The Sacramento Kings have officially identified and requested permission to interview six GM candidates, according a report from The Athletic's Sam Amick and Shams Charania.
The list, according to the report, includes the following candidates:
Timberwolves executive vice president Sachin Gupta, Heat assistant general manager Adam Simon, Nuggets GM Calvin Booth, Pelicans GM Trajan Langdon, Rockets assistant GM Monte McNair and former Hawks GM Wes Wilcox.
There's a lot on this list to be excited about. Sachin Gupta has assistant GM experience with multiple teams and is a CBA expert. Adam Simon is a draft expert who began is career as an intern with the Heat in 1995, rose through the ranks, and has been learning directly under Pat Riley for years.
Calvin Booth is a former player who spent years as a scout after his playing days ended, and worked his way up to the GM job with the Denver Nuggets. Trajan Langdon is another former player turned exec, who spent years as assistant GM for the Brooklyn Nets (under Sean Marks) before going to the Pelicans to work under David Griffin. Monte McNair is an analytics guru, and heads up the analytics department for the Houston Rockets.
Wes Wilcox is possibly the least exciting name, as he last worked several years ago as an assistant GM with the Hawks before he was promoted in the wake of Danny Ferry's dismissal. Wilcox was fired by the Hawks in 2017.
Notably absent from this list is former Kings assistant GM Scott Perry.
Amick and Shams added that interviews could begin as early as this week.
Let’s hope this search in the end actually ends with a good hire, and that the new GM will be given the control he needs to do his job.
Also…
Maybe Vivek really does read TKH!
(Hi, Vivek!)
Not on the list?
ªª
He shouldn’t be on,
Though he has Vivek appeal
No he shouldn’t be on,
Think of how most Kings fans feel
Oh we’ve gotta get a dreamer (gotta get a dreamer, oh)
Yeah, it’s gotta be someone else (someone else)
Scott Perry’s time is over (over by now)
No Perry, no love
Move on, move on
No Perry, no love
Move on, move on
Yeah you chose to be gone
Long ago, far away
And it’s good that you’re gone
With the Knicks where you should stay
No Perry, no love
Move on, move on
No Perry, no love
Move on, move on
ªª
I have an aunt that has harbored an obsession with two people for most of her life; Steve Perry and Mike Bibby. She cites this clip of him as her favorite Steve Perry appearance, despite seeing Journey myriad times and standing for a combined dozens of hours in line at Tower to meet him. Was the ‘stache really that bad?
i LOVE Steve Perry!
I think he shaved the moustache off because the fans probably demanded it. I’m not sure, though. Or perhaps it was a story arc in the music video for Faithfully?
Personally I prefer moustache-less Steve.
Man, that would be awesome to have met him at Tower. I’ll have to settle for driving by his boyhood hometown of Hanford, California next time I visit Sequoia National Park, and maybe seeing the radio station his family ran that is there, that was the inspiration for the Raised On Radio album cover.
I loved Mike Bibby as a player, but I’ve read some accounts on here and on the olde site that paint him in a not so purple light. Still, I’d be curious to see him with a moustache as well.
I’m not ElRon old, but I’m old enough to have been a fan of Journey BEFORE Steve Perry. And of Chicago BEFORE Peter Cetera.
One of those bands was improved by the change, and one was horribly, irrevocably ruined.
Shoot, now I’m sweating wondering which one is which in your scenario. I enjoy Steve Perry and Peter Cetera. I mean, what would Karate Kid part 2 be without Peter Cetera professing “I am the man, who will fight for your honor”? Karate Kid Part 2, Electric Boogaloo?
Somewhat on this subject….I know you’re more of a Kiss fan, but I’ve been revisiting my old Heavy Metal albums and I’m discovering what I always knew to be true:
Ronnie James Dio > Ozzy Osbourne.
Come at me, bros!
For Van Halen, though, I enjoy the maturation they went through with Hagar, but Diamond Dave is much more fun.
…Also, Chrissy was funny. Cindy was a bad actor. Terri was nice.
I really enjoyed both at the time, but I was a Hagar fan before he joined VH. But definitely more fun with DLR.
Pre-Cetera was about the sound. Chicago-Cetera was about Cetera. Tragic!
I’ll say, I liked Dio more than I liked Ozzy in regards to their solo careers. But Black Sabbath was always Ozzy’s band, the RJD version just doesn’t compare IMO.
Yeah, I agree with you about Black Sabbath for sure. And to be clear, I LOVE Ozzy as well. I love a lot of his solo stuff, too.
As much as I love Karate Kid II, if it had the Electric Boogaloo moniker attached to it, it’d likely be a much better movie. Breakdancing battles and petulant-child Daniel LaRusso getting his ass handed to him every ten minutes? Also, Cannon Films made the Breakin’ movies. If you’re unfamiliar with them, they were responsible for nearly every Chuck Norris, Van Damme, and Dolph Lungren movie that you watched in the 1980s, the horrible Superman sequels, and a ton of icky Bo Derek sex dramas. They were also notoriously cheap, so Cetera definitely wouldn’t have made the cut.
Someone needs to make a youtube edit of Karate Kid II and Electric Boogaloo like you described.
Yeah, Cannon Films! I do know what you speak of, and have watched some of their 80’s films. I really appreciate that stuff. Sometimes you want to listen to classical and baroque music, and sometimes you want to listen to pop and rock and some light-hearted wacky stuff. My favorite movies include highly-regarded auteur films as well as lots of cheesy stuff. It’s all there to enjoy for what mood you are in at the time!
Also, now I have some Peter Cetera song stuck in my head.
Have you seen the documentary “The Terry Kath Experience”? It’s EXCELLENT.
I’m of the VH age, I think I was around 18 when they made the switch. I saw both versions in concert. DLR may have the balls, but I find the Roth version unlistenable now, and have been known to say; “It’s amazing we even LISTENED to him back then, his vocals are SO bad.”
In my mind, Eddie Van Halen never worked with great songwriters, which is what he and his brother needed. His stuff ages not badly, but TERRIBLY.
A few songs from Van Hagar are really the only VH songs I can still listen to, Dreams, Feels so Good, and 5150 are about it. I once piled five people into my VW Rabbit to see the 0U812 tour at the Spectrum, let’s just say the late-80’s Washington DC/Philly party favors were alive that day. I’m glad I’m still here and made a full 180.
Anyway.
Journey with Steve Perry ROCKS. Some of the best pop-rock ever made. When I first kissed a girl playing spin-the-bottle it was moist certainly Escape and Foreigner 4 that helped my cause.
I became team Van Hagar after the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge tour at the Cow Palace around 91, but the real shame is what could have been if the VH bros weren’t so paranoid/ego-driven/etc..
Was it? Look at this handsome devil, sans stache:
Oh, I definitely prefer the ‘stacheless version of Perry, and the afroless version of Neil Schon. Couldn’t name another member if you paid me, though.
Oh Scott Perry….I’m not in love.
Well now I know what’s going to be stuck in my head for the next 48 hours or so.
Adam Simon really intrigues me. He comes from solid stock down there in Miami. He’s also go a kick ass first name.
Yeah, Simon interests me the most of those names.
I agree. Simon does have a great first name. Simon Adam is very intriguing.
So it sounds like you’re saying it’ll be Wilcox.
Phenomenal choice on your user handle.
Gupta’s connection with Hinkie makes him an intriguing possibility.
And Morey. He’s worked with both.
It’s refreshing to see names with good qualifications and experience on their resume’.
Such a stark contrast to our last GM.
And the fact that they seem to be actively searching for one, rather than just going ahead and hiring a guy to run the team with no experience and not searching for anyone.
we have to get Gupta so I can nickname him The Trade Machine (he invented it). Such an improvement over the Coke Machine.
But seriously, this looks like a solid group of candidates.
But it seems our owner Vivek loves “Coke Machine”
The list reflects: a base of candidates that could become a legitimate GM; but excludes all of the expensive potential candidates. It’s possible that every pricey candidate passed when approached. But, much more likely, the budget played a role in shaping the field.
The one time Sacramento hired a real GM. They did a real search in conjunction with targeting Petrie and paying real money to entice him to come to basketball hell.
The odds associated with trying to hire a young up and coming GM on the cheap are tough.
If you skip past the macro choice, this looks respectable. To me, the budget and non-player allocation of funds are incorrect and play a large role in why the Kings fail.
I hear what you say, but which experienced GM with a good track record (so a person desired by many teams) would realistically want to come here?
If Jerry West wants to prove he’s so great, what better way to prove it than to turn around this Sacramento Kings franchise?
Come on, Jerry–I dare ya!
Didn’t Jerry West hire Luke Walton?
Disqualifying.
I believe that was Magic Johnson.
That sounds about right.
So, that’s why I wanted Doncic, Durant, Curry to prove they are so great…
Just come to Sac_Town and turn this franchise around…
If the pay was high enough, there would be 2 or 3 better candidates heading into interviews.
Instead, they hope to make a smart and cheap hire.
If anyone doesn’t think the Kings budget for salaries, scouting departments, ect. didn’t limit the reachable candidates, then I’d say you are wrong.
If it’s more Ok, but otherwise good and but so much better than the last two times, I’d say: (1) people are focused on the wrong problems and/or solutions; (2) good luck crawling out of basketball hell in a small market on the cheap.
Give names, please.
Give responses to macro arguments and use logic please (I’ll wait)
Ah this is about Macro stuff, not about actual viable candidates? Gotcha.
Also, the typical capitalist mindset that money is the solution to everything is not logic, IMO.
So again, who isn’t on this list that you think should be?
Morey hasn’t been fired yet. Hinkie is blacklisted. Webster? Maybe he just wasn’t interested. Michael Winger? Idk.
Who are these top flight executives that are supposedly on the market that we’re missing out on because we aren’t offering enough?
I think that is kind of the point 4on5 was getting at (correct me if I’m wrong)… WHY wouldn’t someone like Webster be interested? He’s not calling the shots in his current position. The Kings could theoretically offer him complete decision-making power at a significantly higher salary.
So it’s possible he’s content in his current position, maybe for family reasons. But if that is not the case and we’re just too cheap to go after the top candidates, I think that’s noteworthy. Seeing as how this is likely the most important hire the Kings have had to make in at least 5 years.
Worst case scenario is of course, if any conditions are placed on the incoming GM to limit their decision-making authority. That’s a sure way to stay irrelevant for another decade or so.
I agree with your general point, but not necessarily the tone of your argument here. Typically, I find that anybody that attempts to use the logic card is probably not trying to have a conversation in good faith.
One thing I’d probably disagree with you with is acceptable outcomes with respect to allocation of resources. I think it’s okay to spend a little less on the top guy if the plan is to ensure the new hire can afford to put together a top-notch staff.
Actually Petrie was let go by Portland and hired for little money at that time ! Was a great hire and Petrie made a lot of money during Maloof era !
He was in demand. I do not believe he came cheap when Thomas retained him. Pretty sure you are wrong.
The late 80s-early 90 Blazers were among the better teams to not win a title. He was let go but had options. It’s close to Morey perhaps becoming available this summer.
I’m not quite sure I know what you’re arguing. Is it that they need to dump a truck full of cash at Bobby Webster or Mike Zarren and force them to come? They have good reasons to stay where they are. These are also very good names, and all but one is currently employed in a top executive position. I am perfectly fine with this list, you can’t force a top executive to leave a winning team based on money alone. Gupta, Booth, and Langdon have routinely appeared in GM search lists. If you’re looking for a “top executive”, you’re talking about 5 or 6 people, each from the top 5 teams. That’s a big ask, and their incentive to leave is very low.
I think we could be underestimating how much ego comes into play for professionals at this level. If you have a great job at a great company, it’s possible you are just content. But if you have an opportunity to be THE guy and get a pay raise, I think chances are good you will at least consider it.
I mean, the guy who turns around the Kings franchise will probably be a legend.
I think what some may be concerned about is that there might be top-level execs interested in this job. But perhaps either money or our own egotistical owner are getting in the way.
This list of candidates is fine. Maybe a diamond in there (Gupta)… but there is a definite top tier of potential candidates who appear to not even be getting consideration. And I think that is noteworthy.
He was let go but Paul Allen and available ! No other jobs open at that time and he came at a very low figure ! Guarantee this is true !
Hope one of these people are able to do the job ! Much like hiring an assistant coach to be head coach based on the success of others he has worked for ! Sometimes it works like Marks, Presti, Franks but sometimes it is Delasandro, Brand, Paxton et all ! Would prefer a proven winner like Pritchard , Ainge or Presti ! At least try !
Shit, there goes our exclamation point budget for FY 2020-2021.
Wilcox, who might be my least favorite option, was interviewed for the Bulls GM job and didn’t get it. He also comes with some baggage over with some racial remarks he made and was then disciplined by the Hawks. He was with the Hawks from 2012-17.
It should be noted that Wilcox resigned a few months after his discipline by the Hawks and hasn’t worked with an NBA team since.
(crosses Wilcox off list)
Personally, I don’t necessarily think it’s a dealbreaker. He made an ill-advised, yet self-deprecating, joke about his own family which is mixed race. I think it’s probably okay to put the punishment at time served for that type of thing.
His résumé is the dealbreaker for me.
I forgot to mention that he once stated on record that he thinks Rordogs¢ are overrated.
hmm never mind I wouldn’t trust that bum to be the night manager at ampm let alone the GM of the Kings
Breaking: Kings interview local AM/PM manager for GM position.
Nobody should have to start a job with that type of baggage. It’s not quite Bagley over Doncic baggage, but close.
Reading all these articles about Gupta fleecing the Kings reminds me about how bad Peaches was at his job. He wasn’t just a shill, he was just wrong time and time and time again.
You’re not wrong if you’re lying, you’re just lying.
Sachin Gupta. We have the opportunity to literally hire the guy who built the trade machine.
Also, he’s apparently pretty good at trades.
Why would Booth and Langdon make lateral GM moves to the Kings?
I was just about to post the very same thing. They are already GM of two up and coming teams. Are their contracts up?
It depends on what Joe Dumars’ role is going forward. If he isn’t going to have veto power over the GM, then it would be a step up for both since Langdon is under Griff and Booth is under Tim Connelly.
Ahhh, I didn’t realize that. Thanks for the clarification.
This exactly. All GM positions aren’t the same. Some are the key decision makers. Many are not.
I thought that was probably the case (though I didn’t know that Langdon’s from Sacramento).
I had to redact that out of the original post, actually. I got him mixed up with the Clippers GM Michael Winger.
Is Winger from Sac. I know Trent Redden is.
Nope, you’re right. Blah. I am striking out today on these Sac connections.
Striking out….Sac connections…. Steve Sax?
Trent Reznor? Still
more qualified than
Vlade was.
They hold the title of GM, but they might not actually make decisions for their teams.
Very possible they become a VP as well, or are considered for it. They could build a whole front office, and dictate strategic direction. That’s very enticing.
I’d rather give that kind of executive power to someone with actual experience and proven success like Morey or Ainge. You don’t give that kind of autonomy to a rookie GM, IMO.
I’d think that giving that power to the people who are being interviewed is better than giving that power to Vivek.
Simon, Booth & McNair sound like the most intriguing candidates based on the article (w/Simon sounding like the best candidate). Gupta sounds intriguing based on what I’m reading in the comments.
I wonder if Simon wants to leave Miami. I’m sure the job is his if Riley were to retire. Riley is 75 and has to be thinking about hanging it up soon.
That’s an interesting thought, but Idk the answer.
Also sounds like a law firm
This is a good set of candidates, wouldn’t shock me if this is one of two waves of interviews. Of this list, Langdon, Simon, and Gupta intrigue me most. I also respect that most come from teams who have turned a corner, development-wise, these last few years.
Not a big fan of Wilcox though. The off-color joke about his wife and somewhat shaky tenure don’t sell me enough. I think the others all demonstrate a depth and pedigree that would provide more vision for a strategic direction, which is what I think is most vital with Vivek. That, and him staying the hell out of the way.
Wilcox’s personal issues aside, his GM and assistant GM history really doesn’t impress me that much. Between 2012-17 as assistant and GM the Hawks only draft picks of note are Dennis Schroder and Kelly Oubre, both of whom were traded away.
Not thrilled with his track record, but I appreciate that he worked his way up from the bottom holding many different roles on his way to the top. I appreciate that even the least desirable candidate has a wealth of basketball experience.
This is true. Got to keep things in perspective. Wilcox would still be a hundred times better than Vlade.
It’s too early in the search for perspective. Wait until the 7th round of interviews for the “he’ll be better than Vlade” justifications.
Perry is coming in the 7th round, isn’t he?
He also dismantled the Horford, Milsap, Teague, Korver Hawks. Oh, he also gave Bazemore the ridiculous 4 year $70M contract that the Kings just expired.