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Vivek’s Love of Advisors, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Dumars

Is Joe Dumars a problem? Maybe, maybe not
By | 94 Comments | Sep 18, 2020

There was quite a reaction to yesterday’s news that, in addition to hiring Monte McNair as the new GM, the Kings had hired Joe Dumars to the new role of Chief Strategy Officer. In the comments, on Twitter, and on Facebook, there was a chorus of here-we-go-again.

It’s an understandable reaction, given Vivek Randivé’s history with advisors. Vlade Divac was an advisor before abruptly being being above then-GM Pete D’Alessandro in the decision-making hierarchy. Joe Dumars was an advisor before the day Vivek told Vlade that Joe was going to have final say over decisions, which led to Vlade’s resignation.

Given that track record, it’s no wonder why fans may feel skittish about Dumars’ continued presence. But I believe the concern could be overblown. I’ll write this with the caveat that it could look extremely foolish in a few years (or even months), but having Joe Dumars around might not be a bad thing.

When the Kings hired Joe Dumars as an advisor in 2019, most of the reactions were pretty positive. Dumars’ tenure in Detroit had ended quite poorly, but the man also built a fantastic championship team with the Pistons. If Dumars is truly going to be around to advise and offer input, he could be a valuable voice. Most NBA front offices have many intelligent voices offering ideas.

As for Dumars stepping in over Vlade, think for a moment about what led to that. The Kings were struggling. Whatever good momentum the team had under Dave Joerger had been destroyed. Fans were angry. Anyone with a good understanding of basketball could see that the Kings were a mess. If any of us had been in an advisor role with access to Vivek, wouldn’t we have been voicing concern? Wouldn’t we have been suggesting that Vlade needed to be replaced?

The problem isn’t Joe Dumars. The problem is Vivek’s tendency to suddenly change his mind over who he listens to, and his unwillingness to ever directly fire someone.

If Joe Dumars wasn’t around, someone else would have Vivek’s ear (like the Kings COO). He’s always going to have someone around him telling him how things should be different. Joe Dumars is probably as good an option as any.

My hope — and it may be a foolish hope — is that Dumars expressed concerns about Vlade for the same reasons we all had concerns about Vlade. Perhaps Dumars will be perfectly content to focus on other aspects of Kings business as long as McNair is running the team well.

Time will tell how this all plays out, but I’m going to hope for the best.

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RobHessing
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September 18, 2020 9:59 am

comment image

4on5
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September 18, 2020 10:06 am

If Dumars remains 90% to police Matina (the Voldemort Rules?), then great because Vivek and no one else can.

Otherwise, we’ve seen this before and it’s fair to assume it plays out like it always does here.

RikSmits
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September 18, 2020 10:30 am
Reply to  4on5

I really have problems comprehending this spin about Dumars being there to contain Matina.
Vivek can:

  1. fire her;
  2. tell her to stay in her lane;
  3. officially reduce her role; or
  4. listen to her politely, nod once in a while and ignore her.

If Vivek really feels that he needs to give Dumars this role to keepo Matina in check that either says something very worrisome about Vivek and his decisionmaking, or about the powers at play within the Kings org. Either way, it does not – in any shape or form – have anything to do with a healthy work environment.

If it does not have to do with Matina, which seems much more likely, and Vivek is just trying to copy other franchises, well, we’ll see. The past has proven that Vivek is easily influenced, and instead having bball ops speaking as one voice (through) Monte, Vivek will have Monte talking into one ear, Dumars into the other (and likely Matina whispering in the background).

If everyone is aligned and Monte has the final say, why would Vivek need to get separate advice from Dumars?

But Monte accepted this situation from the outset, people say, so it is not an issue. It may not be an issue now, in the honeymoon phase and when all opinions are more or less aligned. But will happen when things are not going as planned, when opinions on how to go forward start to diverge? When Vivek will become restless and impatient?

Perhaps Monte is really fine with it. Perhaps he is so arrogant that he thinks he will cope. Or so naive because he didn’t have to deal with dysfunction and politics and backstabbing in Houston.

So yeah, this is probably titled: The Kings and how I learned never to stop worrying.

Prove me wrong, Kangz!

Gregoryl
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September 18, 2020 10:36 am
Reply to  RikSmits

The Matina thing is not as easy as “fire her”. Her family is a major power player in Sacramento. The connections they can help Vivek with in regards to all the land he can now develop in Sacramento is immeasurable. She is basically playing the lobbyist role between Vivek and the decision-makers in Sacramento.

4on5
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September 18, 2020 11:08 am
Reply to  Gregoryl

First, with all the success she’s presided over between two owners and 1.5 decades … not sure you are right about that.

Land the Kings can “now” develop? You been on or near K Street lately, it’s not great. Between Bud’s, Empress, Pizza Rock, Oblivion places are dropping like flies. The Kings can’t rent what they currently have.

If she was just a lobbyist or counsel (like she was for the Maloofs for several years) that would be one thing. But, that’s not her job.

RORDOG
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September 18, 2020 12:00 pm
Reply to  4on5

From the article I quoted earlier:

“She’s the only person in the organization that Vivek really trusts,” says a longtime league executive. “She’s the connective tissue of the organization. Her institutional knowledge is second to none, and she’s politically wired in Sacramento. She knows where every body is buried.” Now in her 20th season with the Kings, Kolokotronis is the team’s one-woman ode to continuity. She has done it all, including negotiating player contracts, housing international players in her guest house, running the team’s foundation and working the back channels of Sacramento’s civic power structure. Her critics see her as a consigliere who is far too involved in basketball matters.

TheFifthMookie
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September 18, 2020 12:53 pm
Reply to  RORDOG

She knows where every body is buried.€ 

That line *always* stands out to me.

Kosta
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September 18, 2020 1:48 pm
Reply to  TheFifthMookie

She knows where every body is buried.€ 

They’re either buried at one of the many cemeteries in Sacramento, under Arco, or on F Street.

Last edited 3 years ago by Kosta
CoreyBrewersD
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September 19, 2020 9:26 am
Reply to  RORDOG

Kings are the Raiders of the NBA
Matina = Amy Trask Aka the princess of darkness.

Unfortuately Vivek has all of Al’s bad traits and none of his good ones.
Like Greg said above all we can do is hope….but I hope for MLS!

CoreyBrewersD
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September 19, 2020 9:54 am
Reply to  CoreyBrewersD

comment image

ManilaBayCleanerCrew
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September 18, 2020 7:21 pm
Reply to  Gregoryl

So she’s Matina Alexandria Cortez.

RORDOG
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September 18, 2020 10:37 am
Reply to  RikSmits

No one is spinning anything that I’ve seen. We’re all just guessing here. I think it’s good to have some people present opinions on how this can turn out positively and just as good for people to consider how this can turn out poorly.

What we do know with 100% certainty is that there is now one person that will be ranked above McNair and below Matina in the operational hierarchy. We don’t know how that will impact things. It could realign her responsibility to focus exclusively on business operation, or it could create a situation in which there are too man chefs.

andy_sims
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September 18, 2020 11:23 am
Reply to  RORDOG

100% certainty that Dumars will be the ultimate decision-maker in regard to basketball decisions? And that Kolokotronis will have more power in those decisions than Dumars?

Sorry, I don’t like your math here.

RORDOG
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September 18, 2020 11:57 am
Reply to  andy_sims

not sure I follow.

andy_sims
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September 18, 2020 1:04 pm
Reply to  RORDOG

What we do know with 100% certainty is that there is now one person that will be ranked above McNair and below Matina in the operational hierarchy.

Wonderchild
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September 18, 2020 1:08 pm
Reply to  andy_sims

I get the feeling like Matina, McNair, and Dumars are on more equal ground as far as heirarchy.

RORDOG
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September 18, 2020 3:53 pm
Reply to  andy_sims

I’m still not following? This is the hierarchy on an org chart: COO > CSO > GM. The GM may still report directly to the CEO, but Chief still outranks Manager.

Otis
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September 18, 2020 4:01 pm
Reply to  RORDOG

I’ve always been a bit confused about NBA front office hierarchy though…I’m not sure it tracks the same as a normal business. VPs/Chiefs/GMs, not sure it’s completely uniform.

RORDOG
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September 19, 2020 11:22 am
Reply to  Otis

The point is Matina, the COO, is the highest ranked employee of the Kings. That was announced when Chris Granger resigned. They have now added a C-level position on the basketball operations side below her that did not exist before. What that means for the basketball operations dept. moving forward remains to be seen.

DrJohn
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September 18, 2020 10:08 am

“Vivek’s tendencies are detrimental to running an NBA franchise but maybe this is the least detrimental way to manage those inclinations” is how the Kings miss the playoffs for 7 more years.

4on5
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September 18, 2020 10:17 am
Reply to  DrJohn

If it’s undisputed that the Kings are poorly owned, under funded, have a bad reputation, in a small market … then … yeah, sure … I suppose it’s fair to say Dumars continued presence isn’t going to be material to the outcome.

RAP87
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September 18, 2020 10:16 am

I’ve always been optimistic and I want to be optimistic with this setup. Thirds time the charm?? We shall see! I feel bad for Mcnair though if it happens Dumars does meddles ALOT with basketball decisions. Maybe its time to get the pitchforks and run Vivek out of town.

Hopefully I’m wrong and he can be non-detrimental to the basketball side and just Mcnair do his job.

HongKongKingsFan
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September 18, 2020 10:20 am

Time will tell how this all plays out?

By what means we shall know who would have the final say ? (Monte / Vivek or Dumars)

if we hire a high quality coach and draft well in the draft day (the closest important day for this franchise), can we say that Monte is with the full control ?

or if Monte resign very soon, can we assure that Dumars / Vivek still have the final say?

Dougscott
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September 18, 2020 10:24 am

What if Monte was ok with letting Luke hang around for a year? There are a lot of other issues this team has that can be addressed in this first year. He may be comfortable waiting a year to pick his coach, while taking the year to assemble his staff, build up the scouting/analytics departments, etc..

We may never know his intentions, so it is unfair to assume otherwise, IMO

RobHessing
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September 18, 2020 10:31 am
Reply to  Dougscott

I think that assumptions are the backbone of the conversation that takes place around here, given that none of us are in the room. For example, it as an assumption that McNair is OK with Walton.

If the organization provided more positive outcomes over the past seven years, the assumptions would probably trend towards being more positive or optimistic. Given the actual results over the past seven years, the assumptions trend towards thoughts of a continuing clown show. It is incumbent on the Kings organization to change that narrative through actual results. It is not incumbent on the fans to withhold their opinions until the votes are in.

Dougscott
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September 18, 2020 10:35 am
Reply to  RobHessing

No argument here. It just annoys me that everyone is using that one issue of whether or not Walton will be fired as the only indication of if Monte has full control.

There are many other aspects at play here considering that decision, is all i’m saying.

RobHessing
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September 18, 2020 10:39 am
Reply to  Dougscott

My assumption is that if the job was open and McNair conducted a full search of coaching candidates, Luke Walton would not be the eventual hire.

Dougscott
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September 18, 2020 10:50 am
Reply to  RobHessing

I totally agree. And I firmly believe Walton’s days are numbered.

But the financial situation for the kings is real. Maybe is wiling to wait a year because of that, focus on other aspects of the organization. Allow for the financials to work themselves out, then conduct a full search next off-season. Monte will get his coach. He just may be willing to wait a year

Jman1949
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September 18, 2020 11:19 am
Reply to  Dougscott

I would definitely like to see Walton replaced as HC, but I think the priority right now for McNair is to fill out the FO staff. Based on the reports about the Kings’ being willing to hire both McNair and Gupta as a team, I’d like to see him add another high-tier GM or Asst GM as soon as possible.

Dougscott
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September 18, 2020 11:26 am
Reply to  Jman1949

Yup. The problems this team faces are deeper than just the head coach. He needs to completely revamp the scouting/analytics departments. It may take time.

It would be cool to also see him keep our g-leauge team a high priority.

RobHessing
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September 18, 2020 11:26 am
Reply to  Dougscott

I think that it may be a matter of semantics. I agree fully that the financials weigh heavily into Walton being retained, and it is apparent that McNair would rather have the job with Walton as his coach than not have the job at all. So with that context, agree that he is “willing” to wait a year.

Otis
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September 18, 2020 1:15 pm
Reply to  Dougscott

You gotta weigh that against the idea of your young players burning another season of their team control under a lame duck coach.

I guess we’re pretty far removed from the days of Vivek telling the minority owners “if you’re unhappy, I’ll just write a check”.

02kingsfan
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September 18, 2020 11:12 am
Reply to  RobHessing

would anyone have hired Walton away from lakers to begin with?!

andy_sims
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September 18, 2020 11:28 am
Reply to  02kingsfan

Lose Walton would be a dog-walker in Brentwood right now if Vlade Divac wasn’t permanently enamored and dazzled by all things Lakers.

He started his career with them, and chose to end it with them. He has always been a Laker at heart, and if by some massive lapse of judgment, ever gets into the NBA Hall of Fame, he will choose to do so as a Laker.

Last edited 3 years ago by andy_sims
Kosta
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September 18, 2020 12:09 pm
Reply to  andy_sims

I will check FIVERR for dogwalkers in Brentwood once Walton is fired. 🙂

Also, I had to check 2019 after reading your second paragraph. 2020 is so crazy it’s made me forget everything before, even recent events!

…and if by some massive lapse of judgment, ever gets into the NBA Hall of Fame…

L*ker?comment image

or King?comment image

Last edited 3 years ago by Kosta
RobHessing
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September 18, 2020 11:28 am
Reply to  02kingsfan

It’s startling when you think that he missed the playoffs with LeBron on the roster and finished two games behind Joerger’s Kings.

HongKongKingsFan
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September 18, 2020 10:35 am
Reply to  Dougscott

I would personally prefer a coach change, just give more time for the coach and the players to get along to build up more chemistry. (And the players don’t have to learn a different system)

Dougscott
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September 18, 2020 10:53 am

I do as well. I want a full breakdown and rebuild for this team.

Wonderchild
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September 18, 2020 10:37 am
Reply to  Dougscott

Monte has history of working with the coaching staff in regards to strategy. That could really help a team which looked wildly unprepared for the vast majority of last season. If Luke isn’t up to that, he’s not going to last here very long.

Dougscott
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September 18, 2020 10:52 am
Reply to  Wonderchild

Very possible. My point was Monte could have other considerations as well. I don’t think it’s as simple as “if Luke is still here, Monte has no control.”

Hozr
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September 21, 2020 8:53 pm
Reply to  Wonderchild

This. Luke’s system (aka the Warriors system) is supposedly compatible with McNair’s system. Luke hasn’t had a GM which shares that coaching philosophy so McNair has a year to evaluate Luke and if he’s not up to snuff then he’s gone.

That said, unless there’s a TAMO event I think Luke is gone after a year.

Wonderchild
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September 18, 2020 10:35 am

I think the difference here is that Monte and Dumars are by far the most qualified people the Kings have had employed to lead the front office.

Gregoryl
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September 18, 2020 10:37 am

Dumars, Matina, Vlade, Brandon Williams, Joerger, etc. aren’t the problem with the Kings. Vivek is the problem with the Kings.

BeTheBall
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September 18, 2020 11:21 am
Reply to  Gregoryl

Yep, shit rolls downhill.

jdwhit
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September 19, 2020 4:24 pm
Reply to  Gregoryl

I mean, Vlade was pretty bad at his job and also extremely unqualified. But I get what you’re trying to say, and it was Vivek’s fault for hiring him in the first place.

Last edited 3 years ago by jdwhit
Sir_tajj
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September 18, 2020 10:39 am

I’ve been following you guys on STR/TKH for almost a decade now. Just wanted to create an account here to say thank you for all the work you guys do. Specially the new podcast. Makes me look forward to the long drive to work and home. Thank you!

RobHessing
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September 18, 2020 10:43 am
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I’m an unabashed homer on this one, but these guys have been crushing it! TKH was the only place where you could find profiles of the GM candidates while the search was going on, the absolute go-to place for Kings fans in search of candidate information. I can’t wait for the draft profiles, which should start coming shortly.

Kudos to the staff for the unbelievable content that they have provided here.

Klam
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September 18, 2020 11:32 am
Reply to  RobHessing

The level of activity, spirit, and enthusiasm from this community is really something special. It really says alot that when all the writers’ last day on that one-other-website, most everyone from there left simultaneously and waited a month for the new site to launch, rather than stick around on the old site with writers who weren’t even Kings fans. The fact that when TKH launched, we made them upgrade their servers not once, but TWICE because of traffic says everything about this community. Also the fact that it is completely independent and financially backed by us, the community, and it gets WAY more activity than the old site….I hope this never changes.

Wonderchild
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September 18, 2020 12:28 pm
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Wait I thought we left because Vivek spoke out against racial injustice? /sarcasm font

TheFifthMookie
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September 18, 2020 12:56 pm
Reply to  Wonderchild

actually, those are the kind of people who stayed at the former location. Good riddance.

Klam
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September 18, 2020 3:30 pm
Reply to  TheFifthMookie

Well, I remember some of them saying they couldn’t wait for all of us to be gone from that website once the new writers took over. They got their wish. 😉

RikSmits
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September 18, 2020 1:09 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

why did this get a downvote? I’m puzzled.

Otis
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September 18, 2020 1:17 pm
Reply to  RikSmits

Probably an StR homer.

Hozr
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September 21, 2020 8:57 pm
Reply to  Otis

Or an StR writer. They are no doubt signed up so they can monitor what goes on here.

RobHessing
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September 18, 2020 1:30 pm
Reply to  RikSmits

My ex-wife has an account.

Klam
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September 18, 2020 1:36 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

No wonder someone keeps downvoting every single one of your comments…

Also, congratulations, looks like you’re the first person with a 3000+ Upvote Badge here!

Last edited 3 years ago by Klam
RobHessing
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September 18, 2020 1:44 pm
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Those are bought. Fake views.

Otis
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September 18, 2020 1:46 pm
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Those are all me. Keeping him humble.

Kosta
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September 18, 2020 1:51 pm
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Or, to pretend you two aren’t the same person.

Klam
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September 18, 2020 1:55 pm
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comment image?itemid=11796793

RikSmits
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September 18, 2020 1:55 pm
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Greg?

Kosta
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September 18, 2020 12:13 pm
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Whoever downvoted Sir_tajj‘s comment: ……why?

Last edited 3 years ago by Kosta
TheFifthMookie
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September 18, 2020 12:55 pm
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I dunno, but I gave it a thumbs up to counteract that idiocy.

AmateurNerd
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September 18, 2020 10:47 am

Joe Dumars is a great addition to the Kings organization, and his perspective can be invaluable.

He should be reporting his perspective on basketball operations to Monte McNair, not Vivek Ranadive.

Monte McNair is the head of basketball ops. He is the official decision-maker when it comes to who is hired, fired, traded, drafted, released, signed, waived. Joe Dumars should be reporting to him. It’s simpler and makes more logical sense. If Vivek is really letting McNair call all the basketball shots, why does Vivek need to hear Dumars’ perspective directly, unless he is reserving the right to interfere in McNair’s decision-making process?

Kangz.

Last edited 3 years ago by AmateurNerd
Wonderchild
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September 18, 2020 10:49 am
Reply to  AmateurNerd

But Joe will be advising more than just basketball operations. So him reporting to Vivek makes sense. It doesn’t mean he will go around Monte regarding basketball decisions. I would guess Joe, Monte, and Vivek will talk quite a bit openly about basketball decisions, and Dumars can lend his resources if necessary.

Gregoryl
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September 18, 2020 10:51 am
Reply to  Wonderchild

No offense to Joe, but what has he done in his career that would justify him having a say in anything outside of basketball?

Dougscott
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September 18, 2020 10:59 am
Reply to  Gregoryl

Hes built muiltiple business in and around Detroit. He’s a very sucessfull businessman

andy_sims
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September 18, 2020 11:30 am
Reply to  Dougscott

He means other than that.

AmateurNerd
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September 18, 2020 12:34 pm
Reply to  Wonderchild

Which is why he should report to Vivek for non-basketball advice, and report to Monte for anything basketball-related.

Sir_tajj
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September 18, 2020 11:06 am
Reply to  AmateurNerd

I wonder how much of that has to do with Egos. I wonder if it’s worded like that to make it look as if they are peers as opposed to one working below the other. Also, like Sachin Gupta, what if McNair feels similarly in regards to dealing with media and prefers Joe being the PR guy for the front office? Also, maybe Joe has great relationships with agents and that helps McNair.

RORDOG
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September 18, 2020 10:53 am

One thing I think we need to keep in mind about the Vlade hire is that he was never hired as an advisor to Vivek. He was hired as VP of Basketball operations in March of 2015. By the beginning of April 2015 the public found out Vlade outranked Pete. There is 0% evidence that Vlade convinced Vivek to let him run operations after he got there. And up until May he had hoped to work with Pete. The only evidence we have of the lead up is that it was Matina who was the one trying to push Pete out:

Sources close to the Kings’ nerve center say chief operating officer Matina Kolokotronis was the catalyst behind Divac’s hire…Sources say that Kolokotronis saw Divac’s predecessors in management, Pete D’Alessandro and Chris Mullin, as driven by self-interest and prone to cracking on Ranadive on background to the media.

And also it needs to be pointed out that Mullins/Richmond/PeteD conspired together to oust the coach. The advisor and GM were in cahoots, not working against each other. Would anybody complain if Dumars/McNair were to do the same things, but this time with Walton?

Wonderchild
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September 18, 2020 11:16 am
Reply to  RORDOG

I think McNair will put an effort to work with Luke next season while he decides what to do with the roster. It just makes fiscal sense to do that, especially with the league reeling from the consequences of COVID. Then, when the roster looks more to his liking he can hire a coach that fits it better.

markdog333
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September 18, 2020 1:00 pm
Reply to  Wonderchild

I am wondering if McNair will use metrics to encourage/dictate a certain playing style as part of his evaluation process.

Wonderchild
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September 18, 2020 1:14 pm
Reply to  markdog333

Metrics will be a tool used, not THE tool. I’d assume if McNair wants to dictate a play style, he will do it by roster construction more than anything else though.

Peja
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September 18, 2020 10:57 am

Kings fans have PTSD from Vivek’s front office meddling and having advisers in his ear. We have seen all reactions to this PTSD (blind optimism, extreme pessimism, hope, sadness, anger, etc.) on the comment threads.

Kings herald = fan therapy. I love it and need it. Thank you everybody.

lutherRackley
September 18, 2020 10:58 am

Where does Tyrone Corbin fit in here?

Dub_TC
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September 18, 2020 11:10 am

The way I see it: the Kings went from having the top basketball minds having no F.O. experience, to now having 2. Don’t mind that at all. As long as Monte has full authority, I’m happy.

BeTheBall
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September 18, 2020 11:13 am

Sacramento Kings: Hope for the league average, expect the worst.

andy_sims
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September 18, 2020 11:15 am

When Dumars first came in last year, I was absolutely behind the decision to bring in someone with, uh, what do you call it… ah, ACTUAL FRONT OFFICE EXPERIENCE.

I think that your take is probably correct in that McNair is going to have the final say in matters related to the on-court product. Dumars will serve as an experienced elder statesman, and a sounding board for both McNair and Ranadive.

As caveats are all the rage (and very necessary with this organization), I do have a concern that goes back quite a ways. I don’t really know how things work with other clubs, but my impression with the Kings is that when it comes to drafting, the coach seems to be frozen out of the process.

Common sense would dictate that a competent GM and his head coach work together to evaluate the needs of the team, and apply that to the available players. I never got the sense that Joerger was consulted by management about these decisions, and it seems terribly counterproductive to impose players on a coach without him or her having any input.

The GM is, of course, the boss, but the coach is the person who is responsible for shuffling the pieces he has into something coherent and successful. I just can’t imagine that successful teams don’t utilize the perspectives of the personnel most involved. I mean, Ujiri is as good of a top executive as there is in the league, but I’d be astounded if he didn’t consult Nick Nurse in regard to drafting, free agency, and trades.

Perhaps that is the case in Toronto, but if so, it only works because Ujiri is so good at his job. You can’t put such great responsibility on the shoulders of incompetent personnel and expect them to not make humongous errors such as the Doncic fiasco.

He’s first-team All-NBA, as I’m sure you know.

McNair has studied under one of the best in the business,and worked his way up to a place where he has the opportunity to create an organization in his own image. I believe that he will be given the chance to do so in Sacramento, and won’t be limited only to that of which Joe Dumars approves.

Last edited 3 years ago by andy_sims
Jman1949
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September 18, 2020 11:33 am
Reply to  andy_sims

Pete did not hire Malone and seemed to have been pressured into hiring George Karl. Vlade didn’t hire Karl and seems to have been forced to hire Joerger. So Vlade’s hiring of Walton marked the first time in the Vivek era that our GM and HC were likely to be on the same page€”with the competence of both being a major issue. Hopefully, McNair will be able to choose his own HC in the near future, one with whom he will be comfortable consulting about roster construction.

Ialmostmissthemaloofs
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September 18, 2020 11:39 am

Does anyone have definitive info on the org chart? I haven’t seen any, so it’s hard to know who reports to who. With a title like “Chief Strategy Officer”, or whatever it is, that indicates to me that he is one of the Chief Officers of the company, and probably sits next to (as in beside, not below) Matina, and right under Vivek. Total speculation on my part, but CSO and COO would typically sit right under CEO. This could/should effectively reduce or eliminate any voice Matina may or may not have as it pertains to actual Basketball. At least I tell myself that.

So… would the GM or Pres/Vice Pres of BBall ops then report to Dumars? That is how I see it, and that would make sense given that Dumars actually led the search for the GM and interviewed the candidates.

While this COULD be more of the same tom-foolery of Vivek’s , I can actually see it as a positive to have someone as a buffer between the GM and Vivek. It’s another voice (who actually has a basketball ops pedigree) to say “Hey Vivek, slow down and let him work”

The question is, how aligned will Dumars and Monte be, and will Dumars just become the defacto GM as a result of him pushing his will onto McNair. I hope not, but maybe they think alike, or at least differently than Vivek. I do think these guys will have some time to make some changes, as Vivek can ill afford to shift the chairs around again in 12-24 months. Could you image the fallout if THIS org chart fails? 3 GMs in 7-10 years… with no success? Oh boy.

sonny
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September 18, 2020 11:47 am

If Vivek is really smart, he should lean on the other 5 or 6 minority owners as his Strategy Advisors!

Malrock
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September 18, 2020 11:58 am

Wait…. I am confused…. I thought Greg only got divisive columns that end relationships. When did he become the guy with the reasonable take that the sky isn’t falling.

Steven_Durkee
September 18, 2020 12:41 pm

No Chris Mullin love? The OG advisor who helped oust Malone and wanted to become the coach not in-season but at the start of the next season?

SacReligious
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September 18, 2020 1:03 pm

It’s really going to come down to how ambitious Joe Dumars is. If he’s angling for an upgrade, this will be a problem. On the other hand, if he’s truly comfortable in an advisor/mentor role (and McNair knows this to be so), he could be a real asset. Stay tuned…

Kingsguru21
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September 18, 2020 1:13 pm

With a NBA team like this, who needs enemies?

CheekMagnet
September 18, 2020 1:21 pm

As long as Monte has the last word on the basketball vision then I don’t care who is giving their 2 cents, Vivek or Dumars or the janitors whatever.

And you could be right about Dumars staying in his lane. The Monte hire could’ve been a great example of this.

Vivek: we need a new gm
Joe: let me see who can help us (looks through rolodex) this guy Forde can probably help. Steps the fck out of the way.

Klam
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September 18, 2020 1:35 pm

Looks like Ken is staying with the team:

https://twitter.com/James_HamNBCS/status/1307049868830158850

eddie41
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September 18, 2020 2:15 pm

some continuity is valuable. It’s hard for us to tell who has been making decisions and who has been learning from mistakes. I tried to figure out a little more about who Joe Dumars is as a person and found a pretty good speech of him being inducted into the hall of fame. There was also a sport Billy sport Lilly commercial which was ironic considering he played for the bad boy Pistons. Funny thing is Sport Billy and Sport Lilly never win. So maybe something between the bad boy Pistons and Sport Billy/ Sport Lilly would be better.

Gabriel_Bonito
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September 18, 2020 6:34 pm

I liked AI better.

ManilaBayCleanerCrew
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September 18, 2020 7:19 pm

If Dumars advised Vivek to pick Monte then that means he’s thinking of the franchise and how to make it better, especially if it means Leaky Luke will get the boot before the Draft.

G-naps
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September 19, 2020 3:10 pm

Does anyone else think of Carlos Boozer when they see the pic of Dumars?

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Last edited 3 years ago by G-naps

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