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Wednesday, June 27
SFX walks away a winner on draft night
By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com
NEW YORK -- SFX Basketball Group, the sports agency that boasts superagents David Falk as its founder and Arn Tellem as its president and CEO, blew away the competition at the NBA draft on Wednesday night.
The agency's clientele roster -- which included overall No. 1 pick Kwame Brown and five other lottery picks -- -- made up 46 percent of the NBA draft lottery and 36 percent (10 of 28 picks) of the first round. With the 10th first-round SFX client rolling off NBA commissioner David Stern's tongue -- Gerald Wallace at No. 25 to Sacramento -- the company had reached a high of first-round picks, breaking its standard set last year of nine.
"We've had an unprecedented year," said Tellem, whose company joined with SFX in September of 1999, 14 months after the entertainment company had acquired David Falk's F.A.M.E. "It's great to work with all these players. It's a great collection of talent and we're really happy with the work our agents put in in all our offices."
After they were picked Wednesday night, SFX clients gushed about their representatives.
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One team that promised us a guarantee flat out lied and then lied again in the second round. Apparently in the end, their word is not their bond ... and we will never deal with them again. ” |
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— SFX agent David Bauman |
"You just have to go with the people that make you feel comfortable, make you feel like you're at home," said Brown, who was drafted by the Washington Wizards and can sign a three-year, $12.2 million contract. "And I found a home there, so that's where I went."
Eddy Curry, who went No. 4 to Chicago, and Eddie Griffin, the seventh pick of the Nets who eventually was traded to Houston, also fall under SFX's guidance.
"I went out to Los Angeles to visit Arn Tellem and Thad (Foucher) and I just felt like they had the best clients and they were powerful," said Kedrick Brown, who at No. 11 was the second of three consecutive SFX players drafted. Joe Johnson at No. 10 to Boston and Vladimir Radmanovic, picked by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 12th pick, also kept Tellem busy fielding phone calls.
If there's one thing a powerful company like SFX can give its clients, it's a guarantee. SFX agents, whose connections helped Mark Madsen get the last guaranteed first-round contract in the 2000 NBA draft when he was picked by the Lakers, doesn't deny that it happens. The Celtics came through on Kedrick Brown, who was reportedly part of a guarantee.
"My agent told me, 'Don't worry, you will be a lottery pick.' I put trust in him," said Brown. "I don't know if he knew where or not."
However, one other team, SFX agents say, turned its back on a prearranged with SFX Wednesday night.
"One team that promised us a guarantee flat out lied and then lied again in the second round," said SFX agent David Bauman, who represents Radmanovic, Kirk Haston and Raul Lopez. "Apparently in the end, their word is not their bond ... and we will never deal with them again."
Jeff Schwartz of AMG was the only other agent to have two players taken among the top 10 picks. Tyson Chandler was taken second overall by the Clippers, before being traded to the Bulls, and Rodney White was picked by the Pistons at the ninth spot.
"After all the agents that I met with, I knew he could get it done on the business side because of his clients," White said of Schwartz.
Despite the fact that rookie salaries for first-round picks are stipulated by the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement -- which takes away creativity on contract negotiations -- at least 27 out of 28 players hired agents for the draft. The 23rd pick Brandon Armstrong had not filed an agent application with the NBA Player's Association as of last week.
Notre Dame standout Troy Murphy, picked No. 14 by Golden State Warriors, said that his agent Dan Fegan helped him get in shape and worked for him during the pre-draft workouts. "Then again," Murphy laughed. "I went to a team that I didn't work out for."
Although SFX is allowed to charge a combined $678,202 in commission fees for its 10 first rounders, the company will let the fee go in the hopes of collecting in three or four years, SFX agents said, when it's time for their players to sign free agent contracts upwards of $80 million.
Darren Rovell , who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at darren.rovell@espn.com
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