Money Players

The biggest whore Jerry Tarkanian ever met

[Cartoon by Sebastian Conley, exclusively for Money Players. All rights reserved.]

Another day, another allegation that sports agents, AAU coaches and the devil are all the same. Pat Barrett, a longtime coach on the summer basketball circuit, is, again, involved. Shocking. Yahoo! Sports alleges that Barrett accepted a $250,000 donation from Ceruzzi Sports in return for access to his best NBA prospect, Kevin Love.

The NCAA is apparently concerned about the role AAU coaches play in the recruiting and agent game:

“College coaches were now standing side by side with agents at AAU tournaments and high school games. ‘In the parking lots and at the concessions stands and in the hotel rooms’ is where the NCAA’s Newman Baker said agents linger.”

Agents, AAU coaches and college coaches standing side by side. One big happy, dysfunctional basketball cesspool. The NCAA rulebook prohibits agents from doing anything like paying money to players or to their surrogates. But, amazingly, it allows colleges coaches to pay for direct access to top players. Thankfully, it prohibits college coaches from raising money on behalf of AAU programs, although that did not stop one former coach from requesting IN WRITING that his boosters donate to a program to help with his program's recruitment. Remember, AAU coaches have value to not just sports agents, but also to college coaches who also covet their top players. AAU programs are funding their tax-exempt programs with donations from agents, financial advisers and, I'm guessing, wealthy boosters. "Sleazy" agents donate all this money for a lousy 4% of the bump on an NBA rookie contract plus 20% of endorsement deals, which in this economy is 20% of nada. If you do a back-of-the-napkin calculation, it is easy to see that a great player is far more valuable to a college coach than any sleazy or even reputable agent. Just ask noted sports economist Andrew Zimbalist, who wrote in The Wall Street Journal about the flawed salary structure for college coaches:

[College coaches] are making almost as much as NBA coaches, even though their teams' revenues generally are below one-tenth those in [the NBA]. The trick, of course, is that the players aren't allowed to be paid, so the coaches, in essence, get the value produced by their recruits. It doesn't hurt that college sports benefit from state subsidies and federal tax exemptions, and that they have no stockholders looking for quarterly profits.

Unfortunately, my friend Jason Williams, who worked for Ceruzzi Sports and former NBPA director Charles Grantham, was allegedly the point person recruiting Kevin. In the Yahoo! article, Kevin cuts right to the (motorcycle) chase: “If I was going with an agent, why would I ever go with a guy who, no offense, but he crashed a motorcycle into a tree? I’m not going to go with a guy that’s reckless.” Pat Barrett thrives in his world not just because some agents help fund his program, but also because college coaches kiss up to him. And provide free tickets. And give him access. And, wink, wink, encourage wealthy boosters to also contribute. My early analysis: Kevin and his family were used. Big time. Pat Barrett is a con artist, not on the scale of Bernie Madoff, but a bad dude, nonetheless. He conned Ceruzzi Sports by making them believe he “controlled” Kevin Love and that he could steer Love to chose Ceruzzi as his agents. And Barrett defrauded the Loves by going behind their back and capitalizing on an asset he did not own. My favorite judge of basketball character (or lack of) is Jerry Tarkanian. When he was coach at UNLV, Tark described Pat Barrett as "the biggest whore I ever met." I am sure Tark encountered lots of whores along the way, so this is quite a statement. (BTW—I am convinced Jerry Tarkanian is one of the most honest college basketball coaches of all time…honest about the dishonesty associated with basketball.) So much for Tark's spot-on character assassination. Twenty years later, a job recommendation by Pat Barrett is still apparently golden:

"If you are going to be the coach at USC, you better have a relationship with the coach of the Southern California All-Stars, Pat Barrett, who recommended [Rudy Hackett]. I hired him and I'm very glad we did.

Only in America. Only in the bizarro world of basketball, where the wolves don’t even have to bother to dress as sheep. --Marc Isenberg

Obama cannot talk to Oregon State recruits

ESPN's Andy Katz did a terrific profile on new Oregon State basketball coach Craig Robinson. Katz points out, "Under NCAA rules, Obama isn't allowed to make recruiting calls on the Beavers' behalf." Not even the presumptive (think positive) President of the United States of America is above NCAA rules. Seriously. Yes, Barack Obama should have more pressing matters than OSU basketball. For starters, improving our economy, ending one war (strategically, of course), avoiding others, education, healthcare, social security, on and on.

Interesting that NCAA rules allow the President to help the best teams, but not the worst teams...

There's a long and colorful history of high-profile political figures getting involved in recruiting. For example, in the 1980s then-Texas Governor Bill Clements approved an illicit slush fund for gifted SMU football players. A couple years ago, Myron Rolle (according to Myron Rolle) received a text message from then-Florida Governor Jeb Bush during his recruiting trip to Florida State. After Jeb Bush found out his text message might constitute an NCAA violation, he showed his Bush DNA and was unrepentant. Said Bush, "I would have done the exact same thing for the Gators and for the Hurricanes." He added, in a moment fit for The Daily Show: "Truth be known, I'm a Hurricane fan." (Truth be known, I am a UCLA fan, but I cannot help but root for Coach Robinson and his brother in law.)

Even Coach Wooden took a walk on the wild side of NCAA rules when he spoke to hotshot recruit Kevin Love, something I previously blogged on. Note to OSU: UCLA found a way around that rule.

Check out this great, inspirational profile of Coach Robinson on ESPN's Outside the Lines.

Notes from the 2008 NBA Draft

Had a great time in NYC. Hung out with the Love fam, before and after the draft. Post draft celebration was a little crazy with the trade to Minny, but it all worked out for the best for Kevin.

Photo by the great Bill Feinberg

Bobbito Garcia aka Cool Bob Love blogs on Kevin Love. Bobbito and K-Love met thru the "Gunnin’ for that #1 Spot" documentary that debuted on Friday. Listen to Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch, who directed and produced Gunnin', being interviewed on NPR.

On the Draft...

7 out of the 30 players drafted in the 1st round matriculated from the Pac-10, including 5 of the first 11 picks.

From TrueHoop: Jeffrey Ma of ProTrade, whose advanced analysis is a part of Portland's draft strategy: "Mark my words: Kevin Love will be the best player in this draft."

Okay, I marked Ma's words. I hope he's right. Mark my words: Beasley will be NBA rookie the year (I wouldn't mind if Kevin proves me wrong), over the next two seasons the Bulls will triple the number of playoff-series wins they've won in the last 10 years (they've only won one series), and Darrell Arthur will get a new agent.

--Marc Isenberg

 

The Love of Money

Great article in the Los Angeles Daily News on Kevin Love as he prepares for the NBA draft.and also life in the NBA.

Kevin, with the help of a strong family -- and also, I would like to think, a small assist to my book, Money Players, is thinking ahead. Way ahead.

Here's a great exchange between Kevin and Los Angeles Daily News writer Brian Dohn:

"Kevin Love was explaining how he isn't going to burn through the millions of dollars he is about to earn. He was discussing putting aside part of his paycheck in a long-term tax-deferred account he could use 'in like 40 years,' although he couldn't remember the name. 401k? 'That's it,' said UCLA's former All-American center."

Note to Kevin: Turn to page 91 of your copy of Money Players:

401(k)s: Believe this hype!

Your league provides a 401(k) retirement plan. Participation in the 401(k) is voluntary. You contribute to it (through a deduction from your paycheck) up to the maximum allowed by the federal government ($15,000 in 2007). Now comes the amazing part. Your professional league matches your contribution, dollar for dollar, up to a specified limit...In the NBA, teams match 140% of the players’ allowed contribution. If a player puts in $15,000, the NBA team contributes $21,000. You should love this game.

Note the 2008 maximum is $15,500.

Participation in the NBA's 401(k) program is a “negative election.” Translation: players have to opt out rather than opt in. Don’t opt out!

These are heady times for any 19-year old entering the NBA (or any 22-year old for that matter), but Kevin is doing the right things on and off the court to maximize his professional career and also secure his financial future.

Dirty Love talk

I went up to Oregon this past weekend to see the Oregon/UCLA and Oregon/USC hoops games. I am an admitted UCLA fan, but I also wanted to see my guy Bryce Taylor.

I am generally tolerant when it comes to students cheering and even jeering, but the Oregon fans crossed the line with their taunting of Oregon-native Kevin Love.

I can deal with "bullshit" chants, even if I think it's classless. But...

"Kevin Love is a pussy" crosses the line, right?

One extended round of chants, okay. But the second time someone from Oregon should have stopped the game and made it clear that this was unacceptable. The handmade signs were even more over-the-top and obscene. The "Pit Crew" also put up Love's cell number, which basically rendered his phone useless after he got got hundreds of text messages and voicemails.

Kevin Love handled the whole thing with class, hardly acknowledging the fans and leading his Bruins to victory.

Before the USC game, Ernie Kent did make a pregame announcement, asking fans to behave. In that game, Oregon came back from 9 down with less than a minute to send the game into overtime. The environment was electric. The Pit Crew are the loudest fans in college basketball -- or a close second to the Cameron Crazies.

So what should be done? Oregon AD Pat Kilkenny called UCLA to apologize.

Henry Abbott from True Hoop e-mailed me this idea:
"Man oh man. What do with the reality that a lot of people are tasteless idiots. Here's one idea: videotape the worst offenders with those signs. Slow-motion it. And then add their names, majors, GPAs etc. and send it to their parents, professors, advisers etc."

I like it.

--Marc Isenberg

Kevin Love's recruitment to UCLA

The NCAA sent a letter of inquiry to UCLA in connection with Coach Wooden's involvement in the recruitment of freshman sensation Kevin Love. Apparently Love met with Coach on his recruiting trip. Spending time with Coach is an amazing experience, something I've been fortunate to do on several occasions. I would liken an audience with Coach Wooden to the Pope (but in English and far more entertaining). If invited, you don't consult with the NCAA rule-book, you go -- and if you have to beg forgiveness later, so be it. If this sounds "Onion-esque" read on.

Bill Dwyre, another LA institution, who writes about the episode in the Los Angeles Times, wonders why NCAA protocol was so closely followed. Coach Wooden has been involved in college athletics since 1928, making the NCAA barely old enough to be his father. If you had to name an "All-NCAA" team of those who most embody the values of the NCAA, certainly Coach would be a first teamer, if not Player of the Century. I would like to think the NCAA is becoming more student-athlete friendly as they like to say they are, but there are still some ole Javert-types who view a rule as a rule. Certainly a phone call to UCLA's compliance guy Rich Herczog would have provided a satisfactory response: "Wooden, as a paid consultant to the school, is permitted to meet with recruits."

Dwrye wonders: "Even though we know better every time we read about big bowl money and the latest zillion-dollar TV network basketball tournament contract, does not the NCAA purport to exist for the betterment of the educational experience? What better educational opportunity anywhere than to meet and talk to John Wooden?"

--Marc Isenberg