Player Agents (Plug them Into Lawyer Jokes?)

[wizenheimer]

I was thinking specifically about Goodwin because of the Dame situation, but this could apply to all player agents. Now, I've seen Goodwin getting a pass in national media because he supposedly is only doing what his client wants.

but I'm wondering if the situation is that simple. So I'll state what it is I think I know and people can correct my bad assumptions

* player agents have the percentage they get from player contracts capped by the NBA by CBA rules. IIRC the cap was in the 3-4% range

* but there is no cap on the percentage they get for landing their clients endorsement deals. That's between the player and the agent

now, is there any doubt that the quantity and quality of endorsement deals would be better in Miami, South Florida, Florida, and the east coast than in Portland and the Pacific Northwest? And that the deals would be greater for a player making deep playoff runs in the east, than a player potentially bowing out of the playoffs earlier in the west?

which in turn makes me wonder if Goodwin wasn't just saying "whatever you want me to do Dame" but instead was active in convincing Dame to head east because Goodwin had lots of incentive to do so?

to be clear, this isn't to excuse some of the things Dame has done since he asked out. It is to wonder about who was whispering in Dame's ears and what their motivations might have been. Also, to open up an opportunity for Agent Jokes

'how many agents does it take to screw a light bulb?'

 

[SharpesTriumph]

So your implying Goodwin is going against Dame's best interest to grab extra cash for himself?

I don't buy any chance of that being an aspect of this. I think Goodwin is working entirely in what he believes is Dame's best interest. I don't think Dame is motivated by financial considerations; if larger market endorsement deals were a big aspect of this he would've left Portland long ago.

 

[Natebishop3]

I think agents have way way way too much power in the NBA.

I'm not sure what can be done... they have already pretty much streamlined the contracts. There's only so much you can really negotiate if you're a superstar.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

I think agents have way way way too much power in the NBA.

I'm not sure what can be done... they have already pretty much streamlined the contracts. There's only so much you can really negotiate if you're a superstar.

If there weren't agents you'd just have players or players family with the same power. Its not the agents, its that a superstar can have such a huge impact to a franchise.

I'm fine with agents. Its probably very good that Cronin for example can tell the agent what the team likes and doesn't like about their players or why they might not offer them something, if there weren't agents it would be very hard to discuss that without being rude or pissing off the player. The agent can communicate it in a more constructive way to his/her client.

A massive aspect of Cronin or any GM's job is being able to successfully work with and negotiate with agents. If a GM can't do that they won't succeed.

 

[Natebishop3]

its that a superstar can have such a huge impact to a franchise.

The NBA did this. That was by design while David Stern was the commish.

They created this superstar league and now it's biting them in the ass. The players have too much power.

What can the league do to fix it? Stop giving out superstar calls. Plain and simple. Start calling traveling and carries on players like Ja. Stop calling any contact on a superstar. We already saw it with Wemby just a few days ago. You can already tell that they're going to coddle the hell out of him. They manufactured these stars because they made a ton of money off Michael Jordan, and now it's a league of stars and not a league of teams.

I remember getting a video game back in the day that was Blazers vs Bulls on the cover. That would never happen now. Every cover of NBA2k is a star. The league doesn't push team rivalries anymore. It's always LeBron vs Steph or Butler vs Tatum etc etc etc.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

The NBA did this. That was by design while David Stern was the commish.

They created this superstar league and now it's biting them in the ass. The players have too much power.

What can the league do to fix it? Stop giving out superstar calls. Plain and simple. Start calling traveling and carries on players like Ja. Stop calling any contact on a superstar. We already saw it with Wemby just a few days ago. You can already tell that they're going to coddle the hell out of him. They manufactured these stars because they made a ton of money off Michael Jordan, and now it's a league of stars and not a league of teams.

I remember getting a video game back in the day that was Blazers vs Bulls on the cover. That would never happen now. Every cover of NBA2k is a star. The league doesn't push team rivalries anymore. It's always LeBron vs Steph or Butler vs Tatum etc etc etc.

I just don't see it that way, refs are fine. Superstars are a thing because there are only 5 players on the court and in the playoffs they can play 40+ mpgs. The best 15 players in the world have a crazy large impact on winning in the NBA compared to the NFL with 22 starters. Superstars in the NBA aren't a thing just because of NBA policies. Marbury dominated in oversees leagues, Luka won in Europe as a kid, etc. Superstars are great because of their skill on the court, because of their dominance in a 5 man game.

We see stars like Westbrook, Iverson, Kemp, etc go from productive players to shit contributors very quickly; thats from losing their game, not the NBA deciding to pivot to different people.

 

[Natebishop3]

I just don't see it that way, refs are fine. Superstars are a thing because there are only 5 players on the court and in the playoffs they can play 40+ mpgs. The best 15 players in the world have a crazy large impact on winning in the NBA compared to the NFL with 22 starters. Superstars in the NBA aren't a thing just because of NBA policies. Marbury dominated in oversees leagues, Luka won in Europe as a kid, etc. Superstars are great because of their skill on the court in a 5 man game.

How good would Shaq have been if they started calling offensive fouls on him? He would have been sitting on the bench. A lot of star players look pretty damn mediocre if they have to play with FIBA rules with FIBA refs.

 

[wizenheimer]

So your implying Goodwin is going against Dame's best interest to grab extra cash for himself?

I don't buy any chance of that being an aspect of this. I think Goodwin is working entirely in what he believes is Dame's best interest. I don't think Dame is motivated by financial considerations; if larger market endorsement deals were a big aspect of this he would've left Portland long ago.

how the hell did you arrive at that conclusion? It baffles me

I specifically said that the endorsement opportunities for Dame would be better in Miami, South Beach, Florida, and the East. That greatly benefits Dame; and it benefits Dame's agent who will almost certainly get a percentage of the deals he negotiates

so, if Goodwin was whispering in Dame's ear, he wasn't dumb enough to explain it as him wanting his own agent fees to increase, he was telling Dame he'd make more money and have a better chance of playing for a title in Miami

 

[BBert]

They said there would be jokes.

 

[e_blazer]

Seems to me that Goodwin wouldn’t have had to be much of a salesman to sell Dame on Florida: “Dame, you’re making $176M on basketball income the next four seasons. On top of that, I can get you probably double the money you’ve been making in endorsements with this move. Oregon’s state income tax has a top bracket of 9%. Florida’s is zero. Do you prefer Miami or Orlando?”

 

[Mediocre Man]

A man is walking up the road when he stops and yells out "All sports angents are god damn assholes!" A second fella goes right up to him and says "Excuse me but that was extremely offensive."

The first man says back at him "are you a sports agent or something?"

The second fella yells back "no, im an asshole!"

 

[BassPlaya]

If your agent is not doing what you want, fire them. If you don't fire your agent, you're either in lockstep with their actions, or you're an idiot.

Any other questions?