• Kelenna Azubuike – Mike Higgins (The Higgins Group)
• Eric Bledsoe – Leon Rose (Creative Artists Agency)
• Keith Bogans – Michael Harrison
• DeMarcus Cousins – John Greig (SportsTalent)
• Chuck Hayes – Calvin Andrews (BDA Sports)
• Jamaal Magloire – Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group)
• Nazr Mohammed - Mike Higgins (The Higgins Group)
• Jodie Meeks – Unrepresented
• Daniel Orton – Ara Vartanian (Vartanian/Simmons Sports Management)
• Patrick Patterson – Odell McCants (Capitol Sports Management)
• Tayshaun Prince – Bill Duffy (BDA Sports)
• Rajon Rondo - Bill Duffy (BDA Sports)
• John Wall – Dan Fegan (Lagardere Unlimited)

Many people expected John Wall to sign with Leon Rose of CAA last year based on Coach Calipari’s supposed cozy relationship with Rose and his buddy William Wesley (who now has an official position as a Coach Agent with CAA).  However, as noted above, Wall signed with Dan Fegan.  Does that give agents outside of CAA hope to recruit effectively at a school with Coach Cal at the helm?  BDA Sports has a few UK graduates, as does Mike Higgins.  Odell McCants jumped on the scene last year with Patrick Patterson.  Will he be able to leverage that relationship to get more UK blue blood?  Enes Kanter was supposed to play at Kentucky this year, but had to sit out due to an NCAA ruling.  Expect him to be a lottery pick.  Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight may also be lottery picks if either or both decide to leave early.  They are both very talented Freshman that can certainly improve their Draft stocks if they stick around at UK; however, based on their potential, they both will be sure first rounders if they leave early.  My hunch is that at least Knight sticks around at least one more year.

Agent Selection Scenarios: Kentucky 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

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

Rajon Rondo, the six-foot point guard for the Boston Celtics, has captured the worlds attention. The publicity he is getting is both positive and negative. The positive side being his performance with the Celts. In four seasons with Boston, Rondo has played in 239 games and has a .481 FG%, .271 3PT%, and a .635 FT%. However, he has recently been the target of criticism for being late to practice and for his overly physical play.

Whether troubled or not, the Celtics have decided that they want Rondo in their future and have signed him to a 5-year, $55 million extension. Rondo is often compared to San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker. Here is how Rondo stacks up to Parker:

Rajon Rondo (2006-Present) – 239 G, .481 FG%, .271 3P%, .635 FT%, 1396 Assists, 416 Steals, 32 Blocks, and 2294 Points

Tony Parker (2006-Present) - 221 Games, .519 FG%, .315  3P%, .795 FT%, 1343 Assists, 206 Steals, 19 Blocks, and 4354 Points

Parker is slated to make $12.6 million this season and $13.5 million next season.

Ron”dough” Cashes In from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The young Celtics PG has improved his regular season averages significantly each year in the NBA and in his third year averaged 11.9ppg, 5.3rpg and 8.2apg. However, Rondo truly proved his worth when it counts most, in the playoffs. With Kevin Garnett sidelined, Rondo stepped up and almost averaged a triple double in the Celtics series with the Bulls and Magic, by posting 17.6 points per game, 9.7 rebounds per game and 9.8 assists per game, and adding 2.5 steals per game.

After such a stellar playoff performance, Rondo seemed to be a cornerstone of the Celtics franchise, however some in the organization questioned his leadership as well as his attitude. It was then rumored that Rondo was being shopped around in potential off-season trades by Celtics GM Danny Ainge. Without the extension, Rondo would have became a restricted free agent this summer.

As the deadline approached, it looked as if there was a chance that the extension would not get done in time. The Celtics and Rondo’s agent, Bill Duffy, were afforded an extra few days to hash out this deal due to the fact that the Oct. 31st deadline fell on a Saturday, and therefore was moved to midnight of the next business day. Fortunately for Celtics fans, the organization improved their offer and Rondo signed hours before the deadline on Monday.

Rajon Rondo Signs A $55 Million Extension from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules