Jarinn Akana, the agent for T'Wolves G Ricky Rubio, knows his client's six-assist NBA debut Monday "will only help the marketing" of Rubio, according to Charley Walters of the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. Akana said after the Thunder-T'Wolves game Monday, "The buzz (about Rubio) is definitely picking up. Eventually, deals that we were looking at probably will start coming in." Target Center Dir of Retail Jim Bastyr said after Monday's game Rubio's jersey "was the hottest seller we had tonight." Walters notes Rubio while playing in Spain had endorsement deals "with Gillette razors and McDonald's restaurants," but he "doesn't have those now that he's in Minnesota." Akana: "It's hard to sell someone that people haven't seen or been around. The myth of Ricky is that he can play, he's good. But until people finally see him and get around him, see what kind of guy he is ... he's a winner. This thing is just going to grow." Rubio's Nike shoe contract "has expired, and the worldwide apparel company hasn't renewed the deal yet." Rubio "continues to wear Nike shoes, though." Nike has the right of "first refusal with Rubio." If another shoe firm "makes an offer, Nike can match it and retain him." Akana: "We haven't pushed that" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 12/28).
BANG FOR THE BUCK: YAHOO SPORTS' Adrian Wojnarowski noted adidas has "two franchise endorsers," Bulls G Derrick Rose and Magic C Dwight Howard. Rose "signed a $94 million extension with the Bulls, and sources say Adidas is working on a lifetime shoe deal for him now." A high-ranking sneaker exec said, "Adidas simply cannot have its two signature players on the same team in the same market. … Derrick is the face of that market, owns that market, and Adidas can’t possibly have maximum bang for its buck with Dwight there." Howard has an adidas renewal "on deck in the next year, and Los Angeles and Brooklyn guarantee him maximum money." Wojnarowski noted adidas will "still pay Howard well wherever he winds up, but Orlando and Chicago won't get him paid and marketed the way Los Angeles and Brooklyn will" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 12/24).
