McDonald: Report: Lindsey Says No To Wolves

[duncan228]

Report: Lindsey says no to Wolves
By Jeff McDonald

For the second year in a row, it appears Spurs assistant general manager Dennis Lindsey has declined a chance to take a GM job.

ESPN.com, citing league sources, is reporting that Lindsey has withdrawn from the running to become the general manager in Minnesota.

A two-season veteran of the Spurs' front office, Lindsey had been considered the top candidate to replace Kevin McHale as the club's top personnel man. McHale was considered the Wolves' de facto GM before moving to the bench to replace Randy Wittman as head coach in December.

Lindsey, who rebuffed similar overtures from the Atlanta Hawks last summer, could not immediately be reached for comment. He is in Germany scouting the Eurobasket final.

[duncan228]

Sources: Lindsey withdraws name
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

The presumed favorite in the Minnesota Timberwolves' quiet search for a new head of basketball operations has pulled out of the running.

San Antonio Spurs assistant general manager Dennis Lindsey, widely billed as the Wolves' No. 1 target, has withdrawn from consideration, according to sources with knowledge of Minnesota's search.

Lindsey is one of only two known external candidates, along with former Indiana Pacers executive David Kahn, to interview for the position, although one source said Friday that former Miami Heat general manager Randy Pfund could soon interview with the Wolves if he already hasn't.

Trying to import a head of basketball operations from San Antonio seemed a wise path for Wolves owner Glen Taylor to follow in his desire to find a new long-term successor on the personnel side to Kevin McHale. Front offices in Cleveland (Danny Ferry and Lance Blanks), Portland (Kevin Pritchard) and Oklahoma City (Sam Presti) are all run by recent Spurs alumni.

Lindsey could not be immediately reached for comment. The Spurs said Friday that he's in Germany this weekend scouting the EuroBasket final.

In his second season with the Spurs after more than a decade with the Houston Rockets, Lindsey was similarly courted by the Atlanta Hawks during last season's playoffs but felt he couldn't leave the Spurs after less than a year in San Antonio.

The Wolves have also been repeatedly linked with Blanks -- one of Ferry's top aides with the Cavaliers -- but sources close to the process say that Minnesota has not interviewed Blanks or even sought permission from the Cavs to speak with him.

Taylor has stated repeatedly that head coach is the only position open to McHale if he wishes to stay with the organization. But Taylor has also made it clear that his new hire will have final say on whether to retain McHale as coach, despite the fact that McHale is liked by Wolves cornerstones Al Jefferson and Kevin Love.

"If I'm going to have a person in charge of basketball operations, I want that person to be comfortable with who is going to coach here," Taylor recently told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

The Wolves went 20-43 after McHale replaced Randy Wittman in December, but they posted a 10-4 record in January before losing Jefferson to a season-ending knee injury on Feb. 8.

Kahn's most recent basketball experience took place in the D-League, but he is a longtime favorite of NBA commissioner David Stern, who is believed to have referred him to Taylor.

Bringing in a new voice, after McHale's 16 seasons with the organization, is a departure from the committee-style management team Minnesota has employed in recent years. Jim Stack and Fred Hoiberg, who had been working as assistants to McHale, were also interviewed for the top job but are no longer believed to be under consideration, although Hoiberg is a Taylor favorite who would appear to have a good shot at staying with the organization in some capacity.

Taylor is expected to make his choice before the May 19 draft lottery, when the Wolves will learn the placement of the best of its three first-round picks in the June 25.

[timvp]

Dennis "Scola Trade" Lindsey needs to get a job elsewhere.

[EricB]

Darnt.

Kick the bum out!

[TheProfessor]

We can't get rid of this guy.

[Bruno]

Good news.

[timvp]

^^ The last renegade who insists it was a good trade

[manustarting2gd]

Dennis "I work for Houston" Lindsey


I honestly feel like he hasnt done to show his worth to our team.

[Bruno]

^^ The last renegade who insists it was a good trade

Lindsey has few to do with the Scola trade.

[Marcus Bryant]

Somebody came up with that trade and sought to ingratiate themselves with Holt.

[EricB]

The only good thing I can think Lindsey has done, was the statistical beakdown and convincing of Pop that hack - a - shaq works, and it did.

[FromWayDowntown]

And here I was hoping that much as Lindsey's former employers obtained a direct benefit from the Spurs shortly after his arrival in San Antonio, so too would the Spurs have obtained a direct benefit from the T'Wolves.

I mean, Al Jefferson for a couple of second round picks and Matt Bonner was going to be sweet!

[Marcus Bryant]

At the end of the day, the Spurs passed on Luis Scola for an effective cost of $20 mil over 3 years.

[Russ]

Sources: Lindsey withdraws name
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
Lindsey could not be immediately reached for comment. The Spurs said Friday that he's in Germany this weekend scouting the EuroBasket final.

Lindsey will report back on the promising Euros. Only question is to whom will he report.

But seriously, this is great news. Euros are the last of the Mohicans -- accomplished players who can be obtained literally for nothing (like the Spurs did with Oberto). The Spurs need some big time luck with a Euro or two IMO for the upcoming season.

[ElNono]

At the end of the day, the Spurs passed on Luis Scola for an effective cost of $20 mil over 3 years.

That's assuming they could have not unloaded Butler somewhere else, maybe by giving up a first round pick (like the one they handed out for Kurt Thomas).
I really think at worst Scola would have costed $12-$13 mill for 3 years.

[Marcus Bryant]

That's assuming they could have not unloaded Butler somewhere else, maybe by giving up a first round pick (like the one they handed out for Kurt Thomas).
I really think at worst Scola would have costed $12-$13 mill for 3 years.

They would have had to wait until Butler's contract neared expiration to pull that off.

[Twisted_Dawg]

Dennis "Scola Trade" Lindsey needs to get a job elsewhere.

What, no mention of R. C. Bufford, the GM of the Spurs when that trade was made??? Let's be fair.....Bufford did what Holt told him to do: get under the cap at any cost.

At the end of the day, the Spurs passed on Luis Scola for an effective cost of $20 mil over 3 years.

Hoopshype.com has Scola making $3.142 million this year, and $3.175 next year. I think he made about $3.0 million last year. Scola made about the same amount of money that Bonner made the last three years.
http://hoopshype.com/salaries/houston.htm

They would have had to wait until Butler's contract neared expiration to pull that off.

That trade to Houston shows how bad Butler and his contract were that we had to bribe Houston with Scola to make that trade.

[baseline bum]

. This year just keeps going and going with the bad news.

[Russ]

That trade to Houston shows how bad Butler and his contract were that we had to bribe Houston with Scola to make that trade.

Pop recommended Raja Bell to Larry Brown and Larry reciprocates by recommending Butler to Pop?

LB, you owe us big time and we know where you live (at least momentarily).

[Bruno]

I find ridiculous people trashing Lindsey because of the Scola trade.

The basic logic : Lindsey came from Houston, Scola was traded to Houston so the Scola trade in on Lindsey simply doesn't resist to the facts.

1) Spurs tried to trade Scola for a first round pick during the 2007 draft.
2) Spurs tried to trade Butler without Scola ot Nets.
3) Spurs worked on a trade with Kings and Cavs that included Scola and Butler.

If one of these 3 things had worked, Scola wouldn't be a Rocket and people wouldn't trashed Lindsey.

Sadly for Lindsey, Spurs went with the 4th option that was a trade with Houston and Lindsey is the scapegoat of the Scola trade.

[Marcus Bryant]

What, no mention of R. C. Bufford, the GM of the Spurs when that trade was made??? Let's be fair.....Bufford did what Holt told him to do: get under the cap at any cost.


Hoopshype.com has Scola making $3.142 million this year, and $3.175 next year. I think he made about $3.0 million last year. Scola made about the same amount of money that Bonner made the last three years.
http://hoopshype.com/salaries/houston.htm



That trade to Houston shows how bad Butler and his contract were that we had to bribe Houston with Scola to make that trade.

Butler's contract + Lux Tax payments + Lux Tax distributions foregone would have made the cost about $13 mil for 2007-08 by itself for Scola.

[SenorSpur]

The only way Lindsey can redeem himself, in my opinion, is if he lures Shane Battier to come to the Spurs.

[timvp]

I find ridiculous people trashing Lindsey because of the Scola trade.

The basic logic : Lindsey came from Houston, Scola was traded to Houston so the Scola trade in on Lindsey simply doesn't resist to the facts.

1) Spurs tried to trade Scola for a first round pick during the 2007 draft.
2) Spurs tried to trade Butler without Scola ot Nets.
3) Spurs worked on a trade with Kings and Cavs that included Scola and Butler.

If one of these 3 things had worked, Scola wouldn't be a Rocket and people wouldn't trashed Lindsey.

Sadly for Lindsey, Spurs went with the 4th option that was a trade with Houston and Lindsey is the scapegoat of the Scola trade.

If Lindsey wouldn't have come with his built-in connections with the Rockets, the Spurs probably would have ended up sitting on Scola -- which was the right move. That would have allowed them to either getting Scola over here for their price or at the very worst, force Tau to pick Scola over Splitter and allow Splitter to come to the Spurs.

When Lindsey arrived, there were no serious talks with the Rockets. Then less than a month later, the two sides worked out a "deal". Perhaps it's not fair for Lindsey but I can't believe it was totally a fluke that he hops on board and the Spurs make a trade with the Rockets a few weeks later.

That'd be like if he went to the T'Wolves and then the Spurs got Kevin Love for Michael Finley. Lindsey probably wasn't trying to give the Rockets a gift but I'm sure it's easier conducting trade talks with a former friend and boss than it is with a stranger.

[duncan228]

Slightly updated.

Report: Spurs' Lindsey rebuffs Wolves
Jeff McDonald

It appears Spurs assistant general manager Dennis Lindsey will not be relocating to Minnesota, according to an Internet report.

ESPN.com, citing NBA sources, reported Friday that Lindsey has withdrawn his name from consideration for a job as the Timberwolves' general manager.

Lindsey, who just completed his second season in the Spurs' front office, was widely considered the front-runner for the Minnesota position after interviewing last month. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune speculated on its Web site Friday that negotiations between Lindsey and the Wolves may have broken down due to “control issues.”

Lindsey is in Germany scouting the EuroBasket final for the Spurs, and did not immediately return a message left on his cell phone Friday.

This marks the second season in a row in which Lindsay has rebuffed interest from other teams. He pulled out of the running for the Atlanta GM job last summer.

Minnesota is seeking a replacement for Kevin McHale, who surrendered his front office duties to take over as head coach when Randy Wittman was axed in December.

[Bruno]

If Lindsey wouldn't have come with his built-in connections with the Rockets, the Spurs probably would have ended up sitting on Scola -- which was the right move. That would have allowed them to either getting Scola over here for their price or at the very worst, force Tau to pick Scola over Splitter and allow Splitter to come to the Spurs.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
In the 2007 summer, Splitter signing with Spurs in 2008 was considered as a sure thing with or without Scola leaving Tau.

When Lindsey arrived, there were no serious talks with the Rockets. Then less than a month later, the two sides worked out a "deal". Perhaps it's not fair for Lindsey but I can't believe it was totally a fluke that he hops on board and the Spurs make a trade with the Rockets a few weeks later.

First, the basis of all the Scola story was that Spurs didn't want to spend nearly $10M to get him in 2006 or in 2007. Lindsey has nothing to do with that.

Second, the market for a Scola + Butler package was likely really limited. Spurs needed to find a team :
- that really like Scola.
- that need a PF.
- with the MLE available to sign him.
- with a TE, cap space, player that can be waived for free to absorb Butler salary.
- with the ability to raise its payroll by more than $5M...

How many teams fitted these conditions? Maybe 3.
Rocket were one of these few teams. They only had Chuck Hayes at the PF spot and they had Spanoulis wanting to go back in Greece. Lindsey has nothing to do with that.

If you want to blame someone for Scola, blame the part of the FO (RC?, Presti?, Pop?...) that didn't want him. Blaming Lindsey for it is quite a reach.

I don't have a clue if Lindsey is a good FO guy but I'm convinced that he has few to do with the Scola trade.