Lottery picks are not stupid, and neither are their parents, AAU coaches, handlers, and whoever else might be involved in the agent selection process.  In most circumstances, agents for lottery picks do not make a dime off of the initial contract.  The first time they will make commission on a team deal will be in the second contract, which will be very lucrative for those rookies who outperform the competition.  If the contractual agent is not also acting as the marketing agent for the player, that means that the agent will be working pro bono for quite some time.  To make matters worse, other agents will be hawking at your lottery pick client nonstop.  If the client leaves you, you may lose quite a lot of money and time over this kid who was supposed to be “The One” to bring your agency to the top.

Recruiting money is never paid back, but often times, lottery picks will basically pay back the costs of workouts and travel expenses that the agent incurred in the pre-draft process.  You can call that a commission on the first contract, if you’d like.  Rovell is correct, most agents who represent lottery picks actually lose money…their hope is that long-term, these athletes end up paying for themselves and much more.

Sports Agents

• Past SportsAgentBlog.com interviewee, Mark Steinberg, chats with Darren Rovell about representing Tiger Woods [The Man Behind Tiger Woods].
• An interview with the agent of Maurice Jones-Drew and Matt Forte [Meet Sports Agent, Rob London].
• What it’s like to manage Kenyan runners [Kenyan runners' second home: Norristown].
• A UF Law grad making big moves [Lawyer, agent, world traveler].
• The anti-agent agent? [Bridgeton native Andre Buck bringing undervalued talent to light as rising basketball agent]

Baseball

• Moneyball will not be turned into a movie…yet [Sony scraps Soderbergh's 'Moneyball'].
• I guess I am in the minority, because I say no [Does Don Fehr Get An *?].

Basketball

• Time for agents to get creative. How about some type of running royalties deal with a minimum attached instead of the normal large up-front payment? [Bad Year For NBA Draft Pick Shoe Deals]

Falk later said that he has never had a runner and never will, Georgetown U is not going to be re-named Falk U anytime soon, and that a lot needs to be done to clean up the agent business.

The interview is rather long, but very interesting.  Falk is often quoted in papers regarding many of his thoughts, but his voice is rarely recorded for the public to hear his statements straight from the source.  There was one small bit of humor in an otherwise very serious discussion, when Falk said,

“I’m a dinosaur, and I want to be a dinosaur, but I don’t want to be extinct.”

I wish Falk and his client, Toney Douglas, luck in the upcoming draft.  I saw Toney play this past season, and I agree, he will probably not be that high of a pick, but Toney should have a very successful NBA career.

You may hear the interview in its entirety, below.

heinnews: Maybe talk about how you became an agent and what someone needs to do the job.

Ames: I was fortunate to start working with Priority Sports while I was in college, and joining a growing company allowed me to choose which aspect of the business I wanted to pursue after getting exposure to the basketball, football, and marketing operations.  When I started, Kurt Warner had just won his first Super Bowl, which gave the agency a lot of recognition.  I’ve been here for 8 years, and Kurt Warner just went to another Super Bowl.  Our basketball division has grown a lot during that time.

Representing players is obviously a people-oriented business.  Good interpersonal and presentation skills are necessary, and organization is important.  You have to be able to develop meaningful business and personal relationships with people from all walks of life.  It’s helpful to love basketball and to enjoy playing a part in helping people reach their goals.

heinnews: The NBA used to be ruled by guys like big agents like David Falk. How has the power shifted in the world of agents?

Ames: There are still a handful of agents who are considered the power players in the NBA.  There are major differences between them, and with consolidation, buy-outs, mergers, and agents getting in and out of the business, it is a constantly changing dynamic.  Some of the top agencies put a major emphasis on recruiting and representing as many draft picks as they can at the expense of providing the right level of service to each player.  Our focus is to find the players who fit our culture and we can develop long term relationships with.

Whitaker is the primary agent for Stanley Burrell, Rashaun Freeman, Keith Langford, Ricky Minard, and David Teague (mostly overseas).  Most notably, he is the man behind last year’s surprise NBA Draft first-round pick, George Hill, and a guy who has seen his draft stock explode over the past week: Jermaine Taylor (pictured: left).

Whitaker does not yet have the name or resources to go after the Blake Griffins and Derrick Roses, but he has done a very impressive job securing less scouted, high talented players into his agency.  Last year, George Hill from IUPUI (which everyone loves to try to pronounce come tournament time) was a surprise first-round pick.  But many attributed his rise to the hard work put in by Whitaker.  Among those who noticed, is Whitaker’s most recent NBA Draft hopeful, Jermaine Taylor.  Taylor told Draft Express,

“What he’s done for George [Hill] is great. He was in the same position that I’m in right now. He came from a small school, not too many people knew about him, and he went first round. I’m trying to do the same thing; I have all the confidence in my agent and right now he’s showing me that he’s doing a good job.”

The 6′4 Shooting Guard from UCF is not doing too bad of a job himself.  Taylor has been the most talked about player at the Portsmouth Invitiational Tournament.  His performance has a lot to do with his recent press, but perhaps Michael Whitaker is playing an instrumental role as well.

Earlier this week, Andy Katz of ESPN wrote about a subject that I have covered many times on this blog: the proliferation of runners in the college basketball community.  The main subject of the article was Blake Griffin, who every analyst and self-proclaimed analyst has being picked by whatever team ends up with the #1 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.  While Blake and his family have warded off runners and the agents who employ them, many top athletes and their families do not make the same intelligent decision.  I believe that education is the answer, and as more high-profile writers at the largest media empires begin to discuss the state of college athlete recruiting, perhaps more athletes and their families will begin to see the light and place the important decision of picking an agent back in their own hands.

Coaches can also be a major help or burden to an athlete’s education.  Coaches like Jeff Capel at the University of Oklahoma are doing their due diligence by actually helping his players on and off the court.  Instead of being an accomplice in “the game” and strengthening certain runners’ and agents’ abilities to access his players early, Capel tells his players to be aware of any new friends that try to come into their life.  Good advice.

Not to be outdone by ESPN, Yahoo! Sports had its big dogs do some investigative reporting (it took six months of research) and came up with quite the interesting story concerning recruiting of college athletes by agents and their runners.  Adrian Wojnarowski and Dan Wetzel wrote the story that shocked the nation yesterday: Probe: UConn violated NCAA rules.  It all started with Josh Nochimson, the former basketball agent who was decertified by the NBPA in 2008.  In his hayday, Nochimson was team manager for UConn and possibly stole $500,000 from Rip Hamilton.  Wojnarowski and Wetzel report that Nochimson also funded lodging, transportation, and restaurant meals for Nate Miles while Miles was a student-athlete at the University of Connecticut.  That’s a big no-no according to NCAA rules and Section 14 of the Uniform Athlete Agent Act (which Connecticut has adopted).

In the Yahoo! article, Rip Hamilton is quoted as saying,

“[Josh Nochimson] admitted to stealing…I always remember my agent saying, ‘Rip, don’t put your hands on him because he’ll be able to sue you. [Nochimson] was doing everything off of me. He looks like a high roller. It’s hard for a kid because you may not have anything and you see this guy.”

I have to think to myself, how many other talented student-athletes think the same thing when an agent or his runners approach the athlete blinged out with a nice car and offer to take the athlete to an expensive dinner at a high class steakhouse (which would be a violation if the athlete is still a student)?  Nochimson is not the only one out there putting up a facade.

And agents are not the only ones to blame for this terrible state of recruiting.  As always, Marc Isenberg put his valuable two-cents into the recruiting issue.

The NCAA, college programs and coaches can shift the blame to the agents, but ultimately it takes two to tango. What’s so damning in this investigation is the volume of calls between the agent and the UConn coaching staff. According to Yahoo!, there were “1,565 phone and text communications with Nochimson, including 16 from head coach Jim Calhoun.

The agents and their runners need to be threatened against committing violations, not egged on by NCAA institutions.  Besides that point, though, I remain in my statement earlier this month, the answer to these recruiting problems is education.  If you are a talented student-athlete that possesses the attributes to make it in professional basketball (overseas you can make a ton of money, as well), then why take the risk of working with guys like Josh Nochimson who are only going to threaten your brand?  There is nothing wrong with listening to people you trust, but in the end, the decision you make on an agent should be your own.  It all starts with the athletes.  If the top picks in each draft begin to ward off runners and wait to make agent decisions until their college eligibility has expired, NCAA institutions will find no need to work hand-in-hand with agents, and runners will no longer be on agents’ payrolls.  It all starts with the athletes.  It all starts with education.

16. Theodore Forstmann Chairman, CEO, IMG (2007 – #26)

37. Scott Boras President, Boras Corp. (2007 – #12)

43. George Pyne President, IMG Sports and Entertainment (2007 – #59)

46. Casey Wasserman Chairman, CEO, Wasserman Media Group (2007 – #79)

70. Tom Condon NFL Agent, CAA (2007 – #90)

98. Arn Tellem President, WMG Management (2007 – #83)

Not ranked. Gene Upshaw Chairman, NFLPA (2007 – #33)

Not ranked. Mark Steinberg SVP and global managing director of golf, IMG (2007 – #72)

Observations

• Similar to last year, I must say that IMG is getting mucho love from the voters.  Forstmann and Pyne received a boost; however, what the hell happened to Steinberg?  He gets his client, Tiger Woods, #1 for two consecutive years and has his name drop off the list?  Where is the justice in that?
• Gene Upshaw, may he rest in piece, must have been left off the list due to his recent death.  Had he still been living, I would bet my money that he makes the list in 2008.
• Wasserman jumps more than thirty slots but Tellem goes down fifteen?  Tellem absolutely tore it up this year with BJ Armstrong is his more than able wingman.  At least no basketball agent was positioned ahead of Tellem on the list.
• Boras has had his fair share of bad moments in the media this year.  While he is still making a lot of money for his clients, I understand why voters have positioned him lower on the rankings.

Last, here is an interesting opinion from Darren Rovell of CNBC regarding agents in this listing:

The most glaring omission from a sector standpoint is the agents. Most notably, Drew Rosenhaus, who I had as No. 20 on my list, is even not in BW’s top 100. Agents Scott Boras (37), Tom Condon (70) and Arn Tellem (98) appear on the list, but I might have had Aaron and Eric Goodwin on the list this year, particularly because of the shoe deals they structured for Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard and Candace Parker.

I agree.  Rosenhaus above the Goodwins, but all of them deserve to be mentioned.  Next question…

You and I have never heard of Deng Gai and maybe know the former Dayon player, Brian Roberts, but we are definitely familiar with Luol Deng and Rip Hamilton.  Nochimson used to represent the two big time NBA players, but those days are long gone.  Deng cannot be happier with the decision, as his new agent, Jason Levien, was successful in negotiating a $71 million deal with the Bulls last week.  Rip must also be pleased after the latest news that Nochimson may have stolen $500,000 from the former UConn standout.  This is the same guy who negotiated a contract that involved Hamilton style his hair in the form of a Goodyear Assurance TripleTred product.  He was also the team manager of the UConn basketball team when Rip was a student athlete.

So which database is better? What does each site offer?

HoopsHype

• Positives:
  • Ranks the top 100 agents by their clients’ salaries.
  • Ranks the top 15 agencies by their clients’ salaries.
  • Each agent’s page has a listing of players with their current and future salaries.
  • Notes how many all-stars each agent represents.
• Negatives:
  • No alphabetized listing of agent names or agencies.
  • Only lists 15 agencies.
  • No key to explain color difference for player salaries.

DraftExpress

• Positives:
  • Amazing sorting system. Can sort by agency and agent in alphabetical order, agent tier, team alphabetically, and player alphabetically.
  • Broken down into 5 categories: NBA Agents/Agencies, Non-NBA Agents/Agencies, Top Agents, Top Agencies, and Agency/Agent Affiliations.
  • Top agents are further broken down by total guaranteed salary, current year salary, and number of clients.
  • Many more agencies listed than at HoopsHype.
  • Easy key to explain color difference for player salaries.
    
• Negatives:
  • There are so many options, you may no longer talk to your children.

Jonathan Givony does it again. DraftExpress has created a database that, if constantly updated, should become the premier source for basketball player/agent information.

The Kansas Jayhawks and the Memphis Tigers are set to tip off the 2008 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship tonight at 9:21PM EST, and until that time, many newspapers and blogs will be writing about the two teams and their players, and contemplating which team that wears the color blue will come out victorious. One common thread will be that Kansas, as a school, has more experience when it comes to making it this far in the Tournament. Kansas has been in the Championship Game eight times, including this year. For Memphis, this is only the team’s second visit to the final game. Kansas has won it all twice, been in the Final Four thirteen times, made the Tournament thirty-seven times, and has eighty Tournament victories. Memphis has never won the Championship, and does not rank close to Kansas in any of the other categories discussed above. But throw all that information out of the window, because it does not matter. Tonight is anybody’s game.

Instead of making predictions like every other sports blog, I decided that it would be interesting to look at the individual top players at each school that are currently on the court and those that have graduated to play in professional ball. What sports agents have dominated Memphis and Lawrence? Which agents have a comfortable relationship with the Championship Game coaches? Are there other people at each campus that may be influencing players?

Kansas Jayhawks in the NBA and their agents:

• Nick Collison – Mike Higgins (SFX)
• Drew Gooden – Calvin Andrews (BDA Sports)
• Kirk Hinrich – Jeff Austin (Octagon)
• Raef LaFrentz – Mike Higgins (SFX)
• Paul Pierce – Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management)
• Scot Pollard – Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports & Entertainment)
• Wayne Simien – Leigh Steinberg (Steinberg & Moorad)
• Jacque Vaughn – Jeff Austin (Octagon)
• Julian Wright – Rob Pelinka (SFX)

Memphis Tigers in the NBA and their agents:

• Earl Barron – Mark Termini (Mark Termini Associates)
• Rodney Carney – Chris Emens (Octagon)
• Shawne Williams – Happy Walters (Immortal Sports)
• Lorenzen Wright – Andy Miller (ASM Sports)

It was not an easy task to find out the agents of all of the players listed above. After a quick glance at the names and the agencies listed above, it seems like representatives from Octagon and SFX will have some nice seats in San Antonio. I am sure that Jeff Austin and Mike Higgins will be in attendance, but I doubt that they say a word to each other. Which Jayhawks will they be fighting for? DraftExpress.com currently lists Darrell Arthur going #20 in the first round and Brandon Rush being snagged at #25 overall in the 2008 NBA Draft. Will either player (or both) sign with Octagon and/or SFX?

Then there is Memphis and its three stars that are suggested to be selected in the 2008 NBA Draft. DraftExpress.com has Derrick Rose being the 2nd overall pick, along with Chris Douglas-Roberts (CDR) being picked at #15 and Joey Dorsey going in the middle of the 2nd round. The list of agents for the current Memphis NBA players does not suggest that any particular agent/agency has an advantage for this year’s talented crop of Tigers. But as far as Memphis is concerned, the history books need to be swept off the table and it must be realized that this is an entirely new organization.

The landscape in Memphis was redone in 2000, when the University named John Calipari its new basketball coach. He led the team to win the NIT Championship in 2002 and then took Memphis to the NCAA Tournament in 2003 and 2004, something the Tigers were not used to. In 2006, the Tigers got a #1 seed in the Tournament, and Calipari realized that it might have been time to return to old friends with heavy influence in the basketball community.

Ever hear of a guy named Worldwide Wes? If not, I suggest you read this GQ article on him. The heading describes William Wesley as, the most connected, most discreet, most influential man on and off the court. Not a bad guy to have on your side. In fact, there may be a lot of validity in equating the success of this year’s Memphis Tigers team with Calipari’s connection to Wesley. Don’t think that Calipari has been working with William? Why else would he say that Wesley is a goodwill ambassador for the University of Memphis program? Wesley openly roots for Memphis to win and has been instrumental in bringing relations between Memphis basketball and China.

The sports agent point of all of this is that besides having a strong connection to Calipari as a coach, Worldwide Wes is a big fan of Leon Rose as an agent. None of the four Memphis Tigers currently playing in the NBA are signed with Rose, but you may see some or all of this year’s Memphis draft class signing with the basketball agent if William Wesley has his way. It seems like if there is one player out of the three Memphis ballers leaving for the draft this year that is least likely to sign with Rose, it is Joey Dorsey. I have seen reports linking Wesley with Rose and Douglas-Roberts, but have come up empty in any connection with Dorsey.

I cannot wait for the game tonight. I honestly have no idea who is going to win. But for me, the most exciting period for me is after the game is over and players start to make their decisions on representation for the 2008 NBA Draft. Stay tuned as we update you on the agent signings by both teams’ draft-entry players.