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Rich Paul and Klutch Sports Group

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You can knock the beginnings and a few missteps but from an opportunity he has built the industries most successful agency and continues to add stars to their roster each year.
Plenty of superstars have friends and sycophants. None have done what Rich has done
Okay? So I should give him a pat on the back? I'm not really sure what you want me to say?

Applaud his hustle, doesn't mean I don't think he's a sack of shit. He's already bumbled the career of a couple former clients (Nerlens, Morris) and I'm betting that his stunts with Davis and Simmons aren't winning him any favors in the front offices around the league.
 
Okay? So I should give him a pat on the back? I'm not really sure what you want me to say?

Applaud his hustle, doesn't mean I don't think he's a sack of shit. He's already bumbled the career of a couple former clients (Nerlens, Morris) and I'm betting that his stunts with Davis and Simmons aren't winning him any favors in the front offices around the league.

I missed this one. Can anyone provide some info here?
 
I missed this one. Can anyone provide some info here?
Rich Paul negotiated a 2 year 20 million deal for Marcus Morris with the Spurs. Morris had 2nd thoughts, signed with the Knicks behind Rich Paul's back, and then dropped him as an agent.
 
In some ways, agents are paid to be professional d-bags. This is basic labor stuff. No one involved is benevolent. Owners and GM's want to get the most for their interests, even at the expense of the player. Players want the most for their labor, even if it doesn't help the team. In almost all cases, the owners/GM's have way more experience, resources and leverage. The agent is brought in to level the field and get the most for their client by whatever means necessary, knowing that the players' careers are short and can end at any moment.
 
I can't say how rational this may be, but Paul is definitely viewed in the same light as Modell around here. He's certainly no favorite of mine, and I nearly cringe every time I read his name.
But I'll tell ya what, if Rich Paul can get Simmons to suit up in Philly again you can color me impressed. He's an operator.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to wash my hands after typing his name.
 
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I can't say how rational this may be, but Paul is definitely viewed in the same light as Modell around here. He's certainly no favorite of mine, and I nearly cringe every time I read his name.
But I'll tell ya what, if Rich Paul can get Simmons to suit up in Philly again you can color me impressed. He's an operator.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to wash my hands after typing his name.

Rich Paul is very good at his job, but his job is not to get owners or fans to like him. His sole job is to protect the interest of the players. Some fans think that the player's interest and the fans interest are the same, they are not, not even close.

Now Ben Simmons was going to lose allot of money, and he wasnt anywhere closer to getting traded, in this case Rich Paul's job is to get Simmons into camp when the hold out failed. This again shows he is a good agent.

And for the record, anyone that talks about him and says stuff like he sold bootlegged jerseys out of the trunk of his car and says that in a negative sense has racist overtones in that statement (not at you Benway), Also it is true he is only in this position because of his friendship and support of Lebron, but good for Rich Paul to take that support and not be a leach like so many in an entourage and turn it into a very successful business, really almost an Empire. Not many take advantage like Rich Paul, i have been impressed with Lebron's freinds that he has empowered over the years.
 
Rich Paul is very good at his job, but his job is not to get owners or fans to like him. His sole job is to protect the interest of the players. Some fans think that the player's interest and the fans interest are the same, they are not, not even close.

Now Ben Simmons was going to lose allot of money, and he wasnt anywhere closer to getting traded, in this case Rich Paul's job is to get Simmons into camp when the hold out failed. This again shows he is a good agent.

And for the record, anyone that talks about him and says stuff like he sold bootlegged jerseys out of the trunk of his car and says that in a negative sense has racist overtones in that statement (not at you Benway), Also it is true he is only in this position because of his friendship and support of Lebron, but good for Rich Paul to take that support and not be a leach like so many in an entourage and turn it into a very successful business, really almost an Empire. Not many take advantage like Rich Paul, i have been impressed with Lebron's freinds that he has empowered over the years.
The Decision.
He didn't Make it.
But he'll never wash that stench away, at least for the Real Cavs Fans from 11 years ago.
Yes, all is forgiven. Forgotten? Maybe when we're all dead?
 
The Decision.
He didn't Make it.
But he'll never wash that stench away, at least for the Real Cavs Fans from 11 years ago.
Yes, all is forgiven. Forgotten? Maybe when we're all dead?

I hate the decision, worst PR move Lebron ever did, but I dont think Rich Paul had anything to do with that, I thought it came form an idea Bill Simmons threw out there of all people, lol
 
Rich Paul is very good at his job, but his job is not to get owners or fans to like him. His sole job is to protect the interest of the players. Some fans think that the player's interest and the fans interest are the same, they are not, not even close.

Now Ben Simmons was going to lose allot of money, and he wasnt anywhere closer to getting traded, in this case Rich Paul's job is to get Simmons into camp when the hold out failed. This again shows he is a good agent.

And for the record, anyone that talks about him and says stuff like he sold bootlegged jerseys out of the trunk of his car and says that in a negative sense has racist overtones in that statement (not at you Benway), Also it is true he is only in this position because of his friendship and support of Lebron, but good for Rich Paul to take that support and not be a leach like so many in an entourage and turn it into a very successful business, really almost an Empire. Not many take advantage like Rich Paul, i have been impressed with Lebron's freinds that he has empowered over the years.
I was the one who made comments about selling knock off jerseys. I take offense to saying that had racist overtones. He's a street hustler that conned his way into LeBron's entourage and leveraged that to create an empire. That's not racist, that's fact.

As for Simmons coming back to Phila, Rich Paul didn't have a fucking clue that Simmons was headed to Phila. He reported without Rich even knowing. So stop making up narratives that don't exist in actual reality. He's made some mistakes, and the Simmons ordeal is the largest one to date. He overplayed his hand, and Phila called his bluff. Simmons, not Rich Paul, is who tucked their tail between their legs and came back to Phila.

It's Rich Paul that was telling Simmons he could recoup a bunch of the money lost if he reported, until the NBA and NBAPA told him not a chance. And poor little Simmons comes crawling back.
 
I was the one who made comments about selling knock off jerseys. I take offense to saying that had racist overtones. He's a street hustler that conned his way into LeBron's entourage and leveraged that to create an empire. That's not racist, that's fact.

As for Simmons coming back to Phila, Rich Paul didn't have a fucking clue that Simmons was headed to Phila. He reported without Rich even knowing. So stop making up narratives that don't exist in actual reality. He's made some mistakes, and the Simmons ordeal is the largest one to date. He overplayed his hand, and Phila called his bluff. Simmons, not Rich Paul, is who tucked their tail between their legs and came back to Phila.

It's Rich Paul that was telling Simmons he could recoup a bunch of the money lost if he reported, until the NBA and NBAPA told him not a chance. And poor little Simmons comes crawling back.

I do agree he was a street hustler who leveraged Lebron's influence and his own skills into his empire, honestly i have respect for that, take any advantage you can.

Out of curiosity how do you know Rich Paul didnt know Ben Simmons was returning. You could be 100% correct, i dont spend allot of time thinking about Ben Simmons or his situation to be honest.
 
I do agree he was a street hustler who leveraged Lebron's influence and his own skills into his empire, honestly i have respect for that, take any advantage you can.

Out of curiosity how do you know Rich Paul didnt know Ben Simmons was returning. You could be 100% correct, i dont spend allot of time thinking about Ben Simmons or his situation to be honest.
It's been reported in multiple articles. I'm eating lunch so I'll find it and update this post.
 
It's been reported in multiple articles. I'm eating lunch so I'll find it and update this post.
I'm having trouble finding the article through google, but one would expect that if the 76ers were surprised by him showing up in Phila, despite having been on the phone with Rich Paul all day, that Rich Paul didn't know either.

Time to scour RCF for the article I read that mentioned it.
 
Most agents used to take a more long-term view when it came to representing clients. They'd try to get max money for their guys, but they were also cognizant that it was in the best interest of players collectively to have a healthy, widely-popular league. So contracts were generally honored, etc..

Paul is a guy -and likely not the only one - who seems to have ditched that approach, and now pushes for the short-term desires of his clients regardless of the long-term impact upon the league as a whole. That benefits his current clients who get what they want short-term, but it may hurt his younger clients down the road when league ratings are worse, and there is less money overall.

I also think current players are much less likely to feel they have a responsibility for the long-term health/popularity of the league. They view popularity/revenues as just a problem for the owners in terms of profits, so they don't care.

I think that more adversarial view between players and the league already has begun to impact the league adversely in terms of ratings, etc..
 
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