Agent Jason Martin appears close to signing Tyler Honeycutt and Morris twins of Kansas, source said. Morris twins met with Martin on Wed.

April 1, 2011 12:14 pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®ReplyRetweetFavorite

@SpearsNBAYahoo

Marc J. Spears

This is interesting news, as Jason Martin is not listed as the agent for any recent Kansas basketball player who went on to play in the NBA.  The Morris twins (Marcus and Markieff) are likely to be selected in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft.  Tyler Honeycutt, who is leaving UCLA after his Sophomore year is not guaranteed to be a first round pick, but could certainly solidify his spot in the first round as other potential early entrants decide to go back to school after “testing the waters.”

And who exactly is Jason Martin?  Anyone know which agency he works for (I assume it is one of the larger groups)?

Tyler Honeycutt, Marcus Morris, And Markieff Morris To Sign With Agent? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Basketball agents have been on the grounds of several universities for quite some time, and may have even been recruiting certain players well before they entered their current institutions of higher education.  Lately, we have been running a feature titled, Agent Selection Scenarios, where we look at schools who have made it to the NCAA Tournament, their former players who have professional experience, the agents they chose to represent them in contractual relations, and current players at the school who may be drafted in 2011.  Sometimes we make a prediction as to the agents that the players might be considering.

One agent who has success year after year is Bill Duffy of BDA Sports.  I have heard of a few players that BDA Sports has been focusing on in the 2011 Draft, putting great emphasis on recruiting these gentlemen.  Names like Klay Thompson of Washington State, Nikola Vucevic of Southern California, and JaJuan Johnson of Purdue are prospects that I hear are at the top of the radar.  But I am also hearing that BDA Sports is in the mix for BYU standout Jimmer Fredette, Georgia’s Trey Thompkins, and is also in the races to represent Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris from Kansas.  Rumors have also surfaced that BDA Sports is seeking (and may be in the lead) to represent future lottery pick, Derrick Williams of Arizona, but that Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports Agency and Bob Myers of Wasserman Media Group are competitors.

Bill Duffy has proven his capacity to be an excellent negotiator for his clients over the years.  However, last year Duffy only represented one player who was picked in the first round of the Draft.  That would be a major win for most agents, but certainly was not the norm for Duffy, who represented 6 first rounders in 2009, including the #2 overall pick, Hasheem Thabeet.  Did the OJ Mayo scandal have anything to do with that?  Will his 2011 Draft class look more like his 2010 class or his killer 2009 class?

Looking at the partial list above, Duffy casts his recruiting net far and wide.  The only concern is that it gets difficult when one has to manage so many talented players at the same time.  I suppose it is a good problem to have, but if Duffy already has Klay Thompson, Nikola Vucevic, and JaJuan Johnson “locked up”, will his company also have the time to represent all of the other talented players listed above?

Recruiting For the 2011 NBA Draft Is Heating Up from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

• Cole Aldrich – Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management)
• Darrell Arthur – Jerry Hicks
• Mario Chalmers – Sam Goldfeder (Excel Sports Management)
• Nick Collison – Mike Higgins (The Higgins Group)
• Drew Gooden – Dan Fegan (Lagardere Unlimited). Formerly with Calvin Andrews (BDA Sports)
• Xavier Henry - Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group)
• Kirk Hinrich – Jeff Austin (Octagon)
• Darnell Jackson – Roger Montgomery (Montgomery Sports Group)
• Sasha Kaun – Justin Zanik (ASM Sports). Currently playing for powerhouse, CSKA Moscow.
• Raef LaFrentz – Mike Higgins (The Higgins Group). Retired.
• Paul Pierce – Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management)
• Scot Pollard – Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports & Entertainment). Retired.
• Russell Robinson – Bob McClaren (McClaren Sports). Playing for DKV Joventut in Spain’s Liga ACB.
• Brandon Rush – Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports and Entertainment)
• Wayne Simien – Leigh Steinberg. Retired.
• Jacque Vaughn – Jeff Austin (Octagon). Assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs.
• Julian Wright – Rob Pelinka (Landmark Sports Agency)

Kansas produces professional basketball players.  This is only a partial listing of the many high quality basketball players to come out of the Jayhawks program in the past couple of decades.  No one agency dominates the school, and there is quite a wide spread of agents who have been able to effectively pitch their services to Kansas players.  Excel Sports seems to have a nice mix with two younger players in Mario Chalmers and Cole Aldrich, along with the best in the group, Paul Pierce.

Power forward Markieff Morris should be drafted in 2011.  The senior is 6’10, 235lbs, and puts up over 13 points per game.  Marcus Morris will not definitely leave, but if he does, he is likely to be selected above Markieff.  Josh Selby is a very talented young shooting guard, but the Freshman will likely stick around for at least one more year.  If not, he could be taken in the first round.  Thomas Robinson has a lot of potential and will be returning to Kansas next year as well.  If Tyshawn Taylor leaves, he could be a 2nd round pick, but he also has one year left if he chooses to play it out at Kansas.

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

Ashley Merritt is Scott Merritt’s wife.  Scott Merritt is a professional basketball player who currently plays for Link Tochigi Brex in the Japan Basketball League (JBL).  Ashley claims that she and Lee had an oral agreement to act jointly to negotiate Scott’s professional contract for the 2010-2011 season (I assume it is 2011, as the attorney who drafted the Complaint wrote “2100″), and split the agent commissions 50/50.

Lee received a commission of $13,700 from the JBL team.  Ashley Merritt now wants half of that, or $6,850 to be exact.  The four states causes of action are: breach of contract, promissory estoppel, unjust enrichment, and intentional misrepresentation.

I don’t think Ashley Merritt has even the slimmest chance of winning this.  My favorite is the third cause of action for unjust enrichment.  Good luck to Ms. Merritt in proving that she conferred a benefit on Bernie Lee by “assisting with contract negotiations.”  I would love to know what that benefit entailed.  And better yet, Scott Merritt has no free will.  Ashley Merritt “brought her husband, as a client” to Bernie Lee.  Quite the runner/handler we have here.  Are we sure that she is not somehow connected to the Cameron Newton drama?

Bernie Lee’s Client’s Wife Wants Half Of His Commission from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Here is a summary of what transpired:

• Falk believes that LeBron took a quick hit on his brand equity.  After watching LeBron’s new Nike spot, I have to think that his brand is already in the rebuilding stage.
• Falk doesn’t think that a basketball player should announce something before it actually happens.  He calls it “a little too modern, a little too social media.”  He would have preferred that LeBron signed with Miami and then had his big press conference about his decision.
• On Worldwide Wes: “early on in his career had a lot more influence than people gave him credit for and now probably doesn’t have as much influence as people give him credit for.”
• Falk really does not like the limitations placed on max contracts.  He thinks it limits what the best players deserve and allows much less talented players to earn more than they are worth.
• Falk does not seem to be a big fan of Isiah Thomas or the fact that the current union is not involving agents much in collective bargaining negotiations.
• Falk’s client Evan Turner is the highest draft pick to ever sign with a Chinese shoe company.
• Falk’s first big shoe deal was with New Balance for James Worthy back in 1982.
• Falk thinks players should stay in school longer.
• He has no desire to grow a big agency, and calls his operation an “ultra-boutique.”

David Falk’s Interview With SLAM Magazine from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Many agents actually believe that when it comes to the highest rated players in each sport, agents are offering and giving more benefits for free to student-athletes in basketball than in football.  Basketball AgentGate may have begun with the recent investigation of the University of Oregon basketball program, where an agent supposedly promised money to a student-athlete (Michael Dunigan) while he still had NCAA eligibility remaining.

Without a doubt, Oregon has a big athletic program, but its basketball focus is nowhere near the size of a Kentucky or UConn.  Then again, UConn has already had its own NCAA compliance issues to worry about in this respect, when it was discovered that an agent named Josh Nochimson provided benefits to Nate Miles for free.  My guess is that if the same thing was discovered today, it would be sensationalized and covered much more extensively by the media.  And in turn, it would probably make Connecticut’s Commissioner of Consumer Protection take some sort of action.

Will There Be A Shift Of Focus To Agents Giving Benefits To Basketball Players? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Over the weekend, I had a chance to read Henry Abbott’s piece on Lagardère Unlimited basketball agent, Dan Fegan.  That Fegan has a Juris Doctorate degree from Yale University doesn’t impress me as much as the fact that Abbott says Fegan is an intensely driven and calculating strategist and that he nitpicks contracts line-by-line and revels in outmaneuvering opponents.  I may be off on a couple of agents, but I doubt the guys who are throwing money at players are amongst the best at reading and redlining contracts.  And they compensate with the purse.

A few interesting notes I took from Abbott’s piece:

• Fegan isn’t big on technology.  He relies on his assistant to stay connected to others through the web.
• Based on the pictures, no matter how busy Fegan is, it looks like he is keeping in shape.  While that might not be a huge thing to a lot of people, it’s something that impresses me.  Being an agent can be tolling and time-consuming, but staying healthy is important for the body and the mind.
• At John Wall’s post-draft dinner, Dan Fegan was photographed playing a game of chess and drinking a glass of wine.  Why do I find this interesting?  Because the picture could be of Fegan with a huge smile and bottles in both hands…but it’s not.  I like that.

Check this out:

Through the day, as Fegan talks to one front-office executive after another. Many of them bleed Fegan for information. Nearly every time he is entirely forthcoming in sharing what he knows.

I ask him why … are there not advantages in keeping some secrets, and preserving his ability to bluff? For instance, wouldn’t it be good to be able to convince a team they’ll have to use an early pick on one of his clients, because some other GM is sure to pick him shortly after?

Fegan says a lot of agents do well keeping information to themselves. “But I’m a chess player, not a card player,” he explains. “I’m OK with having all the pieces on the board, and thinking a few moves ahead. Other people have a different strategy, and don’t want you to see all their cards.”

That statement, itself, is a chess move, and I love it.  Sometimes I receive the same question – “Why are you so open on your blog, company website, Facebook, Twitter, etc.?”  Occasionally, people tell me it will hurt me.  For the most part, though, people are enthused by my style.  I believe that openness, with a solid strategy in mind, is best.  It looks like Fegan agrees.

Perhaps Fegan reads this post.  But I assume that if he does, his assistant Joyce Li will have to show it to him.

Some Insight On John Wall’s Agent, Dan Fegan from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Baseball

• 150km-per-hour fastballs – someone do the math [17-year-old pitcher signs with Scott Boras].

Basketball

• Agree with the six players listed who truly deserve max contracts ["Max" player an overused term in the NBA].
• Bartelstein and co. had quite a Monday [Getting the job done].

Football

• This looks like Moneyball in football [Is it Time to Abolish the NFL Combine?].
• Don’t make it in the NFL? Like Australia? [Agent hunts for great American hope]

Sports Business

• And an easy way to get someone drunk.. [How To Announce A Sponsorship Deal—The Right Way].
• Former sports agent Jim Neader assembled the board [St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster forms new Sports Alliance to help market city].

Sports Law

• Some good stuff about how an athlete’s attorney, agent, and PR people work together [Ask the Expert: Sports Attorney Jay Reisinger].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (5/14/2010) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Since the end of this past college basketball season, the biggest draft question did not focus on whether someone would keep his name in the draft pool.  Instead, it was on who the future #1 overall pick, John Wall, would select as his representation leading up to the draft.  That person will pick up the obligation of trying to sign Wall to a team over the assigned slot value ($4,286,900 for the #1 overall pick this year) and find Wall endorsement deals, including the always popular shoe deal.  I had heard many rumors about who John Wall would sign with.  I heard that CAA and Leon Rose had the best chance at locking him up (Leon’s close connection to Coach Cal wasn’t enough), but that Happy Walters was a darkhorse, who might have had an inside track at Wall.  Neither ended up signing him.  Instead, it was announced yesterday that Wall has chosen Dan Fegan, who recently joined the basketball team at BEST (Blue Equity Sports Television), which has been rumored to be in the process of being bought out by a French company called Lagardère.  Fegan and BEST will handle Wall’s team contract and also co-represent him with another agency for marketing purposes.

Fegan already has quite a list of clients.  His clients include, Nene, Nick Calathes, Matt Carroll, Earl Clark, Juan Dixon, Melvin Ely, Reggie Evans, Drew Gooden, Zendon Hamilton, Al Harrington, Jarvis Hayes, Jrue Holiday, Kris Humphries, Yi Jianlian, Dermarr Johnson, Coby Karl, Matthew Knight, Shawn Marion, Troy Murphy, Eduardo Najera, Ruben Patterson, Jason Richardson, Ricky Rubio, Joe Smith, Jason Terry, Anderson Varejao, Von Wafer, Earl Watson, and now, John Wall.  A Fegan celebration would be a fun gathering to attend.

When you think of the current most prominent basketball agents, you probably think of Arn Tellem, Leon Rose, Dan Fegan, Bill Duffy, Jeff Schwartz, and Rob Pelinka.  But in what order?  Does the signing of John Wall change where Fegan ranks?

John Wall Signs With Dan Fegan And BEST from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

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.

Still Want To Be An NBA Agent? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules