The NBA finals are just around the corner, and although it looks to be an entertaining series, we all know it’s just something to keep us busy until the long awaited 2010 Free Agency. Where is LeBron going to play next year? Who will run the floor with D-Wade? Where are Bosh and his YouTube antics going to land? All great questions, but none of which can be answered until the NBA finals are done and over with. In all honesty, the NBA finals are going to be great. It is a matchup with so much fire, ability, and best of all, predisposed hatred. The Celtics and Lakers have met 11 times in the NBA finals (the Celtics have taken 9 of those matchups), and the 12^th time looks to be a great series. Let’s take a look, piece by piece, at the series that looms in the balance.

Point Guard:

To tell you the truth, I don’t think I need to say much here. The point guard matchup pins 95-year-old Derek Fisher against the one of the league’s best up and coming stars in Rajon Rondo. Rondo has the clear advantage with his ability to do almost everything (except shoot from this outside), in this matchup, but do not underestimate the leadership ability of Derek Fisher. Fisher has been to this stage many times, and provides a poised leadership presence on the floor for this Laker team.

Winner: Rajon Rondo

Shooting Guard:

The shooting guards for these two teams play extremely different roles in the scheme of their respective gameplans. Kobe IS the Lakers. His killer mentality and unparalleled skill has taken him to heights unimaginable. He is easily one of the best players to ever step onto the hardwood, and some argue he could go down as the best ever. Ray Ray on the other hand is more of a role player in the Celtics scheme. His stroke from the outside is absolutely gorgeous and his consistency on that shot is a huge plus for the Celtics. As much as Ray Ray does for the Celtics, it’s pretty much a no-brainer here…

Winner: Kobe Bryant aka the Black Mamba

Small Forward:

The matchup at small forward is a very intriguing one. It pins a defensive minded bruiser in Ron Artest against the fluid and extremely effective, yet slow moving animal that is Paul Pierce. Artest has been very up and down these playoffs, even getting into a small war of words with the Zen Master himself. His shot has struggled, but with a player like Artest, he can always fall back on his defense and defer on the offensive end. Pierce has also been a little up and down, but for the most part he has, as always, picked his spots on the court and has been an effective player whenever on the hardwood. He has continually stepped up in trying situations, and for that reason, the C’s have an advantage at the 3-spot. Although I am giving the advantage to the C’s, do not underestimate Artest’s ability to diffuse the fire that is Paul Pierce’s offensive game. This battle will be a great one to watch.

Winner: Paul “I need a wheelchair” Pierce

Power Forward:

Of all the matchups, this is by far the best on the court. It does not get much better than a matchup of Kevin Garnett vs. Pau Gasol. KG has been great these playoffs. He has played with the passion that got him his first championship in 2008, and has done whatever is necessary to win. He has brought back the nasty fighting mentality to the Celtics that was missing in last year’s playoff run. KG has a spectacular skill set. He has the ability to handle the ball within fifteen feet of the rim, and has one of the best midrange jump shots for a 7-footer. His tenacity on the defensive end and the boards is a great asset for the Celtics. Pau is also an unbelievable specimen. At times in this postseason, he has carried the Lakers. He has the ability to put up 30 and 15 on any given night. His back-to-the-basket game has improved greatly over the past few years, and he now has one of the most effective post games in the league. He has also been great on the offensive boards this postseason. With rumors that Kobe’s body is tired enough to the point where he is no longer going through full practices, Pau is easily the most important person on the team after Kobe. The Spaniard is going to have to play a major role in this Finals series, and I think he is up to the task.

Winner: Pau Gasol

Center:

The center matchup is a matchup of two big-men in the middle. Both have the job of altering shots on the defensive end, boarding on the offensive and defensive end, and setting picks in the high screen and role. I’m going to have to give the advantage here to the Celtic’s, mainly because Bynum is battling knee issues. In the past week, Bynum had his knee drained of fluid, and it is rumored that his knee has already filled back up. The real question is…Will Bynum even play in the Finals, and if he does, will he even be effective?

Winner: Kendrick Perkins

Bench:

The Lakers feature a bench of Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, Shannon Brown, and Josh Powell. The Celtics feature a bench comprised of Big Baby Davis, Rasheed Wallace, Tony Allen, Nate Robinson, Marquis Daniels, and Michael Finley.  Both teams get great production from their benches, but there is one thing that sticks out when I watch the Celtics play. Not one person on that team is scared to take a big shot. At any given time, any player on the court is ready to play and ready to sacrifice their bodies for the good of the game.

Winner: Celtics

Coach:

Phil “The Zen Master” Jackson is obviously one of the greatest coaches of all time. He loves playing head games with his opposition, as fans have  seen this postseason. He has already begun talking about his next opponent in the Celtics. The triangle offense has proven to be extremely successful. On the other sideline, we have Doc Rivers. Doc, in his own right, is also an extremely successful coach. His ability to get his players to dedicate themselves to play great defense has allowed his teams to continually be successful. He has the uncanny ability to get his players to buy into his system and to trust one another. The Celtics are truly a team.

Winner: Phil Jackson, but with Doc as a very close second

Verdict: We’ve now taken a look at the upcoming Finals matchup and it’s time to come to a final verdict. I personally believe that the Celtics dedication to defense is going to slow down the game a bit, and ultimately play into the Celtics favor. All post-season, there has been talk about how the Lakers front line is so long, but with Bynum ailing, this is going to push Pau to the 5 and Odom will fill in at the 4. Although this is still a big front line, I believe that Celtics have the size to counter. With a starting front line of Garnett and Perkins and a rotating bench of Big Baby and Rasheed, the Celtics have plenty of size to win the Battle down low. All in all, I seem to feel that the Celtics are going to take this series, but not without a great fight from the Lakers. The Celtics struggled in the second half of the season, but now with everybody healthy, they are, as in 2008, looking like a team of destiny. This is their last chance at a championship with this team, and it looks like they are going to bring one back to Boston, with Rondo holding the Finals MVP trophy.

NBA Finals Preview from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

It makes sense that major West Coast agencies continue to grow.  Creative Artists Agency was a player in the entertainment world well before it started buying out the largest sports agents/agencies.  It figured that its existing model and connections could bring in more revenue than those entities had been receiving in the past.  It seems to be doing quite well with that business plan.  Another company with broad entertainment connections for its clients is Wasserman Media Group.  I don’t know when agent Arn Tellem finds time to sleep, with his enormous list of clients in professional basketball and football.  He probably receives over one-hundred calls per day from GMs, reporters, and clients, and still finds time to go on the recruiting trail and find new business.  He also keeps his current clients happy, and seems to have a strong connection to the entertainment world through his wife, Nancy Tellem.  Nancy is the President of CBS and is in charge of all of its television programming.

Quite the power couple, and it definitely benefits Arn’s clients.  Recently, Pau Gasol made an appearance on CSI: Miami.  Last year, Gasol and Jordan Farmar appeared on NUMB3RS.  Both shows are on CBS, both players are clients of Arn Tellem and WMG.  Gasol and Farmar are not the biggest names in the game of basketball, but both of them are playing in Los Angeles, so it is natural for them to want a piece of the limelight.

Want to be a MAJOR player in this industry?  Better start cultivating those connections in the entertainment industry, as well.

Sports & Entertainment? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

My colleague Douglas Sanders with The Sports Link introduced me to the new service, which strives to make it easier for athletes to connect with their fans by providing “text only once, but update fans everywhere” convenience.  If an athlete sends a text message to MogoTXT, MogoTXT can automatically forward that message to the athlete’s fans on MogoTXT, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and all other websites.

Terrell Owens, Shane Battier, Chris “Beanie” Wells, Santonio Holmes, Jordan Farmar, and even Mr. Holdout, Michael Crabtree, are on board, along with many more athletes and rising journalists.  Some entities use the service more than others.  T.O. is updating the world on his life almost every second of the day…Beanie Wells, not so much.

In addition to providing ease and convenience to athletes, MogoTXT is able to aggregate the fans of an athlete that are located on several different websites into a single large audience to enable the athlete to achieve critical mass much faster for purposes of fan relations, marketing, advertising, etc.  The theory is that the service will empower athletes and their agents to strike better endorsement deals by enhancing athletes’ reach and providing marketing data.

MogoTXT can also facilitate revenue generation for athletes and their selected charities by working with athletes and their agents to feature desirable ads and clickable links to additional content and ads at the bottom of the athletes’ text messages before these messages are displayed on MogoTXT and also distributed to fans on all of the major social networks.

And for the Yao Mings and Kobe Bryants with huge international appeal, MogoTXT can also translate the messages into foreign languages on a near real-time basis.

Best of all, the service is free for its clients and their fans.

Reach Everybody With One Text from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Dynasty has cultivated strong bonds with companies that range from providing private jets, to bodyguards, to training facilities.  Another area that we have forged strong bonds is in athlete relocation.  Athletes are constantly on the move.  One second they have a stable job at X team.  The next day, they find their names on the transaction wire because they were traded or released.  There are a few companies that have stepped in to ease the process of moving.  Dynasty is lucky to be on friendly terms with two of them.

The Dingman Group, headed by Chris Dingman, matches athletes with a real estate expert from their distinguished Nationwide Family, and ensures a seamless and successful relocation. Whether the need is to sell, purchase or lease a home, Chris’ priority is to recommend a sound financial decision while providing the highest level of service and attention.  The real estate experts are pre-screened and interviewed to ensure they possess a track record of excellence and the skills necessary to enable a smooth transition.  The service provided does not cost the athlete a penny.

Sport Star Relocation, headed by Ed Kaminsky, offers very similar services as The Dingman Group.  Additionally, its lending branch can arrange discounted loans for athletes and executives almost anywhere in the U.S.  Kaminsky is listed in the top 100 real estate agents in the country.  Sport Star Relocation and Mr. Kaminsky were recently highlighted in a video clip showing an L.A. house to our boy, Jordan Farmar.

Relocating Your Clients from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Football

• The Cowboys are committed to having strong DBs to cover the WRs on the Giants [Pro Bowl safety Hamlin gets guaranteed $15M in new contract].
• Flacco signed in time to fight for the starting job in training camp [Agent: First-round pick Flacco agrees to contract with Baltimore].

Sports Law

• Can we take anything away from the Rich Rod settlement? [Final thoughts on WVU v. Rodriguez]
• I would not mind negotiating a broadcasting deal for my client…or myself [Lawyers get in the game of sports broadcasting].

Sports Business

• Track stars get endorsements too! [Fort Lauderdale sprinter Dix signs deal with Nike].
• I hope he’s not a die-hard Zephyrhills drinker… [Evian Serves Up an Ace With Frank Dancevic Endorsement].
• Josh Hamilton is decently marketable [Josh Hamilton: Will The Endorsement Deals Come Now?].

Baseball

• Have the Brewers accepted a short-term financial loss in exchange for a long-term financial gain? [Sabathia deal makes dollars and sense]
• The Giants handed out the largest bonus ever for a Latin American hitter, excluding Cuban defectors [Giants Set Record For Rodriguez].
• Greg Genske is pushing for the MLBPA to intervene and move his client back up to the big league [Agent wants players' union to investigate Twins' call-up snub of Liriano].

Basketball

• Heat…check.  Celtics…check.  Hornets…check? [Posey signs $25 million contract with Hornets].

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

• Agents should start making sure their clients are financially responsible [Why Athletes go broke?].
• Danilo Gallinari may want to stick in Italy if he thinks that NY and NJ are full of nice people [Jersey Or Bust].
• The Yankees are not afraid of Boras [Yankees Tap Agent Scott Boras’ Talent Pool In MLB Draft].
• 23rd overall pick, Allan Dykstra, accepted a $1.4 million signing bonus [Padres Agree To Terms With Thier Top Draft Pick, Plan Spending Spree In Dominican].
• T.O. is willing to pay the $769,120 he owes to the Eagles in cash…or even pennies [Terrell Owens to repay Eagles].
• Plaxico thinks he’s undervalued [Unhappy with deal, Burress refuses to practice; Shockey shows up].
• While one Will Smith is hoping to make some good money from Hancock the other Smith has secured himself at least $26 million over the next six years [Smith will receive $26 million guaranteed in new deal with Saints].
• Once Calvin Johnson’s NFL career is up, the PBA will be calling [Johnson rolls in tournament].
• It enhances sex, sports, and soon it will be found to increase your SAT score [Why Viagra is a great workout partner for athletes].

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