Poor Man's Commish » ef hutton

DeMar DeRozan learning the NBA business

poormanscommish — Tue, 11 May 2010 21:59:51 +0000

Here’s a nice peek into an NBA rookie’s life. There’s a lot to learn about this business, and the Toronto Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan gives some good insights, including his reaction to comments from LeBron James that the Raptors didn’t want to make the playoffs (“that’s his opinion”), how he and a teammate once took a night drive 40 miles outside of Toronto just to explore, and rookie hazing (or lack thereof).

Especially as an historic NBA Draft approaches, I’ve become more and more amazed how these young players, often times barely legal as far as walking into a bar, are forced to make multi-million-dollar business decisions that even 35-year-olds working in the bustling high-tech Silicon Valley or the rigors of Wall Street like us, would have a hard time sorting out. Here’s an excerpt from DeRozan on that note, but the entire article is worth the read. There’s also another post by the New Jersey Nets’ Terrence Williams that precedes DeRozan’s post.

The tough stuff about the league is just realizing very quickly that you are expected to be grown. In college they make you run when you mess up. Here, they fine you! It’s your money. It’s really a business. No one is going to baby you and you have to be accountable for all of your actions. Being away from my family was tough when I was frustrated on the court. I wished they were there just to ease it up a bit, but I got through it. There was a period where I went through what y’all call the rookie wall. Nothing was going my way and that was tough for me. Chris Bosh really helped me out with that. He told me you can’t let your last game affect your next game. You have to learn how to brush it off and keeping going. He told me he went through the same thing. He really helped me out a lot with that.

Read the whole article: http://rookiechronicles.com/2010/05/demar-derozan-blog-wrapping-up-my-rookie-year/

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Mark Cuban on having personality in the NBA

poormanscommish — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:45:15 +0000

Note to all NBA draftees: when you come into the Association, please bring your personality. If you can’t offer something unique in the spotlight, or if you don’t put your heart and soul towards being in the spotlight, chances are, there is someone more qualified than you who does, and who wants it more. And it doesn’t necessarily take basketball skill to do it.

Now, some of you might be too young to have fully developed a personality. That’s okay. Eventually you will have one. All human beings go through this process.

But unless you are a shoo-in for a lottery pick, you better at least counter that lack of a developed personality with a strategic gameplan that will lead you to an NBA career. That strategy could involve some element of PR, perhaps a greater element of basketball skills training, and more likely a combination of both. But please do not underestimate the PR portion.

Because public perception will soon become more powerful than you could’ve ever imagined.

And we’re not just talking the general public. We could be talking about any particular affinity group. It could be the subset of NBA general managers that may make a certain judgment about you by the basketball decisions you have made. It could be the subset of fans from your hometown that may make a certain judgment about you by the quotes you have made in any given interview.

Whatever the affinity, never underestimate it.

It’s just like Mark Cuban saying to new Nets owner and Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, in the excerpted interview by Howard Beck of the New York Times, below: If it’s not in your nature to show up, then you better at least plan to show up.

The NBA, where multi-million-dollar businesses happen.

Q. Where does personality come into play?

A. Personality matters in the entertainment business. Entertainment matters in the entertainment business. The N.B.A. doesn’t sell basketball in our arenas. We sell fun. On TV, we sell competition, passion, amazing athleticism and personality. When we say, “This is where amazing happens,” it’s as much Shaq’s oversized personality — now Michael Jordan on the sideline screaming at refs — as LeBron’s dunks or Dirk’s jumper.

Read the whole article at: Words of Wisdom From the Mavericks’ Cuban – Off the Dribble Blog – NYTimes.com

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The articulate Jared Dudley

poormanscommish — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:12:46 +0000

You know how you get to talking with the new guy on your rec league team and he turns out to be a really thoughtful, introspective guy? I love finding diamonds in the rough like that. Jared Dudley of the Phoenix Suns was on the B.S. Report podcast awhile back and I had no idea he was so articulate. I’ve always wanted to map out a Bill Simmons podcast, but we’ll save it for another day. For now, I’ll just give you the core dump. I’m definitely gonna start following him on Twitter, too.

Dudley talked about Steve Nash. He packs his own meals on roadtrips. No fried foods, no desserts. Takes care of the body. Nash reportedly feels the altitude at Denver and Utah only in the first quarter.

Dudley often guards the other team’s best player, and also says for him, the hardest guy to defend in the league is not Kobe Bryant, not LeBron James, not Dwyane Wade — although D-Wade does have the most explosive first step. The toughest guy for him to guard in the NBA is Kevin Durant. Can’t block his shot.

For his role off the bench, Dudley stretches out, puts the heat packs on the knees, and understands his role, knowing when to expect to sub in. That’s why he’s been more effective in this “breakout” season.

For the Suns’ playoff hopes, without Robin Lopez (injured), the window of errors shrinks. Simmons felt Lopez, listed under 7′0″, was actually perhaps taller, when seeing him live, from courtside.

Dudley has a small anecdote on Lopez. Last season, down by 30 on the road, Greg Oden dunks on Lopez, and-one. In the timeout, Shaquille O’Neal gets on him and Lopez snaps, “Well, if you had been doing your job, we wouldn’t be down by 30 trying to clean up your mess!!”

Ever since then, Lopez has been a new man. Incidentally, Shaq never complained and was a hard-working teammate.

Being a former Charlotte Bobcat, Simmons asks Dudley about his best story with the G.O.A.T., Michael Jordan. Walking out of a Bobcats season-ending meeting, Dudley says, “Hey I workout in Vegas, so hit me up sometime when you’re out there doing your old man’s camp.” MJ says okay, see you soon.

Then out of the blue one random night in Vegas that summer, Dudley gets a call from a 312 number: MJ. They go out gambling and Dudley has a night to remember, although the conversation doesn’t go into that much detail, starting with security guards popping up out of nowhere when he first sees MJ and they shake hands.

Talking about the NBA lifestyle in general, Dudley says it’s all about coaching and the system that you play in. Dudley says he is still the same player he was in Charlotte.

NBA life can be tough and weird (or as we here at Poor Man’s Commish like to say, “Bizarro”), but Dudley loves his life and can’t complain. He will always do autographs, especially for kids and considering the amount of money NBA players get paid.

“JMZ” is his nickname because he’s like TMZ but for basketball. He gives the lowdown and videos from the NBA life, e.g., he did a mini-session called “Twitter Cribs” (Twitter handle: @JaredDudley619).

Another example of comedic stuff Dudley posts on Twitter: Lopez drives a green ‘87 Corolla. Dudley has pledged to be there when Lopez finally buys a new car. Btw, Amar’e Stoudemire has a Maybach as well as a Lamborghini.

Listen to the B.S. Report at: ESPNRadio.com – PodCenter – ESPN

I also managed to find a nice article on Dudley’s off-court entertainment exploits. Here’s an excerpt:

“JMZ is hit or miss,” Nash said. “Some days, it’s outstanding content. Some days, it’s just like trash. We’re working on his level of content production. He’s getting the handle of the host and what it takes to entertain his fans.”

Nash was the star of an October video Dudley shot for more than 67,000 views. Nash kicked a shot into the hoop from the free-throw line and celebrated like a soccer player.

“Steve is like one of those weird directors,” Dudley said. “His movies are going to be good but it’s for a certain audience. My audience is broad. You can bring your kids.

You can read the full article at: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2010/04/01/20100401phoenix-suns-jared-dudley-twitter.htmlYou might also like:

Rick Barry’s short-lived NFL camp with the Raiders

poormanscommish — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:10:56 +0000

Here’s a hoops-related nugget from the John Madden daily podcast the other day on KCBS740 radio. He was talking about the NFL Draft and how 33-year old Brandon Crawford, defensive end for Ball State, has no shot at even an NFL camp because of his age (and the fact that he would have to be paid a full salary if he gets injured). The conversation shifted to sportswriter George Plimpton and his “tryout” back in the day with the Detroit Lions, to which Madden said that was “stupid”.

Then Madden brought up one of his many wonderful anecdotes — you can’t find them on Google! — about how Rick Barry wanted to catch a few balls during camp. Here’s an excerpt from about the 6:40 mark of the podcast, which is linked below…

“Rick Barry wanted to get dressed and run some patterns. You know, I took what I was doing pretty serious. So I said, ‘I’ll tell you what, you can come out, but you’re gonna stay out of the whole practice and you’re going to do everything.” I swear, just at that time, Jack Tatum and George Atkinson walk by and I was standing outside the locker room and so I said to Jack and George, ‘If this guy comes out and he catches a pass and comes around the middle, it’s full go. I want you to do to him what you’d do to anyone else.’ You think Rick Barry dressed?”

You can download this podcast here: http://www.kcbs.com/episode_download.php?contentType=36&contentId=4582542&tag=Box_4846023_Outer_Div;Box_4846023_Inner_Div

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John Wall, LeBron James, LRMR putting the cart before the horse?

poormanscommish — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:32:13 +0000

This is fascinating NBA business stuff that I always like to share with the Dream League community, to drop a little knowledge seeping out of the ivory towers of basketball: John Wall partnering with LeBron James. You know, coming from a previous life as a venture capitalist, these kinds of deals are happening on a daily basis in our local backyard right here in Silicon Valley, the center of the world as it pertains to high tech. Similar movers and shakers are negotiating big deals in parallel in the world of hoops.

So, pop quiz: What does the fact that LeBron/LRMR asked Chris Paul to invest in the company tell you about LRMR? With all due respect, Maverick Carter would get “posterized” if this happened in Silicon Valley.

Here’s an excerpt (link is below)…

Because of James, Carter has cachet. Everyone has to take meetings with him. What LRMR has tried to sell to players is this: LeBron can’t take every deal offered him. Sometimes, his hand-me-downs are better than anything else out there. They tried hard to recruit New Orleans star Chris Paul away from Octagon, but sources say Paul ultimately balked at the idea of purchasing equity in the company.

“They needed Chris a lot more than Chris needed them,” a league marketing source said.

James will go back again and again for Kentucky’s stars. Rival agents gasped when close associate, William Wesley, walked into a Wildcat game with rapper Drake. As one said, “How the hell can I compete with that?” James has made himself part of the Kentucky program. Kentucky coach John Calipari has deftly positioned himself as a favorite of James, hiring one of his high school teammates, Brandon Weems, in his basketball operations, and treating James like an honorary alumnus. It’s good for Calipari’s and James’ recruiting.

Read the whole article at: Wall could soon join LeBron’s marketing firm – NBA – Yahoo! Sports You might also like:

EF Hutton / Three-Point Play: Mark Cuban

poormanscommish — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:18:17 +0000

My EF Huttons: Mark Cuban and David Stern.

The next EF Hutton award goes to Mark Cuban. It’s also a 3-Pt Play because three of his last four blogposts have been about business and entrepreneurship.

You may not know this, but Entrepreneurship 101 is out there, it’s free, and you don’t need to pay six figures to get a diploma that says “MBA” on it from a name-brand school.

Just go to Cuban’s blogmaverick.com and do a search on “success & motivation” or “business” or “entrepreneurship”. Try that “sleeping on a friend’s couch” thing. Trust me, that is the ultimate rite of passage for an entrepreneur. I don’t know why, it just is. For whatever reason. Without fail.

I would say that to be a successful entrepreneur, you have to be really, really ambitious. You have to shoot for the moon and be really confident you will actually get there. It’s no different than believing you can be a star in your local rec league, and win championships (plural) to boot.

You have to be so confident, you would risk it all, just so you can be your own boss and be able to blaze your own trail. You have to have a certain mindset. A killer instinct, except in business, not on the hardcourt.

In the first of his latest trifecta, entitled What Will You Remember When You Are 90?, he says…

Before I do any of the many things that I get asked to do, and that I think might be fun, I have one simple question i ask myself. When I hopefully turn 90 and look back at my life , would I regret having done it, or not having done it ?

This is precisely the reason why you see Poor Man’s Commish throwing his entire reputation behind the prospects of Jeremy Lin and his NBA potential. This is why Dream League worked itself to the bone for the four screenings of Year Of The Yao, nearly five years ago, which resulted in some unbelievable relationships that I have today. This is why I quit my six-figure job in 2001, at the height of the dot-com bubble.

Back to Cuban. The second of his three-point play, The Sport of Business, I’m sure he has written about before. But it’s nice to see him post it again. In my vehement opinion (forget IMHO!), his post deserves to be quoted in its entirety and you should definitely read it, soon.

I can totally relate to his comparison of playing a sport versus succeeding in business. When I was young, like 26 as some of you Dream Leaguers are, there was nothing more important to me than the two leagues I played in: J-town in SF on Wednesday nights and Japanese League on Sundays. I made my mark pretty well, although I was only able to get myself a championship in one of those leagues. I was watching videotapes of Michael Jordan and studying the footwork. It was paying dividends. I was going to the gym a lot, although my metabolism was too high to gain any weight. I was killing the Monday night runs at Berkeley. I was picking my spots carefully, where it’d be a challenge to get to a certain threshold, yet I knew it was all relative. There’s only about a million other rec leagues out there, you know.

That ain’t nuthin’ compared to the challenges I face today as a Poor Man’s Commish.

Here’s my favorite part of Cuban’s post…

Relaxing is for the other guy. I may be sitting in front of the TV, but I’m not watching it unless I think there is something I can learn from it. I’m thinking about things I can use in my business and the TV is just there.

I could take the time to read a fiction book, but I don’t. I would rather read websites, newspapers, magazines, looking for ideas and concepts that I can use. I spend time in bookstores because 1 idea from a book or magazine can make me money.

I’m not going to go to dinner with you just to chat. I’m not going to give you a call to see how you are. Unless you want to talk business.

So, the Poor Man’s Commish apologizes ahead of time for the way he acts. That’s why my Facebook is Dream League and it will always be that way. I can’t help it. I don’t have time to post things that are not related to my business. I am literally focused on my business 24 x 7, as I ironically posted on the previous installment of EF Hutton, regarding being like David Stern (see interview question “:05″) — incidentally, my post came out on 12/9/09 at 10:51AM EST, Cuban’s was posted at 9:01PM the same day.

But back to Cuban, again. The third in his recent trifecta is Scatterbrained and in College. He gives advice to a kid in college who doesn’t know what to focus on, always going on adventures…

Being focused at 21 is way over rated. Now is the time to screw up, try as many different things as you can and just maybe figure things out.

The thing you do need to do is learn. Learn accounting. Learn finance. Learn statistics. Learn as much as you can about business. Read biographies about business people. You dont have to focus on 1 thing, but you have to create a base of knowledge so you are ready when its time.

You will never know when that time will come. But you can be ready when it does.

I’d actually advise that the kid try to make money off his adventures. He doesn’t have to do it full-time. He can do it on the side. Maybe start a company whose niche is to go off on these adventures. It doesn’t even have to be a real “company”. It can just be something he tells some friends or classmates or people he meets on Craigslist. Hey, let’s go on X adventure (which cost him $100), except tell everyone to pitch in $150. There’s your first profit margin. And when you go on said adventures with friends or clients, definitely act like and be the leader. Keep going and you’ll learn by making mistakes. The sooner you start, the better.

And it never happens like this: Oh, I’m gonna go out and make a billion dollars like Cuban. Are you telling me he expected to get bought out by Yahoo back in the day? He was just trying his best, but his ability to connect certain dots made something that seemed improbable, very likely. Start modestly, but go for it with the intention that it will open more doors as you go. When the right doors open, go through those doors as if they were meant to be opened by you.

Am I happy that I can do Dream League and basketball-related stuff 24/7/365? Yes and no. My income still isn’t all that great, but it’s somewhat steady as long as I put in the work, and I don’t have to sit in traffic on Highway 880 anymore. I have the ultimate freedom to do whatever I want, whenever. I don’t answer to The Man. And yet, I don’t feel like I’m there yet. There’s so much left to be done. And I don’t look at it in terms of dollars and cents, either. There’s just so much left to be done, to change the world. Financials are a part of it, but certainly not defined by it. It’s all of the above, that’s the only way I can describe it. Cuban calls it “the edge”.

I’d like to once again plug Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (dang, I should be his publicist!). It’s about pouncing on opportunities, but knowing when the opportunities are there, available to you. And, sometimes, available to you but not to others.

For example, that night two summers ago when I decided at the last minute to go see what this Jeremy Lin was all about at the SF Pro-Am League, then waiting for him after the game to introduce myself. Or this past summer when at the gym, I approached someone who I recognized as a former NBA coach and introduced myself, offering to add value to something only a Poor Man’s Commish could have noticed. More on this in the next few months. The plot thickens…You might also like:

EF Hutton: David Stern

poormanscommish — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:55:22 +0000

You’re probably too young, but eons ago, there was a financial services firm called EF Hutton. They had these famous commercials where two people would be talking about stocks and stuff, somewhere crowded. Then one of them would say, “Well my brokerage is EF Hutton. And EF Hutton says…”

Then, the crowd around them would stop what they were doing and lean in to listen to the conversation. Brilliant!

Well, in the NBA (and in life), there are certain people whom I like to label as “EF Huttons”. When they talk, I listen. Almost without fail.

For example, Barack Obama. The man has a speech, I listen. Often times, Michael Jordan, since he’s sort of off the radar now. For business and entrepreneurship, Mark Cuban. And more recently, Anthony Kim, soon-to-be golf superstar and therefore, future Asian-American role model.

Now, when David Stern talks, the Poor Man’s Commish definitely listens. He’s the quintessential CEO, in the greatest game ever invented, on the most important platform of the greatest game ever invented.

Recently, he admitted to SLAM Magazine that he has a subscription, believe it or not. He also has a really cool interview with Hoop Magazine, in which my favorite parts will become self-evident below.

Not to be narcissistic (show me one person who has a blog who isn’t!), but I thought I’d spice up this edition of EF Hutton with Hoop Magazine’s interview done as if they had interviewed the Poor Man’s Commish. More proof that what happens in the NBA, often times happens in Dream League as well. Also, no one ever interviews me and I don’t have a posh office downtown nor do I have employees whom I can engage in water-cooler conversation, so this is just a way to break out of my daily anti-social conundrum!

Actually, it’s not so bad. I get to drop off, pickup, and squeeze those lovable cheeks of my little tyke at school each and everyday. One of the perks of being the Poor Man’s Commish. With that, let’s ask every kindergartener’s favorite imaginary buddy, Mr. Nobody, to do the interview…

:24 MR. NOBODY: Happy belated birthday! How did you celebrate?
PMC: Well, if you’re asking about my birthday which was months ago, I actually celebrated it by scorekeeping games. I kid you not. But hey, it’s my passion. It really is.

:23 MR. NOBODY: Exciting. Did they have a cake for you at least?
PMC: Believe it or not, despite my name, I tend to not prefer rich desserts such as cake. Cheesecake will actually make me nauseous. Anyhoo, my family counters this by ordering ice cream cake.

:22 MR. NOBODY: Do players, coaches or owners send you birthday cards?
PMC: Um, I don’t think anybody even knows my birthday. And if you’re looking for it on Facebook, sorry, but that happens to be the birthday of Dream League, haha!

:21 MR. NOBODY: Did you receive an e-mail from President Obama?
PMC: Actually, he sent me a text. Heh, I wish.

:20 MR. NOBODY: Did the hoop ever get installed in the White House?
PMC: I dunno, ask the Rich Man’s Commish.

:19 MR. NOBODY: How would you evaluate his game?
PMC: According to the video, I’d say he can play in Dream League, for sure.

:18 MR. NOBODY: How neat is it to have the President of the United States be a basketball fan?
PMC: Absolutely perfect. Did I mention that if Harvard makes it to the NCAA’s, he’s likely to be there?

:17 MR. NOBODY: When presidents get away for some relaxation they often go to Camp David. Where is Camp Poor Man’s Commish?
PMC: Uhh, I don’t take vacations. But I do try to make an excuse to go to New York City, because I just love concrete jungles, such as for the annual Gotham Games tournament held by my buddies at Dream League New York.

Rich Man: real deal, Poor Man: clip-on.

:16 MR. NOBODY: Do you have any basketball memorabilia in your home, or do you leave that at the office, so you can get away?
PMC: Funny, but I’m just not a big go-getter in terms of photos, although I’ve had plenty of opportunities. Maybe it’s just ‘cuz I’m simply not photogenic. Or that I’d rather try to remember cool things that have happened to me by memory. But as far as memorabilia, I have a few. I used to keep all the Sports Illustrated magazines I ever had (since back in my day, there was no Internet), but then I threw those out and only kept the ones with Michael Jordan on the cover. I still have the NBA synthetic ball that was a bust. But no, I don’t need to surround myself with basketball materials.

:15 MR. NOBODY: ~~Do you ever take the subway or go on walks in New York, or is that too difficult?~~ Do you ever take BART or go on walks in the Bay Area, or is that too difficult?
PMC: I’m lucky in that I get to take my daughter to and from school everyday, so I get to walk with her, and I don’t have to commute anywhere. I’m really blessed with avoiding Bay Area traffic, although I did live through the hell of it in my previous life as an Andersen Consulting drone.

:14 MR. NOBODY: Do you wear a disguise? We’ve got to imagine you’re stopped by ~~NBA fans~~ Dream Leaguers everywhere you go.
PMC: ~~A lot of~~ Some people do, but usually they want to complain about one team or one referee [laughs].

:13 MR. NOBODY: Maybe you should grow your beard again.
PMC: I can’t really grow a beard. Fu Man Chu, maybe.

:12 MR. NOBODY: We see you ~~shake hands~~ give pounds a lot at different events. Do you keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in your pocket?
PMC: I got that from Jordan in his playing days. Also, it’s more sanitary.

:11 MR. NOBODY: Do you find it difficult at all to not root during games?
PMC: It’s awful. I have to root for no injuries, no fights, and no calls that incorrectly determine the outcome of a game… Of course, behind closed doors and in front of a TV set, I am allowed to make a lot of noise when applauding good plays. Unfortunately, Dream League isn’t televised, so I really can’t applaud good plays, but I do sit there in quietly approving a good play sometimes.

:10 MR. NOBODY: Do you remember the first NBA game you ever attended?
PMC: My dad took me to a Golden State Warriors game when I was maybe seven. He took me to a few games. We won every single one of them, but the only game I remember was the one we lost, and that one, we had to sit further back than the previous ones. It was against the 76ers and Julius Erving. My only memory of those games was a reverse dunk Dr. J made. The whole crowd got up and was in awe and even cheered. I must’ve been the only one saddened by it because I was such a devout little Warriors fan. It’s funny, but now I look back at it and feel blessed to have it etched in my memory. And the Warriors were wearing their white unis that night, btw. As far as Dream League, I’m sorry to say, no, I can’t remember the first game I scorekept, because after awhile it all becomes a blur.

:09 MR. NOBODY: Who were your favorite ~~Knicks~~ Warriors? Who were your favorite Dream Leaguers?
PMC: Way back when my dad took me, Sonny Parker and Phil Smith. Then I remember distinctly as the Warriors got progressively worse during that era, World B. Free, Lester Conner, Michael Ray Richardson, not necessarily in that order. Then, thankfully, came the Run TMC era. After Chris Webber got traded, I said, that’s it. I’m no longer a Warriors fan. I will root for them, but I won’t pour my heart and soul into them. As for Dream League, the early stars were Terry Omata, Jeremy Lee, Conant Chi, and Hubert Liu. You can still find old mentions of them by Googling our site!

:08 MR. NOBODY: When was the last time you took a shot?
PMC: I’m still playing every Sunday. I only average about three shots a game and I make sure that I’m on a team with a great point guard!

:07 MR. NOBODY: What lessons did you learn ~~at Stern’s Deli~~ from your dad that you carry through to today?
PMC: Practice makes perfect, and that if you got a “B” on your report card, that simply meant you didn’t want an “A”.

:06 MR. NOBODY: Who was your inspiration or role model?
PMC: I was always trying to impress my dad, but I never played well when he was watching. Later on I tried to pattern my game and my shot after Joe Dumars. But then when I discovered some secrets you could learn by taping MJ and watching his footwork, that’s when I really loved the game. Business-wise I spent a previous life in venture capital, so I’ve been a keen observer and practitioner of Silicon Valley ways. But as far as running a basketball-related organization, of course I have to tip my hat to THE Commish, David Stern, especially his demeanor in addressing some of the bigger issues.

:05 MR. NOBODY: Who’s had a bigger impact?
PMC: Oh, Michael Jordan. That’s easy. The world wanted to be like Mike. No one was interested in being like David. Until now. Believe it or not, I enjoy being more like David. It’s a lot more mental and a lot more 24/7 trying to be like David. And therefore, strangely, it’s more challenging. Besides, it’s not possible to be like Mike when you’re past age 32 or so.

:04 MR. NOBODY: Michael brought sponsorships and endorsements to a whole new level. Why doesn’t the Commissioner have any commercials?
PMC: When you’ve been around Silicon Valley, you realize that being the behind-the-scenes guy is a lot of fun. By (stark) contrast, the Dream League New York Commish was born to be in front of a camera.

:03 MR. NOBODY: We won’t ask for a brand, but what type of product would you be a good pitchman for?
PMC: Something very boring like ~~a blue suit, a pair of black shoes and a white shirt~~ a light jacket, a Dream League or otherwise basketball-related t-shirt, jeans, and Air Jordan sandals with no socks. Nothing that anyone is really interested in.

:02 MR. NOBODY: How many ties does the commissioner have?
PMC: I would like to say zero, but I actually have a few in the closet.

:01 MR. NOBODY: Do you ever feel short standing next to these guys?
PMC: What, Dream League guys? Are you kidding me? Half of our leagues are 6-foot-and-under. Sometimes I feel like a tree, although I’m spending 99% of my time sitting behind the scorekeeper’s table.You might also like: