extension with the Atlanta Hawks.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a player changing his agent; agent/player agreements are terminable at will.  But as has been discussed at length on Sports Agent Blog, there is a remedy in tort law if someone intentionally interferes with your contractual relations with your client.  Goodwin would have to prove that Tellem and/or anyone under his control at WMG had knowledge of Horford’s relationship with Goodwin (easy) and that they caused the interference.  Goodwin’s case would be aided if he can prove that someone at WMG had a bad motive in the recruitment of Horford.

In the context of professional basketball, interference with contractual relations, as a viable claim, has been largely a myth.  That is until an arbitrator awarded Keith Glass $40,000 to be paid by Andy Miller.  When I covered that award, I wrote the following,

Some in the industry would call it “competition”, and claim that this type of ruling could create a slippery slope where even ethical recruiting practices are punished with the levying of damages.  The worry is that this type of decision might open the floodgates for every disgruntled agent who has ever lost a player.  No one wants to chill the open market of agents and players who switch agents for a variety of proper reasons.  Others are extremely happy that justice might finally be served on those who ignore rules, regulations, and laws.

Will this decision set a precedent, or will it be a blip in the standard unregulated practice of agents stealing clients from one another?

If Goodwin wins in his fight against Tellem, are the floodgates officially opened?  If Goodwin has a solid claim, then a ruling in his favor would be a good thing, but at least at this point, there must be some concern that the slippery slope is beginning to form.  I understand Goodwin’s pain, though.  LeBron James, Dwight Howard, and Al Horford are all former clients.  Representing those three players, alone, throughout their careers would be enough for almost any man to retire and live a very happy life.

Aaron Goodwin Plans To File Complaint Against Arn Tellem from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Earlier this week, Darren Rovell wrote a post on CNBC that has been making waves throughout the blogosphere and Twitter.  The post, titled, Time For A New Jerry Maguire?, says that the movie is outdated.  Rovell believes that many agents no longer make athletes’ parents the focal point of their recruiting, and instead, go through intermediaries who often do not have athletes’ best interests in mind.  Oftentimes, those intermediaries have their own agendas and will come to the agents with hands open, expecting their own payday.

Rovell’s post is partly inspired by Dwight Howard’s recent decision to drop his agent (Aaron Goodwin) in favor of most likely having his extended family/friends manage his future contractual negotiations.  Time will tell whether that was an idiotic move on Howard’s part or not.

I would love for Rovell’s Jerry Maguire II to come out.  Because it would educate the athletes who watch it.  I have said it before (including yesterday on Twitter) and I will say it again – the only answer I see is the education of athletes.  No, I do not mean making players stay in college past one year before going pro, and I am definitely not advocating that we create some Professional Sports Business major for athletes.  I do think that education has to start in college, however.  While baseball and hockey players can skip college and go straight to the pros, basketball and football players don’t have that luxury.  And truthfully, where most of the problem lies, is with those two sports.

So what can be done?  It needs to start with the NCAA and then trickle down to every Compliance Office at every NCAA school.  I don’t care if it is the head coach of each college team, the Compliance Officer him/herself, or even a private consulting company like Synrgy Sports that is brought in to spoon feed student-athletes this important information that will affect the rest of their lives.  It cannot happen in the normal class setting; it has to happen when their attention is captured.  They need to read stories like this and this so that they understand that in the real world runners and AAU coaches are paid to connect them with agents.  Student-athletes need to feel secure that they can make the decision on their own, or with the help of people who truly understand their wants and needs – not some “friend” who is more in it for himself than anyone else.  They also need to realize that there are “bad agents” out there who will steal from them and also try handing over money/gifts that may be against NCAA/state/federal rules and laws.

We know about the problems.  Let’s talk about solutions.  And let’s start implementing them on a national level.

It Keeps Coming Back To Education from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

With a 3-0 lead over the Charlotte Bobcats in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, one would think that the only thing on Dwight Howard‘s mind right now is finishing up the series with a sweep and moving on to the next opponent.  Instead, it seems like he has some other big things on his mind.  Last night, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that Howard has dropped Aaron Goodwin as his NBA agent and that Howard will most likely allow extended family/friends manage his future contractual negotiations.  As Wojnarowski points out, this is an interesting move, since it was not too long ago that another NBA superstar (LeBron James) left Goodwin with the same plan.  The difference is that James left Goodwin and signed with Creative Artists Agency (Leon Rose) to handle his team contracts, and started his own marketing firm (LRMR) with a few of his closest friends.

Did Howard not enjoy the shoe deal Goodwin got him?  What about the amazing social media exposure that Nate Jones was able to provide Dwight?  Aaron Goodwin and his team at Goodwin Sports Management will survive.  With his impressive list of clients, he can still practically root for any team remaining in the playoffs to win the championship this year.  I wonder why Howard left and who he will pick to replace the people at GSM.

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