uptownhoundz

I’m a sports agent (basketball) and actually know the guy who tweeted that. He is super plugged in on everything that goes on regionally, but especially Texas.

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how about a link?

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Chicken, The docket report is in my work email. I can send to you privately if that helps.

Yep.

It is a frustrating industry. While there are certainly good agents out there who 100% want the best for their clients, those agents aren’t the ones with the max contract clients.

Here’s how I describe it….which is a harder task, negotiating a max contract or calling every single team and convincing them that one of your guys in the G-League is worth a 10-day or 2-way contract?

The agents that I would consider to be really good at their job are those that have succeeded at the harder tasks of getting teams to look at fringe guys for summer league or 10-day contracts.

The mega agents haven’t really had to deal with that and a lot of their lesser known clients (who are with that agency bc of the brand associated with the NBA all stars) end up getting screwed.

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I agree with this 100% and have some, albeit little, insider knowledge. I don't have Pelicans or Zion specific knowledge but agency knowledge and how far that protectionism runs.

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Yep, like you, I do not have zion specific info but I have represented players who have played on the same team as players represented by Klutch, CAA etc.
It is hard for people to understand this mentality. It is counterintuitive but it happens every day.

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I believe an agent gets a much larger percentage from endorsements than a NBA contract

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Zion already signed a $100m endorsement deal with Nike. I promise you, his agency has made money.

There are several posts and comments that question Zion's maturity and whether or not his team (trainer, nutritionist etc.) is being vetted. I am a sports agent who has and does currently represent professional basketball players all over the world.

I would be willing to bet that CAA is 100% on board and may have even suggested that (1) Zion's stepfather be his trainer; (2) Zion's mother be his nutrionist; and (3) not workout with his teammates.

Why? Because it is in CAA's interests to keep Zion's circle super small until he signs his second contract. CAA knows that he is going to get a mega contract and does not want any other trainer, nutritionist, or player getting in Zion's ear about things that agents do for other clients.

This is likely the same for how Rich Paul is handling Ben Simmons with who he trains and workouts with.

They know that these athletes are going to get mega contracts and it is in the agency's best interest to keep them as a client, which means limiting their interactions with others.

Is it messed up? Absolutely. But, at the end of the day, this happens a lot.

My post is not meant to take away any blame or responsibility on Zion or the Pelicans front office. This is purely to shed light on a different perspective that I do not think is talked about enough, and that is that Zion is likely following the advice of his management.

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How did we get so young? I didn't happen overnight and I don't remember us losing many after last season.

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Especially with this year’s expanded roster.

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LSU hasn’t started this many true freshman ever. We normally have 1-2 freshman competing for starting playing time. We have 4-5 this year.

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That’s fair but I feel like being a freshman really only accounts for the high number of strikeouts. The ability to turn a double play and/or have a strategy that doesn’t involve so many first pitch swings feels more team philosophy/coaching.

I can’t recall an LSU team that strikes out more than this year’s squad.

I understand that you don’t want to put your batters in a bad spot, but I also don’t understand why some of the lower percentage hitters are constantly swinging at the first pitch, especially when losing. It seems that this year’s team, at least late in the season, swings at a ton of first pitches that almost always feel like easy ground balls or pop-ups.

I also can’t recall the last time I saw this team turn a double play. Am I just missing them?

I see absolutely no way he comes back.
Tye emergence of the G-League as a legitimate minor league for the NBA benefit guys like him.

At worst, he gets a 2-way contract and is getting professional coaching and is playing against professional coaches every day.

I don’t think he is the type of guy that works his way into a top-10 pick, although I can fully admit that I am not as familiar with this or next year’s top prospects.