LSU forward Tyrus Thomas, who has the potential to be the No. 1 NBA draft pick, has signed with little-known agents Brian Elfus and Michael Siegel for representation.
“We are ecstatic,” Elfus said. “It is nice for a small company to end up with a client like this who gives us a tremendous amount of exposure at a higher level. I honestly feel that he chose our firm because he wanted to be a big fish in a small pond and he knew that he would be the focal point of what we do.”
Elfus and Siegel own ESM, which stands for Elfus-Siegel Management and is based in Carlsbad, Calif., and Philadelphia. They represent about 40 clients, mostly basketball players overseas, as well as players in the CBA and NBA Development League. They represent Chicago Bulls guard Randy Livingston and former NBA player Maurice Carter, now playing in Spain. Carter and Livingston are both former LSU players.
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Tyrus Thomas has climbed among draft prospects
to be considered a possible No. 1 pick. |
“We are very excited about signing Tyrus,” Siegel said. “He is an exceptional young man, and he comes from an exceptional family.”
Elfus said that shoe companies have approached him and Siegel, as well as Thomas’ family, about potential shoe deals. “We are going to be patient,” he said, when asked about a time line for signing a shoe endorsement contract.
Mock draft Web site nbadraft.net had Thomas ranked No. 1, and Web site
hoopshype.com ranked him No. 2. Elfus, while acknowledging differences in opinion over which player will be drafted in the top spot, said, “I think he will be a lock top-five pick right now.”
CONDON SIGNS SIMMS: In addition to signing former USC quarterback and top NFL draft prospect Matt Leinart, agent Tom Condon also has signed Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms, son of NFL great Phil Simms. Chris Simms, chosen by the Buccaneers in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft, was formerly represented by Marvin Demoff.
Meanwhile, Condon was terminated by Chicago Bears running back Thomas Jones. Sources said that Jones is expected to sign with NFL player agent Drew Rosenhaus. Rosenhaus did not return phone calls seeking comment.
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The Buccaneers’ Chris Simms jumped Marvin
Demoff’s ship to join Tom Condon. |
Condon recently left
IMG to start up
Creative Artists Agency’s new football division.
MLB CBA TALKS START: Executives from Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have had some preliminary discussions about a new collective-bargaining agreement but have not yet exchanged written proposals. The MLB CBA expires Dec. 19.
“We expect to get together in the next few weeks,” said MLBPA general counsel Michael Weiner. Asked whether the parties had exchanged formal proposals, Weiner said they had not. He declined to comment further. Rob Manfred, MLB executive vice president for labor relations, would not comment.
Labor experts said the lack of an exchange of formal proposals was not significant, as much progress can be made through informal discussions.
Bill Gould, a Stanford Law School professor and former chairman of the National Labor Relations Board, noted that the two sides may not exchange written proposals until two to three months before the expiration of the CBA. “Their history has been one of back-channel discussions, which are apparently being undertaken now,” Gould said. “These discussions are undertaken with a view towards sounding each other out.”
Contact Liz Mullen at lmullen@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
