C.J. Watson

Mike Higgins of The Higgins Group has had his work cut out for him between negotiating deals for Watson overseas, getting him looks by NBA teams, and finding him a home in the D-League before he was eventually called up to the Warriors.  However, Watson has decided that it is time for a change and has left Higgins for Jared Karnes of a3 (Allegiant Athletic Agency).  Watson joins a group of former University of Tennessee players represented by a3, including Chris Lofton, Wayne Chism, and Tyler Smith.

On To The Next One: C.J. Watson from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

2010 NBA Mock Draft 2.0 (First Round) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Before this NBA season started, and even now, before the playoffs is even finished, LeBron has been the big story in basketball.  More people cared day-to-day about where he will be playing next year instead of what his line was in his current team’s match-ups.

I can’t imagine how many clippings Leon Rose has stored regarding LeBron James in the past year.  Leon Rose is an agent at CAA.  CAA not only represents LeBron, but also Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh (both of whom came to CAA through CAA’s acquisition of former CSMG agent, Henry Thomas), who will also receive max contract.  And they also happen to represent coach Calipari and Pat Riley.  But LeBron’s decision is not only in the hands of Leon Rose at CAA.  Worldwide Wes (William Wesley) is also officially a part of the crew at CAA, and it is well known that LeBron has gone to Wes for advice plenty of times throughout LeBron’s life.

Beyond his people at CAA, LeBron will undoubtedly be receiving advice from his team at LRMR, those at the large companies he endorses (with an emphasis on the big guys at Nike), and others that he respects and trusts.

People Involved In/Affected By LeBron James’ Decision from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

However, before LeBron can start really looking for a mansion on South Beach (yeah I said it), the NBA draft is coming. Remember all of these guys were a part of the draft once, so you have to pay some attention to which players your team can select, and  who may possibly be a contributor on the way to an NBA championship.

Lottery Draft order projected statistically.

1. New Jersey Nets: John Wall/Kentucky – After being arguably the best in college basketball for an entire season, he will rightfully go first overall.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves: Evan Turner/Ohio St. – The most NBA ready player in draft, could be the best out of the draft if health allows him to be.
3. Sacramento Kings: DeMarcus Cousins/Kentucky – Cousins is not the usual fit for the Kings and its owners (the Maloof brothers), but he is the only real post threat in the draft. Add him to a nucleus of Tyreke Evans and Jason Thompson and you have the first team in Sacramento to sniff the playoffs since Vlade Divac was flopping in the purple and black.
4. Golden State Warriors: Derrick Favors/Georgia Tech – Had Favors put up the numbers that were anticipated when he arrived at GT, the Nets would be selecting him first overall. Although Golden State will be a good fit, Favors will be able to run the high paced offense the Nelly loves to utilize.
5. Washington Wizards: Wesley Johnson/Syracuse – A freak athlete who can score. The Wizards cannot afford to let a talent like Johnson slip past them.
6. Philadelphia 76ers: Ed Davis/North Carolina – Davis seems to be one of the players who left early to keep from suffering completely if the NBA bargaining agreement keeps the 2011-2012 season on ice. Davis is going to be Samuel Dalembert’s replacement after his contract expires. Additionally, look for the 76ers to try and unload Elton Brand on draft day for either money, another first round pick, or a sign and trade.
7. Detroit Pistons: Cole Aldrich/Kansas – Aldrich is a spitting image of Paul Davis, the former Michigan State center who was a sound, tough rebounding big in college, but that’s pretty much where the story ended. Aldrich lacks the footwork of other big men in the draft and is going to struggle when he can’t go over the top of defenders.
8. Los Angeles Clippers: Al-Farouq Aminu/Wake Forest – An athlete who can and hopefully will develop a perimeter game to play alongside Blake Griffin. Aminu is going to be a tougher version of Al Thornton, who never turned out the way the Clippers expected before they sent him packing.
9. Utah Jazz: Greg Monroe/Georgetown – Georgetown being upset in the first game of the big dance did not help Monroe’s stock, but the Jazz will lose Boozer and will realize that Mehmet Okur is not a center. Monroe possesses phenomenal footwork and can stretch the floor, and if big men could ever win the rookie of the year award, he would be the leading candidate.
10. Indiana Pacers: Ekpe Udoh/Baylor – A fantastic shot blocker, he will play alongside an emerging Roy Hibbert, and with the NBA’s stars relocating, the Pacers could be in playoff contention come April.
11. New Orleans Hornets: Daniel Orton/Kentucky – Orton has the least playing experience of all prospects in the entire draft. He has NBA size, but with unproven skill. He will become the mid-season bandage when Okafor goes down with an injury, again. Orton will benefit playing with CP3, and scouts believe he has the talent to be the best big man out of Kentucky, eventually.
12. Memphis Grizzlies: Patrick Patterson/Kentucky: A physical specimen coming out of college, he is sound fundamentally and can contribute at the power forward position right away.
13. Toronto Raptors: Hassan Whiteside/Marshall – Whiteside will be drafted just in time to go to Bosh’s  Bon Voyage party, maybe as Turkoglu’s plus one? Whiteside can block shots, score around the basket, and rebound. Look for Dwight Howard comparisons throughout his entire career.
14. Houston Rockets: Donatas Motiejunas/Lithuania – This guy gets the label of highest bust probability. He is another thin seven footer who will refuse to rebound and put up 5 too many threes a game.
15. Milwaukee Bucks: James Anderson/Oklahoma St. – Attacks the basket really well, put up a lot of points in college, and could complement Jennings really well. NBA fans will continue to Fear The Deer!
16. Minnesota Timberwolves: Gordon Hayward/Butler – The last chance of having the next “Great White Hope”. Hayward can shoot the ball from almost anywhere on the court – lucky for Duke.
17. Chicago Bulls: Xavier Henry/Kansas – Regardless of what moves are made in the off-season, Chicago is going to take the best talent available and someone who can run with Rose. Henry couldn’t be a better fit.
18. Miami Heat: Eric Bledsoe/Kentucky – Playing in John Wall’s shadow at Kentucky, Bledsoe did not receive the publicity he deserved. He is an NBA ready point guard who will fill the Heat’s need of a ball handler and distributor.
19. Boston Celtics: Damion James/Texas – Doc Rivers is going to steal James from the Spurs, who pick right behind them. A hard nosed defender who can make stops and be a spark off the bench. He’s the pick because of the possibility the Celtics could lose Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Tony Allen.
20. San Antonio Spurs: Larry Sanders/VCU – Sanders can block shots and has the frame to become a dominating post presence. Let the mastermind better known as Mr. Popovich get his hands on him and you have the frontcourt of the future with Sanders and Blair down low.
21. Oklahoma City: Solomon Alabi/Florida St. – The Thunder learned their lesson the hard way when a team lacks decent big men. Unfortunately, they are not getting that in Alabi, who comes with the buyer beware warning due to his raw talent and what looked like genuine clumsiness around the basket in college.
22. Portland Trailblazers: Kevin Seraphin/France – With Nicolas Batum becoming a larger role in the Blazers rotation, Portland will take the chance on Seraphin. The Blazers will likely allow him to play one more year overseas and then use him as a post defender, praying he won’t collapse like every other big in Portland.
23. Minnesota Timberwolves: Luke Babbitt/Nevada – This being the T’wolves third pick in the first round, this is potential trade bait to a team like Memphis who covets Babbitt’s scoring and rebounding ability.
24. Atlanta Hawks: Quincy Pondexter/Washington – This is a steal for Atlanta. Pondexter could either replace a possible departing Joe Johnson or give Marvin Williams his pink slip, and either way, Pondexter will have a bright future in the NBA.
25. Memphis Grizzlies: Avery Bradley/Texas – This is probably the biggest slide of the first round, due to Bradley’s lack of scoring ability right now. If he finds a way to score, then the Grizzlies will have made off like bandits with a guy who could easily be a lottery pick.
26. Oklahoma City Thunder: Paul George/Fresno State – Another great athlete who can score, giving the Thunder a fourth or fifth scoring option.
27. New Jersey Nets: Devin Ebanks/West Virginia- A perimeter defender with the height of a big man. His jump shot is less than questionable, which is why he is still available this late.
28. Memphis Grizzlies: Terrico White/Mississippi – The possibility that Rudy Gay may be leaving forces the Grizzlies to take someone who can put up points. White can do just that.
29. Orlando Magic: Willie Warren/Oklahoma – The second coming of Courtney Lee to the Magic. Warren’s questionable attitude at Oklahoma is the reason for such a fall, but the Magic are the big winners after such a painful loss in the Finals.
30. Washington Wizards: Darington Hobson/New Mexico – Will be looked at as a reach, but his ability to lead the Lobos to such a great season gives him a great upside with good scoring ability.

After the glory of the first round has gone, there are a few real players that could make a difference when drafted. The second round sleepers are: Dominique Jones/USF, Jordan Crawford/Xavier, Stanley Robinson/UConn, and Lance Stephenson/Cincinnati.

2010 NBA Mock Draft from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

There are some phrases an NBA organization never wants to hear, and “It’s time to clean house” is one of the worst. Unfortunately, the Chicago Bulls are dangerously approaching this breaking point. After an incredible postseason fight in last year’s playoffs against the Boston Celtics, many saw the Bulls as a young group ready to play on the main stage. Many believed they could be a successful team within the Eastern Conference, who, most likely would not win their division (seeing as how they play in the same division as the Cavs), but could compete with any team in the conference – sort of what the Atlanta Hawks are doing now. In reality, the Bulls are doing exactly the opposite. In the first quarter or so of the NBA season, they have fallen to a poor 11-17 record. Granted they have secured wins against some of the elite teams in the NBA, but they have also fallen to the worst of the worst. The team took another step towards the depths of damnation on December 21^st, when they blew a 35-point lead in the 3^rd quarter to the Sacramento Kings. The Kings ended the game on a 58-19 run to win by four. That kind of occurrence is not supposed to happen in the NBA. Teams are supposed to be able to coast on a 35-point lead, but obviously the Bulls are not the team they, the media, and fans thought they were. For that reason, it seems as if it’s time for the Bulls to clean house.

Luckily for the Bulls, they have a few key pieces to the puzzle of success. The most obvious of those pieces: Derrick Rose. Derrick Rose has the skill, the vision, the tenacity to be a superstar in this league, and it’s only a matter of time before he realizes his full potential. He reminds me of a young Dwyane Wade, only he possesses the court vision and passing ability of a Chris Paul type player. For Derrick Rose to truly become the superstar he is capable of being, he must work on his game. First off, he must become more aggressive on the offensive end. Too many times, Rose gets comfortable in his sets, and does not use his incredible explosiveness and quickness to get to the rim. From watching a mere 2 minutes of an NBA game in which Rose plays, it’s easy to see that he can get to the rim at will, but for him to truly be an unstoppable force, he needs to develop a jump shot. Like Dwyane Wade, Rose did not enter the NBA with a pure shot, but with the development of an outside shot, Rose will be virtually unguardable. Rose is obviously a keeper in the rebuilding process of the Chicago Bulls.

At the culmination of the current NBA season, other than Derrick Rose, the Bulls will have six players under guaranteed contracts, one of which is Tyrus Thomas, who is a restricted free agent. Thomas is owed just over $6.2 million next season, and it seems as if he will most likely stay with the Bulls. In addition, John Salmons has a player option for the 2010/2011 season worth $5.8 million. Assuming Salmons and Thomas return to the Bulls, the Bulls will have $43,915,782 of committed contracts. NBA executives project the NBA salary cap to be around $54 million and the luxury tax threshold to be somewhere around $67 million, leaving the Bulls around $20 million or so to play the free agency game, in what looks to be the best free agent class in the history of basketball.

Of the players under contract, the Bulls will be retaining some key players, such as Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, and Kirk Hinrich. Joakim Noah is player who can be a key part of the future of the Chicago Bulls. Noah’s relentless attitude on the court combined with his size makes him a hot commodity to any NBA team. He is player who can comfortably play the center position, and do it with relative success. He is a monster rebounder, a decent scorer, and a great defender. Luol Deng is an athletic small forward who is owed over $11 million in the coming season. Deng is playing at a relatively high and efficient level this season, averaging 18 pts and 8 reb per contest. Kirk Hinrich is a different story. Don’t get me wrong, I am a Hinrich fan, but he is not worth the $9.5 million he is being paid this year and the $9 million he is owed next year, especially coming off the bench as he is now. Hinrich is averaging a mere 8 pts and 3 assists this season while shooting an abysmal 36% from the field and 32% from long range. The Bulls are definitely not going to be able to restructure Hinrich’s contract, so their best bet would be to unload his contract to a team in need of a smart point guard who is usually a good shooter and is always a pesky defender. Ideally, they would love to get back an expiring contract, but with so many teams looking to play the free agency game this coming summer, I find it hard to believe they would be able to get something worthwhile.

If the season continues the way it is going now for the Chicago Bulls, it will be a fun time for fans this coming summer. As of now, the Bulls would be fighting for an 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but let’s assume they do not make the playoffs and end up in the NBA lottery. The coming year’s lottery picks feature many NBA ready players that could make an impact sooner rather than later, but where the real fun comes in is the free agent market. As stated earlier, the Bulls are looking to have a significant amount of spending money this summer, and hope to be able to lure a top tier free agent. Sadly, seeing as how I am a die-hard Heat fan, it seems as if the Bulls most likely choice in the free agent market would be Dwyane Wade. To fathom a team of Wade, Rose, Deng, and Noah, with a supporting cast of Hinrich, Thomas, and Salmons is amazing. That team could do great things very quickly, but I do not think it’s going to happen. The Bulls, though, do need to lure in a big name to continue being successful. Ideally, the Bulls would want to pair Rose in the backcourt with an athletic 2-guard that can shoot from the outside; somebody like Joe Johnson or Tracy McGrady or even a Manu Ginobili. This will space out the court, allowing Rose more flexibility to penetrate the lane and kick out to shooters. In addition, the Bulls need to add somebody to fill in the starting role as a power forward. Tyrus Thomas, although an athletic freak, is not fit to start in the NBA. He is a great energy burst off the bench and could best be utilized in that capacity. One option would be to pursue the likes of Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, or Dirk Nowitzki (if Nowitzki decides to use his Early Termination Option). All are big names that will be unrestricted free agents in the coming summer, and as stated before, the Bulls have the money to sign a free agent of that caliber. To fill out the roster, the Bulls should acquire a veteran point guard to teach Derrick Rose the ins and outs of the NBA game, preferably at the veteran’s minimum salary. Some players that fit this description would be Jason Williams, Steve Blake, or even Derek Fisher (if they could ever coax him to leave the Lakers).

Although the Bulls are going through tough times at the moment, they are not far from becoming a successful team. They have some key pieces needed to be successful, and with the addition of just a few more, they could be a dangerous team in the Eastern Conference. The last thing the Bulls would need to do to really get over the hump would be to fire Vinny Del Negro and bring in a coach capable to teaching a young team to play together offensively and, most importantly, defensively, in an attempt towards reaching the ultimate goal. The capability is there; it is simply a question as to whether the organization can make it happen.

Is It Time For The Chicago Bulls To Clean House? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

To me this sounds like an incident where Rose was partying with his friends and was posing for a picture. He was not trying to rep’ any gangs in any way and was only posing for the camera.  Maybe it was an inappropriate pose however, I have seen plenty of photos like this by people on Facebook who think nothing at all by the gestures and actions they are making in them. Hopefully Rose was not thinking anything gang related at the time, as I do not believe he was.

I’m sure his agent, B.J. Armstrong, has some input regarding Rose’s apologetic statements.  Whether the remarks were made by Rose alone or in concert with his agent, the swift decision saved Rose from additional negative publicity before bloggers and others could gossip.  Any way you look at it, Rose taking accountability for his actions is a good sign.  This clearly indicates that the youngster is learning and is a huge positive for Chicago Bulls fans, especially now that his SAT score at Memphis is being investigated.

“Recently, a photo has been circulating on the Internet which appears to depict
me flashing a gang sign,” Rose said in the statement. “This photo of me was
taken at a party I attended in Memphis while I was in school there, and was
meant as a joke … a bad one, I now admit. I want to emphatically
state, now and forever, that Derrick Rose is anti-gang, anti-drug, and
anti-violence. I am not, nor have I ever been, affiliated with any gang and I
can’t speak loudly enough against gang violence, and the things that gangs
represent.”

“In posing for this picture, I am guilty of being young,
naive and of using extremely poor judgment. I sincerely apologize to all my fans
for my mistake. I pride myself on being a good citizen, and role model, that
young people can look up to and I want to urge all my young fans to stay away
from gangs and gang-related activities.”

D-Rose Budding from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Football

• A big-time Gator is on the market [Taylor, set to make $6M, cut by Jags].
• A lot of talk that Thomas Mills got Hayden a really nice deal [Hayden, Colts strike deal].

Baseball

• The guy is only 26-years-old and averages a strikeout per inning pitched [Santana avoids arbitration with Angels].
• Gotta love the amount of deals that are struck in the final hour [Pirates, McLouth agree to 3-year deal].
• Should we be blaming the MLBPA instead? [Commish doesn't want steroids blame]

Sports Agents

• For our readers overseas [Superagents” reality TV show to launch in UK this week].
• Doug Eldridge of DLE Sports Management Group is trying to raise $100k [Reginald T. Dogan: Racer makes strides for wounded vets].

Basketball

• The story on Anthony Randolph switching agents made the latest Carnival [Carnival of the NBA #63: Stress Relief].
• The Chicago Bulls have been very active lately [Knicks trade for Bulls' Hughes].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (2/20/09) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Chicago Bulls

Nels: Give Me The Rock

Matt: Blog-a-Bull

Cleveland Cavaliers

Rock: Waiting For Next Year

FTS: Fear The Sword

David Friedman: 20 Second Timeout

Amar Panchmatia: Cavalier Attitude

Detroit Pistons

Brian Spencer: Empty the Bench

Natalie Sitto: Need4Sheed.com

Matt Watson: Detroit Bad Boys

Indiana Pacers

Tom: Indy Cornrows

Milwaukee Bucks

Jeramey Jannene: The Bratwurst

Frank Madden: BrewHoop

NBA: Central Division Previews from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

“When I signed with (agent) Arn Tellem, we were in a room,” Rose said. “He was like, ‘Which team do you want to play for?’ And he was like, ‘I know your hometown.’ Everybody in the room started laughing because we thought it was impossible. That night when the Bulls got the No. 1 pick, I was looking at the TV like this can’t be true.”

Arn Tellem?  But B.J. Armstrong is Rose’s primary agent.  Sure, Arn is also an agent at WMG and probably shares adjacent office space to B.J., but all previous signs seemed to show that B.J. was in control of this situation from day one.  I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing B.J. Armstrong and hope to follow up with him again sometime soon.  In the interview, this dialogue went down:

Me: Is there any particular reason that Derrick Rose picked you as his primary agent over Arn Tellem?

BJ Armstrong: Again, I think that Derrick chose me largely because I played in Chicago and he grew up in Chicago watching me play. There was a time in Chicago where I played on some pretty good teams. The things that happened in that city as he was growing up probably left a mark on him. Again, I believe that I was the beneficiary of good timing. Derrick and I even played the same position. Sometimes things just line up…you can’t plan it. I think we just had a few similarities in our background that made it all work out for a lot of different reasons.

Interesting that Arn was never mentioned.  It seems like good old Arn may have had more to do with Rose’s bond to WMG than I had originally assumed.  Anyway, it seems like it is almost a lock that Rose will be the first name called next week.  I cannot wait to share the joy with B.J. and the WMG family.  They have quite a team and a solid young talent in B.J. who will be sure to continue to make headlines in the future.

You Tellem, Rose from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules