Spurs notebook:Presti may draw SuperSonics' interest

[THE SIXTH MAN]

Link (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA042607.06D.BKNspurs.notebook.3b1d3c7.html)
Spurs notebook: Presti may draw SuperSonics' interest

Web Posted: 04/26/2007 12:20 AM CDT

Johnny Ludden
Express-News

Spurs assistant general manager Sam Presti has been mentioned as a candidate for Seattle's vacant general manager position, but team officials said the SuperSonics have yet to request permission to speak with him.
Presti has risen quickly through the Spurs ranks since joining the team as an intern less than seven years ago. Spurs officials have done their best to keep him — last summer they gave him a vice president's title — but also have acknowledged they expect him to eventually be running his own team.

The Sonics reassigned their previous general manager, Rick Sund, on Tuesday while also firing coach Bob Hill. Seattle's new owner, Clay Bennett, was on the Spurs' Board of Governors from 1992-97, and has admitted to liking the successful model of his former team.

Spurs general manager R.C. Buford also has been mentioned as a candidate, but is unlikely to have interest in the position if Bennett retains Lenny Wilkens as his primary decision-maker.

Bennett could wait until the playoffs have ended for the Spurs before requesting permission to interview Presti.

Presti has been a valuable resource for the Spurs. He has played a large role in the team's international scouting — he assisted in the drafting of Tony Parker — and has been increasingly involved in the franchise's business operations.

The what-if game: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's alter ego has lost a lot of weight in the past two years.

Nuggets coach George Karl used former Marquette and University of Utah head coach Rick Majerus to "channel" Popovich in between games of the teams' first-round series. George asked Majerus, about whom rotund is a descriptive understatement, to do his best to anticipate the adjustments Popovich would make, game to game.

Karl still plays the between-games what-if game, but this time former Buffalo Braves coach Tates Locke is playing Popovich.

"We play that game," Karl said. "Tates Locke is here. He plays Popovich for me. Coach Majerus has played Popovich for me. We usually bring another coach in to kind of play the opposing coach for 15 to 20 minutes every day."

How well do the surrogate Popoviches do anticipating the adjustments?

"I think San Antonio is going to try to play better more than they will try to change," Karl said before Game 2. "That's my feeling right now, but I might be wrong."

AI reads the E-N: Former MVP Allen Iverson, who knows a thing or two about the leverage of free agency, read the story in Tuesday's Express-News in which Denver point guard Steve Blake was called "a poor man's Steve Nash."

"I read that in the paper," Iverson said, "and I told Steve, 'Next year, they're going to call you 'Rich Man Steve Blake.'"

Endorsing Brown, Vandeweghe: After reports surfaced Wednesday that former coach Larry Brown and former Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe were to be in Memphis to interview for the Grizzlies' vacant head coach's and GM's positions, the two got support from Denver's All-Stars.

"I want him to do whatever is best for him, whatever makes him happy," said Iverson, who earned an MVP award when Brown coached him at Philadelphia.

As for Vandeweghe, Nuggets All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony heartily endorsed his candidacy for the GM job.

"When Kiki was in Denver he was the one who drafted me," Anthony said. "so I'm always going to be a big fan of Kiki."



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[shyne]

Just heard on Cold Pizza that he's going to take the GM job there, and possibly take PJ with him to be the coach.

[T Park]

DAMNT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !

TAKE BUFORD YOU FUCKS!!!


Goddamn. Were screwed...

[mardigan]

Yea, I heard that too, and Chris Broussard is a pretty reliable source

[T Park]

Thats gonna be a bad blow to the organization if they take Presti.

God, why couldn't they just take RC Buford.

Damn't....

[angel_luv]

Congrats to Sam but way too bad for us. I wish he would be promoted here, even more than he already has been.
Carlesimo deserves a head coaching job but I want to keep him here too.

And to Seattle- boo!

[Das Texan]

and that franchise will soon be in Oklahoma City too.

[jmard5]

I heard the one with Sam Presti. But Presti taking PJ along? That's bad.

But this is business and it is their careers. So cheers.

[rayray2k8]

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/45823/20070426/san_antonios_presti_a_possible_gm_for_seattle/

[Kori Ellis]

Seven possible candidates to be Sonics general manager:

R.C. Buford: Prying him away from San Antonio won't be easy. Part of Spurs' front office since 1994 and general manager since 2002.

Lenny Wilkens: Took over the title of director of player personnel for the Sonics in 1977 and was essentially the team's general manager until 1986. Unclear how much responsibility he wants.

Kiki Vandeweghe: Former Denver GM is the hottest candidate on the market. He's expected to talk to Memphis about replacing Jerry West. Working as an ESPN analyst.

John Hammond: Detroit's vice president of basketball operations is perhaps the NBA's most respected front-office executive not running a team.

Rich Cho: Salary-cap specialist who began working for the Sonics as an intern in 1995. Former Boeing engineer has a law degree from Pepperdine but uncertain whether he's adept at judging basketball talent.

Sam Presti: If Sonics miss on Buford, Spurs' assistant GM would be a nice consolation prize. Has a background in scouting, and he created the team's scouting database.

David Griffin: Promoted to VP of basketball operations in Phoenix last year and has spent 14 years with Suns.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2003680120_candidates25.html

[Kori Ellis]

Ten possible candidates for Sonics coach:

Rick Adelman: Former Sacramento coach is in line to become president of the Portland Trail Blazers, but if things fall through he could land in Seattle as the general manager or coach. In 14 years at Portland and Golden State, he went to the playoffs 14 times. He has ties with the Sonics. Before the season, he was a guest speaker for the coaches, and his son has scouted for Seattle.

Dwane Casey: Former Sonics assistant left to become a head coach in Minnesota, where he was 33-49 and 20-20 this season before he was fired. Forward Rashard Lewis calls Casey a "father figure." Has offseason home in Seattle.

Marc Iavaroni: Phoenix assistant will be the most sought-after candidate this summer. Two years ago, he was a finalist in Portland and received consideration from the Sonics. Other assistant candidates might include Detroit's Terry Porter, Portland's Dean Demopoulos, Boston's Tony Brown and Atlanta's Larry Drew.

Rick Carlisle: Indiana coach will reportedly be released this week. Guided Indiana to five playoff appearances in six seasons, including two Eastern Conference finals. Sonics color analyst in 2000-01.

Sam Mitchell: If he's unable to reach an agreement on a contract extension in Toronto, NBA coach of the year will be one of the most attractive candidates.

Lenny Wilkens: Sonics vice chairman and color analyst has repeatedly said that he won't return to coaching. But those close to him suggest he doesn't want to end a Hall of Fame coaching career the way he did in New York.

P.J. Carlesimo: Spent five years with Gregg Popovich as an assistant in San Antonio, a team Bennett admits he's a fan of.

Paul Silas: Former Sonic who played on the 1979 championship team. A finalist for the Sonics job in 1998 before the team hired Paul Westphal and had an interest in 2005 before the team hired Bob Weiss. Last coached in Cleveland in 2004.

Jeff Van Gundy: Houston coach is in the final year of his contract and has yet to begin negotiations. A program builder and a tireless worker. His brother Stan, who was replaced by Pat Riley in Miami, is also an intriguing possibility.

Billy Donovan: It's only a matter of time before the Florida Gators coach, who has won two national titles, leaves campus and attempts to duplicate his success in the NBA. Other college coaches deserving of interest: Washington's Lorenzo Romar, Indiana's Kelvin Sampson and Minnesota's Tubby Smith.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2003680120_candidates25.html

[angel_luv]

Toronto would be crazy to not give a contract extension to Coach Mitchell.

Sincerely,
Angel and Sir Charles :)

[Kori Ellis]

Just heard on Cold Pizza that he's going to take the GM job there, and possibly take PJ with him to be the coach.

They are taking that off this report by Chris Sheridan, which just says that Chris heard that Presti is the number one candidate and if he is offered and takes the job, they might want PJ.

Sonics eying early exit?posted: Wednesday, April 25, 2007
ESPN Insider

Sometimes when you're chasing one story, you run across another.

Such was the case for me today as I wore out my cell phone at O'Hare and LaGuardia working the stories of the coach firings in, where Bob Hill lost his job Tuesday and in Indiana, where Rick Carlisle bit the dust Wednesday.

Here's the juiciest item I was hearing about:

There is a very, very small chance that the SuperSonics have played their last game in Seattle. I'm told that at a meeting Tuesday with more than 100 Sonics employees, owner Clay Bennett said he was "99 percent" certain the team will be back in Seattle for the start of the 2007-08 season.

Now, the last time I recall anyone in the NBA saying they were 99 percent certain of something, it was when Michael Jordan retired from the Chicago Bulls. And we all know how permanent that ended up being.

I also heard it is not a slam dunk that Bennett will move the Sonics to Oklahoma City, even though every single member of his ownership group is from there. Apparently, Kansas City is so eager to get a flagship tenant for its new arena, signals have been sent to Bennett and a handful of other owners that the deal they could get in K.C. would be far superior from an economic standpoint to whatever deal any of them might make elsewhere.

Bennett did not file an application for relocation to the NBA office by the March 1 deadline, but he could still apply for a special waiver that would allow for an expedited relocation. If the other owners approved, Bennett would be free to call in the moving trucks _ so long as he was able to negotiate a termination of his lease at Key Arena, which still has two more years to run. Art Thiel of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote today that Bennett will be facing the fight of his business life if he tries to break his lease, so that part of the equation is not to be dismissed.

I'm also hearing Bennett's No. 1 target to run the front office is Sam Presti of the San Antonio Spurs, and I'd have to think that if Presti takes the job, it'll make Spurs assistant P.J. Carlesimo the leading candidate to take over as head coach. The x-factor in all this is Lenny Wilkens, who still feels he has some coaching left in him. It makes sense that Wilkens might take over the coaching reigns for one year while the Sonics play out a final lame-duck season in Seattle, but if the relocation issue gets fast-tracked, all bets are off.

If push came to shove and Bennett wanted to move this summer to Oklahoma City, I think he'd get the support of the other owners, who would each stand to pocket a 1/29th share of the relocation fee (when George Shinn moved the Hornets from Charlotte, that fee was $30 million). But if Bennett wanted to move to Kansas City this summer, he'd have a much more difficult time getting the approval of the other owners. Oklahoma City, after all, has a two-year track record of establishing its viability as an NBA city. Kansas City by comparison, is a mystery.

My sense on all this is that the Sonics will remain in Seattle for one more year, and Bennett will start playing prospective relocation cities against one another (San Jose, St. Louis and Las Vegas could all enter the mix) to get the best deal.

But as I mentioned before, when someone says they're 99 percent certain of something, that remaining 1 percent looms awfully large.

[Kori Ellis]

Pretty much a twisted report on Cold Pizza (if it was said like that). Presti hasn't even been asked by Seattle to interview and it seems like it's just off speculation by Chris Sheridan that he's the number one candidate.

[angel_luv]

So a morning meltdown ws unwarranted? :pctoss

:lol :angel

[baseline bum]

Is Presti the #1 man in charge of the draft? I know Buford was the one who found Manu, Presti the one who found Parker... but the Spurs draft picks haven't amounted to much since. Beno is a complete bust and Mahinmi hasn't shown anything.

[Kori Ellis]

I don't think there's any one person in charge of the drafts. Anyone on the Spurs scouting team (and Presti included) look at players. I believe they discuss them as a whole and the final decision comes down to RC and Pop.

I know Presti is very involved in working out the details of player's contracts, etc.

[T Park]

Mahinmi hasn't shown anything.

the kids 19, I think its a bit early to give up on him.

[Kori Ellis]

Spurs general manager R.C. Buford also has been mentioned as a candidate, but is unlikely to have interest in the position if Bennett retains Lenny Wilkens as his primary decision-maker.

Supposedly Wilkens is being named the President and he'll lead the hiring process for the GM.

[Budkin]

Please God don't let us lose Sam Presti...

[baseline bum]

I don't think there's any one person in charge of the drafts. Anyone on the Spurs scouting team (and Presti included) look at players. I believe they discuss them as a whole and the final decision comes down to RC and Pop.

I know Presti is very involved in working out the details of player's contracts, etc.

So Presti deserves some of the credit for Manu's insanely-low deal? Man, can't let this guy go if so.

[T Park]

he was also involved in signing Francisco Elson :)

:lol

[Kori Ellis]

he was also involved in signing Francisco Elson :)

:lol

He was involved in working out the terms of the contract. I don't know if he was involved in choosing him.

[Samr]

Ok well before everyone gets all in a fuss about this, how much to we really know about Presti? I've heard that he is some kind of front-office prodigy, that he has a good understanding of players and a keen eye for who will be good. That being said, I've only really seen him tied to Parker.

So how much do we really know about him? That he was tied to one player? That he is young? On what basis do the Spurs consider him "valuable"?

[Kori Ellis]

Ok well before everyone gets all in a fuss about this, how much to we really know about Presti? I've heard that he is some kind of front-office prodigy, that he has a good understanding of players and a keen eye for who will be good. That being said, I've only really seen him tied to Parker.

So how much do we really know about him? That he was tied to one player? That he is young? On what basis do the Spurs consider him "valuable"?

He isn't just tied to Parker. Parker was his first find and that's what moved him out of intern status to being on the Spurs payroll.

He designed and implemented the Spurs scouting database (which now multiple NBA teams use). He worked out the details of a lot of the Spurs current players' contracts.

He moved from intern to Assistant Director of Scouting in two years. A year later he was director of player personnel and one or two years later, he became assistant GM.

I think he's pretty invaluable to the Spurs but I understand he will (now or eventually) want an actual GM title.

[T Park]

Yeah Presti is a hell of a front office guy, and I would more than want, to let go RC Buford before Presti.

IMO, Buford has screwed the pooch on alot of deals, especially wanting to go after Kidd instead of drafting Josh Howard.

[tlongII]

Kori,

Where did you get the info regarding Adelman being in line to be president of the Blazers? Is that a copy/paste job?

[Kori Ellis]

Kori,

Where did you get the info regarding Adelman being in line to be president of the Blazers? Is that a copy/paste job?


Yes, Seattle Times. The link is on the bottom of that post.