Former NBA Exec Rob Babcock Passes Away
Former NBA executive Rob Babcock has passed away following a battle with pancreatic cancer, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Babcock began his NBA career in 1987 when he joined the Nuggets as a scout. After a handful of stops, he began working for the Timberwolves, where he spent 12 years in the team’s front office, including the last two as Minnesota’s vice president of player personnel.
After his time with the Wolves, Babcock was hired as the Raptors‘ head of basketball operations in the spring of 2004, but lasted just a year and a half with the franchise before being let go in January 2006. He was tasked with trading away disgruntled star Vince Carter during his brief tenure as Toronto’s general manager.
Babcock later returned to the Timberwolves’ front office, serving first as a consultant and then as an assistant GM. He was eventually promoted to the role of vice president of basketball operations before being dismissed in May of 2016.
Chris Babcock and Nate Babcock, Rob’s sons, are currently employed by the Sixers and Nets, respectively.
We at Hoops Rumors send our condolences to Rob’s friends and family.
Wolves Notes: Joerger, Washington, Porter, Langford
- Within an in-depth look at the Timberwolves‘ newly-launched head coaching search, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reports that the team hadn’t reached out to Dave Joerger about the job, as of Tuesday afternoon. A Minnesota native, Joerger was speculatively linked to the Wolves’ job even before he was dismissed by Sacramento.
- Within an in-depth look at the Timberwolves‘ newly-launched head coaching search, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reports that the team hadn’t reached out to Dave Joerger about the job, as of Tuesday afternoon. A Minnesota native, Joerger was speculatively linked to the Wolves’ job even before he was dismissed by Sacramento.
- PJ Washington (Kentucky), Kevin Porter Jr. (USC), and Romeo Langford (Indiana) are among the players who will meet with the Timberwolves this week at the draft combine, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
Pelicans Win 2019 NBA Draft Lottery; Grizzlies, Knicks In Top 3
With Tuesday night’s lottery results now official, the top 14 picks in the 2019 NBA draft have been set. The lottery order is as follows:
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Memphis Grizzlies
- New York Knicks
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Phoenix Suns
- Chicago Bulls
- Atlanta Hawks
- Washington Wizards
- Atlanta Hawks (from Mavericks)
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Charlotte Hornets
- Miami Heat
- Boston Celtics (from Kings)
It’s a huge development for the Pelicans, who were facing the potential loss of franchise player Anthony Davis this offseason and only had a 6.0% chance of moving up in the draft. New head of basketball operations David Griffin will now have the opportunity to either sell Davis on staying in New Orleans by adding Duke forward Zion Williamson to play alongside him, or will be able to build around Williamson after trading AD.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, moved up to No. 2 (6.3% chance), putting them in position to potentially select Murray State point guard Ja Morant. Mike Conley, of course, has been the longtime point guard in Memphis, but he has been the subject of trade rumors for the last several months — drafting Morant would be a terrific way to replace Conley if the Grizzlies decide to move the veteran this summer.
Because they jumped up to No. 2, the Grizzlies will keep their pick (top-eight protected) rather than sending it to Boston. Memphis will now owe the Celtics their top-six protected first-round pick in 2020.
Knicks fans will be disappointed not to land a top-two pick, but considering they only had a 40.1% chance to land a top-three selection, things could have been worse. Another Duke prospect, R.J. Barrett, is widely considered the favorite to be the third player off the board, but New York could dangle that pick in trade talks if the team wants to shift into contention mode immediately.
Another big-market team, the Lakers, jumped up to No. 4 despite only having a 9.4% chance at a top-four pick (2.8% for No. 4). The Lakers could shop that pick for immediate help this spring, since they’re in win-now mode during LeBron James‘ tenure.
The Cavaliers, Suns, Bulls, and Wizards are among the losers of the night, having each slid down three spots in the draft order. The Hawks also moved down three spots, but they’ll still pick twice in the top 10, at Nos. 8 and 10.
Atlanta will receive the Mavericks‘ selection at No. 10 as a result of last year’s Luka Doncic/Trae Young swap. The pick was top-five protected, so Dallas would have retained it if it had moved up in the lottery. The Mavs will now own their 2020 and 2022 first-round selections — they’ll owe the Knicks their 2021 first-rounder (unprotected) and their 2023 first-rounder (top-10 protected) due to the Kristaps Porzingis deal.
The Celtics, rather than the Sixers, will receive the Kings‘ pick at No. 14. The 76ers would have swapped first-rounders if that pick had moved up to No. 1, but they’ll keep their own selection instead. Sacramento now has all its first-rounders moving forward.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Timberwolves To Interview Bucks’ Darvin Ham
The Timberwolves have added another name to the list of interviewees for their head coaching job, according to Jon Krawcznyski of The Athletic (Twitter link), who identifies Bucks assistant Darvin Ham as a candidate for the position.
Krawczynski doesn’t specify whether the Wolves have already requested and been granted permission to meet with Ham, but it sounds like he’s expected to interview with the club. Ham, who spent time with six NBA teams during his playing career, served as an assistant for the Lakers and Hawks before joining Mike Budenholzer‘s staff in Milwaukee.
Led by new president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, Minnesota is embarking on a search for a head coach, though the club hasn’t ruled out the possibility of retaining Ryan Saunders, who is still a “prominent” candidate.
In addition to Saunders and Ham, the Wolves are considering a list of contenders that includes Heat assistant Juwan Howard, Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool, and Pelicans assistant Chris Finch.
It remains to be seen how much further Minnesota’s search will expand, or what sort of timeline the team expects for its coaching hire. A report last Friday night indicated that the Wolves would make a decision on their head coach within 7-10 days, but that could have referred to the decision to open up the search beyond Saunders, rather than a final decision on a hire.
Timberwolves To Interview Pelicans’ Chris Finch
As part of their newly-launched head coaching search, the Timberwolves have been granted permission to interview Pelicans assistant Chris Finch for the position, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).
We learned earlier today that new Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas has decided to open up the team’s head coaching search beyond interim coach Ryan Saunders. While Saunders remains a strong candidate for the full-time job, the team is also said to be meeting with Heat assistant Juwan Howard and Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool. We can now add Finch to that list of candidates too.
Although he’s currently part of the Pelicans’ staff, Finch’s longest-term role as an NBA assistant came in Houston from 2011-16. Rosas was part of the Rockets’ front office during that time, so he’s very familiar with the veteran assistant.
Finch was also the associate head coach in Denver for one season between his stints with the Rockets and Pelicans. Last year, he received interest from the Hornets and the Suns when they sought new head coaches.
Wolves Begin Head Coaching Search; Saunders Still ‘Prominent’ Candidate
Having settled into his new role in Minnesota, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas has decided to launch a search for the club’s head coaching position, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Interim coach Ryan Saunders, who had widely been viewed as a strong bet to keep the job, will remain a “prominent” candidate, according to Wojnarowski, but the team will interview outside candidates as well. League sources tell Woj that Heat assistant Juwan Howard and Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool are among those will meet with the Wolves about the position.
Howard and Vanterpool have been popular targets so far this spring for teams making head coaching changes. Howard interviewed with the Lakers and Cavaliers, while Vanterpool has met with the Cavs and Suns.
[RELATED: 2019 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]
Wojnarowski reports that Howard is expected to meet with Rosas during this week’s draft combine, while Vanterpool will likely connect with Rosas later in the week.
As for Saunders, he has made a strong impression on team ownership since taking over for Tom Thibodeau on Minnesota’s bench during the 2018/19 season, according to Wojnarowski. Saunders has also impressed Rosas, having met with him for “a dozen or so hours” since the former Rockets exec was hired. Nonetheless, the Wolves want to consider all their options before simply handing the reins to Saunders on a permanent basis.
Timberwolves To Choose Coach In 7-10 Days
The Timberwolves will fill their head coaching position in the next 7-10 days, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
New president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas has talked extensively with interim coach Ryan Saunders over the past three days but Rosas will continue to mull his options, according to Hine.
Their discussions have included the roster, style of play and player development. Rosas vowed to “question the norm” after getting named to the post.
Saunders might be a good fit with Rosas since he’s a firm believer in analytics. There are no other known candidates at this point.
The perception around the league after the season was that Saunders would have the interim tag removed. That hasn’t changed since Rosas took over, Hine continues.
After Saunders replaced Tom Thibodeau, the Wolves went 17-25 but Saunders forged strong relationships with top players Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. GM Scott Layden’s future with the team remains unknown, Hine adds.
Wolves Notes: Rosas, Front Office, Draft Workouts
Promising to question the norm with everything, new Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas was introduced at a news conference on Monday while flanked by owner Glen Taylor and CEO Ethan Casson, writes Michael Rand of the Star Tribune.
Rosas was noncommittal about the status of interim head coach Ryan Saunders and general manager Scott Layden, but did say that he was looking forward to sitting down and visiting with them and talking about the organization.
As for the roster itself, Rosas stressed player development and being creative in maximizing talent. As an example, Rosas spoke about Andrew Wiggins, saying that the team is going to work him day in and day out, and that he still has a tremendous upside.
There’s more from Minneapolis this evening:
- According to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News, the Timberwolves hosted draft workouts for forward Jordan Murphy (Minnesota) and guard Jordan Geist (Missouri) on Tuesday.
- Per Britt Robson of The Athletic, it is widely expected that Saunders will progress from interim to official head coach, and that Layden will be retained in some fashion.
- In addition to his basketball credentials, Rosas emerged as the favorite for the top job in Minnesota for his ability to have a personal connection with Taylor, something the owner covets in his front office employees, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
Draft Notes: Zion, Norvell, Ponds, Tinkle
There’s a ton at stake this offseason for many of the teams involved in next week’s draft lottery, but there’s plenty at stake for consensus top prospect Zion Williamson as well. As ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Mike Schmitz, Kevin Pelton, and Bobby Marks outline in an Insider-only article, not every team that has a shot at Williamson would be an ideal fit for him.
In the view of ESPN’s insiders, the Hawks, Mavericks, and Pelicans would be the most preferable landing spots for Williamson. The opportunity to play with up-and-coming play-makers – Trae Young in Atlanta, or Luka Doncic in Dallas – would help unlock Williamson’s potential.
On the other hand, ESPN’s panel doesn’t consider the Lakers, Bulls, and Sixers great fits for Williamson. Spacing is the primary concern for the Lakers and Sixers, and it’s unclear how a pairing with Joel Embiid would work. For the Bulls, Zach LaVine‘s ball dominance and Jim Boylen‘s “outdated” offense are viewed as red flags.
Here are several more draft-related notes:
- Gonzaga sophomore guard Zach Norvell Jr. told reporters today that he intends to keep his name in the 2019 NBA draft, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Norvell was one of 66 prospects announced on Wednesday as a 2019 draft combine participant.
- St. John’s guard Shamorie Ponds, another one of those 66, has workouts lined up with the Warriors, Bulls, Kings, Jazz, Celtics, and Mavericks, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic. Ponds is ranked as the No. 51 prospect on ESPN’s big board.
- After working out for Utah and Philadelphia, Oregon State forward Tres Tinkle has auditions this week with the Raptors, Celtics, and Hornets, and will work out for the Hawks next week, writes Nick Daschel of The Oregonian.
- After turning in an impressive performance at the Portsmouth Invitational, forward Jarrell Brantley (Charleston) has workouts lined up with 10 teams, including the Celtics, Nets, Timberwolves, Hornets, and Clippers, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
NBA Announces 2019 Draft Lottery Representatives
With the NBA’s 2019 draft lottery set to take place next Tuesday night, the league has now officially confirmed who will represent each team on stage and in the lottery room on May 14.
While there are only 14 picks in the lottery – including four determined by the drawings of ping pong balls – there will be 15 team representatives in attendance due to various trades. The full breakdown of each club’s odds in this year’s lottery can be found right here.
[RELATED: Four More-Likely-Than-Not Draft Lottery Outcomes]
Here’s the full list of 2019 lottery representatives, with each team sending two reps — one will be in the lottery room during the actual draw, while the other will be on stage for the broadcast portion of the event.
- New York Knicks
- On stage: Patrick Ewing (former player)
- Lottery room: Allan Houston (special assistant to the GM)
- Top-four odds: 52.1%
- On stage: Patrick Ewing (former player)
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- On stage: Nick Gilbert (son of team owner)
- Lottery room: Brock Aller (senior director of basketball operations)
- Top-four odds: 52.1%
- Phoenix Suns
- On stage: Deandre Ayton
- Lottery room: Jim Pitman (CFO)
- Top-four odds: 52.1%
- On stage: Deandre Ayton
- Chicago Bulls
- On stage: Horace Grant (special advisor to president/COO)
- Lottery room: Joey Reinsdorf (son of president/COO)
- Top-four odds: 48.0%
- Atlanta Hawks
- On stage: Jami Gertz (co-owner)
- Lottery room: Michelle Leftwich (VP, salary cap administration)
- Top-four odds: 42.1%
- Note: The Hawks will also land a second lottery pick if the Mavericks’ pick doesn’t move into the top four.
- Washington Wizards
- On stage: Raul Fernandez (vice chairman)
- Lottery room: Tommy Sheppard (senior VP of basketball operations)
- Top-four odds: 37.2%
- New Orleans Pelicans
- On stage: Alvin Gentry (head coach)
- Lottery room: David Griffin (executive VP of basketball operations)
- Top-four odds: 26.3%
- On stage: Alvin Gentry (head coach)
- Memphis Grizzlies
- On stage: Elliot Perry (minority owner / director of player support)
- Lottery room: Zach Kleiman (executive VP of basketball operations)
- Top-four odds: 26.3%
- Note: The Grizzlies will lose their pick if it falls outside of the top eight (42.6% chance).
- Dallas Mavericks
- On stage: Cynthia Marshall (CEO)
- Lottery room: Keith Grant (assistant GM)
- Top-four odds: 26.3%
- Note: The Mavericks will lose their pick if it doesn’t move into the top four.
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- On stage: Gersson Rosas (president of basketball operations)
- Lottery room: Brad Ruiter (VP of communications)
- Top-four odds: 13.9%
- On stage: Gersson Rosas (president of basketball operations)
- Los Angeles Lakers
- On stage: Kyle Kuzma
- Lottery room: Rob Pelinka (GM)
- Top-four odds: 9.4%
- On stage: Kyle Kuzma
- Charlotte Hornets
- On stage: James Borrego (head coach)
- Lottery room: Buzz Peterson (assistant GM)
- Top-four odds: 4.8%
- Miami Heat
- On stage: Alonzo Mourning (VP, player programs)
- Lottery room: Andy Elisburg (senior VP of basketball operations / GM)
- Top-four odds: 4.8%
- Boston Celtics
- On stage: Rich Gotham (president)
- Lottery room: Mike Zarren (assistant GM)
- Top-four odds: 3.8%
- Note: The Celtics will receive the Grizzlies’ pick if it falls outside of the top eight and the Kings’ pick if it falls between 2-14.
- Philadelphia 76ers
- On stage: Chris Heck (president)
- Lottery room: Ian Hillman (VP, strategy & analytics)
- Top-four odds: 1.0%
- Note: The Sixers will only receive a pick if the Kings’ first-rounder jumps up to No. 1.
- On stage: Chris Heck (president)