Wes Wilcox

Hawks To Retain Wilcox; Budenholzer To Relinquish President Title

May 5th, 2017 at 8:32am CST by Luke Adams

MAY 5, 8:32am: Speaking to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Hawks owner Tony Ressler has confirmed the changes reported below. According to Ressler, Wilcox will serve as a special advisor to team ownership going forward, and the search has begun for a new general manager to head the basketball operations department.

MAY 4, 4:21pm: Although a report on Wednesday indicated that the Hawks were set to part ways with Wes Wilcox, the general manager will remain with the franchise in a high-ranking front office role after all, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. However, Atlanta’s front office will still be undergoing some changes.

According to Wojnarowski, Mike Budenholzer will relinquish his title as the Hawks’ president of basketball operations. Budenholzer will remain the club’s head coach, and will still have a say in personnel decisions, but he will no longer oversee the basketball operations department. Instead, Atlanta will seek out a new president of basketball operations, per Wojnarowski.

Since June 30, 2015, Budenholzer had been the team’s president of basketball operations, in addition to the head coach. In that faculty, Budenholzer had the final say in all basketball matters. Budenholzer has been the Hawks’ head coach since the end of 2013 playoffs. Prior to taking the head coaching job in Atlanta, Coach Bud was an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich with the Spurs.

As we discussed on Wednesday, there are now only four men in the NBA who possess both head coach and president of basketball operations titles: Doc Rivers with the Clippers, Stan Van Gundy in Detroit, Tom Thibodeau with the Timberwolves, and Popovich in San Antonio.

The Hawks just completed a 43-39 season, in which they finished as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and were eliminated in the first round by the Wizards. Atlanta has made the playoffs in ten consecutive seasons.

On Tuesday, the Magic began their interview process for president of basketball operations, with names such as Kevin McHale and Cavaliers GM David Griffin topping their wish list. Orlando is the only team besides Atlanta currently seeking a president of basketball operations. In the coming days, it will likely become apparent whether the Hawks will pursue the Magic’s candidates for their own vacant post.

Minority owner Grant Hill will play a key role in the search process, but has currently shown no interest in moving to operations full-time, Woj reports.

Joshua Fischman contributed to this story. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Plumlee, Hawks

May 4th, 2017 at 10:50pm CST by marksuleymanov

Despite seemingly messy breakups with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade and missing the playoffs this season, the Heat are not concerned with difficulties of luring free agents to South Beach, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. As Jackson notes, Bosh and the Heat seem to be on good terms despite the controversial circumstances surrounding the former All-Star’s battles with blood clots, which prompted to Heat to not play him this season. Also, an associate of Wade tells Jackson the Miami legend is open to playing for the team again in the future.

However, the team’s ultimate calling card may be its coach, Erik Spoelstra. In addition to coaching the Heat to two NBA titles during his tenure, Spoelstra has created a culture that allows players to thrive. Heat forward James Johnson explained to Jackson that “consistency” is the coach’s strength.

“When I say consistency, I [mean] it’s doing the same thing, not giving you the same minutes every game, but consistently getting on you enough, praising you a little bit, holding me to my word,” Johnson said. “When you get a consistent coach you look up to like coach Spo, it makes things easier.”

Miami’s culture includes rigorous training, which Jackson says will deter certain veteran players who do not want to add mileage to their bodies. As Spoelstra has said, the Heat are “not for everybody.”

Here is more news from the Southeast Division:

The Hornets announced earlier this week that center Miles Plumlee underwent successful arthroscopic debridement on his right knee. The expected recovery for the 28-year-old center is six to eight weeks, so he should be good to go this fall. Plumlee was sent to Charlotte as part of a February deal that included Spencer Hawes and Roy Hibbert going to the Bucks. In 13 games with the Hornets, Plumlee posted totals of 2.4 PPG and 3.2 RPG.
Former Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox was seemingly let go by Atlanta earlier this week, but will remain with the team in a different capacity. However, before that move was announced, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Wilcox had been “in contact with other NBA teams and at least one college about other positions.”
Meanwhile, Mike Budenholzer will not retain his title as the Hawks’ president of basketball operations and will instead report — along with Wilcox — to whomever the Hawks hire to oversee basketball operations, per Vivlamore.

Latest On Potential Hawks’ Front Office Shakeup

May 3rd, 2017 at 3:44pm CST by Luke Adams

3:44pm: Mike Budenholzer has been discussing with Hawks ownership the possibility of eliminating his duties as president of basketball operations and focusing on coaching the team, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter) that the Hawks continue to discuss Wilcox’s role, and resolution could come later today.

With Wilcox apparently on the outs and Budenholzer potentially taking on a reduced role, there would be at least one major opening in Atlanta’s front office. However, as the team’s statement below notes, nothing is official yet.

3:31pm: “There are no changes to report at this time,” the Hawks said in a statement issued to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). “Any reports indicating otherwise are inaccurate.”

The Hawks’ statement stops short of declaring that Wilcox isn’t going anywhere, simply suggesting there are no changes to announce “at this time.” That likely means that the move just hasn’t yet been made official, but we’ll continue to follow the story to see if anything changes.

2:59pm: With their season over, the Hawks are parting ways with general manager Wes Wilcox, according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman and Marc Spears. While head coach Mike Budenholzer is also the president of basketball operations in Atlanta, Wilcox had played a key role in the department and in making personnel decisions.

Wilcox, who was originally hired by the Hawks as an assistant general manager back in 2012, took over as the team’s GM in 2015. The club was coming off a 60-win season at that time, but has since seen its win total slip to 48 in 2015/16 and then to 43 in 2016/17. The Hawks were eliminated from the postseason in the first round this season, a year after losing Al Horford in free agency, and Atlanta will now face the possibility of watching Paul Millsap walk as well, though owner Tony Ressler has said the organization will do all it can to retain the veteran big man.

Although the team lost Horford last summer, it was still an active offseason for the Hawks, who traded Jeff Teague and then signed Kent Bazemore and Dwight Howard to pricey long-term deals. Bazemore saw his numbers slip in the first year of his new contract, while Taurean Prince – who was drafted with the pick acquired in the Teague trade – didn’t make much of an impact in his rookie season. As for Howard, he reportedly expressed some displeasure during his exit interview about his role in Atlanta.

Wilcox originally received his promotion when racially-charged remarks made by Danny Ferry about Luol Deng led to Ferry’s resignation. Wilcox found himself in a similar – albeit less publicized – situation earlier this year, when a Deadspin report indicated that the Hawks GM had made a joke in poor taste at a season-ticket holder event. Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated reported at the time that Wilcox received discipline from the organization following that incident, though there’s no indication it played a major part – or any part – in his dismissal.

While Wilcox’s ouster wasn’t necessarily expected, a recent report did suggests that the Hawks may make front office changes to get new voices involved in basketball decisions.

Front Office Shakeups Ahead?

March 28th, 2017 at 7:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

Disappointing seasons could lead to front office changes for at least five teams this summer, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.

The most obvious team headed for a shakeup is Sacramento, which reportedly wants to position someone above GM Vlade Divac and may have interest in former Sixers GM Sam Hinkie, despite an official statement denying it. There are also ongoing rumors of a rift between Vivek Ranadive and the minority ownership, which has grown frustrated with the way the team has been managed.

Kyler notes that Ken Catanella was hired as an assistant GM last summer, but wasn’t given the power that many expected him to have.

Change may also be coming to these organizations:

Orlando — The Magic seem ready to replace GM Rob Hennigan, with Pistons executive and former Orlando player Pat Garrity as the leading candidate to be offered the job. The Magic had hoped to be playoff contenders after signing Bismack Biyombo and trading for Serge Ibaka, but the new combination never worked out. Orlando is 14th in the East at 27-47, and Ibaka was shipped to Toronto last month. Kyler cites league sources who say several of the Magic’s lower level executives are expecting changes and have started contacting other organizations.
New Orleans — A recent report said coach Alvin Gentry and GM Dell Demps could both be fired without significant progress by the end of the season. Demps may have bought himself more timee with the DeMarcus Cousins trade, but the Pelicans have reached the playoffs just twice during his seven years at the helm. Louisiana native Joe Dumars is close to ownership and is reportedly being considered as a replacement.
Phoenix — The Suns will miss the playoffs for the seventh consecutive year, and many believe that owner Robert Sarver wants to turn things around quickly. Ryan McDonough has amassed an impressive group of young talent in his four years as GM, but that may not be enough to convince Sarver to keep him.
Atlanta — It’s unlikely that coach/executive Mike Budenholzer or GM Wes Wilcox gets replaced, but several staff additions are expected. The Hawks have been shaken by the loss of free agent Al Horford last season and the possible exit of Paul Millsap this summer, along with a late-season losing streak that may knock them out of the playoffs. More voices may be brought on to help Budenholzer and Wilcox with the decision-making process.

Hawks Notes: Millsap, Dunleavy, Williams, Wilcox

January 12th, 2017 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Paul Millsap is reportedly off the trade block in Atlanta, but with six weeks to go until this year’s trade deadline, several NBA.com writers and reporters remain unconvinced that the team’s decision is final. David Aldridge, Steve Aschburner, Scott Howard-Cooper, and John Schuhmann are among the scribes who believe there’s still a chance Millsap could be moved by February 23, with Howard-Cooper writing that the phrase “taken off the market” will mean nothing if a team calls the Hawks with an offer that Atlanta likes.

I would have agreed with that view of the Millsap situation after a report surfaced suggesting that the Hawks were telling other teams the big man was unavailable. Telling clubs that Millsap isn’t available is a move that could be used as leverage later, in an effort to get those same teams to improve their offers. Still, Atlanta also reportedly informed Millsap himself that he won’t be dealt, and NBA teams don’t often reverse course on that sort of promise in a matter of weeks — I’d be somewhat surprised if the Hawks move Millsap, though it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility.

Here’s more from out of Atlanta:

Mike Dunleavy Jr., who reported to the Hawks and passed his physical earlier this week, expects to make his debut for the team on Friday, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) spoke to the other veteran acquired in last weekend’s trade by the Hawks, though Mo Williams isn’t expected to report to or play for the club. As Kennedy details, Williams is focused on coaching younger players, and doesn’t seem interested in coming out of retirement as an NBA player anytime soon.
In the wake of a report that Wes Wilcox made a “racially charged joke” at a recent season-ticket holder event, the Hawks general manager has received an undisclosed discipline from the team, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
According to Spears, this is what Nzinga Shaw, the Hawks’ diversity and inclusion officer, had to say about Wilcox’s comments: “After hearing multiple sides of the story and getting multiple eyewitness accounts of what took place, I am not convinced that what we heard and read in Deadspin is a direct quote that was used. Wes, however, certainly did make his off-color statement, which included elements of describing his wife’s race. People that were in the room could make the assumption that he was using her race for the reason of the comments that followed. We certainly do not approve of this behavior and we are going to handle this manner internally.”

Southeast Notes: Prince, Scott, Burke, Sessions

July 10th, 2016 at 1:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Taurean Prince got his draft wish to join the Hawks, but Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that the rookie out of Baylor had to wait two weeks for it to happen. Prince remained in limbo as a member of the Jazz until a three-team trade with the Pacers was formally completed this week. That deal sent the number 12 pick to Atlanta, which was happy to add the 6’8″ combo forward. “Taurean has many of the qualities that we value in our program,” said Hawks GM Wes Wilcox. “We are excited to add his competitiveness, toughness, versatility and desire to improve.” Prince, who worked out twice for the Hawks before the draft, was a first-team All-Big 12 selection this season after averaging 15.9 points and 6.1 rebounds at Baylor.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Mike Scott’s $3.3MM salary for next season will become guaranteed today, Vivlamore tweets. Scott played in 75 games for the Hawks this season, all as a reserve, averaging 6.2 points per night and shooting 39% from 3-point range.
Former lottery pick Trey Burke is excited about the chance to revive his career with the Wizards, writes Gene Wang of The Washington Post. Washington acquired the third-year point guard last week in a trade with the Jazz, sending a 2021 second-round pick to Utah in return. Burke had fallen to the bottom of the depth chart in Utah and figured to have his playing time severely cut with the Jazz trading for George Hill and getting Dante Exum back from a year-long injury. Instead, he gets to join the Wizards and back up one of his favorite points guards. “I think it’s just a good fit for me, obviously playing behind John Wall,” Burke said. “He’s an established guard right now. Learning from him, I’m looking forward to the opportunity. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the city. It’s just great to know that I’m welcome to another organization.” Burke has one year left on his contract at nearly $3.4MM.
The two-year contract that Ramon Sessions signed with the Hornets will pay him $6MM in the first season with a $6.3MM team option for the second, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.

Southeast Notes: Ferry, Budenholzer, Dragic

October 6th, 2015 at 10:19am CST by Chuck Myron

Mike Budenholzer and former Hawks GM Danny Ferry are close, but Budenholzer encouraged Ferry to resign in September 2014 so that the Hawks could more easily put their racism scandal behind them before the opening of training camp last season, report Kevin Arnovitz and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Their piece goes deep into the downfall of Ferry, who instead went on a leave of absence that extended until he took a buyout this past summer, and the team’s previous ownership group, one that had lost money each year since it purchased the franchise in 2004, Arnovitz and Windhorst reveal. Former controlling owner Bruce Levenson had nonetheless structured a long-term deal for Ferry when he hired the executive, one that other GMs called the “Golden Ticket” for its favorability to the former Spurs and Cavs executive, Arnovitz and Windhorst write. Prominent co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. opposed that deal and never saw eye-to-eye with Ferry, who upset him on several occasions, such as when Ferry had harsh words for former coach Larry Drew, according to Arnovitz and Windhorst.

See more on the Hawks amid the latest from the Southeast Division:

Gearon didn’t initially take issue with the tenor of Levenson’s racially charged 2012 email — the one that ultimately led to his decision to sell the team, as Arnovitz and Windhorst detail in the same piece. Gearon instead put pressure on Levenson when the email again came up amid an internal investigation that Ferry’s racial comments touched off, and when a reporter was coming close to breaking the story of the scandal, Levenson decided to take a proactive step and announce his intention to sell, the ESPN scribes recount. Levenson remained a fan of Ferry and nearly brought him back before the sale took place, but the team’s renaissance worked against that, as Levenson decided too much was going right to risk disruption.
Goran Dragic is wistful about no longer playing with his brother, but he re-signed with the Heat without assurances they would keep Zoran Dragic and was on board when the team traded him, as he explains to Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. “I was sad, of course,” Goran said of the trade. “I know how much he wants to be part of a team in the NBA, but I understand this is a business. That’s a better situation for him right now. He’s gonna get playing time. He signed a good deal in Russia. He’s happy. That’s a good thing. Sometimes, for me, when you play with your brother, sometimes it’s a little bit stressful because if he’s not getting playing time, it affects you too. But everything’s good now.”
Jaleel Roberts didn’t think he would end up in training camp with the Wizards after he failed to wow them with his summer league performance, but he’s grateful for the opportunity after an overseas offer didn’t pan out as he expected it to, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com.

Hawks GM Danny Ferry Steps Down In Buyout Deal

June 30th, 2015 at 6:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

NBA: Atlanta Hawks-Mike Budenholzer Press Conference

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

JUNE 30th, 6:46pm: The Hawks formally announced the promotions of Budenholzer and Wilcox, according to Vivlamore (on Twitter).

JUNE 25th, 10:38am: New owner Tony Ressler confirmed to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter) that he has a “handshake agreement” with Mike Budenholzer to be president/head coach and Wes Wilcox to be GM.

JUNE 22nd, 11:03am: Ferry has stepped down, the team formally announced via press release.

“This season has proved two things,” Hawks CEO Steve Koonin said in the team’s statement. “First, Danny Ferry is a tremendous GM. Danny was the principal architect of the Hawks’ success in Atlanta. From the hiring of Coach Bud to reinventing the roster, Danny’s vision has put us in the tremendous place we are today. Danny acted with integrity and professionalism as he guided the organization through important changes over the last few years. Second, Danny Ferry is not a racist. Danny showed great leadership in stepping aside in the fall so the season could proceed with as few distractions as possible. He has always put the team first despite the great personal difficulties he endured. Now that the team has identified new ownership, the resolution of Danny’s contract with existing ownership is appropriate. We wish Danny and his family only the best moving forward.”

Budenholzer, who’s also quoted in the statement, lauded Ferry’s roster building, and Ferry spoke as well.

“While the past year has been incredibly difficult and humbling, it is critical for me to clear my name and for people to realize that I have always built a culture of respect, diversity, and honesty,” Ferry said. “Now that the key facts have been made known, I am making the difficult decision to step away from this team and this special group of players. I have seen how gracious and forgiving people can be – especially Luol, who had every right to be hurt and angry after being brought into this situation. I thank him for his forgiveness and support. I also greatly appreciate that our players and coaches have been supportive, along with so many friends, old and new. As the Hawks move to a new chapter, I will continue to support the players and wish them the continued success that they and the fans of Atlanta deserve.”

JUNE 20th, 5:05pm: A law firm commissioned by the Hawks to investigate the comments Ferry made in reference to Deng last year found no wrongdoing on the part of the GM, according to a letter the firm sent to Ferry that multiple Atlanta-area media members obtained, including Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“We reported the results of our work to the Hawks. In summary, the facts indicated that you repeated comments that were not your own about Mr. Deng from a scouting report during the call, and there was no evidence to indicate that during the call you acted in a manner motivated by negative bias toward Mr. Deng, his race or his country of origin,” the letter read in part. “In fact, you strongly recommended Luol Deng and attempted to sign him for the team. Based on the materials reviewed within the scope of the investigation, we did not uncover facts indicating that your repetition of words contained within a scouting report was improperly motivated by race, ethnicity, or country of origin.”

Co-owner Todd Foreman also sent a letter to Ferry stating that “at the heart of this dispute was the unfortunate disagreement amongst owners,” Vivlamore reports. Michael Gearon Jr., a rival of Levenson’s, called for Ferry to be fired after his comments about Deng last year.

2:48pm: Ferry will receive “substantially more” through the buyout deal than his contract called for him to make over the remainder of its term, Vivlamore writes in a full story.

JUNE 19th, 1:20pm: The Hawks board of managers approved the buyout deal with Ferry today, Vivlamore reports, adding that an official announcement is forthcoming in a few days (Twitter link).

3:11pm: The league is expected to approve the new owners on June 24th, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Ferry had hoped that ties to Grant Hill and Jesse Itzler, partners in Ressler’s group, would save his job, but over time, he realized that wouldn’t happen, Zillgitt reports, adding that Ferry indeed wants to return to NBA work.

JUNE 18th, 1:11pm: Hawks officials and Ferry have reached a buyout agreement that will give Ferry more than what the three years remaining on his contract called for him to make, reports Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com. The current owners will assume responsibility for the cost of the buyout, Arnovitz adds. The team’s board of managers will hold a conference call to Friday to approve the buyout terms, according to Arnovitz.

10:45am: No one has told either Budenholzer or Wilcox just yet about any potential changes to their roles, Vivlamore tweets.

9:58am: The Hawks plan to work out deals that install coach and acting GM Mike Budenholzer as president and coach, promote assistant GM Wes Wilcox to GM, and allow the team to part ways with GM Danny Ferry, who’s been on a leave of absence since September, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The plan appears to emanate from the team’s incoming ownership, led by Tony Ressler, who, league sources told Wojnarowski, will make contract negotiations with Budenholzer and Wilcox their first priority upon receiving league approval for their purchase of the franchise. Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in mid-May that the approval process was expected to be finished on a timetable that would finalize the sale sometime between now and early next month.

Higher-ups around the league have lent their support to Ferry, with most believing that he’ll again find work in a team’s front office, Wojnarowski writes. Ferry’s racially insensitive remarks while reading a scouting report about Luol Deng last year led him to take his leave of absence in September, shortly after controlling owner Bruce Levenson said he planned to sell the team amid the revelation of his own racially charged emails. Budenholzer took control of the front office around that time, though as Vivlamore told us, Atlanta’s player personnel decisions continued to be made in a collaborative manner, with Wilcox and others heavily involved.

Budenholzer won the league’s Coach of the Year award and finished third in Executive of the Year voting after the Hawks won 60 games this past season, though some votes that went to Budenholzer were meant as nods to Ferry, multiple executives told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Some executives, who vote on the award rather than media members, were displeased that the Hawks chose to nominate Budenholzer for the honor instead of Ferry, Hoops Rumors reported. Some of them spoke of abstaining from the vote, though all 30 voters ultimately cast their ballots. The Hawks made the vast majority of the moves that brought their roster together before Ferry went on leave.

Latest On Hawks Controversy

October 3rd, 2014 at 1:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:57pm: Vivlamore clarifies in a full story that Levenson, Peskowitz and Foreman intend to sell their 50.1% of the club, but the reason the percentage of the team up for sale is not clear is because it’s unknown whether the Gearons or any of the other owners who hold minority shares intend to sell. It would be premature to target the end of the year for completion of the sale, Vivlamore adds, noting that the city of Atlanta has no authority over the sale of the team and little to do with the mechanics of the ownership transfer, in spite of Reed’s meetings with Silver, Levenson and others. There is indeed plenty of interest from potential buyers, but most are merely making inquiries about the sale process at this point and aren’t yet talking terms, Vivlamore says.

11:39am: Commissioner Adam Silver assured Reed last week that the league is committed to keeping the Hawks in Atlanta, as Reed relayed today to media, including The Associated Press. Reed also expressed hope that the team will indeed have a new owner by year’s end.

10:54am: It’s unclear just what percentage of the team is up for sale, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A buyer could have the majority of the team with the purchase of Levenson’s, Peskowitz’s and Foreman’s full stakes, since that would constitute 50.1% of the club. However, a purchase of less than that could presumably put Michael Gearon Sr. and Michael Gearon Jr., who control a combined 42%, in charge, though that’s just my speculation.

9:00am: The Hawks are likely to be sold by year’s end, at a price point that falls somewhere in between the $550MM the Bucks went for in the spring and the bloated $2 billion that Steve Ballmer paid for the Clippers, a source tells Michael Wallace of ESPN.com. In the meantime, several agents who spoke to Wallace are concerned about the front office situation, suggesting that the lingering effects of the controversy surrounding the team and GM Danny Ferry‘s indefinite absence will affect the team’s ability to make roster moves.

Controlling owner Bruce Levenson, along with partners Ed Peskowitz and Todd Foreman, are selling their shares of the team, which make up a collective 50.1% stake in the franchise, after revelations of a racially charged email prompted Levenson to relinquish his ownership. The balance between the efforts of Levenson and his partners to find a buyer against the league’s involvement in the sale is unclear, but the city of Atlanta is part of the process. Mayor Kasim Reed said last month that he had spoken with six prospective buyers. Hawks executive Dominique Wilkins has expressed interest in buying the team, likely in the role of front man for an investment group, though it’s not certain whether his recent promotion is a signal that he’s close to taking any sort of ownership role.

Coach Mike Budenholzer has taken over the GM duties for Ferry, whose racially charged remarks about Luol Deng prompted his indefinite leave, but Budenholzer dismisses the notion that juggling two jobs would leave the Hawks in a tenuous position, as he expressed to Wallace. The ESPN scribe also indicates that assistant GM Wes Wilcox is playing a prominent role.

“I feel like there’s not a huge difference, to be honest with you,” Budenholzer said to Wallace. “Preparing for camp and little things that needed to be decided — who’s coming, who’s not, where we’re staying — so there’s a few of those conversations that impact my day. A few more people are probably coming into my office than prior. It gives me a comfort level when I think I’ve been involved in a [Spurs] program where the assistants and coaches have had a lot of input. R.C. [Buford] and [Gregg] Popovich, those guys were amazing about listening. They valued our opinions. And now, I value everybody’s opinion.”

The agents who expressed their concerns to Wallace about the structure of the front office emphasized the effect as it applied to trades involving players on high-dollar or long-term deals, but such moves rarely happen at this point of the year. Closing the sale by December would allow the new ownership to have their staff in place in advance of the February 19th trade deadline, when more significant moves more commonly occur.

Several Candidates Emerge For Nuggets GM Job

May 31st, 2013 at 6:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke's strong relationship with Masai Ujiri was the primary force behind the outgoing Denver GM's hesitation to accept Toronto's five-year, $15MM offer to jump to the Raptors front office, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Nuggets were willing to give Ujiri a deal worth $1.2MM a year, according to USA Today's Sam Amick. Still, none of it was enough to convince Ujiri to stay, and now the Nuggets are the team looking for a new GM. There's early talk about several who could eventually get the job, as we detail below:

Nuggets assistant GM Pete D'Alessandro and director of player personnel Mike Bratz are viable options, sources tell Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
Wojnarowski speculates that the Nuggets could promote D'Alessandro or go after Cavaliers assistant GM David Griffin. The Nuggets offered Griffin the job in 2010, but he turned them down, leading Denver to turn to Ujiri.
Other executives who figure to be top candidates include Gersson Rosas of the Rockets, Bobby Marks of the Nets, Tim Connelly of the Pelicans, Wes Wilcox of the Hawks and Scott Perry of the Magic, according to Wojnarowski.
The Nuggets could have some competition if they want to go with D'Alessandro, since Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace, the leading candidate to take the GM job in Sacramento, would like to hire him to work in the Kings front office, Amick reports (Twitter link).
Warriors assistant GM Travis Schlenk interviewed well with the Kings, Amick tweets, arguing that Schlenk could be a fit in Denver if it doesn't work out for him in Sacramento.
Assistant GMs Tommy Sheppard of the Wizards and Jeff Weltman of the Bucks have ties to the Nuggets and bear watching as the Nuggets' search takes place, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

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