This year, many agents had their eyes on two players who were certain to be leaving Gainesville to hopefully go play in the NBA: Chandler Parsons and Vernon Macklin.  Macklin has not yet chosen his agent.  Yesterday, Parson’s chose his.  Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports is in charge of making sure that Parsons trains hard up until Draft Day and puts himself in the best position to be as high of a draft pick as possible.

Priority Sports has been interested in Parsons for a very long time, but so have a few other agencies.  Wasserman Media Group, Lagardere Unlimited, and ASM Sports were all pitching the former Gator.  For a long time, rumor had it that Parsons was choosing between Lagardere Unlimited and Priority Sports, but just yesterday, I heard that Justin Zanik of ASM Sports (the company that also represents Taurean Green and Marreese Speights) might have been the man in 2nd place.  Either way, the only thing that matters is that Parsons is now a Priority Sports client, and I have no doubt that he will be represented well by Mark Bartelstein and his team of agents.

Priority emerged from the pack based on the company’s close relationship with Coach Billy Donovan, representation of former Gator David Lee, and the amount of attention Parsons received from various people at Priority over the years.

Chandler Parsons Signs With Priority Sports For Representation 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

• 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

• Mike Conley, Jr. – BDA Sports (Mike Conley, Sr.). Averaging roughly 14 points per game for the Grizzlies.
• Othello Hunter – David Lee Services (David Lee). Hunter is currently playing in the Lega Basket Serie A in Italy for Dinamo Basket Sassari.
• Ron Lewis – Unknown – last listed with Jason Levien. Playing in the NBL (Czech Basketball League) for CEZ Basketball Nymburk.
• B.J. Mullens – ASM Sports (Andy Miller). Currently on the Tulsa 66ers D-League roster.
• Greg Oden – BDA Sports (Mike Conley, Sr.). Plagued by knee injuries.
• Michael Redd – Kevin Poston. Expected to return from injury around March 21.
• Kosta Koufos – Mark Termini Associates (Mark Termini)
• Daequan Cook – BDA Sports (Mike Conley, Sr.). Getting limited playing time for the Thunder.
• Evan Turner – FAME (David Falk).

Termini has some serious Cleveland, Ohio roots, having gone to law school at Cleveland State University and worked in the Cleveland Cavaliers front office.  He also represented Jim Jackson.  But Mike Conley, Sr. is the main around campus.  However, all three of his clients listed above were a part of the same draft class.  Oden and Cook were tight with his son, who he also represents.  Will Conley, Sr. once again try to get in with the OSU draft eligible players in 2011, or will Termini, Andy Miller, or some other agent get in on the action? David Falk has been very selective in his recruiting since coming back to the business.  If he goes after anyone at OSU this year, it will be Sullinger.

Jared Sullinger will likely be a top 5 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.  The Freshman is very likely to leave after this year.  William Buford is a talented shooting guard, but he still has one year left before graduation.  Will he leave early and select an agent?  Last, David Lighty, the senior shooting guard, has a good shot of being drafted, and could be selected in the upper half of the second round.

Agent Selection Scenarios: Ohio State Basketball 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

Amidst all the news about Lebron’s “decision” and the dream-team being created in Miami, another organization 2,500 miles away is attempting to finally breathe life into their club that once, long ago, had 6 playoff appearances and 1 championship in 7 years – the Golden State Warriors.

At the forefront of this impetus is current Boston Celtics part owner and partner at the private equity fund KPCB, Joseph Lacob.  Lacob, now the primary owner of the Golden State W’s, shelled out a record-breaking $450 million to purchase the team on July 15.  He must have been in a Golden State of mind with concurring pockets.  Lacob’s partner in crime (if you liken spending that much money on the team that holds the NBA’s second worst record for the past 15 years to a felony) will be Mandalay Entertainment’s Chairman and CEO, Peter Guber.  Guber has been in the entertainment industry for over 30 years, producing films such as Batman, The Color Purple, and Rain Man.  Hopefully, the new owners of the Bay Area’s finest can stop the horror flick that fans have had to watch for the past few decades at Oracle Arena.

Previous owner, Christopher J. Cohan, compiled a whopping 2 winning seasons and 1 trip to the playoffs since he assumed ownership in 1995.  Seems like not such a tough act to follow.  But with the Raiders’ horrendous performances and the A’s lack of a World Series appearance in 20 years, the pressure is mounting for somebody, anybody, to be the savior of Oakland sports.  Perhaps it could be the Warriors.  The W’s need some W’s.

The new ownership of the Warriors is a giant step in the right direction for the organization as a whole.  Although Lacob was only part-owner of the Celtics, and it is not clear exactly how much he influenced the team’s operations, Boston is a club that has given a lot of control to their head coach, Doc Rivers.  Golden State’s Don Nelson, the second winningest coach in NBA history, seems to have been denied such privileges during his tenure at Golden State.  Just before the sale of the team, there was a deal on the table to send Monta Ellis to Memphis for O.J. Mayo and Hasheem Thabeet.  Apparently, Nelson wasn’t even consulted, and the trade did not happen, even though a source claims the head coach would have urged for that deal “in a heartbeat.”  Perhaps if he stays, Nelson can regain more control over the roster and improve his 103-143 record from his past 3 seasons with the team.

Additionally, Peter Guber could immensely aid the marketing and recognition of the team with his creativity and business acumen.  If anything, the flashy big-screen introductions and light shows courtesy of Mandalay will actually give fans a reason to show up to the games (which now have reduced ticket prices for the upcoming 2010-2011 season).

It also seems to be a good sign that new majority owner Lacob has received a lot from the State of California, earning his bachelors degree at U of Cal at Irvine, his Masters degree at UCLA, and his M.B.A. at Stanford.  Perhaps he will give back and invest a little more into a community that he has grown up in and seen struggle athletically in the past.

With a sharp shooting guard in Stephan Curry and newly acquired threats Dorell Wright and David Lee (who was one of only three players to average 20 points and 10 boards a game last year), the Warriors seem to be moving a direction opposite from which they came – up.  Dare to dream Oakland natives, that the Larry O’Brien trophy will reside once again next year in the great state of California, but not in Los Angeles.

A Bright Moment For The Golden State from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

It’s July 1st.  Basketball junkies have been waiting for this day for quite some time.  Their favorite teams can start talking to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh…for the past year, we have been doing all the talking for those teams.  Those three players are getting the most hype out of this ridiculous class of free agents, and they are all represented by the same agency, Creative Artists Agency, for negotiations related to their NBA contracts.  The task of representation is split between Leon Rose and Henry Thomas, and we all know about the variety of others who will make their presence known.

But LeBron, Wade, and Bosh are not the only talented free agents available, and the other players are not represented by CAA.  Let’s take a look at some of the other big agencies and who they will be negotiating on behalf of in this exciting offseason.

• Wasserman Media Group – Arn Tellem is the primary agent at WMG, but he will have BJ Armstrong, Bob Meyers, Dan Tobin, et al. to help him with finding Joe Johnson, Jermaine O’Neal, Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O’Neal, and Mike Miller a home.  After LeBron, Wade, and Bosh, Johnson seems to be the name that journalists are focusing on.
• Priority Sports – Mark Bartelstein is to Priority as Tellem is to WMG, but Bartelstein also has very able agents in Brad Ames and Aaron Mintz.  They will be focusing on David Lee and Brad Miller.  I love to see what David Lee has become in the NBA after not really living up to his expectations at the University of Florida.
• Immortal Sports – Happy Walters is the owner of the agency now known as Immortal Sports.  His big client for this free agency period is Amare Stoudemire, who along with Boozer, could be interesting pick-ups for a contending team.
• Landmark Sports Agency – Speaking of Carlos Boozer, he is represented by Rob Pelinka.  Pelinka will also be busy working the phones for Channing Frye.

There are other free agents who will gather interest, including Al Harrington, who is represented by Dan Fegan of Lagardere Unlimited.  And there are also some interesting restricted free agent names.  July should be a fun month.

It’s July 1st, Do You Know Where Your Favorite NBA Free Agent Is? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

With the lack of big name free agents, the conservative salary cap projections for next year, and the well publicized salary cap cutting for the summer of 2010, this NBA off-season has not been the most exciting. However, one of the more intriguing free agent stories of the summer has been that of the New York Knicks and their restricted free agents David Lee and Nate Robinson.

In any negotiation, it is all about leverage. As an agent you need leverage mostly in the form of a player’s productivity, his overall value to the team and interest from other teams. This off-season’s climate has made Mark Bartelstein and Aaron Goodwin’s (Lee and Robinson’s respective agents), job significantly more difficult. Both players had the most productive season of their careers, with Robinson averaging 17ppg, winning his second dunk title and finishing third in Sixth Man voting, and Lee averaging 16ppg and 11.7rpg and finishing the year with an NBA best 66 double-doubles. Interestingly enough, neither player received an offer sheet from any other NBA team.

With the likes of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, etc. hitting the open market next summer, NBA GM’s are simply not willing to offer players long term deals and tie up valuable cap space. Players like Lee and Robinson, who in other circumstances may have cashed in on the free agent market after a productive year, are now being forced into accepting one year deals.

So with no other offers on the table for their players and no acceptable sign-and-trade agreements to be had, both agents were left with few options. It looked as if the Knicks would be able to get away with giving both players one year deals for their “qualifying offer”, $2.6 million for Lee and $2.9 million for Robinson. However, Donnie Walsh signed Lee for $7 million and Robinson for $4 million. Bartlestein himself even seemed surprised and deemed the deals “unprecedented”.  We can only speculate on the nature of the negotiations, but Walsh a 20 year NBA front office veteran, certainly would not have overpaid out of generosity.

While they were unable to secure the long term deals that they hoped for, both agents were able to land their clients one year deals exceeding their qualifying offers, and they will be eligible for the significantly more lucrative free-agent market next year. The Knicks also were able to retain two of their most productive players from last year, who are familiar with the system and will help them stay competitive, without having to cut into next year’s cap space.

Perhaps more importantly, they are also able to retain their two most marketable stars, both of whom are fan favorites and significant sources of revenue. Robinson and Lee’s jerseys were the # 10 and 14 best selling for the 2008-2009 season according to an NBA press release in January. Their marketability certainly must have helped make Mr. Walsh feel a little more generous with the Knicks checkbook. After all, someone has to help sell season tickets before LeBron and/or D-Wade arrive.

Attractive Free Agents, Unattractive Market from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The Knickerbockers already have the sixth pick in the draft and would love to be able to pick back to back so early in the draft.  The Knicks are looking to go young and get new faces in the City.  After bringing in Coach D’Antoni and with the many high priced contracts the Knicks have on the team, the loss of Lee and Rose could be beneficial to the Knicks in the future.  The Knicks are looking for a fresh team with new faces to make a new start and to allow fans to forget about the past four seasons.  With a new coach and a new president, Donny Walsh, the Knicks are hoping the new faces can mesh with the old faces to combine for some more wins.

Mock draft boards have Freshman phenom Kevin Love, as the #5 pick, going to the Grizzlies.  The Knicks are looking at either K-Love, Danilo Gallinari, Eric Gordon, or Russell Westbrook as probable #5 and 6 picks.  They would love to see O.J. Mayo drop in the draft, and with the most recent allegations about him receiving money (apparently over $30,000) from Rodney Guillory, anything is possible.

If the Knicks do trade Lee to the Grizzlies, Kevin Love is certainly a serious candidate to replace him.  They both have similar games and would fit into the Knicks new style with D’Antoni.  Both can shoot from the outside and play close to the bucket.  The Knicks have such a high team salary that the loss of Lee this year could be good for them.  The former Florida Gator has one year left on his contract worth around $8 million. He has been playing well for the Knicks and with his experience in the league, will likely demand more money than that next year as a free agent.  The past several years, the player going #5 has made less than $8 million which will certainly help the Knicks with their salary situation, however the addition of Brian Cardinal’s $13 million dollar salary would definitely make the deal seem less sweet.  The difference in contracts between Cardinal and a #5 pick rookie, and Rose and Lee comes out to around $5 million dollars. As we all know, spending more money is something New York is used to and not afraid of doing.

These are only rumors, and no formal trades have been offered yet, but Knicks fans can only speculate and look forward to a new season with a lot of new faces.

Love-in New York from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules