Rudy Gay Trade

Rudy Gay is 6'8 small forward with the versatility to play a multiple of positions. He demonstrated his skills during his time in Memphis but has been lost in Toronto. He is currently averaging 17 points and around 9 rebounds a game. Standard numbers for any potential star. So why is Rudy Gay the biggest star in the NBA? Rudy Gay can make any potential NBA playoff team in a legitimate challenger for a NBA championship. First let's talk about why Toronto would want to let go of their star to help another contender then we will analyze each potential team.

Toronto Raptors- For the past 10 seasons ever since the departure of Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, the Toronto Raptors have not been a legitimate playoff threat since the Chris Bosh was playing for them 4 seasons ago. Even then, the Raptors were not a threat in the playoffs more of a stepping stone for 1st round teams to move on to the second round. Now the Toronto Raptors should really shop Rudy Gay because of two reasons. Andrew Wiggins is the first reason. The next big thing of the NBA has the same skill set of Lebron James and somewhat of the same frame. The Canada born and upcoming 1st overall pick of the NBA draft would fill seats in the stadium because of the marketability not only of the skill set but also a Canadian star returning back home to resurrect a franchise.

Chicago Bulls- Chicago Bulls have been a rising team ever since the draft of Derrick Rose and the hiring of Coach Tom Thibodeau. The problem with the team has always been the fact that could not find a legitimate second scorer that create his own shot without Derrick giving them an assist of his own crossover or getting double team. Loul Deng has been trying to be the other scorer that the team needs. With the amount of minutes that he has been playing every season (the league's highest average amount of minutes) and taking on the league's best small forwards (Carmelo Anthony and Lebron James) 3 or 4 times a year, it has been difficult for the All-Star to keep up with the scoring. Rudy Gay has bulked another 20 pounds for that specific reason. With the added muscle, this should allow him to be more physical on the defensive end for the premier players of the opposing team to go along with the scheme of Chicago would make them a legitimate force in the East and surpassing the Indiana Pacers as a the threat to the Miami Heat in the East.

L.A. Lakers- The Lakers have been thinking about life without Kobe Bryant for the past couple of years but have not found a legitimate suitor to be the next statue in front of Staples Center. Rudy Gay would be a excellent fit for the run and gun pace of the Mike D'Antoni system. He is a wing man that can also be used in a 2 or 4 position in some scenarios in a game. He also brings a defensive stance learned from the hard playing coaching from Lionel Hollins in Memphis. This would have the Lakers in a good standing until Kobe comes back to give them a great big 3 with Pau Gasol.

Houston Rockets- Considering that Omer Asik does not like the fact that the club brought Dwight Howard to fill his position, this will be a win-win scenario for both sides. The club would be able to trade a player for value on both sides. Rudy Gay would be a great complement to the club for James Harden and Dwight Howard. Jeremy Lin could be included in the trade for free up cap space for the Rockets and maybe revitalized his stardom internationally again in new ball club. Coach McHale can utilize the club with this new lineup like he did when he was a general manager in Minnesota. (Kevin Garnett, Latrell Sprewell, and Sam Cassell)

Denver Nuggets- Denver has been looking for a player that can take over a game since the departure of Carmelo Anthony. They have a great nucleus of role players that complement each other but they do not have the "go-to" star that can take over a game in the final moments of the game. Rudy Gay has hit or made game winning shots or stops in the final minutes of a game. With new coach Brian Shaw in Denver, he would be able to use the triangle offense used by his coaching mentor Phil Jackson. He would be able to use Ty Lawson, Rudy Gay, and Javell McGee in the system while using the perimeter shooting of other players on the squad to open up the floor.

These are some teams that come use the skills of Rudy Gay. Many general managers need to take a look at the lost star in Toronto to solidify their team.


http://www.nba.com/playerfile/rudy_gay/
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1845921-nba-trade-rumors-latest-buzz-surrounding-evan-turner-rudy-gay-and-more

Things to know to be a sports agent

For the longest time when I thought about becoming a sports agent, I think of the movie Jerry Maguire and the classic line of "Show me the money." I thought about just signing my client to a deal and how easy it will be get players to the prestigious leagues. Then I talked to Corey Oliver, a current sports agent and he explained to toss that movie out of my head and really started to teach me what it entails to be an agent. 

For agents, looking out for their clients' legal and economic well-being is priority number one. Agents must protect a player's monetary interests when making deals and see to it that their wealth is managed properly. If all these economic concerns are taken care of, the athlete is free to concentrate on his/her game.

Among the most important deals handled by agents are the contract negotiations that bind the player to a certain team and the endorsement agreements that turn athletes into superstars. Larger sports agencies, such as the powerhouse SFX Sports Group, provide additional services for athletes, such as financial planning, the organization of charitable pursuits and the coordination of personal appearances.

The career track of sports agents is almost as varied as the people filling those jobs. A more conventional route for many player reps has been to study sports management in college. Such programs are available at a number of post-secondary institutions, including schools with well-known, high-budget athletic programs. Other than arming yourself with an education in sports management, getting into the industry is often a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Corey advised me to take a look at  David Canter. I found a great article on him by Askmen.com. David Canter, who represents star running back Stephen Davis, went to law school following his undergraduate studies in sports management, but only started work as an agent after a chance meeting on the side of the road. In 1995, Canter was at a gas station, changing a signal lamp on his car, when he ran into Miami Dolphin Lamar Thomas. After chatting for a few minutes, Canter got Thomas' cell phone number. Not too long afterward, Canter did some marketing deals for Thomas, who eventually became the first client for Canter's company, Total Entertainer and Athlete Management (TEAAM).

Working as an agent is more of a lifestyle than it is a career. Agents are on call day and night, have no defined work hours and must be ready to jump into action whenever needed.

When Canter sits down to take in a Redskins game, he's not kicking back on the couch with a bag of potato chips and a can of beer; this is all business. After Redskins kicker Michael Husted hooked a field goal attempt, Canter frantically called the cell phone of a friend in the Redskins front office. Instead of getting angry over a missed point, Canter saw the botched field goal as an opportunity to land a tryout for his client Jaret Holmes. Personal time is at a minimum. In this profession, vacations can quickly turn into business trips -- where most of your time on the beach is spent trying to get good reception on your cell phone.

What is amazing about this Corey was telling me how much multi-tasking you have to do with this career. You have to really love what you are doing to really be successful in this industry. To continue doing this at a high level you must compete just as hard as the athletes you represent.

The Next Big 3

The WNBA just had its 17th annual lottery selection with some of the most anticipating athletes from college to be drafted. With the names of Brittany Griner, Skylar Diggins, Elena Delle Donne headlining the draft. These rookies are to be the future of their respective teams and also the faces of the WNBA. These athletes are expected to renew interest and renovate the women's basketball game because of their skills.

Baylor center Brittney Griner was a lock for the Phoenix Mercury with the No. 1 overall selection. Griner, who is listed at 6'8, will immediately give Phoenix a presence in the paint that could return them to the playoffs sooner rather than later. The Mercury last had the top pick in the draft in 2007 when they took Lindsey Harding.

Like Phoenix, Chicago added a budding star in Elena Delle Donne with the No. 2 pick to an already stacked roster that just missed making the playoff last season. The 6-foot-5 forward, who can play multiple positions was second in the nation in scoring (26.0) and averaged 8.5 rebounds. She finished her career at Delaware with 3,039 career points -- fifth all-time in NCAA history.

South Bend native Skylar Diggins was selected with the 3rd overall pick in the WNBA Draft Monday night by the Tulsa Shock. Many hoped Diggins would be selected by the Chicago Sky with the 2nd overall pick. But the Sky are stacked with guards and needed front court help and selected Delaware star Elena Delle Donne at #2 instead.

The WNBA is hoping that these 3 stars for their teams will make a mark nationally and internationally to bring more fans than they had before. My question is if they have the success that they anticipate and no one wins a championship, should the three form a potential new Big 3. The Miami Heat formed a Big 3 in 2011 with Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. These 3 athletes also have the same makeup of Miami's Big 3. When the Miami Heat formed their big 3, the news was all over it. More and more fans wanted to watch the newly formed next big thing either succeed or fail. ESPN played every moment of the Miami season and analyzed it to death. The WNBA can also use this to their advantage to highlight their other stars when playing against their own big 3. 

Minimum Age for Sports

With the talk of the new defensive player from South Carolina superstar leaving early to go to the NFL, the minimum age discussion is being talked about again. With the NFL and NBA, they have instituted a minimum age requirement to be employed by the teams of the leagues. In the NFL, a court-sanctioned standard makes any player who is not yet three full seasons removed from high school graduation ineligible for the league’s draft. It used to be four years ­— until 1990.The NBA requires draftees to be at least 19 years old and a year removed from their high school class graduation, as of 2005. Prospects can, however, enter the D-League for nominal pay straight out of high school, or go play in Europe. The NBA used to make players wait four years after high school graduation to compete — until a U.S. Supreme Court decision junked that requirement in 1971. High school prospects were allowed in until the 2005 rule change.

Major League Baseball’s rules allow players to be drafted straight out of high school, unless they attend college. In that case, they must remain through their junior years or until they turn 21. Junior college players, though, can enter the draft whenever they want.

The pro leagues spin those requirements as a means for better facilitating the needs of prospective players. Which is to say, to protect the players from themselves and the temptation to turn pro too early.

The suspicion here is that the rules are meant more to protect professional teams from themselves, and, in some cases, to preserve a no-cost minor league system that has served pro leagues well through the years. In other words, the minimum age requirements might benefit the organizations on both ends of the equation — especially the NCAA and the NBA or the NFL — but they do not fully benefit players who would otherwise be drafted — and paid large sums of money — to do what they are presently doing for little compensation in college.

College football and the NFL, in particular, are the winners here. Not the individual players. CFB gets talent for the cost of tuition for a minimum of three seasons — and the big-time cash that major college football generates for its members — and the NFL gets free training for its future players, as well as extended time to evaluate that talent. The players get their freedom of choice taken away. They play in an ivy-covered academic setting, even if they have no real interest in attending college, effectively majoring in football. That’s a breeding ground for hypocrisy, all in the name of amateurism. Some claim it’s in the best interests of the young players, keeping them shielded from the rigors of pro ball, helping them stay healthy. But they’re just as likely to get hurt playing in college at 20 as they are playing in the NFL at 21.

In the end the player now has the responsibility of shielding himself from injury while the collegiate teams benefit from the star. 

Let's take for instance the new Heisman trophy winner, Johnny Manziel. Johnny Manziel is the first freshman to win the prestigious award. Now every other winner had the opportunity to move on to NFL and receive the endorsements that are associated from the award. In this case, the proceeds will be placed in a fund for the player until after he leaves college. The family of the player cannot receive any proceeds or benefit from the award but the college can benefit from this. The team can recruit using that future players can play with the Heisman trophy winner. Students can be on campus for the next 2 guaranteed years with a Heisman trophy winner. 

Jadeveon Clowney took an out an insurance policy for 5 million dollars to protect himself just in case he is injured. This is an incredible step for collegiate players. The NCAA has offered this policy for many years but this still does not cover the earnings that a player of this stature can earn if he is injured during college. 

I can see why people are furious over the minimum age requirement because it limits the player's potential earnings. The player can get hurt during the time of non-eligibility and also the player's talent is restricted by playing against players that do not measure up to the talent of the superstar. 

http://thesportseconomist.com/2012/05/09/minimum-age-for-the-nba/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/03/07/jadeveon-clowney-takes-out-insurance-policy-ncaa/1972159/

Kaepernicking

San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick filed to trademark “Kaepernicking,” his bicep-kissing move that’s become ubiquitous. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website shows a registration filed January 14, 2013. Mr. Kaepernick intends to use it on T-shirts, and some proceeds from the Sportiqe “Kaepernicking” shirt go to Camp Taylor, which organizes camps for children with congenital heart defects.

His Kaepernicking trademark may turn out to be quite valuable. After all, Kaepernick’s jersey has been the best-selling NFL jersey on Fanatics.com of late. He was exemplary in the Green Bay playoff game, rushing a record 181 yards with two touchdowns, and passing for 263 yards with two more. Kaepernick’s marketing agent, Shawn Smith of X-A-M Sports, said her team intends to file other trademarks on his behalf.

Colin Kaepernick is not the first person to kiss his bicep in this manner but he is the first to trademark. I think that Kaepernick would be foolish not to get this trademark. Many recent athletes such as Tim Tebow and Robert Griffin III have been posted in many different sites and social networks by others using their touchdown or success pose. I believe that if the wrong people used the pose in a manner that was not becoming of the player than the image would lose its value. With Colin now having this trademark, if it is used in a manner that does not represent him, he can handle it legally. 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2013/02/03/colin-kaepernick-trademarks-kaepernicking-but-whats-it-worth/

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1511519-colin-kaepernick-files-to-trademark-kaepernicking-before-super-bowl

http://larrybrownsports.com/football/kaepernicking-colin-kaepernick-tattoo-article/173281