Well, it's a relief, isn't it, that the whole childish basketball part of the NCAA season is over so that we can get on to the real adult bloodsport of figuring out which soon-to-be-pro is going to sign with which agent.

I have talked to several agents about this, and they all agree that the big prize in this year's draft is Kevin Durant. He's an amazing player. He's an athletic wing player, and athletic wing players, much more than big men like Greg Oden, tend to sell sneakers and stuff. He's also a highlight machine.

And, as far as every one I talk to can tell, Durant's still not committed to any particular agent (unlike Oden, who is widely expected to be represented by Mike Conley Sr.). A decision is expected as early as next week. 

Which means it's crunch time for the many big name agents who are in the chase. Sources tell me that Bill Duffy, Arn Tellem, and Aaron Goodwin are on the case, as is William Wesley, who is not an agent but has connections to agents David Falk and Leon Rose as well as potential sponsors like Nike. Kevin's parents, Wayne and Wanda Pratt, have been actively managing the process. Sources tell me that before the season began, Durant's family even took the unusual step of having discussions with an independent attorney with sports expertise -- in this case Atlanta-based David Cornwell -- to guide them.

 
Pick Up Your Briefcase and Run

One of the big problems of how this process usually goes is that so many of the people with the expertise to guide families in such decisions -- coaches, advisers, administrators, agents, players, shoe company executives -- have something to gain by steering the player to this or that agent, marketing professional, financial adviser or shoe company, or back to school.

Wayne McDonnell is a clinical assistant professor in sports management at New York University.  "The big problem is that the young athletes lack the knowledge to make these kinds of decisions," he explains. "There are all these people in their ear telling them the wrong things. It's very disheartening." 

Cornwell is in a unique position. Cornwell frequently represents sports agents themselves in various legal matters. At first blush that would make you think he'd be biased -- some agents are paying him already! -- but on the other hand if Cornwell is seen as playing favorites among agents, he risks permanently alienating a good portion of his client base. Agents who have not worked with Cornwell have told me they have a high opinion of him.

Cornwell won't confirm that he has advised the Durants, but says he has advised many young professional athletes, and shares thoughts about how he advises young professional athletes generally.

Celebrities, parties, Cadillacs, Bentleys, credit lines -- we have all heard the stories about how agents get the attention of young athletes. "When you hear more about the parties, the cars, the music videos and all that -- all the fun stuff that comes with pro sports -- than you do about the business side of sports, I tell people it's time to pick up your briefcase and run," says Cornwell. "That person is telling you that they're not going to assist you in finding the best way to maximize your earning, they're not going to teach you about the business, and they're not going to spend time with you analyzing your options." 

Plan to Be a Business Professional 

Cornwell is fixated on the notion that budding young basketball players must make it their job to also become budding young business people. Just as coaches and trainers hone a player's game, an agent, he says, must embrace a long-term goal of teaching the player business savvy.

For instance, if a business wants an athlete to endorse a product, a curious player might ask to spend a few weeks of the offseason at the corporate headquarters, getting an invaluable education that will give the player an edge in pitching the product, as well as an education that will far outlast the endorsement deal. 

The goal, Cornwell says, is to be a fully empowered adult, competently filling the role of president at the personal corporation an agent has helped him assemble. Cornwell says Greg Anthony, Desmond Howard, Pudge Rodriguez, and Donovan Darius (who was reading "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" in a restaurant when Cornwell first met him) are examples of athletes who have become great business people.

Cornwell is not impressed with agents try to dazzle young athletes with cars and the like. "Why should anyone compromise their long-term earning power for a car?" he asks. "Everybody should be able to go and buy a car without an agent, anyway."

"I have a relationship with Cedric Benson. We met a potential agent for his football career, and the agent ran through all kinds of issues like the salary cap, the various incentives, how to structure a deal to maximize earnings, the impact of a signing bonus on base salary and all that. Cedric was nodding his head the whole time, but I didn't have the sense it was all sinking in. This stuff is hard for CPAs and lawyers to capture the first time. There's no reason a young man right out of college should get it the first time. So I turned to Cedric and said 'you get that?' And he said 'no, not really.' So I turned back to the agent and said 'can you please start all over again?' You just have to take the time to build that understanding."

Cornwell asks agents how competent they are at working with teams of advisers. "They all say they are great at it, but then you have ask for specific examples," he says. The art of agenting involves coordinating a symphony of marketing people, CPAs, lawyers, and financial planners -- as well as trusted friends, family members, and advisers -- working in the athlete's best interest. Cornwell prefers agents with a history of helping athletes build and maintain those kinds of teams successfully.

When the process of recruitment is working to Cornwell's satisfaction, it is neither dazzling nor sexy. "It's no different hiring an architect or an accountant," he says. "There's no reason for it to be all that exciting."