Baseball agent Scott Boras and client J.D. Drew spurned the Phillies in 1997, refusing to sign after the Phils made Drew the second overall pick in that year's MLB draft.

Football agent Drew Rosenhaus and client Terrell Owens alienated the Eagles in 2005. As Eagles fans may remember, Rosenhaus stood with Owens for a news conference on the wide receiver's front lawn. Owens never again played with the Eagles.

And now the latest chapter: basketball agent David Falk and his client, Elton Brand.

For once, Philadelphia was on the delivering, not the receiving, end of a high-profile snub.

Falk, who counts Michael Jordan among his clients, has been an agent for 35 years.

Much has been made of Brand's exit from the Clippers. An eruption of he-said, she-said finger-pointing has been hashed out over whether Brand reneged on a supposed deal with L.A. in favor of the Sixers.

How does Falk feel about the scrutiny?

Falk said it's a basic human emotion to want people to like you. But in the business he's in, public maligning is an occupational hazard.

"There are times like this with Elton when there is a lot of emotion in the deal," Falk said. "And your job is to protect your client, to take the bullets for them."

Falk said he did not mind if the fallout was directed at him. Most of the time, he said, negotiations aren't adversarial. They are smooth.

"If you're really powerful, you shouldn't have to scream," Falk said. "You should whisper, like in The Godfather."

Falk added: "[The Clippers] are ancient history with Brand. He is in Philly now, and that might be where he plays out his career."