Draft History: Flip Saunders
The 2015 NBA draft is less than a month away, and for teams that aren’t still participating in the NBA playoffs, the focus is on using that event to build toward a better future. Now that the NBA Draft lottery is complete, the speculation can truly begin as to which player each franchise will pin its hopes on for the future. Of course, having one of the top selections in any draft doesn’t guarantee that a team will snag a future All-Star. Team executives and scouts still have the difficult task of making the correct call with their picks.
With this in mind we at Hoops Rumors will be taking a look back at the draft history of the primary basketball executive for each NBA team. Their names, reputations, and possibly employment will be on the line as a result of the decisions to come on June 25th, and we’ll be examining what they’ve done in previous years in charge of a club’s front office. Note that many of them have played other sorts of roles within a team’s executive structure, but this won’t take that into account. We’ll continue onward with a look back at the calls made by Flip Saunders, the Timberwolves’ president of basketball operations.
Timberwolves (May 2013-Present)
2013 Draft
- No. 14 Overall — Shabazz Muhammad*: 75 games, 8.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 0.7 APG. .482/.371/.703.
- No. 21 Overall — Gorgui Dieng*: 133 games, 7.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 1.3 BPG. .503/.286/.742.
- No. 52 Overall — Lorenzo Brown: 55 games, 3.4 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 2.4 APG. .735/.155/.656.
- No. 59 Overall — Bojan Dubljevic: No regular season NBA appearances.
*Acquired from the Jazz in exchange for the No. 9 overall pick (Trey Burke).
**Dealt the No. 26 overall pick (Andre Roberson) and Malcolm Lee to the Warriors in exchange for a 2014 second-rounder (Alessandro Gentile) and cash.
Notable players passed over or available at draft slot: Michael Carter-Williams (No. 11), Giannis Antetokounmpo (No. 15), Mason Plumlee (No. 22), and Rudy Gobert (No. 27).
2014 Draft
- No. 13 Overall — Zach LaVine: 77 games, 10.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 3.6 APG. .422/.341/.842.
- No. 40 Overall — Glenn Robinson III: 35 games, 2.1 PPG, 1.1 RPG, and 0.3 APG. .388/.263/.667.
*Dealt the No. 44 overall pick (Markel Brown) to the Nets in exchange for cash.
**Dealt the No. 53 overall pick (Alessandro Gentile) to the Rockets for cash.
Notable players passed over or available at draft slot: Rodney Hood (No. 23), K.J. McDaniels (No. 32), and Jordan Clarkson (No. 46).
Cavs Notes: Love, Kerr, Gilbert
After watching Game 1 of the Finals on Thursday night, Kevin Love reiterated his desire to return to the Cavs. When asked by Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com if he wanted to be back in Cleveland next season, Love said, “Yes. I want to win.” Speculation has swirled all year long about what Love might do, but the big man isn’t concerned about that. “It’s just the way the world works now. People talk so much and might tell themselves a lie so much they start to believe it. From there, the narrative starts to change. I haven’t changed my narrative. I’m going to keep supporting these guys, and we’ll be talking to Cleveland after the season,” said Love.
Here’s more out of Cleveland:
- While Warriors coach Steve Kerr offered nothing but praise for the fans and culture of Cleveland, he admitted that he understands why free agents might be deterred from signing with the Cavs because of the the weather and less glamorous feel of the city, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group transcribes.
- Tristan Thompson credits LeBron James and his work ethic for helping turn around the Cavs’ culture, and sparked Thompson to work harder to improve himself as a player, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun writes. “He was the first one in the gym, had a full, dripping sweat and we were just walking in, getting ready to start,” Thompson said. “I think that first encounter really changed the whole culture of the franchise. When your best player, arguably one of the best players to ever play this game, is in the gym at 9 a.m., on Labor Day, that says a lot. It says how serious he is about being great and bringing us back to the promised land, which is being in the Finals.“
- Team owner Dan Gilbert has now rebuilt the Cavaliers as a franchise twice, with both instances sparked by the arrival of James, Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News writes in his profile of Gilbert. “It’s not vindication, it just feels good, and now we gotta take advantage and finish the job,” Gilbert said. “I just feel so good that we all got a second bite of the apple, LeBron, us, the city, the franchise. Everybody.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Draft Notes: Mudiay, T’Wolves, Rozier
The T’Wolves have convinced Emmanuel Mudiay that he is in consideration for the No. 1 overall pick, according to Shams Charania of RealGM. Mudiay has workouts scheduled with the Lakers (Saturday), the Timberwolves (June 20th or possibly sooner), and Marc Berman of the New York Post adds the Knicks (Monday) to the list. Recently, SMU coach Larry Brown said that Mudiay will audition for the Sixers as well, rounding out the top four. Here’s a look at the latest draft news..
- Louisville guard Terry Rozier has an upcoming workout scheduled with the Hornets, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). Rozier, 21, is currently ranked No. 50 by DraftExpress and No. 27 by Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
- UNLV’s Rashad Vaughn will work out for the Suns today and has auditions scheduled with the Bulls and Wizards, according to Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (on Twitter).
- The Suns will bring in UNLV’s Christian Wood as a part of a group workout today, league sources tell Scotto (on Twitter).
- Want to familiarize yourself with some of the most interesting prospects in this year’s class? Check out the entries in the Hoops Rumors NBA Draft Prospect Q&A Series! Over the last month, Hoops Rumors has spoken with Jerian Grant, Cameron Payne, Richaun Holmes, and many more notable names.
Q&A With Duke Guard Quinn Cook
Leading up to the draft, Hoops Rumors will be talking with some of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s class. Today, the Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Q&A series continues with Duke guard Quinn Cook, who is ranked No. 62 in this year’s class by both Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
After helping Duke win the National Championship, Quinn Cook couldn’t have asked for a better way to end his collegiate career. Now, he’s busting his tail on the draft circuit in order to solidify his place on draft boards around the league. Cook told Hoops Rumors (Twitter link) that he has the Nets, Knicks, Jazz, Lakers, Clippers, and Thunder all on his workout schedule and there could be even more to come. The speedy point guard spoke with Hoops Rumors recently about Coach K, making funny faces during games, and his draft stock heading into June 25th.
Zach Links: How much did it mean to you to end your college career in the best way possible, with a National Championship?
Quinn Cook: It meant a lot to me to end my college career as a champion. I had some tough losses in my four-year career at Duke. To leave winning the tournament, that’s the best thing you can do as a college player. I’m just really proud of my team.
ZL: Do you think you might be better prepared for the NBA than other guys in this year’s class thanks to your time spent playing for Mike Krzyzewski?
QC: Definitely. He’s the best coach of all-time and for him to have the respect of guys like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, KD [Kevin Durant], it just shows how great he is. He has coached everybody, but he has also learned from these guys. He learns from other coaches too like Tom Thibodeau and Monty Williams. He prepares us very well. Guys who leave our program have a leg up going into the pros because we’ve been around Coach K. He’s a pro’s pro.
ZL: At 6’2″, you’ve shown that you can give taller opponents trouble. Is that something you pride yourself on?
QC: That’s going to be my niche in the league. I think I’m going to be a guy who comes off the bench and causes havoc for the guys on the other side of the ball.
ZL: At your banquet ceremony this year, you spoke a bit about becoming the leader of your Duke team. When did you really start embracing that leadership role and what do you think makes for a great leader in a locker room?
QC: I started embracing that after we were eliminated from the tournament in my junior year. From March 2014 onward, I was determined to be a leader.
To be a leader I think you first have to lead by example. Some guys are more vocal than others, but I think the leader has to be there every day and lead by example more than anything. You can be a “rah rah guy,” as we say at Duke, but the leader has to be the first one in and the last one to leave, setting the tone for everybody.
ZL: What’s the main thing you want to work on?
QC: Everything. I want to just get better in every aspect of the game. I want to be a more consistent shooter off the dribble, finish around rim better, and defend the ball better.
ZL: Do you have an idea of where you might be drafted?
QC: I’m a second round guy. It could be anywhere in the second round. I was a champion and an All-American at Duke, I think I have a solid resume and I think I performed really well at the combine. Hopefully, I’ll get my name called.
ZL: You spent your first three years of high school at DeMatha before transferring to another high school powerhouse in Oak Hill Academy. What was the reason for that change?
QC: I just wanted a new challenge. My best friends, Jerian Grant and Victor Oladipo, they were at DeMatha with me and that was a lot of fun, but I needed a new challenge. My mom had a great relationship with [Oak Hill head coach] Steve Smith so I decided to go there and team up with Ben McLemore.
ZL: You enjoyed some internet attention during the tournament for your unique facial expressions. What was your reaction to inadvertently walking into a new kind of fame?
QC: It was fun! You kind of forget how big the NCAA tournament is and how many people pay attention to it. It was cool to see a few pics go viral and for me to become Instagram and Twitter famous. My teammates kept sending me new pictures that popped up and my friends were too, so that was funny.
ZL: Why Tandem and Jim Tanner?
QC: They’re first class. Jim is first class and everybody in the office is first class. I was comfortable with them…It was a tough decision but I made the right one.
Royce White, Clippers Near Summer League Deal
Former first-round pick Royce White is closing on a commitment to join the Clippers for the July Summer League, league sources told Shams Charania of RealGM. White also had summer league interest from the Bulls, Spurs, and Pelicans, but Charania says that he built trust with Clippers front office members through recent dialogue.
White, the former No. 16 overall pick in the 2012 draft, has only three NBA games on his resume, all which came with the Kings in 2014. The forward had promise as a rookie three years ago but serious anxiety issues knocked his career off course. White’s fear of flying meant that he was largely unable to travel with the team and the NBA’s road schedule isn’t terribly conducive to road travel.
The 24-year-old never ended up playing for the Rockets, the team that drafted him, and was traded to the Sixers along with the rights to Turkish forward Furkan Aldemir and cash in July 2013, for a conditional second -round draft pick. White played for the Sixers last preseason, but was waived before the season’s start.
Tom Thibodeau On Bulls, Future
On Friday morning, former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau joined ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike (audio link) to discuss the NBA Finals as well as his exit from Chicago. Thibs was largely diplomatic, but he did take a small dig at the team in what might be a slam of the Luol Deng trade.
“When you lose a guy like a Derrick Rose and maybe you trade someone, and now all of a sudden you have to ask yourself, ‘How are we going to win with this group?’ Maybe that alters things,” Thibodeau said (transcription via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune). “I learned how you have to do that with this team. Whatever the next opportunity is, I’ll take those lessons and try to use them.”
Here’s a look at a few of the other highlights from Thibodeau’s chat with Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic..
On reported issues between him and management:
Obviously, there were some issues. I don’t want to get into all that. As I said, I’m very proud of what the team did. When I look back, it’s five years, I think anytime when you have a pro franchise, there’s going to be some carping that goes on along the way. When I look back, I’d rather focus in on the positives. It was a great experience for me. I loved our players. I loved my staff.
On his reaction to scathing comments by Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf:
I don’t worry about stuff like that..For me, I put everything that I have into each day. So I have no regrets. I’m going to let the record speak for itself.
On whether his rift with management affected the team’s on-court performance:
I would like to think it didn’t have any [effect]. If you allow yourself to be distracted, you’re going to be distracted by other things as well. As players and coaches, you’re going to hear things all the time whether it’s trades or being fired or whatever it might be. I think the important thing is to lock into what you have to do each day, put everything you have into it and then you let the results speak for themselves.
On whether he’ll change his coaching style going forward:
You go back through the season and evaluate everything that was done. I don’t think you ever want to stay the same. You’re always looking at how you can do things better. There are some things you may not change but you always want to add, evolve. I think the big thing is to study and prepare and try to do it better the next time. There’s a lot of things that I learned from the experience. I learned from all my experiences.
Texas Notes: Ellis, Rockets, Mavs
Did you miss out on some of Boris Diaw‘s social media highlights from the past year? Well, the good news is that the staff at Spurs.com compiled some of the Spurs forward’s greatest hits on Twitter and Instagram, including his flirtation with Movember. While you flip through that, here’s a look at more out of the Lone Star State..
- The expectation remains that Mavericks guard Monta Ellis will opt out of the final season of his contract, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com tweets. However, the Mavs have yet to get word from him on his final decision. Ellis has until June 24th to decide on his $8.72MM player option for next season. Last year, the 29-year-old averaged 18. 9 PPG and 4.1 APG in 33.7 minutes per contest.
- The Rockets would like to sign draft-and-stash prospect Sergio Llull, but it doesn’t sound like that’s in the cards for this summer. “I’m flattered that there’s talk about me, but I’m happy in Madrid and I have a multi-year contract,” Llull told Spanish outlet Piratas del Basket (translation via HoopsHype). Kevin McHale has made no secret about his desire to coach Llull in Houston, but it’s believed that he’s less-than-thrilled about the prospect of playing a backup role.
- Georgetown product Josh Smith auditioned for the Mavericks recently, as Mark Medina of the Daily News writes. Within the article, Smith admitted that his effort was lacking through his first three years of college at UCLA and Georgetown but said that his senior season was indicative of the performance he’ll give at the next level.
Q&A With San Diego State Forward Dwayne Polee
Over the next few weeks, Hoops Rumors will be talking with some of the most intriguing prospects in the 2015 NBA Draft. Today, the Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Q&A series continues with San Diego State forward Dwayne Polee.
A product of Los Angeles powerhouse Westchester High School, Dwayne Polee arrived at St. John’s in 2010 with a great deal of hype. The small forward thrived under first-year head coach Steve Lavin, but an illness at home prompted him to relocate back to the West Coast. Leaving St. John’s was a difficult decision for Polee, but he landed with another solid program in San Diego State, where he enjoyed multiple appearances in the NCAA tournament. The 23-year-old is now auditioning for teams in hopes of hearing his name called later this month. Recently, Polee took some time out of his schedule to chat with Hoops Rumors about his career going forward.
Zach Links: This year, San Diego State made the NCAA tournament and your first game was against St. John’s. Was it strange facing your old teammates in such a high stakes game?
Dwayne Polee: No it wasn’t awkward or anything because I still keep in touch with so many of those guys. I loved my time at St. John’s. I have a very close bond with my teammates that I played with in that year. Steve Lavin and that whole coaching staff was great to me. It was just a great experience all around.
ZL: Have you bumped into Phil Greene or any of your former Red Storm teammates on the draft workout circuit?
DP: Nope, not yet. Could happen over the next few weeks though.
ZL: What do you feel like your greatest strengths are on the court? What do you want to work on?
DP: I think my greatest strengths are probably my defense, athleticism, and length. With my wingspan I can clog the passing lanes and pressure ball handlers a lot more than other guys can. I want to become a more consistent shooter and a more consistent ball handler.
ZL: Your father played professionally and was drafted in the third round by the Clippers. What sort of advice has he given you about the draft process?
DP: He just told me just go out there and play like you’re in the backyard. He told me to play as though there are no GMs or scouts are watching me, because that can be a big distraction. I just go out there and play my hardest like nobody is watching.
ZL: What NBA player would you compare yourself to?
DP: I think I would compare myself to a Jeff Green or a Tony Allen type of player. They play great defense and they’re solid athletes. They can nail the open shots and they just bring their team a lot of energy.
ZL: What workouts have you had so far?
DP: Dallas and the Clippers.
ZL: What are you hearing about your chances of getting drafted?
DP: I haven’t really talked about that with my agent too much just yet, but [Jim Tanner] is just telling me to go out there and play hard. He’s pretty sure that I’ll be able to shock some teams.
ZL: Late last year in a game against UC-Riverside, you had a scary moment where you collapsed mid-game and had to be taken off the court on a gurney. I know that doctors held you out of practice for a while and you weren’t allowed to return to the court until February. We’ve heard players talk about their trepidation in cutting on a surgically-repaired knee or ankle for the first time – what was it like coming back from this incident?
DP: It was kind of weird mentally because you got to get back to the business of basketball. Being with your teammates, running the plays, the rhythm and everything…I would say that was the most challenging part for me. The rest of it didn’t stress me out too much. The way I play is that even if I don’t score a single point, I still go out there and play hard and give it my best.
ZL: What led you to choose Jim Tanner as your agent?
DP: For me, everything is just based on vibes, you know. Jim, when I met with him, he just gave me a great vibe and I just felt comfortable signing with [Tandem Sports and Entertainment]. Since then, everyone I’ve come across tells me that I picked the best agency. I’m very comfortable with the decision that I made.
Pistons Hire Arn Tellem
The Pistons announced that they have hired prominent NBA agent Arn Tellem to a senior position. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports first reported that the two sides were finalizing a deal. Tellem, an industry veteran, has been crowned the vice chairman of Palace Sports and Entertainment. He is expected to join the organization on August 3 after transitioning his current responsibilities as Vice Chairman of Wasserman Media Group.
“Arn is one of the most accomplished and respected sports executives in the world,” owner Tom Gores said in a press release. “He has great passion, integrity and honesty, and he shares my belief that sports can be a catalyst for change in the community. He is an outstanding addition to our leadership team who will help us make a real difference in Detroit.”
The addition of Tellem will not affect the sovereignty of team president and coach Stan Van Gundy, who joined Detroit on a five-year, $35MM deal last year. Sources tell Woj that Tellem will answer directly to billionaire owner Tom Gores, but will not become the ultimate authority on basketball decisions. However, Gores is busy with other business ventures and it appears that Tellem will basically become the Pistons’ ownership face in Michigan.
Tellem’s deal with Gores could include an ownership stake, according to sources who spoke with Yahoo Sports. Meanwhile, Tellem will leave Wasserman Sports behind in a transition that should take place over the next few months. The agency has over 50 players and $300MM+ in player contracts on the books, including Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, Derrick Rose, as shown in the Hoops Rumors Agency Database. Some of the top free agents of the summer are also WMG clients, including Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Draymond Green.
In 2012, former agent Jason Levien helped Robert Pera assemble a group of investors to buy the Grizzlies and was appointed CEO of the team. His tenure came to a close in 2014 in a front office shakeup that saw the dismissal of assistant GM Stu Lash but did not affect another unorthodox hire in former ESPN scribe John Hollinger.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Blatt, Lalanne, Celtics
The Nets will swap picks with the Hawks in the upcoming draft as a result of the Joe Johnson trade, meaning they’ll be selecting at 29th. Still, Brooklyn director of player personnel Gregg Polinsky doesn’t sound like he’s too worried about picking so low, as Roderick Boone of Newsday passes along, since Polinsky believes GM Billy King’s creativity will help the Nets land a difference maker late in the first.
More from the Atlantic:
- Had it not been for the Knicks’ decision to hire Phil Jackson as president of basketball operations, David Blatt might have spent his first year as an NBA head coach in New York instead of Cleveland. Marc Berman of the New York Post has the details on Knicks GM Steve Mills’ close relationship with Blatt and what it might have meant to the team if Jackson wasn’t calling the shots in New York.
- UMass big man Cady Lalanne admits that while he’d love to be selected by any team in the upcoming draft, the Celtics are one of his preferred destinations, as Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com observes. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress lists Lalanne as the 65th best prospect in the draft, while Chad Ford of ESPN ranks him a bit lower at 87th.
- Lalanne worked out for the Celtics yesterday, along with Alpha Kaba, Larry Nance, T.J. Price, Kevin Capers, and Maxie Esho, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com notes on Twitter. Meanwhile, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald passes along that the team wanted to work out Corey Walden but couldn’t because he tweaked a hamstring. In addition to two first-round picks, Boston has two second-round selections, which is where they’d likely be considering drafting any of the aforementioned players.
- Eric Koreen of the National Post speculates that because the Raptors don’t possess any glaring team needs, they could make another off-the-wall selection with their first-round pick this season, much like they did last year when they selected Bruno Caboclo.