HoopsHype.com Rumors

Why do GMs hire their agent's other clients instead of best coaching candidate available? Peter Vecsey: We know we don't like it. It's been happening for years. It's not only Warren LeGarie and Olshey, it's Arn Tellem. That's where he started, as a workout guy. Arn Tellem has been pushing him. Warren has got a cult going or something, the way these GMs, presidents and owners listen to him. It's fascinating that he's able to get one of his clients into Portland with what went on with Kevin Pritchard. Your listeners are well aware of that. I believe I was the one who broke that story about how it happened. They ended up getting fired because the line to the owner and the owner's right hand guy, they tried to usurp Miller and maybe it's worked. Maybe that's why Miller left. I don't know Miller but maybe he left because they weren't listening to him any more. I don't know. Blazers Edge

Portland Trail Blazers, Kevin Pritchard, Larry Miller, Warren LeGarie, Arn Tellem, Agents 

Nets president Billy King and Lopez’s agent, Arn Tellem, are finalizing the length of the deal – four years for $58 million, or five years for $78 million – and ironing out protections on the back end to account for a right foot that Lopez broke twice in the past year, sources said. Yahoo! Sports

Brooklyn Nets, Free Agency, Billy King, Brook Lopez, Arn Tellem 

Stefan Bondy: Super agent Arn Tellem named chairman of Wasserman media group. He's taking on more responsibilities but will still serve as agent. Twitter

Arn Tellem, Agents, Wasserman Media Group 

Wasserman’s Vice Chairman Arn Tellem and EVP, Team Sports Thad Foucher will help Davis leading up to the NBA Draft and thereafter. Various media entities reported that Davis and his father were choosing between Wasserman Media Group, Creative Artists Agency (basketball agent Leon Rose), and BDA Sports (basketball agent Bill Duffy). At the beginning of last week, I had heard that the family was making a decision between Leon Rose of CAA and Arn Tellem of Wasserman. Sports Agent Blog

Draft, Arn Tellem, Agents, Anthony Davis, Wasserman Media Group 

Marc J. Spears: Wasserman Media Group's Arn Tellem and Thad Foucher will be main agents dealing with soon to be New Orleans Hornet big man Anthony Davis. Twitter

New Orleans Hornets, Draft, Arn Tellem, Agents, Anthony Davis, Wasserman Media Group 

Terrence Jones will sign with Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group, according to a source close to the process. Via @DraftExpress Twitter

Draft, Arn Tellem, Agents, Terrence Jones 

Michael Heisley and Tony Ressler were eliminated from the Dodgers bidding on Monday, leaving seven parties in contention to buy the team, according to multiple people familiar with the sale process but not authorized to discuss it. St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke, Beverly Hills-based real estate developer Alan Casden and a group led by Stanley Gold and the family of the late Roy Disney remain in the bidding. The other four: Magic Johnson and veteran baseball executive Stan Kasten; Connecticut investor Steven Cohen and longtime Los Angeles agent Arn Tellem; New York media executive Leo Hindery in partnership with Tom Barrack, chairman of Santa Monica-based Colony Capital; and Jared Kushner, owner and publisher of the New York Observer and son-in-law of Donald Trump. Los Angeles Times

Michael Heisley, Magic Johnson, Stan Kroenke, Arn Tellem, MLB 

The point guard and the forward share the same agent, Arn Tellem, and that could help things get done. Marca.com

Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol, Derrick Rose, Arn Tellem, Agents 

Pierce is represented by Jeff Schwartz, who has been among the leaders of a group of seven agents from six of the most influential agencies who've long disagreed with the union's bargaining and legal tactics. Those agents, including Arn Tellem, Dan Fegan, Mark Bartelstein and Bill Duffy, believe the players should've voted to decertify back in July and sued for antitrust violations much earlier in the process. Garnett is represented by agent Andy Miller, who has had no association with the dissident agents and was not aware of his client's involvement, sources said. Rob Pelinka, who represents Kobe Bryant and union president Derek Fisher, also is said to be among the group of insurgents, sources said. CBSSports.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, CBA, Dan Fegan, Mark Bartelstein, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Arn Tellem, Jeff Schwartz, Andy Miller, Agents, Bill Duffy 

Hunter, though, has rival factions within his own house to contend with. He acknowledged in a Tuesday night interview with NBA TV that a fast-moving decertification push driven by agents and frustrated players -- most notably Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce -- has "close to" 200 players in the process of signing a petition that would call for a decertification vote. The movement, sources said, has grown to include more than the original seven agents (Mark Bartelstein, Bill Duffy, Dan Fegan, Leon Rose, Jeff Schwartz, Arn Tellem and Henry Thomas) who have been advocating decertification for months. "I think you'd be surprised how big it's gotten," said one source, who added that "the wheels are in motion" and that signatures are already "coming in pretty quickly." ESPN.com

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, CBA, Leon Rose, Dan Fegan, Mark Bartelstein, Henry Thomas, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Arn Tellem, Jeff Schwartz, Agents, Bill Duffy 

Sam Amick: Source says Wasserman Media Group, agency of Arn Tellem, had conf call today w/ players 2 discuss players options. WMG reps 70-plus guys. Twitter

CBA, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Arn Tellem, Agents, Wasserman Media Group 

Sources within seven of the most prominent agencies – including the agents and players themselves – said they have overwhelming support to march toward dissolving the union. The agents are selling decertification to the players as a leverage tool to get a deal done to salvage the season, as much as a long-term threat to take the owners to federal court with an antitrust lawsuit. Agents working on the decertification include Mark Bartelstein, Arn Tellem, Jeff Schwartz, Bill Duffy, Leon Rose, Henry Thomas and Dan Fegan. Yahoo! Sports

CBA, Leon Rose, Dan Fegan, Mark Bartelstein, Henry Thomas, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Arn Tellem, Jeff Schwartz, Agents, Bill Duffy 

If a new labor deal was not completed within that 45-day span and a second vote is sanctioned by the NLRB, decertification would then require a simple majority vote of the league's 450-odd players to pass. At that point, players would have the freedom to sue the NBA under antitrust law and attempt to bring an end to the lockout via court system. Yet there are widespread fears around the league that, if decertification gets that far, any hope of playing even a reduced schedule in 2011-12 would be lost. The so-called "Big Seven" agents who pushed for decertification throughout the summer -- Mark Bartelstein, Bill Duffy, Dan Fegan, Leon Rose, Jeff Schwartz, Arn Tellem and Henry Thomas -- have long believed that the league's desire to keep this labor battle out of courts via the decertification process would force Stern and the union's owners to bargain more fairly during the 45-day "grace" period. ESPN.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Derek Fisher, CBA, Leon Rose, Dan Fegan, Mark Bartelstein, Henry Thomas, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Arn Tellem, Jeff Schwartz, Agents, Bill Duffy 

The seven agents who sent NBA players a "warning letter" on Monday are holding a conference call Wednesday afternoon to discuss their next move in the league's player lockout, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Those agents -- Arn Tellem, Bill Duffy, Dan Fegan, Jeff Schwartz, Leon Rose, Henry Thomas and Mark Bartelstein -- have been strong behind-the-scenes advocates of decertification for the NBA Players Association. The meeting was expected to begin at 2 p.m. ET. ESPN.com

Leon Rose, Dan Fegan, Mark Bartelstein, Henry Thomas, Lockout, Arn Tellem, Jeff Schwartz, Agents, Bill Duffy 

The letter, which was first reported by ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher, has been widely viewed by players and others around the league as critical of the union's leadership. But one of the agents said Wednesday that the call will center on how the agents can best help union executive director Billy Hunter get a fair deal for the players, rather than on pushing for decertification against the union's wishes. ESPN.com

Leon Rose, Dan Fegan, Mark Bartelstein, Henry Thomas, Lockout, Arn Tellem, Jeff Schwartz, Agents, Bill Duffy 

Sam Amick: He was, the agent says, a key power player in relationship between William Wesley and Rose that has led to much of CAA's recent growth. Twitter

William Wesley, Leon Rose, Dan Fegan, Mark Bartelstein, Henry Thomas, Lockout, Arn Tellem, Jeff Schwartz, Agents, Bill Duffy 

Sources say the letter, a copy of which was obtained from a player who received it, was jointly composed by Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group; Bill Duffy of BDA Sports; Dan Fegan of Lagardere Unlimited; Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management; Leon Rose and Henry Thomas of Creative Artists Agency; and Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports and Entertainment. ESPN.com

CBA, Leon Rose, Dan Fegan, Mark Bartelstein, Henry Thomas, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Arn Tellem, Jeff Schwartz, Agents, Bill Duffy 

Elbert Tellem, the assistant director of the National Labor Relations Board's regional office that handled the players' union's charge against the NBA, has recused himself from the case because he is the cousin of powerful agent Arn Tellem. Sports Business Journal first reported the news Monday, and a person familiar with the decision told CBSSports.com it happened several weeks ago. CBSSports.com

CBA, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Arn Tellem, Agents, Elbert Tellem 

Neither side knows what the regional office recommended, and the general counsel could take days, weeks or months to review the case and either follow or reject the regional office's recommendation. A person familiar with the NLRB's procedures told CBSSports.com Monday it is the agency's hope that the two sides settle their labor dispute among themselves. The conflict of interest for Elbert Tellem stemmed from his family relation to Arn Tellem, the powerful agent from Wasserman Media Group who represents such NBA stars as Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Joe Johnson, Russell Westbrook and Tyreke Evans. Tellem has been among a handful of powerful agents who have consistently disagreed with the union's bargaining and legal strategies while pushing behind the scenes for the players to decertify union membership as a tactic to force the owners to bargain more seriously. CBSSports.com

CBA, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Arn Tellem, Agents, Elbert Tellem 

Emiliano Carchia: Today Danilo Gallinari's agent, Arn Tellem, is expected in Milano to discuss the last details of his contract with Olimpia Milano#NBAlockout Twitter

Denver Nuggets, Lockout, Danilo Gallinari, Italy, Arn Tellem