There’s Hope for the Difficult Client
NBA agents are pretty thick-skinned. When agents are one fax away from fired and clients are as loyal as Benedict Arnold an agent has to be durable. Few words could cause them heartburn. But when a client says, “The money doesn’t matter to me” and, “I want to break my [max-money] contract right now,” I’m pretty sure your typical NBA agent goes looking for some Tums.
So how does Marc Fleisher, Andrei Kirilenko’s agent, feel right now? Within the course of seven days his only max-money client has further smashed his own trade value, future contract value, and professional reputation. Maybe I could persuade Fleisher to take some of his 10% cut and hire me as a motivational or psychological coach for AK. The three lessons I’d give Andrei, are these:
(1) Listen to the fans. They cheer as loudly for you when you block a shot as when Boozer throws down a left-handed dunk. Fans aren’t as interested in an overall scheme as they are the results. Focus on the results rather than the underlying scheme and listen to the crowd when you swat one into the stands from the weak side or pick some guy’s pocket.
(2) Forgiveness: still available. Maybe it’s the perception that you don’t understand what you’re saying. Or maybe it’s that we fans are too rational and can’t understand where you’re coming from, but it seems that despite what you’ve said and done the majority of the Jazz Faithful wants to welcome you back with open arms. You just have to come back and play basketball. All will be forgiven with a little effort on your part.
(3) MVP. The upcoming season is your opportunity to prove you are one of the most valuable players in the League. The success of the ’06-’07 Jazz came despite a distant and disenfranchised Kirilenko. An active and engaged AK that takes his team deep into the ’07-’08 Playoffs quickly morphs from the guy that wanted to be the coach, leading scorer, point guard, and defender all at the same time to the guy that wins basketball games for his team and its fans.
Actually, Mr. Fleisher can keep his money. In exchange for my advice though, maybe he could send me a few Tums. I might need them to get through this.
6 Comments to “There’s Hope for the Difficult Client”
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Two quick notes on how NBA agents operate:
(1) Agents get a 3% cut, not 10%.
(2) As far as I know NBA agents are often paid their cut of the entire contract upfront (someone correct me if I’m wrong). If this is the arrangement between Kirilenko and Fleisher, then Fleisher actually has more to gain by getting AK47 out of his contract. He would already have pocketed his share of the first contract (for which he wasn’t going to get more money anyway) plus he can get a 3% cut of whatever new contract Andrei signs.
That being said, I seriously doubt Larry Miller and Kevin O’Connor have any interest of releasing Kirilenko from his current contract.
The fact is as soon as players get their money (and their agents) then play always declines, more injuries occur, and more whining takes place. I know there are exceptions to this (#12 John Stockton) who just love to play the game and do so until they cannot anymore. But more and more, players basically coast once they get there money. Then in contract years here they come again, their careers rejuvinated. If everyone could play like a rookie or sophomore (Milsap and Brown) the NAB would be great. Milsap has no fear, plays his guts out every night, no matter who he is guarding or who is guarding him. He is fighting to show coaches and fans that he deserves to play. With that attitude he should START in front of AK. I love AK, but lets grow up. If you want more touches and time, PLAY like it. Don’t llok at the ref everytime you go to the rim and do some loopty-loo shot. Put it down over someone and MAKE the ref call something. If AK would play like he did before he got the money, there would be no problem, he’s coasting.
I do not know if I agree that AK is coasting now that he has his large contract. I think it is a much larger combination of things leading to his poor play. In fact, one of the positive I see about AK is that he wants to live up to his contract. He is getting max money and wants to perform like a max player. The problem is that his skill set does not lend itself to performing the same as most other max money players in the league. AK is not a score at will kind of guy. I find it unfortunate that he does not seem to value his ability to contribute and control the game in other ways. He needs to get the Bruce Bowen attitude and maximize his talents.
Staton I agree with what you have written although I find it a bit idealistic. I am sure AK is being told by those closest to him that he is right and Jazz are wrong. If that is the case, do you really think he is paying attention to how loud the Jazz fans cheer for him when he blocks a shot? The last thing in his mind is that Mother Russia cheered for him when he scored a lot and had the ball in his hands.
When I first heard that AK had won the EURO MVP, I was happy for him, and hopeful that he would take some positive momentum into this season. Sure, I watched as he expressed his frustration last year, but I was 90% positive that we could get the old AK back into camp, and look forward to a good season.
Unfortuantely I think that AK and all those who are close to him have seen the truth. The Utah Jazz no longer belong to AK. He was our first new-era All-Star, and was the first real building block in our rebuilding.
But now he is no longer the most favorated son of owner LHM. The team now belongs to DW, with Boozer coming in a 2nd, and last year AK lost yet another position to Memo and is now sitting at a very distant 4th.
I don’t think that AK is ready to be lead by DW and Boozer. I think that he feels marginalized and slighted…
Unless AK can embrace the team and winning, I think this continues to hemorage… and significant contact costs, and team distractions.
I still believe AK will end up playing for Utah next season and having a breakout year. his contract right now makes him untradeable… becuase let’s face it, there’s no way the Jazz are getting equal value back, and there’s no way O’Connor trades him for a bag of chips and change. I’ve read somewhere else someone proposing Dampier+Buckner for AK! LOL!
I think AK will report come October, he will talk things out with Sloan and Williams, and he will play next season for our team. It’s up to AK if he wants to be an AllStar or a mediocre sub… but he’s not getting out of Salt Lake. I just hope he realizes that and makes the best of the situation. A 100% comitted AK makes the Jazz title contenders… immediately!
Pudge - I believe an NBA agent’s standard fee is 4% but it’s highly negotiable (downward, I presume). I don’t believe all agents take their entire cut upfront, but some certainly might. Thanks for the correction. I hope you keep ‘em coming because I’m sure there will be plenty.
BryanJ - It is undeniable that there is a contract year phenomenon in the NBA (and all professional sports to some degree) where players play through pain and often perform better. The thing is, when AK says he doesn’t care about the money, I believe him. I think AK is much more artistic and philosophical in his approach to the game than say, Jerry Sloan. Sloan wants to win, style, detail and everything else is secondary. AK wants to win too, but he wants to feel a certain way doing it.
josue and Chris - I agree with the basics of both your comments: Andrei hasn’t played his last game in a Jazz uniform, but he probably hasn’t made his last trade request either. I think we’re in for a rocky stretch with the Slender Russian. The question is will he finish the season with the Jazz?
Tim - Idealistic? Yeah, probably. I’m not naive enough to think that NBA players really care about how loudly the fans cheer for them but the point I’m trying to make is this: We all go to work at some time or another for a boss that we can’t stand but we put up with it because the way out of the situation may not be available at that moment. In the meantime we try and find something positive that gives us enough motivation to keep showing up. I want AK to understand the incredible value of his work on the defensive end and allow that to motivate hiim until the next opportunity becomes available. Not only will it help the Jazz in the short-run if AK accepts his position on the team and does what he’s most efficient at, but he should recognize that the most effective way out of Utah is by his work on the court and not his work in the front office.
Finally, the next several weeks are critical for AK to prove, or at least put on the front, that he’s got some mental toughness. If he shows up for camp focused, works hard and does what Sloan wants despite all of this mess, he can reverse at least some of the developing perception that he’s a headcase. For the sake of all parties, I hope he does it.
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