Money Players

By LONNIE WHITE

June 28, 1999 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Let’s face it. Most people did not shed a tear when the word around the NBA six months ago was that agents were on their way out.

After Ray Allen negotiated his $70.9-million contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks without an agent, he became the poster child for everyone who believed agents in professional sports had grown too powerful.

“I don’t need somebody skimming millions off the top,” said Allen, who hired lawyer Johnnie Cochran Jr. to iron out details of his contract for $500 an hour--which turned out to be only a fraction of the $2.8 million that would have been earmarked for an agent.

But Allen’s case is proving to be more the exception than the rule. As the NBA heads into its first off-season under its new collective bargaining agreement, agents find themselves with as much power as ever.

Starting Thursday, teams can begin negotiating with free agents, though they cannot sign them until Aug. 1. It’s recruiting time all over again for many former college players, who know they need an effective go-between to drive their worth up by playing one team against another. That’s where the agents come in; they have the contacts and experience to navigate around the NBA.

“It was just a knee-jerk reaction when Ray Allen got his contract done,” said 14-year agent Mark Termini, who represents several players, including Ron Harper and Jim Jackson. “[Getting rid of your agent] suddenly became the trend of doing things. But this is not the first time something like this has happened.

“When Nike formed a sports management group, there was an outcry that traditional sports agents were going to [die off] because of the marketing muscle and influence of Nike. But a couple of years later, Nike folded with little fanfare.

“It’s funny, but when owners go into negotiations, they’re usually represented by a highly experienced attorney on staff or a prestigious law firm because they’re protecting their vested interests. Why shouldn’t the player have equal footing?”

What triggered the “Agents are doomed” talk was the NBA’s new labor accord, which sets limits on what players can earn, based on years of service. That made it easy to question why an agent was needed, especially when the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson, Vancouver’s Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Boston’s Antoine Walker soon followed with deals at the maximum.

But not everyone is a superstar.

“If every player thinks that he’s going to get the maximum, they’re mistaken,” said Jerry West, Laker vice president. “I think agents will continue to play a big role in the evaluation and development of the NBA. [It always helps] when an agent understands [a team’s salary cap and the number of veteran exemptions available].”

Most players are more like the eight free agents on the Clippers’ roster--players who are one wrong decision from being out of the league, who have some value but can’t afford to overestimate their worth and miss their opportunity to land with the right team.

Although this year’s group of available players is not considered strong, a lot of teams have roster positions to fill before training camp and usually want the player to participate for the team in a summer league.

With rumors of sign-and-trade deals circulating, an agent needs to know which deals will work and which ones won’t for his players.

Behind-the-scene deals won’t be unusual as teams look to secure players high on their “wish list” before the Aug. 1 signing date. A player on a team’s “bubble list” who is slow to commit may lose out.

“We’re always looking for players,” San Antonio Coach and General Manager Gregg Popovich said. “But we’re looking for certain type of players. We just want players who fit together.”

This is where agents may have the biggest impact: Selling teams on players and making their clients valuable enough to demand a market-value contract.

“It’s still important to me in terms of having an agent,” said swingman Lamond Murray, who becomes a free agent Thursday after playing six seasons with the Clippers.

Murray’s worth around the league might not be as high as Penny Hardaway’s, but he could be a key pickup for teams needing a shooter.

“I’ll need a middle man so I don’t have to go in myself and talk with the owners and negotiate my own deal,” Murray said. “It’s important for those guys who don’t have a pretty and set future. If you’re a franchise player, you might as well let your agent go. But if you’re not, you need an agent.”

Players such as Allen, Bryant and Iverson may eventually need agents anyway because in the NBA, any deal that looks good today often looks bad tomorrow. Just ask Utah’s Karl Malone, who for years worked his own deals with Jazz owner Larry Miller until he realized he was underpaid.

“The reality of it is that maybe two or three players tops per year may not need representation,” said Bill Duffy, agent for Michael Olowokandi, the Clippers’ top pick of the 1998 draft. “There may two or three guys who just need someone to do their contract.

“But, there’s a difference between needing representation and negotiating a contract.”

There are potential pitfalls for players who opt to go without an agent, from not getting the total value available in a contract because of a bad payment schedule to the absence of personal services provided by an experienced agent.

Last year, Duffy helped Olowokandi go from being a projected late first-round pick to the No. 1 choice overall. Duffy did it by featuring Olowokandi’s strengths in workouts in front of scouts.

This year, Duke’s Corey Maggette, because the new agreement mandates that salary slots for first-round picks can be negotiated up or down only 20%, decided not to hire an agent. But with a family friend, attorney Mickey Hamano, representing him, Maggette has struggled over the pre-draft period in the eyes of NBA scouts.

When he announced he was giving up his college eligibility after his freshman year with the Blue Devils, Maggette was considered a potential top-three pick in Wednesday’s draft. But after several poor workouts that failed to highlight any dominating skills, Maggette’s stock has dropped.

By not having a representative who worked around his weaknesses better, Maggette may have hurt himself.

Lamar Odom, who made himself eligible for the draft after completing one full season at Rhode Island, hired an agent who has subsequently been fired. Now Odom has become a mystery. Teams interested in him have had trouble getting him in for a workout.

“Him not having an agent complicates this right now,” said Jerry Krause, general manager of the Chicago Bulls. “This is an ongoing thing for us. We’d like to see this young man. But we’re like everybody else. Nobody else has spent any time with him, except Vancouver.”

That’s why many say knowing a player on and off the court is essential.

Last year, Jim Jackson was a free agent looking to play for a contender, not necessarily looking for the best deal financially. He had spent a couple of bad seasons bouncing around the league after being a standout with Dallas early in his career.

Termini found a home for Jackson as a backup with the Portland Trail Blazers only after turning down better offers as a starter with several teams, including the Clippers.

Jackson ended up having one of the best seasons of his career as he helped Portland reach the Western Conference finals.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

DRAFT FACTS

When: Wednesday, 4 p.m.

Where: MCI Center, Washington, D.C.

TV: TNT

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FIRST ROUND

1. Chicago

2. Vancouver

3. Charlotte

4. Clippers