Shabbat Shalom!  In a few days, I will be saying shalom with more regularity, as I will be traveling in Israel.  But first, I will be in Barcelona for a couple of days.  I leave later today for the trip, which will keep me out of the United States until December 25.  This is my first time going to Barcelona and my third time venturing to Israel.  I doubt I have much access to internet and I have not yet tested out the WordPress app on my iPad 2, so I am not sure whether I will be posting at all between today and Christmas Day.  If you do not hear from me ahead of time, I hope all of you have extremely Happy Holidays.  And let’s go Heat!  Here are some stories I missed over the past week:

College Sports

• Looking more and more like a private cartel [97 schools sign petition against stipend].
• He has created the “Congressional Collegiate Sports Caucus” [Rep. Joe Barton, noted BCS hater, ups his push for a college football playoff].
• 1.2% of NCAA basketball players make it to the pros [Estimated Probability of Competing in Athletics Beyond the High School Interscholastic Level].

Football

• On Twitter, Facebook, blogging, etc. [Embrace Your Brand].

Basketball

• I assume the potential lawsuit will vanish now that Paul is a Clipper [Hornets guard Chris Paul may take NBA to court over rejected trades].
• I feel like I say this a lot, but Professor Gabe Feldman killed it on this one [The Misadventures of David Stern].

Baseball

• Boras Corp. rejected my request for a copy, but I’m not bitter about it.. ["The Book" on Prince Fielder].
• Includes a summary of the primary issues that will be considered [MLB, MLBPA To Talk International Acquisitions].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (12/16/2011) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Players with NBA experience who are currently free agents will be allowed to sign with CBA teams, though.  These players will not be able to negotiate any opt-out clause into their CBA contracts.  Such a clause would allow players to return to the United States and play in the NBA, should the NBA lockout end and a 2011/12 season commence.

In the past, the CBA’s 17 teams have been able to sign up to 2 players who do not have Chinese passports.  The exception to that rule applied to the 4 teams who fared worst the prior season.  Those teams could sign 3 foreign players, with the caveat that 1 of those players had to be Asian.  Now add on the additional restriction – no NBA players currently under contract allowed.  Case closed.

Cross China Off Carmelo’s And CP3′s List 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

1. Arn Tellem (Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Brandon Roy)
2. Dan Fegan (Dwight Howard, Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy)
3. Jeff Schwartz (Paul Pierce, Al Jefferson, Tyson Chandler)
4. Rob Pelinka (Kobe Bryant, Carlos Boozer, Andre Iguodala)
5. Bill Duffy (Tayshaun Prince, Steve Nash, Rajon Rondo)
6. Leon Rose (Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, LeBron James)
7. Mark Bartelstein (Danny Granger, David Lee, Mo Williams)
8. Andy Miller (Kevin Garnett, Chauncey Billups, Andre Miller)
9. Bob Myers (Brandon Roy, TJ Ford, JJ Reddick)
10. Jim Tanner (Tim Duncan, Ray Allen, Hedo Turkoglu)
11. Henry Thomas (Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Devin Harris)
12. Raymond Brothers (Zach Randolph, Ben Gordon, Caron Butler)

My only comment is that the author might want to change the photo for Andy Miller.  Instead of displaying Miller, the list displays Keith Glass.  Miller can’t be pleased with the error; Miller had to pay Glass $40,000 in damages earlier this year after an arbitrator found that Miller recruited Glass’ client.

A Top 10 Agent List Has A Notable Error 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

Even prior to the official start of the 2010 NBA free agency period, there was a buzz around the New Orleans Hornets’ front office regarding one of their key players.  Star guard and face of the franchise, Chris Paul, stated that he wants out of the Big Easy if the organization isn’t committed to winning.  Though it is hard to believe that the executives of a club worth upwards of a quarter of a billion dollars (Forbes estimated the team to have a net worth of $272 million in 2007) aren’t committed to the success of their entity, the Hornets have still begun to make moves to please Paul.

Co-Owner Gary Chouest has opened negotiations for a transfer of ownership that would involve purchasing George Shinn’s majority share.  The two owners have not yet come to terms on a final deal, but it is assumed that once the transaction is made, Chouest will be investing ample money and resources into the team that would hopefully keep Paul from flying the coup. Note, there is no timetable on the deal, and the two parties are $24 to $30 million apart in negotiations, so this could take some time.

Additionally, New Orleans hired a new General Manager, 40-year old Dell Demps, to replace Jeff Bower, who spent 15 years with the Hornets, the last five as GM.  Though seemingly young, Demps already has 9 years of coaching and managerial experience, first with the NBDL, then the New York Knicks, and finally with the San Antonio Spurs as Director of Pro Personnel.  Furthermore, he already has a solid rapport with head coach Monty Williams as the two were former NBA teammates.  Demps said that he “could tell that something special was building within the organization,” and that “the Hornets are a great organization with a lot of positive pieces.”  Hopefully Paul is on the same page as Demps, or the latter statement could lose some verity.

On July 10, the spectacle that was Carmelo Anthony’s wedding took place in New York City.  Before an all star guest list and media in attendance, Chris Paul took the liberty of making a speech in which he allegedly claimed “We’ll make our own big three,” in reference to Anthony, himself, and Amar’e Stoudemire joining forces, presumably in New York.  If this didn’t alarm the Hornet’s front office, I don’t know what will.

The Hornets push to placate Paul may hit a snag when it comes to their financial situation and the pressure and difficulty of signing another headliner mounts.  Currently, role players such as Peja Stojakovic, Emeka Okafor and James Posey are looking at combined payouts of $33.3 million this upcoming season, and New Orleans has little room under the NBA’s luxury tax threshold.  However, the emergence of rookie guards Darren Collison (76 games, 12.4 PPG, 5.7 APG) and Marcus Thornton (73 games, 14.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG) as well as positive play from Power Forward David West (81 games, 19 PPG, 7.5 RPG), may give Paul confidence that there is an elite team being built around him, and keep him at bay in the Crescent City.

The New Orleans Hornets look like they are setting sail towards future success as one of the top contenders for the championship this season.  The only question is whether or not Chris Paul will captain the voyage, or if he is going to jump ship.

Will Chris Paul Stay As King Bee? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

• Trade kickers – Paul has a 15% trade kicker.  If Paul gets traded, the Hornets will have to pay him an extra 15% on whatever he is owed.
• Money up front – Get a bulk of dough (up to 20%) early in a signing bonus and have the rest spread out through the contract.  Allows a player to invest (yeah…right) the money early, allowing it to outgrow inflation.
• Large check each year – Instead of your client’s yearly salary being spread out evenly in multiple checks by month, he can get up to 70% per year in one check and have the rest spread out.

So next time you hear a superstar signing a max contract, you should look into whether it is actually a max-plus contract.

Max Contract Vs. Max-Plus Contract from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

I learned a lot this weekend.  Perhaps the most important nugget of information was that I should never wait until the last minute to start looking to book a flight.  And even when waiting until the last minute, there is no reason to be stubborn and say, “Screw it, I’m driving.”  Although I was able to take care of plenty of phone calls on the road, driving sixteen hours in three days is not something that is fun or necessary.  Anyway, I am back from Winston-Salem and Chris Paul’s charity bowling tournament, and back to the daily grind.

The weekend was a major success.  I left Friday morning, slightly hungover from the previous night’s festivities.  I made it through all of the Florida speed traps, through Georgia, South Carolina, and eventually into North Carolina.  By the way, the lakes in Davidson (just outside of Charlotte) are beautiful.  I arrived in Winston-Salem at around 7 p.m. and got lost a few times before finding my final destination.  I took a former intern and current Wake Forest student, Justin Herzig, and Dynasty‘s Bowling Division Director, Bruce Falcon, out for some authentic barbecue and before we left the establishment, we all felt that we had been severely hit on by the waitresses, which was not all that gratifying.

The next day, I snuck into a gym to get my daily workout in, caught up on some law school reading, and watched the first half of the Florida vs. Tennessee game before I headed to the Winston-Salem AMF Lanes. At the bowling alley, I met up with Bruce and a couple of gentlemen from Chaney Sports Marketing Group. Besides seeing one of our clients bowl and network with others in the industry, Bruce and I had traveled to North Carolina to witness what goes into creating such an event. Between myself, Bruce, and Chaney Sports, we hope to create a similar bowling event during All-Star weekend. Much more on that to come in the future.

The Dynasty client that participated in CP3 weekend is Tommy Jones. He was partnered up with Dwyane Wade, who I love as a basketball player, but leaves quite a bit to be desired on the lanes. I am not going to give away who won the event, but let’s just say that D-Wade did not stick around for long. Throughout the event, LeBron James was cracking jokes on everyone, and the crowd was eating it up. I hope that ESPN captured some of LeBron’s antics for when the show goes on air in a few weeks. By the way, look out for a spiked hair guy wearing a blue button-down shirt. I am told that I can be seen in the background of many shots.

The event was catered by Texas Roadhouse, and when there is food, I am a happy camper. Five chicken breasts did the job and I was set for the evening. After the bowling tournament, we headed to a club downtown called 411, which was rented out by Chris Paul and contained more free food, an open bar, and some giveaways.

Overall, it was a great event. The drive home on Sunday was less than pleasurable; however, nothing beat hearing that the Dolphins took it to the Patriots in Foxborough. And it seems like Dynasty may be signing some new clients in the near future based on some of my phone conversations in the car. So I guess driving was not so bad after all…

To see some pictures that I took during the event, click here.

Chris Paul’s Winston-Salem Weekend from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

College Football

• For not having much of a track record at this point (and losing to Colorado last night), Bill Stewart signed one hell of a contract [Despite ECU upset, West Virginia's Stewart inks six-year deal].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Last year’s NBA Europe Live games drew more than 10.3 million viewers and 75,000 spectators.  This is the third consecutive year that NBA teams are heading overseas to play.  The games originally were a way to expand the influence of the NBA and attract foreign players and viewers.  After the USA played China in their opening round Olympic game, you could see that It certainly did just that in China.  The Chinese love the NBA and its stars, and have made Yao Ming a national hero and spokesman.

The recent splurge of NBA players heading overseas only shows how competitive the NBA is.  Athletes leave the league either for financial reasons or because they can play more and dominate overseas.  They have a completely different role than they did in the NBA.  The NBA is still a great goal for many foreign players and will remain to be the ultimate platform for basketball players worldwide.  Despite the different rules, the level of play is clearly the highest and winning an NBA ring is valued more than even an Olympic medal to some ballers.

NBA Europe Live from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules