The Beat

The Beat: Chris Haynes On The Cavs

September 1st, 2015 at 12:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Chris Haynes

Nobody knows NBA teams better than beat writers, save for those who draw paychecks with an NBA owner’s signature on them. The reporters who are with the teams they cover every day gain an intimate knowledge of the players, coaches and executives they write about and develop sources who help them break news and stay on top of rumors.

We at Hoops Rumors will be chatting with beat writers from around the league and sharing their responses to give you a better perspective on how and why teams make some of their most significant moves. Last time, we spoke with Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic about the Suns. Click here to see all of the previous editions of this series.

Today, we gain insight on the Cavaliers from Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. You can follow Chris on Twitter at @ChrisBHaynes, and click here to check out his stories on Cleveland.com.

Hoops Rumors: Just about everyone around the league seems to be wondering how Tristan Thompson‘s free agency ultimately gets resolved. What do you think Thompson’s ideal outcome is, and what do you think is the ideal outcome for the Cavs?

Chris Haynes: I’m not really sure what the outcome will be, but all I know is Rich Paul is asking for five years and $94MM and the Cavaliers are $14MM short of that figure. That’s Randy Moss-type separation. There’s limited to zero communication because of that tremendous gap. If Tristan takes the qualifying offer, according to Paul, his client is gone after the 2015/16 season. And if he takes a hike, the Cavaliers won’t have the resources to replace him. The Cavaliers believe they’ve presented a more-than-generous offer for a player who figures to be a backup for them. I suspect a long-term deal is reached closer to camp. Paul has shown he’s more than willing to play the waiting game.

Hoops Rumors: How much longer do you think LeBron James will carry on merely with year-to-year commitments to the Cavs before he finally signs another long-term deal?

Chris Haynes: LeBron is the only player capable of continuing the year-to-year deals due to his durability and lucrative off-the-court ventures. Flexibility is extremely important to him. The structure of his deal ensures the Cavaliers continue to place quality players around him to compete for championships year after year. He could go the long-term route next summer, but he’ll likely shoot for the summer of 2017 when the cap rises to well over $100MM. Again, no other player can go down this path.

Hoops Rumors: Do you think it’s more likely that the Cavs wait until next summer to use the $10,522,500 Brendan Haywood trade exception, when they might not be facing such a steep tax bill? Or do you think the Cavs feel a need to add as much talent as possible for this season and use the exception before the trade deadline in February?

Chris Haynes: It all depends on how they start the season. If they come out sputtering, regardless of tax implications, that exception will be shopped like crazy. There’s too much at stake. They can’t afford to be too patient with this roster. See answer to question No. 2 for one of the reasons. Ideally, the Cavaliers would love to just cruise through the regular season successfully and use that exception for the offseason. That Haywood chip is truly valuable, but it’s being viewed as merely an excellent insurance policy should things go south.

Hoops Rumors: You reported that Kyrie Irving will likely miss the start of the season, and that the distinct possibility exists that he’ll be out until January. Do you think the Cavs will make a move to bring in another point guard, or are they comfortable with the options they have?

Chris Haynes: I believe they’re just fine with who they have at the moment. The addition of Mo Williams was huge and Matthew Dellavedova is right back in his backup role. And now roster hopefuls in Jared Cunningham and undrafted rookie Quinn Cook have a shot to make the opening day roster as the team’s third point guard. To my knowledge the Cavaliers will work with what they have, believing they have enough to withstand Irving’s early absence.

Hoops Rumors: David Blatt had quite an introduction to the NBA last season. What do you think was the most significant lesson he learned over the course of the year?

Chris Haynes: Managing minutes. He admitted that he never had to focus on minute distribution too much overseas because those teams only played twice a week and three at the most. He improved in that area late in the season, but by then, it took its toll on the players. With a season under his belt, a revamped roster and an understanding of the regular season grind, I expect Blatt to be more cautious with his minute tally on his big guns.

Hoops Rumors: The same question probably applies to David Griffin, too, since he’s coming off his first full season as an NBA GM. What do you think was the most important lesson he gathered from that experience?

Chris Haynes: Probably patience. Not to say he had trouble with it, but when you start off a season struggling and LeBron James is on the roster, panic can set in and cause you to pursue changes prematurely. It seemed like everything went wrong the first couple of months and it was well-documented by several media outlets. His patience was tested as teams called to discuss numerous trade proposals, sensing the Cavaliers were in a vulnerable state. He listened, but ultimately stood pat until pulling off the blockbuster trades that acquired J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov in January. Griff learned on the fly of what it’s like to be the general manager of a LeBron James-team. It has its rewards, but it’s far from easy. It takes patience and he proved he has that.

The Beat: Paul Coro On The Suns

August 11th, 2015 at 3:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic

We at Hoops Rumors will be chatting with beat writers from around the league and sharing their responses to give you a better perspective on how and why teams make some of their most significant moves. Last week, we spoke with Jody Genessy of The Deseret News about the Jazz. Click here to see all of the previous editions of this series.

Today, we gain insight on the Suns from Paul Coro the Arizona Republic. You can follow Paul on Twitter at @paulcoro, and click here to check out his stories on azcentral.com.

Hoops Rumors: How do you sense that people within the Suns organization feel about their pursuit of LaMarcus Aldridge? Do they take the fact that they came as close as they did to landing him as an encouraging development that they can build on for next summer, or are they just disappointed that they didn’t get him?

Paul Coro: There is some of both. They sense that they were so close, perhaps even ahead at one point, in landing Aldridge that there was disappointment in not signing him. The team has been seeking an All-Star player for years and had an intricate plan to land one that they thought would fit their system and needs. Despite the disappointment, they are encouraged that a player of his caliber put the Suns ahead of all other suitors, except for San Antonio. As they struggle to land the team’s first major free agent signing since Steve Nash in 2004, being in the final two for Aldridge showed them that the franchise, market and team can still be a viable threat in free agency but each player and case is unique.

Hoops Rumors: The Tyson Chandler signing seemed to take everybody off guard, especially given the presence of Alex Len. Do you think the Suns still would have gone after Chandler if they didn’t think he would help them land Aldridge?

Paul Coro: The Suns say they wanted Chandler regardless of how the Aldridge pursuit turned out and they obviously had to be prepared for that outcome, given that the Spurs were such huge favorites to get Aldridge entering July. He definitely was a major piece in the plan to land Aldridge, who they knew had a great deal of respect for Chandler and wanted to play exclusively at power forward. It changed the race to have Chandler surprisingly walk in that room for the first Aldridge meeting. But on his own, Chandler addresses many of the Suns issues from last season. He addresses a major issue with lack of leadership. He is the pick-and-roll threat they have lacked with two starting guards who can run pick-and-roll and a system that needs a big man to help suck a defense into the paint to create space for perimeter shooters. He also helps the Suns’ shortcomings with interior defense and rebounding while providing a mentor to develop Alex Len, who is only 22 years old with 111 appearances.

Hoops Rumors: It doesn’t seem like there will be wholesale changes now that president of basketball operations Lon Babby has transitioned to advisory role, placing GM Ryan McDonough firmly in charge of player personnel. Still, is there a more subtle difference between the way Babby and McDonough operate that you think will have a tangible effect going forward?

Paul Coro: The basketball operation and its roles will stay much the same but it will be clearer for teams dealing with the Suns to know who is the point of contact for all things basketball. McDonough already has had his fingerprints on all aspects of the Suns’ operation and this only enhances his ability to lead the department.

Hoops Rumors: If the Morris brothers hadn’t run into legal trouble, do you think Marcus Morris would still be a Sun today?

Paul Coro: The legal issue certainly did not help Marcus Morris’ case but the Suns made the trade, in large part, to show Aldridge that they had the salary cap space to sign him without asking him to commit before they had made the moves to do so. It also addressed an issue at small forward, where the Suns were overloaded and have second-year player T.J. Warren earning a chance for more time. With Warren and P.J. Tucker, there would be little time for another player and that would have left Marcus Morris, a part-time starter, potentially on the outside of the rotation and disgruntled. Danny Granger, another small forward who had been rehabilitating in Phoenix, and Reggie Bullock, a swingman who can play some small forward, were also sent to Detroit in that trade.

Hoops Rumors: This past season was a disappointment. Which move from the 2014 offseason do you think the Suns regret the most?

Paul Coro: The signing of Isaiah Thomas was a good deal for the contract value and his production but it disrupted team chemistry by bringing in another point guard who was accustomed to starting and being a team’s primary playmaker. Goran Dragic already had seen the Suns trade for another point guard, Eric Bledsoe, and draft another point guard, Tyler Ennis, since he re-signed with the Suns. Then, Thomas entered the picture and outwardly aimed for a starting job and the status to close games. The Suns did not plan to use three point guards at once but it became a necessity to take advantage of their talent and keep each of the three point guards content, although it still left Dragic unhappy. He was the point guard who played most off the ball after being an All-NBA performer as a point guard in 2013/14, when Bledsoe missed half the season.

Hoops Rumors: It seems odd that Robert Sarver appears as willing to be aggressive as he is now in getting the Suns back to the playoffs after having been notorious for cost-cutting moves when the team was a title contender. Do you think Sarver has truly changed his approach?

Paul Coro: The franchise has matched an all-time low for playoff absence, a five-year dry spell that matches the stretch from the franchise’s second through sixth seasons. The Suns remain aggressive because they want to get back in the playoffs and do not feel like they are that far away, especially given the season they had in 2013/14. Their research also makes them not believe in the idea of tanking because of how long it takes to rebuild and the lack of a guarantee for it to work, not to mention the economic impact on the franchise in the meantime. This is a franchise that will soon be seeking public support for a new arena so a franchise-record playoff drought would not help generate that backing.

The Beat: Jody Genessy On The Jazz

August 7th, 2015 at 10:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Jody Genessy of The Deseret News

We at Hoops Rumors will be chatting with beat writers from around the league and sharing their responses to give you a better perspective on how and why teams make some of their most significant moves. We began the series in the spring with Dan Woike, who covers the Clippers for the Orange County Register and Chris Vivlamore, the Hawks beat writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. We’ll resume this feature today with Jody Genessy of The Deseret News, who’ll talk about the Jazz.

You can follow Jody on Twitter at @DJJazzyJody. Click here to check out his stories and here to see his YouTube videos.

Hoops Rumors: If Dante Exum misses this year, how do you see it affecting the Jazz over the long run? Does thrusting Trey Burke into the role of clear-cut starter accelerate the team’s decision-making about whether Burke can be the long-term answer at the point?

Jody Genessy: I view this as a temporary and tough setback for the Jazz. It would have been ideal, obviously, to have Dante Exum make progress in his second year while guys like Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert continue to ascend into the upper echelon of their positions. Assuming he’s out for the season — a likely scenario if he needs ACL surgery — his progression will be halted in most aspects. He can still work on his upper body and study, but his prolonged absence will be a blow to his on-court development, of course.

The good news for the Jazz in terms of Exum is that he’s young. When he’s back, he’ll be 21 years old. The 6’6″ point guard will also still have his size advantage and should have no lingering issues with his knee. Utah will still have plenty of time to groom him into a potential standout playmaker.

I think the Jazz are in a good spot with Trey Burke. His shooting was miserable last season, as has been well-publicized. He only shot 37% from the field and had some truly awful shooting performances. But Burke is also young. He’ll be 23 early in the season and has the benefit of ongoing tutoring under Jazz coach Quin Snyder, who’s known for dramatically improving players’ individual games. Burke, who nicely runs the pick-and-roll, will be fine as a starter if he makes it a priority to facilitate Hayward, Favors, Alec Burks and Rodney Hood.

What probably makes the Jazz the most nervous is their backup point guard position. Newly signed Brazilian point guard Raul Neto is known for being a solid pass-first playmaker and quick on the court. He has some seasoning from time in Spain, but will be a rookie this season, so it’s unknown how he’ll adjust. Summer league standout Bryce Cotton is lightning quick and is terrific at penetrating the lane and being a pest on defense, but he’s small (5’10”) and isn’t a great shooter.

Long story short: Exum remains the long-term answer at point guard for the Jazz.

Hoops Rumors: The Jazz went 19-10 after the All-Star break. That would extrapolate to a 54-win pace over a full season. Do you get the sense that the Jazz think they can win 50 games this year, or is the organization tempering its expectations?

Jody Genessy: You’ll never hear the Jazz make a win prediction, and wisely so. They don’t want to set unrealistic expectations. The Jazz fanbase and media aren’t shy to do this, of course. Though going from 38 wins to 50 is a massive step forward, many people in Jazzland thought that would be a possibility this year, given the team’s terrific second half. Utah’s defensive domination over the past two and a half months was legit, too. The Jazz were excited to see if they could maintain that defensive eliteness while adding some offensive punch, which was lacking for most of Snyder’s first season as head coach.

Not having Exum will help temper expectations to a degree, especially because the Australian gave Utah such a terrific size advantage at the point guard on most nights. Burke is also quick but much smaller — 6’1″.

Fortunately for the Jazz, they still have their most experienced cornerstones in Hayward, a versatile all-around rising star; Favors, a two-way beast; Gobert, the NBA’s best rim protector; and Burks, a dynamic athlete and scorer who missed the second half of last season with shoulder injury. Hood adds a nice offensive threat as he can drain threes and slash.

The problem for the Jazz is they are in Utah, not New Hampshire. The West is brutal, and the team is comparatively deficient at point guard, a position that is immensely deep on the left side of the country.

It would be a terrific Cinderella story if the Jazz managed to make the ball next spring. Right now it seems more like a fairy tale, though. Still, with the amount of talent they have, the Jazz should move into the 40ish-win range or they might have bigger problems than a sidelined point guard.

Hoops Rumors: The Jazz haven’t struck a deal with a single outside free agent summer, signing only No. 12 overall pick Trey Lyles, a pair of draft-and-stash prospects, and re-signing Joe Ingles. Are you surprised that they didn’t at least make a move akin to the Trevor Booker signing from last year to supplement a young roster with a veteran?

Jody Genessy: Going into the offseason, I was convinced the Jazz would try to acquire a veteran 3-and-D guy. Danny Green seemed like a perfect fit. Shooting was such a struggle for Utah last season, so in that sense, yes, I am surprised that restricted free agent Joe Ingles was their only play in free agency.

However, I get why they stood pat. The Jazz will get back a talented scorer and mid-air contortionist in Alec Burks, whom management likes to call their free-agent pickup. They also loved what they saw from Rodney Hood at the end of his rookie season. Utah brass wants to give these two guys opportunities to spread their wings this season, and having another veteran in that position could hamper that.

The biggest weakness coming into this offseason was point guard. Dante Exum and Trey Burke struggled offensively last season. Many people thought the Jazz would try to upgrade that position, but Utah management was willing to be patient and let the young players work out the kinks this season.

Even with Exum’s injury, I don’t think that the Jazz feel pressure to make a huge move to replace him this season.

Summed up: The Jazz love their young core and don’t want to mess with chemistry and playing opportunities, so they feel fine bringing the same team back.

Hoops Rumors: The holdup that kept Lyles from signing until after the start of summer league seemed odd, since rookie scale contracts are largely set in stone and there isn’t much room for negotiation. What happened there? Was it the team that was the catalyst for the delay, was it Lyles, or both?

Jody Genessy: It was weird. There wasn’t any negotiation to be done on the salary. The Jazz always pay the maximum allowed 120% of the salary scale to their drafted players, like all NBA teams almost always do. There were some incentives the Jazz wanted to attach to the contract — summer league, offseason training with the team, etc. — that Lyles’ camp didn’t want in the fine print for whatever reason.

Fortunately, it only dragged out for about a week, forcing Lyles to miss the summer league mini-camp and the first two games of the Utah Jazz Summer League. He still ended up playing in six summer league games with the Jazz in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

Some fans were getting antsy and voiced frustrations at the rookie. But, c’mon, he’s a 19-year-old who doesn’t know the ins and outs of NBA contracts. This bizarre situation was on Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey (who, by the way, accepted the blame) and Lyles’ agent, Rich Paul (yes, LeBron James‘ rep).

Hoops Rumors: From the signings of Raul Neto and Tibor Pleiss to the failed courtship of Ante Tomic, the Jazz seem to have been intent on bringing in draft-and-stash prospects. Why them, and why now?

Jody Genessy: The Jazz really like the draft-and-stash option because it allows them to have players in their system who get experience and grow up as men while not taking up a roster spot. Utah would have signed Raul Neto after trading for him on draft night 2013, but management didn’t want two rookie point guards (Trey Burke was acquired that same night). It made sense for him to get high-level opportunities in Spain, but the timing is good to bring him into the fold now.

The Tomic-Pleiss situation is interesting. The Jazz would’ve loved to have Tomic on their team to bolster their front court now that Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Enes Kanter are out of the picture. For whatever reason — reports claimed it was his girlfriend’s call — Tomic opted to stay in Spain to continue being one of the most dominant European centers.

The Jazz acquired Pleiss, coincidentally Tomic’s backup in Barcelona, in the Kanter trade with the Thunder last February. He isn’t as good of an all-around big as Tomic, but he is huge (7’3″) and is considered an excellent shooter (88% free throw shooter) with good upside.

Pleiss will get a great chance to earn minutes as Gobert’s primary backup right off the bat. Favors is a good option at center because of his strength and athleticism, but he’s playing more power forward in Snyder’s system, so Utah needs another center to be able to provide relief minutes.

Neither player cost the Jazz too much, so the risk is worth the potential reward.

Hoops Rumors: Rudy Gobert will be up for a rookie scale extension next year. It’s probably tough to predict with any accuracy this far out, but can you see a realistic scenario in which the Jazz give the max to the man you dubbed “The Stifle Tower”?

Jody Genessy: The fact that I nicknamed Rudy Gobert might go on my headstone as my greatest life achievement (after completing the One Pound Challenge at Fuddrucker’s the night before my wedding, that is).

Gobert is a freak of nature, and that’s a huge compliment. He is 7’1″ with a 7’9″ wingspan. While working with Jazz trainers and the experts at the P3 performance lab in Santa Barbara, California, Gobert was able to improve his posture and upped his standing reach from 9’7″ to an insane 9’9″. Put in another way, Gobert’s reach is so long he can give Utah fans a high five from France.

The Stifle Tower changed the game for Utah last season. His presence, defensive instincts and athleticism gave the Jazz a unique rim protector and an interior force de resistance. Paired with Favors, the Jazz arguably have the best 1-2 defensive punch in the league around the block.

He’s feisty, honing some offensive skills (including a Tony Parker-like tear-drop floater), amazing on Twitter, a loyal teammate and a huge fan favorite in Utah.

The answer to your question: OUI!!! OUI!!! OUI!!!! (That’s YES!!! YES!!! YES!!! if you’re too lazy to go to Google Translate.)

Gobert is such a unique player, it seems like a no-brainer that he’ll get a deserved max contract.

And, yes, it would only be gentlemanly of The Stifle Tower to subsidize the salary of the author of his nickname — the one Bill Simmons said was the best nickname in a decade — with anywhere from 3-5% of his paycheck.

Thanks for the Q&A, Hoops Rumors! Now it’s time for me to go on vacation — or to make more YouTube videos (Man vs. Universe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtGceibcOJ0LUu75bA3griw).

The Beat: Chris Vivlamore On The Hawks

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

We at Hoops Rumors will be chatting with beat writers from around the league and sharing their responses to give you a better perspective on how and why teams make some of their most significant moves. We began the series last time with Dan Woike, who covers the Clippers for the Orange County Register. Today, we hear from Hawks beat writer Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. You can follow Chris on Twitter at @CVivlamoreAJC. Click here to check out his stories and here to see his blog at AJC.com.

Hoops Rumors: Are the Hawks as surprised by how well their season has gone as much as everyone else is, or did the organization feel as though this roster was capable of a giant leap?

Chris Vivlamore: I’m not sure anyone saw such a dramatic leap this season but the Hawks thought they had a good team. They were third in the East last season before Al Horford got hurt and pushed the top-seeded Pacers to seven games in the playoffs, a series they probably should have won. With Horford back, they certainly thought they could be a contender in the Eastern Conference. Also, another season under Mike Budenholzer’s system — with nearly the entire roster back — was reason for heightened expectation.

Hoops Rumors: A healthy Horford has certainly helped, but aside from that, what’s been the most significant difference this season compared to last?

Chris Vivlamore: The most significant differences from last season were the additions of Thabo Sefolosha and Kent Bazemore and the incredible progress of Dennis Schröder from his rookie season. Not much was made of the acquisitions of Sefolosha and Bazemore during the summer. However, they added much needed depth – especially at the wing behind DeMarre Carroll. That has led to an improved defense, which is really the staple of Budenholzer’s system. Too often last season, the Hawks would falter without Carroll in the lineup or as he tired from guarding the opposition’s top non-frontcourt threat. Sefolosha and Bazemore firm up the defense and allow the Hawks to come at an opposing star player in waves. Schröder has turned into a legitimate point guard in the NBA, which is a major step from last season. He continues to use his speed to get in the paint and either finish at the rim or kick to an outside shooter. He has also improved his outside shot, which can be a threat.

Hoops Rumors: The Adreian Payne trade seemed like a curious one. He hadn’t played much at all, but he’s a 15th overall pick and he wasn’t even around for a full season. What was the team hoping to accomplish with that deal, and were you surprised that the Hawks would give up an asset like that with so much uncertainty surrounding the front office?

Chris Vivlamore: While the Payne trade was surprising, the thought process inside the organization was to free up a roster spot as Payne was stuck behind several others at the forward/center spot. He had Paul Millsap, Pero Antic, Elton Brand, Mike Muscala and even Mike Scott ahead of him. They ended up getting another first-round pick for him. I don’t believe the “uncertainty” around the front office had any impact on the deal.

Hoops Rumors: Budenholzer is acting as GM in place of Danny Ferry, but how much has the coach leaned on assistant GMs Wes Wilcox and Scott Wilkinson, senior adviser Rick Sund, and others in that front office? Who has the most prominent voice aside from Budenholzer?

Chris Vivlamore: The front office continues to work much the same as it did with Ferry. It’s a group effort with Wilcox and the basketball operations staff doing all the same work. They all meet and hash out decisions that need to be made — not unlike it works with the Spurs — to arrive at a consensus. Ultimately, Budenholzer has the final say. Even when Ferry was involved, the organization used the team approach for player personnel decisions and other matters. In that regard, not much has changed.

Hoops Rumors: It’s tough to gauge where the roster is headed with Ferry in limbo and the ownership situation still up in the air. That said, do you get a sense from Millsap and Carroll that, all things being equal, they’d like to stick around if the money is right?

Chris Vivlamore: The process really hasn’t even begun for Millsap and Carroll as they must go to free agency. I believe there will be plenty of suitors for both and each will get a significant salary increase when it’s all said and done. They have both earned a raise with their play. Quite frankly, they are bargains for what they have produced on the court. I think the Hawks want them back and are prepared to pay each. I think the players want to come back based on the success of the team and their increased roles in Atlanta. However, once teams start making offers you never really know what will happen.

Hoops Rumors: It doesn’t seem as though there’s been a shortage of potential bidders for the team, but you wrote that the sale process could drag on into June. Why do you think it’s taking so long?

Chris Vivlamore: I wish I had a good answer for this question. I can just say with an organization that is so structured with different groups and individuals — who are so divided — that the smallest of details take forever to complete. The process of selling the franchise and arena is a huge undertaking to get every group on the same page – or at least in enough agreement to move forward.

The Beat: Dan Woike On The Clippers

March 26th, 2015 at 3:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

We at Hoops Rumors will be chatting with beat writers from around the league and sharing their responses to give you a better perspective on how and why teams make some of their most significant moves. We’ll tip off the series with Dan Woike of the Orange County Register, who covers the Clippers. You can follow Dan on Twitter at @DanWoikeSports and click here to check out his stories for the Register.

Hoops Rumors: How is Doc Rivers handling the dual role of coach and executive? How heavily does he lean on the other basketball operations execs, and has the dynamic evolved during his time there?

Dan Woike: I think he still views himself as a coach first. He’s not taking time from his daily coaching duties to review scouting reports from D-League games or draft candidates. His priority is the team he has today. I think he leans on guys like [GM] Dave Wohl to handle that stuff for him. Like any job, I think he’ll get better handling the two roles. What’s interesting to me is how, at times, they should pull him in different directions. As a coach, his priority has to be to win now. But as an executive, you have to be trying to figure out how to win in five years. The great ones figure out ways to accomplish both, and I think that’s what he’s trying to do.

Hoops Rumors: What’s been the most substantial change around the organization since Steve Ballmer replaced Donald Sterling as owner?

Dan Woike: There was always a sense that another shoe would drop with Donald Sterling, that he’d do or say something that would embarrass the organization. Now that he’s gone, there isn’t that worry. They show the owner on the scoreboard now and people cheer. They didn’t put Sterling up there because they knew how people would react. They’ve invested in things like 3-D court displays, analytics stuff for fans and better in-game promotions to better the fan experience. There’s still room to grow on that end, but people seem happier.

Hoops Rumors: It’s been really quiet on the Sterling front since Ballmer officially took over. Do you get the sense that everyone there, players included, has put Sterling behind them?

Dan Woike: Players were ready to move on as soon as he was banned for life. The sale cemented that. They don’t spend a lot of time thinking about him, I can promise.

Hoops Rumors: Was there any hesitancy at all among the players when it became clear the team was in talks to trade for Austin Rivers? How has Doc’s son been received by his teammates?

Dan Woike: I talked to some former Clipper players at that time, and they expressed some concerns about how a team would handle something like this. Would players still be free to vent their frustrations? Would they need to watch what they said? I think everyone involved worked hard to make it clear that it wouldn’t be an issue, and the fact Austin has come in with a good attitude and a willingness to play defense, I think it’s helped. The fact that they’re winning certainly doesn’t hurt, either.

Hoops Rumors: DeAndre Jordan spoke about this summer’s free agency recently and has done so from time to time. Is there any sense of anxiety around the rest of the team when he brings that up?

Dan Woike: I think it’s on DJ to decide what he wants to do. The Clippers have been open and clear about their intents. Doc Rivers has said they’ll do anything they can to keep him. The question becomes, does DJ want to stay? I think they know there’s not much more they can do to convince him than what they’ve already done.

Hoops Rumors: Do you think that Doc would still make the Eric Bledsoe/J.J. Redick deal if he had a chance to do that 2013 offseason over again?

Dan Woike: This is a great question. At the time, people really liked that trade because it seemed like they were adding two starters. Injuries kept Jared Dudley from becoming the player the Clippers hoped, but Redick has been such a key for their offense. Could the Clippers have just signed Redick outright without trading Bledsoe? I don’t know. Could they have maybe gotten a little more? They certainly could’ve used a young asset back in that deal to help them improve down the road. I think if they were faced with the exact same offer today, knowing how good Redick has been, they’d make the deal. Maybe. Haha.