Agents Who Bully NBA Mock Draft Websites: "Don't Post That!"

DraftExpress provides mock NBA drafts and background information/observations on prospective draft picks. I read it regularly, just as I read NBA Draft Net and Chad Ford's ESPN draft website regularly--they are well-written and informative.

In its latest mock draft, DraftExpress predicts that LSU freshman Tyrus Thomas will be taken 7th overall, by the Boston Celtics. The prediction is surprising, as most other mock drafts have Thomas going 2nd or 3rd.

But what's surprising to some is apparently offensive to others, and specifically Thomas' agents, Brian Elfus and Mike Siegel. They rescinded an invitation to Jonathan Givony, President of DraftExpress, to attend a private workout of Thomas, telling Givony in a text message that they are "not happy with [DraftExpress] having Tyrus 7th," and that DraftExpress "needs to adjust that ASAP." To his credit, Givony responds:

DraftExpress never has and never will sacrifice our journalistic integrity by bowing down to demands of agents. We cannot allow our site to be manipulated in such a way that will hurt our credibility and detract from the many people who visit us to read our honest and professional opinion. If it’s at all possible to get access to a workout and do our job objectively the way our visitors have become accustomed to in the past, we will always jump on the opportunity.

I wonder what Tyrus Thomas thinks about all this? His agents are trying to strong-arm those who run mock draft websites? Most clients probably wouldn't perceive that as beneficial to their draft prospects or as a good use of their agents' time. They may also begin to wonder about how confident their agents are in them.

But to play Devil's Advocate, Thomas' agents would probably argue that NBA general managers are influenced by these websites, and that exerting such suasion thereby benefits their clients. But then again, even if these websites are influential--a questionable assumption, to say the least--ill-advised strong-arm tactics in text messages are never recipes for success. One of the drawbacks of test-messaging, even more so than e-mail, is that it can encourage hasty, not-well-thought-out correspondences. I think we see that here. At least I hope so.

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