This ISN'T a post about why Fegan is the devil (although he is). This ISN'T a post about why Moochie is stupid for giving him part of his contract for representation (which he is). This ISN'T a post about why the Rockets need to tell both of the where to stick it (which they should). This IS a post about why Fegan is a bad agent. In other words: why Fegan doesn't do a good job of representing his clients needs. The common thread in all of the Fegan negotiations are that the players want more money than the role that they perform deserves. That doesn't mean that the players he represents couldn't play a different role and therefore draw a larger contract somewhere else. It just means that Fegan doesn't seem to understand that the 3rd or 4th best guard on a team shouldn't be paid a starter's salary. As a result of Fegan's inability to balance his client's needs realistically it draws out these negotiations longer than they should last. If Fegan were a smart agent he would tell Moochie the following: I can negotiate a contract for you as the Rocket's backup point guard that earns you $___ over ___ years. I think this is fair value for an exceptional backup guard, but if you want more you are going to have to go for a starting position on another team. I can't ask for more than $___ over ___ years from the Rockets because that is more than any backup PG in the NBA gets paid and talking about it would be a waste of the Rocket's and your time. We can sign with the Rockets, we can try to negotiate a sign and trade for a starter's position, or we can sign outright with another team. Tell me what you want to do. Fegan seems to believe that there is some benefit to asking for unrealistic amounts of money to kick off negotiations. Maybe he believes this is a method of "softening them up" to get the deal he really wants. Recent history shows that it is not. Hakeem ended up going to a different team and whatever early negotiations went on were completely fruitless because of Fegan's tactics. Shandon ended up going to another team (TWICE) for the same reason. If Fegan isn't going to budge he needs to take his client to another team and stop wasting the Rocket's time because they need to sign a backup point guard. If Moochie wants to play for the Rockets he needs to fire Fegan.
You could just as easily say the Rockets are a bad organization and are wasting all of our time because they low-ball their players. What's the difference? The Rockets consistently seem to take advantage of their players' willingness to be a part of the team by trapping them in to accepting lesser deals. You can call that penny-pinching, or you can call it being smart, but Fegan is standing up to them. Shandon and Hakeem both scored big with Fegan (4 years for Hakeem--wow.)--I don't think they would agree with you. Shandon is now making considerably more than Mobley, even though he's not as good, plus he's in a better situation for himself. Why is Fegan a bad agent again?
I think the Doc is alluding (sp?) to the fact that Hakeem and Shandon both wanted to stay with Houston, but Fegan insisted that better deals could only happen if they signed with another team. Sometimes it's not all about the money. Hakeem has had the luxery of being in the same place for twenty years and he's at the end of his career, so a move isn't too bad, but Shandon is on his third team since he was drafted in '96, and has more years ahead of him, which can be tough on a family (if he has a family) If getting his players the most money possible is his job, then he's doing a great job, but DR is saying that there is more to it than that... I think? If Fegan can get Moochie $4 million a year, I say "more power to him". 10% of $4 million is a heck of a lot more than 10% of $1.5 million
Why is Fegan a bad agent? When basketball is like baseball in 5 years, maybe you will understand. Its all about compromise. The league, the players, the teams, and the fans need to give some. When you have greedy bastards taking more than their fair share, someone else has to make up for it. If im going to pay my $75 bucks for a game, i want to see players play! I want my money funneled in the right areas. I don't want my money going to some overpaid guy who is sitting on the damn bench when it could be going to someone more deserving or have a better player. Im tired of these worthless guys getting 7 year maxed contracts. Its all about passing the buck. Its a business, and the NBA/Teams must make up for their losses. The players win. The fans lose. We b**** about fan support, but most of the people that would love to go can not afford decent tickets to go to a game. I can't afford ($25 a ticket * 10 games a month) to sink $250 a month into tickets alone .. and thats just myself, not including a date or a friend. So think about this the next time you b**** about fan support and then turn around to pat the agent on the back for getting a 3rd string PG a max contract.
Fegan is a bad agent because as Dr. Robert stated, he's trying to get starters money for a back up position. Yes, Moochie's good and I'm one of his biggest fans.... but Fegan is being a jerk... FEGAN IS BEELZEBUB
Realistically: Fegan secured a multi-year deal that nobody thought possible for Hakeem. Fegan's getting Shandon Anderson an ungodly contract totallying 42 million (I think). Did anybody believe Anderson was worth that much money? A good defensive swingman who's good on a break but can't shoot or dribble? I'd say Fegan has done a very good job. I'm hoping that more teams begin to simply refuse to deal with him for his pillage the town and salt the fields tactics. If that happens, he's a horrible agent . Of course, he's still the devil .
Agents are supposed to be jerks. If an agent could get Timmy Breaux, Zan Tabak, Joe Stevens, (or insert mediocre player here) a multimillion dollar deal on a team that doesnt need him, thus pushing them over the cap for years to come, he is a good agent. Fegan does not work for the rockets. He cares not how the rockets fare in this. He got Dream a much longer deal than he deserved and Shandon a much richer contract than he deserved. An agent's job is to squeeze more money out of a team than they would give to a player who does not have an agent. This is why CWebb did not need an agent, he knew he would get the max. Moochie, if he wants unrealistic dough, does need an agent. And unfortunately for us and the Rockets, he has a pretty good one. If moochie cared more about playing on the rockets than he does about getting paid, fegan would not be here. he is here, so Moochie wants to get paid. I sincerely believe that moochie likes playing here, but not as mnuch as he likes the prospect of getting starter's money. i, for one think he'll get that money, and i think the rockets will get something out of the deal, s/t ala dream/shandon. And that's better than nothing. O and btw, fegan is the devil. But the devil is a damn good agent.
Hmmm...maybe I should have done a Fegan parody titled "The Dan Fegan Came Down to Houston" instead? Dan Fegan came down to Houston He was looking for a team to screw He was in a bind The Dream wasn't signed The Rockets would have to do... That's the worst part about being a fan of Weird Al Yankovic...you think you're funny, when you're really not
Lets look at how we want to judge Fegan, ifs it all about money with the players as it is with Fegan then they were a marriage made in heaven. Before we judge how well he did, lets get into the season a little and see the fans respond from Toronto and NY when the same players we let slide the last few years show up to play. Wonder how much booing will take place and how the press will treat them? If a few more guarenteed million meant that much to Hakeem or if it did to Anderson they will be happy with the teams they are with and can think Fegan for what he got done. I can understand Moochie wanting a couple more million per year, how can a player a year and half out of the cba make in on 1.5-2 million a year. I hope he gets what he wants and is signed by someone for his 4-5 million a year, then Fegan is gone from the team. My one question would be, do the ones that think being a prick makes Fegan a good agent, worship anything in life except "money"?
Doc ? Fegan has done an amazing job for his clients. He looks out for their interest, not yours(fans), not the teams and not the NBA's. That is his job. Like it or not. Fegan was Shandon's agent when they signed with the Rockets for less than Utah would have given him. Shandon wanted out of Utah and the opportunity to start. If there was not a salary cap, how much do you think Dream would have signed for and where? Portland, Dallas, Indiana, Miami etc. would have paid much more than Toronto did. That would have been easy for Fegan. Dream wouldn't be in Houston, even if he had another agent. According to your logic, the Rockets should have offered Dream, their best center, more than they are paying Cato, their second or third best center. They didn't. There are, also, backup point gaurds that make more than Moochie is asking for. So, if you were Moochie's agent, you would lie to him, just to keep him a Rocket. Are you sure you want to be an agent? Or, are you a secret agent double naught spy? You've been spending too much time in the ceement pond, Jethro, or is it Doctor Granny?
Fegan and his clients are suffering from hallucinations. Why bother negotiating with a team when you aren't going to be realistic? What is the point in taking a month of time to decide that you aren't going to resign with a team because they refuse to give you more than fair market value for your services? Fegan has been through this time after time and the results are always the same. His players have to go elsewhere to get the contract they want because they aren't good enough to earn it on the Rockets. A good agent wouldn't waste so much time trying to negotiate impossible deals. Wasting time hurts the teams that are involved in the deal and that reflects poorly on Fegan.
You don't see backup players pushing the limits of the salary cap very often. Salary escalation isn't driven by players like Moochie, it is driven by guys like KG. What I'm trying to say is that when you have a guy like Moochie, negotiations shouldn't be very complicated. Just look at the backup PGs in the NBA. If the average salary is less than what you want then you have only one choice. You have to go to a team that is going to give you a bigger role and allow you to prove yourself more valuable. Trying to create a new salary structure for every one of your clients is a waste of time.
Doc Salary escalation was driven by Teams trying to out bid each other for available talent. The cap is to protect the teams from themselves. If you believe that players would be treated fairly, because the Teams are fair and that players are the only ones making it complicated, I have some land in Florida you might be interested in.
Yeah! That is basically what I said. Teams try to outbid each other for franchise players..... What I was adding to that was they rarely get in bidding wars for backup PGs. Guys like KG set the pay scale. They get the big contracts and the rest of the money is split up with the other players based on production. Do you think the Rockets are treating Moochie unfairly? I don't. I think they are offering him about what he is worth. There is always some room to squirm and you can add or subtract years, but the pay scale is established already and Moochie isn't going to be breaking any new ground with the Rockets. Who is the lowest paid and least difficult player to replace on an NBA team? THE BACKUP POINT GUARD! Player desirability increases with size and talent. Moochie is good, but he's at the bottom of the NBA food chain. The Lakers won a championship last year with Tyrone Lue in that role.
The only players in the NBA that are less valuable than Moochie are guys like Matt Maloney and Brent Price.
I think a lot of us are missing the point. An agent should represent his client, not the team. However, Fegan is a poor agent because he represented one client (Hakeem) well and took a big chance on the other two -- and Anderson and Norris were snookered by Fegan. By waiting so long on Hakeem, he failed to get Anderson into a situation where he could shine as a player. He did manage to get big bucks, but only by the skin of his teeth (lucky the Knicks are so stupid). Now Moochie is the third in line, and there is no more porridge left. Poor Moochie is too stupid to realize that he has been anally abused. If Fegan were a good agent, he would have represented all three equally.
Tried and true negotiation tactic: As a seller, always ask for more money than you know you can get (duh). If you're the buyer, give a lowball offer (duh). Everyone does this. Everyone knows this. If there is any overlap between the 2 bargaining zones, a deal will be reached. Simple. Why should Mooch be any different?
enbehay: The Rockets had to settle Dreams contract first. Shandon and Mooch wanted to wait for the Rockets. How is that Fegan's fault? Shandon had good reason to wait. No team out there would sign him outright. Plus, he had his chance to shine as a starter for the Rockets. That won't happen again and Shandon knew it. Mooch may be stupid, but with Fegan as his agent, you won't be able to call him poor.
<B>Do you think the Rockets are treating Moochie unfairly? I don't. I think they are offering him about what he is worth. </B> He's worth what some team is willing to pay him. I'm sure Anderson would have been thrilled if Fegan signed him as a backup in Houston for $4M per year.... Fegan's job is to do his client's wishes. If his clients really wanted to stay in Houston, they would have. The reality is that most players ultimately follow the money, and those players are presumably happy with their decision -- that's the agent's only job. It's nice how people are now telling the athletes, "well, you shoud take less money so that *I* can be happy having you on *my* team". The agent's job is not to make you happy, and it's not to make the team happy. It's to make the player happy, and if he says money is his goal, then the agent goes out and gets money. Does it suck? Hell yeah. But then again, players who show "loyalty" to their franchises, like Kevin Willis (signed cheap to stay here) and Othella Harrington (screwed by a cheapo 7-year deal to stay here) will probably tell you loyalty is a bit overrated.
