Billy Hunter, the executive director of the National Basketball Players’ Association said the players would not even get back to where they stand now financially until the last year of a 10-year collective bargaining agreement.  The present agreement ends on June 30, so time is limited the parties hope to get a deal done prior to a likely lockout.

The NBA recently proposed something it calls a flex salary cap to the players.  But the players’ union said the flex salary cap is a hard cap, not a flexible one, and the union is not interested in it.  At the moment, the salary cap issue seems to be the biggest hurdling point towards reaching a new agreement.

NBA commissioner David Stern said the flex cap places a limit on spending, but teams would still be able to go over it up to a certain point.  However, the players say there is still a spending limit that eventually comes into play.  Stern added that the players would be guaranteed at least $2 billion every year of a 10-year agreement, which is a little less than what they made this year.

Stern said a player’s average wages would be approximately $5 million and the players and owners would eventually split revenues 50-50. Right now the players are raking in 57% of revenues, and the league wants to reduce that to 54.3% over the first five years of a new deal by reducing salaries by more than $500 million. This includes an 8% cut in pay in the first year of a new agreement.  Stern didn’t say this was the league’s final offer, but did admit it is getting close.

The NBA wants to introduce a salary cap of about $62 million, but allow teams to spend more than that before reaching a limit that they can’t go over.  At the moment, there is a soft salary cap in place and clubs can exceed it as long as they pay a luxury tax when exceeding the limit.  This year’s cap was set at $58 million, but some teams, such as the Dallas Mavericks, spent more than that (well over $70 million).

The league also wanted to introduce non-guaranteed contracts, but later dropped the issue and said it would leave things the way they are now.  But the players said they have had guaranteed contracts for 40 years, so the league is not really making any large concession by dropping the issue.

There is some light at the end of the tunnel, though, as Billy Hunter feels the owners are interested in coming to an agreement and is hoping the NBA will not see its first work stoppage since back in 1998.  But the union and the league said they are still far apart and more meetings will need to take place soon to get things done in time.

The two sides have exchanged a total of 10 proposals since negotiations began and there are likely to be a couple more before a new agreement is executed.

NBA Close To First Work Stoppage Since 1998 from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Michael Lelchitski works for Sports International Group, Inc., which is also known as SIG.  The family company, based in Gaithersburg, MD, was founded by Michael’s father Boris Lelchitski in 1996 with a primary focus of representing professional female basketball players.  Today, SIG is one of the top agencies in women’s basketball, representing over 40 players in the WNBA (which amounts to roughly 30% of the league).  Prior to starting SIG, Boris was the head coach of Euroleague powerhouse Spartak in Russia.

Michael’s title at SIG is Men’s Basketball Executive Director.  He and his father launched SIG’s Men’s Basketball division in 2008 and have largely focused on recruiting and placing players in Russia, Ukraine and all the countries of the former Soviet Union.  Michael is currently the only Russian-American agent licensed with the NBPA.

SIG hopes that Ater Majok’s selection by the Lakers will be the start of a successful group of NBA clients for the company.  However, SIG wants to remain as a boutique agency in men’s basketball and not outgrow itself.

Agent Spotlight: Michael Lelchitski from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Football

• Includes failure to adequately monitor the social media activity of the team [North Carolina Receives NCAA Notice Of Allegations].
• College football players were accepting benefits under the table back in the 1940s [Pay for Pay - How one college athlete received cash or benefits while at USC].
• Supported by the competition committee [Roster sizes could be expanded during training camp].

Basketball

• Gabe Feldman is back with another “user-friendly” explanation of the issues at hand [The Legal Issues Behind the Looming NBA Lockout].
• About the NBA Draft that has become a game within the game [Fifteen Years of the NBA Draft].

Sports Business

• I am interviewed on a variety of subjects [An Agent’s Take on Lockouts, the NCAA, and Paying Athletes].

Baseball

• No above-slot signings from the 2011 Draft to date [Ranking the toughest players to sign]

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (6/24/2011) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Other than a couple kids from Kentucky (Josh Harrellson and DeAndre Liggins), the following is a comprehensive list of players selected along with their agents of record.  Do not pay too much attention to the teams listed, as a lot will change based on trades.  Based on the information that is listed below, BDA Sports, Octagon, and Creative Artists Agency each had 5 clients selected.  Priority Sports and ASM Sports each had 4 clients selected.  The real winner was Wasserman Media Group, with involvement in the representation of 7 player selected.  30 players were selected from the 6 agencies listed above, accounting for exactly half of the entire draft.

First Round

1. Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers) – Jeff Wechsler (24-7 Sports Management) – This is the first client of Wechsler’s to be drafted #1 overall.  However, Wechsler is no stranger to having 1st round clients.  He represents Larry Hughes, D.J. White, Quentin Richardson, Mike Sweetney, and used to represent Penny Hardaway – all of whom were selected in the 1st round.
2. Derrick Williams (Minnesota Timberwolves) – Rob Pelinka (Landmark Sports Agency) – Pelinka has a lot of talented clients, none larger than Kobe Bryant.  However, he also represents names like Carlos Boozer, Wesley Johnson, James Harden, Derek Fisher, and Andre Iguodala.
3. Enes Kanter (Utah Jazz) – Max Ergul – Not much info on Max Ergul; however, he does represent former Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova.
4. Tristan Thompson (Cleveland Cavaliers) – Leon Rose (Creative Artist Agency) – Leon Rose and CAA happen to represent another former #4 overall pick named Chris Paul.  The agency also represents LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade.
5. Jonas Valanciunas (Toronto Raptors) – Sarunas Broga (East Players) w/CAA – All of Broga’s clients listed on his FIBA page were born in Lithuania.
6. Jan Veseley (Washington Wizards) - Aleksandar Raskovic w/Arn Tellem – Raskovic is said to be working with Wasserman Media Group to represent Veseley in negotiations.
7. Bismack Biyombo (Charlotte Bobcats via trade) – Igor Crespo (Xpheres Basketball Management) – 6th international player taken in the 1st 7 picks of the draft.
8. Brandon Knight (Detroit Pistons) – Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group) – I wonder if Knight will get along with Tracy McGrady, who is also a Tellem client.
9. Kemba Walker (Charlotte Bobcats) – Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management) – This is the same company that recently hired Casey Close and is quickly developing a very powerful baseball division.
10. Jimmer Fredette (Sacramento Kings via trade) - Jeff Austin (Octagon) – The crew at Octagon did a tremendous job boosting the marketability of an already marketable Fredette.  Let’s see what they can do with him once he is in the NBA.
11. Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors) – Bill Duffy (BDA Sports) – I had heard back in march that Thompson was a priority for BDA Sports.
12. Alec Burks (Utah Jazz) – Andy Miller (ASM Sports) – Along with Andy Miller, Justin Zanik and Andrew Vye represent players at ASM Sports.
13. Markieff Morris (Phoenix Suns) – Tony Dutt (Rival Sports Group LLC) – I covered the interesting story about Markieff and his brother signing with Dutt and how a man named Jason Martin may have played a big role.
14. Marcus Morris (Houston Rockets) - Tony Dutt (Rival Sports Group LLC) – Just read the linked story above.
15. Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs via trade) – Brian Elfus (Impact Sports Management) - Late 2010, Elfus became a part of Impact Sports Management, which has a history of representing a multitude of football players.
16. Nikola Vucevic (Philadelphia 76ers) - Rade Filipovich (BDA Sports)
17. Iman Shumpert (New York Knicks) – Happy Walters (Rogue Sports) – Shumpert joins another Happy Walters client in New York - Amar’e Stoudemire.
    
18. Chris Singleton (Washington Wizards) – Bill Duffy (BDA Sports) – 3 BDA Sports clients taken in the top 18 picks of the draft.
19. Tobias Harris (Milwaukee Bucks via trade) – Henry Thomas (Creative Artists Agency)
20. Donatas Motiejunas (Houston Rockets via trade) – Herb Rudoy (Interperformances) – The agency also represents Manu Ginobili and other foreign born players in the NBA.
21. Nolan Smith (Portland Trailblazers) – Joel Bell (Bell Management International)
22. Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets) - Thad Foucher (Wasserman Media Group)
23. Nikola Mirotic (Chicago Bulls via trade) – Igor Crespo (Xpheres Basketball Management)
24. Reggie Jackson (Oklahoma City Thunder) - Aaron Mintz (Priority Sports)
25. MarShon Brooks (New Jersey Nets via trade) – Seth Cohen (Original Creative Representation)
26. Jordan Hamilton (Portland Trailblazers via trade) - Lee Melchionni (Wasserman Media Group)
27. JaJuan Johnson (Boston Celtics via trade) - Kevin Bradbury (BDA Sports)
28. Norris Cole (Miami Heat via trade) – Joel Bell (Bell Management International)
29. Cory Joseph (San Antonio Spurs) – Leon Rose (Creative Artists Agency)
30. Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls) - Happy Walters (Rogue Sports)

Second Round

1. Bojan Bogdanovic (Minnesota Timberwolves via trade) – Marc Cornstein (Pinnacle Management)
2. Justin Harper (Orlando Magic via trade) – Lance Young (Octagon)
3. Kyle Singler (Detroit Pistons) - Greg Lawrence (Wasserman Media Group)
4. Shelvin Mack (Washington Wizards) - Doug Neustadt (The Neustadt Group)
5. Tyler Honeycutt (Sacramento Kings) - Tony Dutt (Rival Sports Group LLC)
6. Jordan Williams (New Jersey Nets) - Andy Miller (ASM Sports)
7. Trey Thompkins (Los Angeles Clippers) - Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group)
8. Chandler Parsons (Houston Rockets) – Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports) – Go Gators!
9. Jeremy Tyler (Charlotte Bobcats) - Makhtar Ndiaye (Wasserman Media Group)
10. Jon Leuer (Milwaukee Bucks) – Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports)
11. Darius Morris (Los Angeles Lakers) – Brian Dyke (Shibumi Sports)
12. Davis Bertans (San Antonio Spurs via trade) - Marc Fleisher (Entersport)
    
13. Malcolm Lee (Chicago Bulls) - Brian Elfus (Impact Sports Management)
14. Charles Jenkins (Golden State Warriors) – Michael Lindeman (Excel Sports Management)
15. Josh Harrellson (New York Knicks via trade) – Unknown
16. Andrew Goudelock (Los Angeles Lakers) – Austin Walton (Walton Sports Management Group)
17. Travis Leslie (Los Angeles Clippers) - Andrew Vye (ASM Sports)
18. Keith Benson (Atlanta Hawks) – Leon Rose (Creative Artists Agency)
19. Josh Selby (Memphis Grizzlies) – Andy Miller (ASM Sports)
20. Lavoy Allen (Philadelphia 76ers) – Happy Walters (Rogue Sports)
21. Jon Diebler (Portland Trailblazers) –  Lance Young (Octagon)
22. Vernon Macklin (Detroit Piston) – Lance Young (Octagon)
23. DeAndre Liggins (Orlando Magic) - Unknown
24. Milan Macvan (Cleveland Cavaliers) - David Bauman (DB Hoops)
25. E’Twaun Moore (Boston Celtics) – Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports)
26. Chukwudiebere Maduabum (Los Angeles Lakers) - Ugo Udezue (BDA Sports)
27. Tanguy Ngombo (Dallas Mavericks) - Bill McCandless (Court Side)
28. Ater Majok (Los Angeles Lakers) - Michael Lelchitski (SIG Sports)
29. Adam Hanga (San Antonio Spurs) - Alex Saratsis (Octagon)
30. Isaiah Thomas (Sacramento Kings) – Byron Irvin/Dan Fegan (Lagardere Unlimited)
    

2011 NBA Draft Listing Of Players Selected And Their Agents from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The NBA draft is right around the corner and whatever number your player is picked, he’s going to have to pick up not only his game, but also his business skills, unless he wants to end up as one of the 60 percent of NBA players who are broke within five years of retirement.  Some pro athletes have it down, and I have been privileged to provide legal counsel to a number of professional athletes who have their act together.  But no matter who your player is, they each face similar issues, and what separates them is how they handle the pressure.  So before your player signs his first big shoe deal, here’s a list of business moves that he should make.

#1:       Get Extra Insurance and a Will

Your player needs to look into getting life, primary and umbrella coverage, and disability insurance, as well as a will.  While the death of your player is unlikely, it’s not unheard of, as more than 100 NBA, MLB, and NFL athletes have died during their careers.  Without a significant life insurance policy on top of the minimal one that may be provided to all players under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, death would mean financial ruin for those who will soon depend upon his income.  This is especially true if there’s a lockout, when benefits could be rescinded or suspended.  When the NFL’s Darrent Williams was murdered, the life insurance coverage provided under the league’s collective bargaining agreement was insufficient to provide for his two kids, causing the Broncos to establish a fund for fans to help provide for his kids’ futures.

Your player also needs a significant primary and umbrella liability policy, which will provide protection from the lawsuits he may be hit with now that he’s a professional.  If he’s using social media, make sure the policy covers claims like libel, which are not always included.

And since he hasn’t yet built up his bank account, a disability policy should be considered to protect him from a career-ending injury leaving him broke.  Your player may not get the same treatment as the NBA’s Jay Williams, whose contract was voided from a career-ending motorcycle injury, yet the Chicago Bulls were kind enough to pay him out.  This is especially true given the pending NBA lockout, because with no guaranteed contract available during the lockout, an injury during an informal workout or other activity could leave your player with no future income and no health insurance.

Finally, remind your player that a will likely only costs a few thousand dollars, but can prevent disastrous consequences.  For example, when the Redskins’ Sean Taylor died without a will, only his daughter inherited, leaving the rest of his relatives that had previously relied on his income with nothing.  When Steve McNair died without a will, he left his family with no access to his $19 million estate for more than a year.

#2:       Play Defense With Money

Given the high income/short career span of your pro athlete, a conservative investment approach is the way for him to get and stay rich.  Many athletes are enticed into alternative investments either by friends, family, or new acquaintances.  Unfortunately, these investments are unlikely to make 50 Cent money, so any opportunity should be vetted by an advisor who is highly qualified and, most importantly, who has no stake in the outcome.  At the very least, your player should set aside only 10 to 15 percent of his liquid net worth for these higher-risk investments.  Learn from Scottie Pippen, who went broke within six years of retirement, losing $120 million in career earnings, with $27 million lost on bad business deals.

#3:        Limit Risk on Endorsements

If your player decides to have an ownership stake in a corporation he’s endorsing, make sure that the company he’s investing in provides insurance and agrees in writing to defend legal claims on his behalf.  And if the product is high-risk, like a nutritional supplement or new-fangled sports device, make the company provide a legal opinion vetting the legality of the product and its marketing claims, since federal law says your player may be personally liable for his endorsements.  At a minimum, he should be very careful about representations he personally makes, about the product or that the company attributes to him.  Both Shaq and Lamar Odom learned this from the class-action lawsuit they are currently facing for their endorsement of Power Balance bracelets, which alleges that they should have known there was no reasonable basis for the marketing claims they made about the product’s benefits.

#4:       Add Value to an Existing Foundation

It’s likely that your player has no time, isn’t an expert in running a charitable organization, and that his pet cause is probably already being served by a qualified, well-run organization.  If true, he may be better served helping out pre-existing organizations, rather than creating his own.  There are obviously positive exceptions, like Alonzo Mourning Charities and the Steve Nash Foundation, but starting and maintaining a foundation costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and requires navigating complicated law.  In a best-case situation, it will likely be years before your player’s foundation makes a significant difference, and at worst, he’ll end up like ex-Cub Sammy Sosa, who was awarded MLB’s Roberto Clemente Man of the Year award for charity work and only one year later, his foundation faced allegations of misuse of funds.

#5:       Get His Online House in Order

Given that more Americans get their news from the Internet than from newspapers or radio, it’s critical for your player to establish an online brand.  Having a lawyer stop the online imposters and cybersquatters is a great way to start.  Ask Chris Bosh, who sued when he got tired of not being able to use his dot-com and not only won it back, but also offered to return more than 800 other cybersquatted athlete domain names to NBA players like Danny Grainger and Jared Dudley.  Ask the ex-New England Patriot Rodney Harrison, who had an imposter use his Twitter handle to pick a fight with the Jets’ Kerry Rhodes without Rhodes realizing it.  Or the Miami Dolphins’ Davone Bess, whose Twitter imposter hosted a fake chat and even got the Tennessee Titans’ Chris Johnson to agree to a footrace.

Once the brand is under control, your player needs to avoid messages that make him fodder for Deadspin and TMZ.  Every post effectively constitutes a press release, so they should be vetted carefully.  The WNBA’s Cappie Pondexter learned that lesson after her offensive Tweets about the Japan tsunami.  So did the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Rashard Mendenhall, whose four-year Champion endorsement deal was recently terminated after his offensive Bin Laden Tweets.  As did both Gilbert Arenas and Reggie Bush, when Arenas was fined by the NBA for Tweets about sexting and Bush was publicly criticized when he Tweeted how much he was enjoying the NFL lockout. And if your player is too busy to post his own messages, make sure that whoever is posting on his behalf is overly cautious.  Learn from Braylon Edwards of the New York Jets, who was sitting in jail after an arrest while someone embarrassingly tweeted, “Good Morning World!”, under his Twitter account.

#6:         Use A Corporation Properly

There is value to your player in setting up an LLC or corporation, although the true value lies in knowing what benefits the corporation actually provides and in using the corporation properly.  Many set up a corporation mistakenly thinking that it’s some sort of tax shelter, but its main purpose is actually to shield the player’s personal assets from lawsuits.  However, that protection will only be available if the player keeps the corporation in good standing with the state and observes other legal formalities, actually enters into business deals through the corporation, pays his staff via the corporation, has his cars owned by the corporation, and generally doesn’t treat the corporation like a personal piggy-bank.  While that all sounds totally obvious, more often than not, we see players fail to abide by these simple rules.

So good luck to your player on draft day.  But remember, what’s really important is not the deal they make today, but what they do over the coming years that will shape their future.

Brian Heidelberger is a partner and Chair of the Advertising, Marketing, and Entertainment Law Practice at Winston & Strawn LLP, a global law firm, and has provided legal advice to a myriad of professional athletes, including Dwayne Wade, Luol Deng, Donovan McNabb and Kevin Durant, and represented Chris Bosh in his 2009 cybersquatting case (bheidelberger@winston.com & www.winston.com/bheidelberger).

Business Moves Your NBA Player Should Make As Soon As He’s Drafted from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Darren Heitner: When did you start Walton Sports Management Group (WSMG), and what drove you to create your own company?

Austin Walton: I started Walton Sports in the middle of 2009. I decided to start WSMG at that point because I felt as though I had enough experience, the requisite contacts, and ultimately I wanted to create and run an agency according to my values and core beliefs.

Darren Heitner: How old were you when you started WSMG?  Were there a lot of people who doubted you?  What were common things that people said to you?

Austin Walton: I was 25 when I started Walton Sports, which is extremely young in this business. I have been told that I am the youngest CEO of a basketball agency and with that comes a lot of doubters. Many people thought that I should have continued to gain experience learning from others. Others thought that I would not be able to compete against big agencies for top prospects and they would use my age against me. Last, in this business where being unethical is the norm and having runners recruit for you is commonplace, people thought that it was silly for me to think that I could do this honestly and on my own essentially.

Darren Heitner: Tell us about your educational background, which includes a bachelor’s degree, Masters, and J.D.

Austin Walton: I received my Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of South Florida. Then, I went on to receive my Master’s in Sports Administration from Valparaiso University before finally getting my law degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas.

Darren Heitner: Prior to starting up WSMG you interned at Dynasty Athlete Representation and then ran its basketball division.  What would you tell others looking to break into the industry with regards to internships with an agency?

Austin Walton: I think that an internship is the only way that you can break into this business unless you were a former athlete or have countless of connections with athletes. As an intern you truly get to see how an agency is run from the inside. You get to see how hard this business truly is. It is nothing like it is portrayed on television. It is a dog-eat-dog industry and I would venture to say that after many people finish an internship they are turned off by the profession. I will say that it is very tough to break into this business, everyone wants to work in sports. You should start early and work anywhere you can in this industry.

Darren Heitner: You have placed a number of basketball players overseas.  Please describe the process you go through when seeking an opening and then pitching a player to that team.

Austin Walton: Well, I work with numerous of European agents who aide me in helping to place my players overseas. This is the most effective way, because they have formed established relationships in their country and/or region and can communicate much easier than myself with teams for numerous reasons. Now, due to my experience and the amount of players that I have been able to place overseas over the years, I have garnered many relationships with teams as well, so that helps.

Darren Heitner: Many people are reporting that one of your clients has a good chance of being selected in the 2011 NBA Draft.  Tell us a little bit about that man, Andrew Goudelock.

Austin Walton: Plain and simple Andrew Goudelock has a NBA skill. He is the BEST shooter in this year’s draft class. He has unlimited range, a quick release, flawless mechanics, and he shoots a very high percentage given the amount of three’s that he took over the course of his career at the College of Charleston. However, Andrew is not just a one-dimensional player. He has shown time and time again throughout this process that he is a scorer who can fill it up in a multitude of ways, he is one of the best athletes in the draft as evidenced by his NBA combine athletic testing scores, and he is an underrated passer and defender. On June 23rd Andrew should be a late first round pick based on the feedback that I have gotten from NBA teams. That is amazing considering the fact that he was not on a single mock draft; not one when he signed with me nor was he even in the top 100 prospects. Everyone considered him an overseas player, but I knew he was more than that. Then, he was dominant at the Portsmouth Invitational and then the New Jersey mega workout. That translated to an invitation to Chicago which allowed him to perform against the elite prospects and he performed admirably. He tested well and had the best shooting performance there over the likes of Jimmer Fredette and Klay Thompson. We worked really hard and have secured him 17 NBA workouts so that he can be seen by every team from picks 17 through 41 essentially. Now, I am confident that he goes somewhere between 23-38 overall.

Darren Heitner: Take us through the recruitment process leading up to signing Andrew Goudelock.

Austin Walton: It was a similar process to anyone that I recruit, but each client/prospect is unique in different ways. As for Drew, we have a very similar demeanor and approach. We are very confident and do not believe in backing down from a challenge. We wanted to take on the “top” prospects head on every chance that we got. From that a personality standpoint and philosophical standpoint we clicked and due to that he and his family selected me to represent him. Everything else has been history. As for my typical recruiting practices,  I do not recruit a ton of players like all of the big agencies, but the guys that I target are players that I have seen personally a bunch of times and I believe in very much. I start the process early and then show consistency throughout the entire process. I talk to them almost daily to build a relationship and show them that I will be by their side regardless. I go to watch them play a few times and then when the season is over I give them a formal presentation that talks about the agency, our plan for them if they were to sign with Walton Sports, and how we will get them to where they want to be. I am honest and straighy forward. That’s it!

Darren Heitner: How tough is it to recruit against the larger agencies?  What kind of tactics do you employ to separate yourself from the rest of the pack?

Austin Walton: I don’t think that it‘s tough recruiting against larger agencies because I know that I will sign at least 1 NBA player from here on out. I simply sell myself; I don’t have anyone else do it for me. I believe in my abilities and I am confident that I can help every kid that I recruit achieve their maximum potential and get them drafted as high as humanly possible because I know their game, make them a priority which is essential during this process because you only get one chance to make the NBA, and I have the time to dedicate myself to them because I do not represent a ton of guys like these other huge agencies. Last, I believe in them as NBA players which is why I invest in them whereas many other agencies do not push that hard for a guy who is labeled fringe player (Not a top 20-25 player) at the conclusion of his college season to make the NBA because they know how much work is required and the amount of money and time that is required. Look at what has happened with Andrew Goudelock for example, almost every big agency recruited him and they all told him that he was going to ultimately be an overseas player so he signed with me because we (him, his family and I) had a great relationship and I thought he had a legitimate shot of making the NBA and I laid out a plan for him which could make that a reality and it will be in a week. He went from a no name to be mentioned in a lot of publications as a first round pick.

Darren Heitner: Does WSMG represent anybody else who may have a shot of being drafted this year?

Austin Walton: Yes, Randy Culpepper out of UTEP has a legitimate shot of getting drafted this year. He too has had a bunch of workouts and has performed extremely well in all of them. He has gone head-to-head with Jimmer Fredette, Diante Garrett, BenHansborough, Brad Wannamaker, etc. and he was impressive in every single workout thus far. Randy is world-class athlete (43 inch vertical jump), dynamic scorer, good defender and he is an underrated passer and playmaker. At UTEP he played primarily off the ball, but he has shown in workouts that he is a scoring PG who is unguardable in the pick and roll due to his speed and athleticism. He is a very good shooter as well. With the recent success of players like J.J. Barea, Will Bynum and Nate Robinson, the NBA has a place for a diminutive scoring guard like Culpepper. He is one to watch in the last 15 picks.

Darren Heitner: Do you think that there will be a 2011-12 NBA season?  What concessions need to be made by players and owners in order for a new collective bargaining agreement to be signed before the planned start of next season?

Austin Walton: I certainly think that there will be an NBA season in 2011-12. I would expect the lockout to last no longer than the end of December. However, both sides seem to be very far apart at the moment so the next few weeks are very important. There needs to be concessions on both sides for sure. I will not get into what issues need to be dealt with because that is an entire conversation by itself, but there are many issues that need to be hashed out for the NBA to move forward.

Darren Heitner: Last, what should we expect from you and WSMG in the future?

Austin Walton: Expect very big things! Next year is going to be huge for Walton Sports. I fully expect to have a few guys drafted next season and I hope that will be a trend going forward. We only recruit who I consider to be elite athletes and high character individuals because those are the types of player’s that have long NBA careers. Hopefully, in a few years people will consider WSMG as an agency with power yet still be considered a family-based agency.

Interview With The Agent: Austin Walton from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Baseball

• This happened earlier this year. Went from Bobby Barad to Melvin Roman [Jaime Garcia Changed Agents].

Sports Business

• Where is it going to come from, how do you decide which athletes are paid, is it just in revenue-producing sports, etc.? [The Problems With Paying College Athletes]

Baseball

• Players who are hitting triple provide quite a bit of value [Properly Valuing Hit Types].

Golf

• The new breed of super agents includes Chubby Chandler [Golf's biggest players: Who are the super agents running the game?].

Football

• July 1 certainly seems like a key date [Is the UFL the real winner of the NFL lockout?]
• John Phillips calls Rosenhaus a “toybox” and “an ATM Machine” [Drew Rosenhaus- Dissecting the Self Proclaimed "Shark"]
• I wrote about Florida’s attempt to protect itself from this on our sister site, ChangeLegal.com [NFL players prefer pursuing workers’ compensation claims in California].
• Take a look at those legal fees! [Yet another reason to bench the lawyers]

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (6/17/2011) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Football

• The New England Patriots follow draft prospects on Twitter as part of the scouting process [Quick-hit thoughts around NFL & Pats].
• Particular focus on item 7. Will the players stay unified during the lockout? [Ruling in favor of NFL, lockout extension set up key June decision]
• The Houston Texans have more players on Twitter than any other team [Twitter sense for NFL players].

Baseball

• The Rays have 12 of the first 89 picks in the 2011 Draft and 10 of the first 60 [Rays readying to make most of Draft bounty].
• Agents have a vested interest to fight implementation of a slotting system [Sides dig in for battle over slotting in draft].
• Boras says that Eric Hosmer will have his own market [Boras shoots down idea of Royals locking up Hosmer].

Basketball

• Eric Goodwin makes sure to mention his previous work with LeBron and Dwight [Kevin Durant's Marketability On The Rise].

Sports Business

• PAFI stands for the Professional Athlete Franchise Initiative [Sports agents team with PAFI to prepare clients for career transition].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (5/20/2011) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Shelvin Mack’s agent selection process was fun to watch.  On May 9, 2011, I noted that he had narrowed the agencies down to three: Octagon, The Neustadt Group, andASM Sports.  Each group had plans to visit Mack and his family in Louisville, Kentucky.  One week later, and Mack has made his decision.  He will be represented by Doug Neustadt of The Neustadt Group leading up to the 2011 NBA Draft.

Neustadt emerged victorious even though he was up against two juggernauts for the right to represent Mack.  ASM recently took a blow in the New York Times, which was probably brought up by Neustadt and Octagon in discussions with Mack and his family.  But Neustadt, the former Octagon employee, was able to beat out his former boss when it mattered most.  Along with Mack, Neustadt is representing Chris Wright, who just finished his senior season at Georgetown.

Mack and Wright are joined by Steve Novak, Boras Diaw, and Jonas Jerebko as Neustadt clients.  Compare that to Octagon’s laundry list that includes Rudy Gay, Kirk Hinrich, Wesley Matthews, Stephen Curry, and Landry Fields.  Victory for Neustadt.

Shelvin Mack Makes His Decision: Doug Neustadt from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Brandon Knight surprised a lot of people when he declared that he would keep his name in the 2011 NBA Draft.  Knight is a very smart, talented basketball player, but many believe there is still a lot of room for Knight to develop as a true point guard.  Even with that in mind, Knight is a guaranteed lottery pick and may be selected with one of the top 5 picks of the Draft.

Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group will do his best to convince general managers that Brandon Knight deserves to be the #1 pick overall.  He has experience representing a point guard who was selected #1 overall; Tellem represents Derrick Rose, the 2011 NBA Most Valuable Player.

Tellem does not have a history of representing many former University of Kentucky players, but neither do any other agents.  However, Derrick Rose played under Coach Calipari at Memphis; Coach Cal is now the coach at Kentucky.  Tellem does represent the Big Cat (Jamaal Magloire), who is a former Kentucky Wildcat currently playing with the Miami Heat.

Brandon Knight Chooses Arn Tellem Of Wasserman Media Group from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules