HoopsHype.com Rumors

Hal Biagas has agreed to join Excel Sports Management as its general counsel, the latest hire by the sports talent representation firm owned by agents Jeff Schwartz, Casey Close and Mark Steinberg. Biagas most recently was Wasserman Media Group’s executive vice president of operations, a position he held for three years. Prior to that, he served as deputy counsel for the National Basketball Players Association, where he worked for 13 years. Biagas and Excel and Wasserman officials declined to comment or did not return inquiries for this story. Sports Business Daily

Jeff Schwartz, Agents, Wasserman Media Group 

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 

NBA prospect Anthony Davis is the extremely likely number one overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. The NCAA National Champion center/forward from the University of Kentucky had been going through a lengthy vetting process of agents, with the assistance of his father Anthony Davis, Sr., until late last week when he finally announced that he signed with Wasserman Media Group for representation. Sports Agent Blog

Draft, Agents, Anthony Davis, 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: Projected No. 1 NBA pick Anthony Davis @Anthony Davis has decided to be represented by Wasserman Media Group, sources tell Yahoo! Sports. Twitter

Draft, 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 

I can never ever remember when the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the NBA drafted has waited this long to sign with an agent or agency. But Kentucky’s Anthony Davis is still mulling his choices, apparently between the Wasserman Media Group, Creative Artists Agency and Bill Duffy’s BDA Sports. Racine Journal-Times

Draft, Agents, Bill Duffy, Anthony Davis, Wasserman Media Group 

Yesterday, SportsBusiness Journal hosted its yearly Sports Business Awards in New York City. It has been reported that roughly 750 people attended the event. Categories included Sports League of the Year, Sports Sponsor of the Year, and of course, Best in Talent Representation and Management. This year’s winner in the latter category was the very deserving Wasserman Media Group. Sports Agent Blog

Agents, Wasserman Media Group 

Adrian Wojnarowski: University of Washington guard Tony Wroten has signed with agent Greg Lawrence of Wasserman Media Group, Lawrence tells Y! Sports. Twitter

Draft, Agents, Wasserman Media Group, Tony Wroten 

Wasserman Media Group's Greg Lawrence confirmed with ESPNNewYork.com that his client Jason Kapono is interested in the Knicks. Lawrence said Kapono, an unrestricted free agent who played for the 76ers last season, would be "a great fit in coach [Mike] Dantoni's system." "Jason has interest from several teams and we are in the process of trying to figure out the best situation for him," Lawrence said. ESPN.com

New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Free Agency, Jason Kapono, Wasserman Media Group 

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 

On Monday, the Sports Business Journal published a summary authored by Wasserman Media Group proposing the idea of a “China Basketball Tour” as an option for its players in the event of a lockout. Wasserman, which represents 45 NBA players, including NBA MVP Derrick Rose, began pitching the idea in April with a plan of bringing over around 15-20 athletes for a four-team, three city tour that would last in between two and three weeks. NiuBBall.com

China, Wasserman Media Group 

Matt Beyer, an Associate Director at North Head, a public affairs consultancy based in Beijing which represents several NBA athletes in China, has been working on a similar idea since the beginning of March when the potential of a NBA work stoppage turned more serious. When discussing what he calls a “China Contingency League,” Beyer, who worked as Yi Jianlian’s personal interpreter during his rookie season with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2007-08, sees the obvious potential in bringing over a group of NBA players to play in China. “China is a massive market for NBA basketball, so it makes sense for players and agents to look here to capitalize on a lockout situation,” says Beyer. NiuBBall.com

China, Wasserman Media Group 

But Beyer, like any other foreigner with sports business experience in China, knows that simply having an idea, no matter how good of a one it is, is meaningless unless you understand the systematic differences between the U.S. and China. And in China, those differences always start with government, which controls almost all aspects of the Chinese sports system. “As China’s sports industry is controlled strictly by the government, there are many political and regulatory differences from the United States to be aware of,” explains Beyer. ”While a great idea may sell on its merits in the United States, that may not be the case in China.” NiuBBall.com

China, Wasserman Media Group 

“The General Sports Administration, the China Basketball Management Center under the General Sports Administration and the Chinese Basketball Association must all be in consensus that an idea like this is good for Chinese basketball. Any agents proposing an idea like this in China should present it to China’s sports authorities from a perspective of a means to enrich local talent and the strength of the Chinese sports industry.” NiuBBall.com

China, Wasserman Media Group 

Armed with its star-studded NBA client list, Wasserman Media Group is proposing a basketball exhibition tournament in China as the agency explores moneymaking options for its players should there be an extended lockout. In a “China Basketball Tour” proposal summary obtained by SportsBusiness Journal, a sister publication of Sporting News, Wasserman in April began floating a plan to bring 15 to 20 of its NBA clients to China for a two- or three-week tournament if there is a work stoppage. The agency represents 45 NBA players, including this past season’s Most Valuable Player, Derrick Rose. Sporting News

Free Agency, China, Wasserman Media Group 

Wasserman initially targeted mid-July for the tour, but organizers now are looking at potential dates in late August or early September. Scheduling is tight, though, as FIBA’s men’s basketball Asian Games are set for late September in China, and the Chinese Basketball Association starts its season in mid-October. According to the summary, the proposed tournament aims to match NBA players represented by Wasserman with Chinese Basketball Association players to form at least four teams to play during the exhibition. Targeted locations for the tour include Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, but no deals have been signed with any facilities. Sporting News

Free Agency, China, Wasserman Media Group 

A source said NBA players would not be restricted from playing elsewhere during a work stoppage, but there are major issues for organizers, such as securing player insurance, something that one sports marketing source doing business in China said could make any exhibition cost prohibitive. Sporting News

Free Agency, China, Wasserman Media Group 

Despite the absence of hoop icon, Yao Ming, newly-appointed National Basketball Association (NBA) China's CEO, David Shoemaker, has faith in the sport's foundation here and has vowed to keep its momentum going. Houston Rockets' all-star center Yao, who triggered nationwide interests in the NBA since his debut in 2002, is battling a career-threatening ankle injury. His uncertain future and possible retirement would supposedly reduce the NBA's popularity in China. However, the new boss shrugged that scenario off and stressed the game's close bond with the nation. "I don't see (Yao's) uncertainty is having a negative impact. In fact, I think it has generated a whole lot of interest," said Shoemaker, who officially assumed the post on June 1, replacing Tim Chen. China Daily

Houston Rockets, Free Agency, Yao Ming, China, Wasserman Media Group