The Athletics’ Sam Amick and Shams Charania broke the news on Wednesday, and the Sacramento Kings made it official on Thursday morning: Monte McNair is the new general manager of the Sacramento Kings.
The Kings detailed McNair’s new role with the organization, including quotes from both McNair and Ranadive in the press release:
The Sacramento Kings announced today that the team has hired Monte McNair as General Manager. In this role, McNair will be responsible for all decisions made in the Kings basketball operations department and serve as the team’s top basketball executive reporting to the owner and chairman. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Monte is one of the NBA’s top basketball minds who has played an instrumental role in building several winning teams in Houston, said Kings Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadive. I am excited to bring his extensive experience and vision onboard to lead our basketball operations department, and it is my pleasure to welcome Monte and his family to Sacramento.
I am thrilled to join the Kings organization and honored to shape the franchise’s bright future for the team’s loyal fans, said McNair. I would like to thank Vivek for this opportunity and look forward to becoming a part of the Sacramento community.
The good news is that the King spelled out McNair’s role clearly: He will operate as the head of basketball operations.
The concerning second shoe to drop after the McNair announcement was the proceeding revelation that Joe Dumars is staying with the Kings in a new long-term role. Dumars will act as the Kings’ Chief Strategy Officer. The Kings also described his role in greater detail via a press release Thursday morning:
The Sacramento Kings announced today that Joe Dumars has been named Chief Strategy Officer. In this new role, he will continue to report to the owner and chairman, and help drive strategy across the organization’s entire portfolio of activities, including business, basketball, new ventures, entertainment and real estate. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The big detail to note in Dumars’ new position is that he will be reporting to Vivek Ranadive, and not Monte McNair. If Dumars’ role was purely business (it’s at least partly business) this would be less of a concern, but his job description states that he will “help drive strategy across the organization’s entire portfolio” that includes basketball, and if he’s reporting to Ranadive instead of McNair, it’s easy to see where this can go wrong considering Vivek’s history of advisor meddling.
Dumars’ new role also raises questions about the process that landed McNair in Sacramento. Several candidates dropped out well before the decision was made, and we already know that there was confusion about how much power Dumars would have long-term throughout the hiring process. Did his involvement scare candidates away? According to Sam Amick speaking with Carmichael Dave this morning, the answer is yes.
Amick: “There were (GM) candidates that, when they heard Joe Dumars was involved in the process, said ‘no thank you’…….”
— Carmichael Dave (@CarmichaelDave) September 17, 2020
I expect we’ll continue to learn new details about the process, why candidates dropped out, and how much power Dumars and McNair will have in the coming days. For now, the Kings have hired new, experienced basketball ops leadership in Monte McNair, and that’s a great development. Hopefully everyone else stays out of his way.
Dumars as “Chief Strategy Officer.” The Kings can’t get out of their own fucking way.
Vivek found himself his new bride AND new mistress at the same time.
That threesome thread from the previous article now has a much deeper meaning.
What is one thing bad thing Dumars has done since he’s been here? He’s basically acted in good faith within his position the entire time.
See my reply to you above. It has nothing to do with Dumars the person, it’s Dumars the role.
And? If Monte has the final say, thats all that matters.
he doesn’t. Dumars answers to Vivek
For his role, yes. But what does that have to do with making the final basketball decisons? Dumars wont be the one making picks and trades, signing guys, etc..
Vivek never interfered with Vlade’s decisions.
You don’t actually believe that last sentence, do you?
Vivek wanted Buddy and Vlade wants Bogi. Wonder who’s idea was it to draft Bagley over Luka.
im pretty sure Bagley was all Vlade. Luka is 100% Vivek type of player
Then why did Vlade get an extension from Vivek AFTER he picked Bagley?
Bagely had a good rookie year, and the team was looking up after 39 wins. Not that hard to get why
So that gets Vlade an extension but gets the coach fired? Doesn’t make sense.
It doesn’t, but the nonsensical moves are what make them the Kangz.
The team was in a decent place when he got the extension…but most importantly, it was another ex-athlete that Vivek could hang around with.
Haha, “Vivek never interfered with Vlade’s decisions”.
Remember when Vivek said on the sidelines to Buddy when he was a Pelican that “We are going to get you.” A few months later Vlade traded for Hield.
Some fans take the talking points as gospel even when they are almost certainly false.
Well said.
It is my opinion that if it were up to Vivek, we would have Drafted Luka. So yes, Vlade made 100% of the basketball decisions.
The fact that there is even a modicum of discussion/confusion over this fortifies the point. And the confusion is set to continue under RanaDumMcNair.
Vivek definitely played a major role in Vlade’s 1st season (which is when the Philly trade occurred).
I think Vlade earned his complete control over time. To start it was not that way. Maybe, it’s more accurate to say that Vivek earned his own demotion (Sauce Castillo, Malone firing, Karl, philly trade, demarcus/buddy trade. After so many consecutive nightmarish moves that were mocked in the media and linked to him… he realized I suck at this and gave complete control to Vlade.
?
ð¤·ï¸
I think that’s probably correct. The sad part is that I think Vlade had complete control by the 2018 draft & I think Vivek would’ve probably taken Luka if he was still in control.
Funny that Vivek would outright threaten him like that.
It appears to be how Vivek has the org. chart structured which is where the frustration is. On the basketball operations it would appear that both McNair and Dumars overlap on input to Vivek, but might not report to each other. Thus, one side gets to potentially cut the other out allowing Vivek to meddle should he choose to. The whole “special advisor to the GM” debacle again….for the third time.
Well put.
With that kind of org structure I wonder how Vivek became a billionaire.
It’s cut throat. Most billionaires are cut throat.
Vivek is not a billionaire.
He has never been on any credible Billionaire lists because he isn’t and estimated at about 375 million !
Based on an article in The Athletic, it seems like his net worth is roughly $700M.
The press release said that (among other things) Dumars will devise basketball strategy (whatever that means). It could create a chaotic situation (which has hurt the Kings in the past).
“The press release said that (among other things) Dumars will devise basketball strategy (whatever that means).”
Yikes! Not good.
“Vivek never interfered with Vlade’s decisions.”
Hopefully that happens. If Leaky Luke isn’t gone before the draft then we know who’s really driving this sh*t.
This type of structure is all the latest rage in corporations – particularly in tech and healthcare. It’s called a “Matrix” organization. It’s designed to have people reporting in multiple directions – either one person reporting to multiple bosses, or competing groups reporting to the same boss.
It’s actually DESIGNED to generate friction. The latest consultant-vomit on this is that it “fosters competition amongst teams – generating innovative ideas from confrontation that might not be otherwise produced”.
I work in one of these types of organizations right now, and all I can say is that it instead breeds contempt, backstabbing, political gamesmanship, and total and complete chaos.
Ladies and Gentlemen – your Sacramento Kings! Where the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Vivek’s jock-sniffing continues…
Dumars is on board…
Same Kings bullshit, same Kings bat channel.
Which is unfortunate. The process, not McNair, is the issue here to be clear.
Ay ay ay.
But the process led to McNair? Who is extremely qualified for the job
It did.
it also led to the retention of an advisor in charge of basketball strategy that doesn’t report to that qualified person.
this isn’t hard. This all may work out, no one has a crystal ball. But the point is we have seen this movie play out repeatedly with Vivek in charge.
the concern is valid at this point in time. We shall see if it works … this time.
He’s not “in charge” of basketball stretegy. He’s and advisor on it. The final decision maker is Monte
I think the question is, how is this any different than Vivek/Mullin/PDA, or Vivek/Dumars/Divac? I mean, even if the organization says that McNair has the final say, given the history of this ownership, can you really take them at their word?
I sure hope for the best, and I am encouraged by the hiring of McNair. But benefit of the doubt went out the window a long time ago for this clown show of an organization.
The difference I think is that we finally has a Component, respected GM. I have never had a problem with Dumars being involved. He built a championship roster. And he has acted in good faith within his role. I don’t think Dumars is the kind of guy to try and go around Monte, he will be the kind of guy to work with him in a constructive way
So, they knew that they hired incompetent GMs in the past at the time of the respective hires? With all due respect, McNair is no different today than PDA was the day they hired him – maybe a little more on the resumé, but that’s it, at most.
The “difference” does not eradicate what this organization has done over the past seven years. It’s up to them to prove it, as benefit of the doubt has been exhausted.
He played football at Princeton and at least at first glance seems more like someone to work directly with coaches and players rather than dictating from above. This is thin info but he doesn’t seem to be the full-on egghead that PDA was
My investigative research tells me that unlike Pete D, McNair does not have a very punchable face.
Remember when we were told Vlade is in charge only to be later told Joerger wasn’t really Vlade’s hire when Vlade scooped up Walton?
good times!
I think the question is, how is this any different than Vivek/Mullin/PDA, or Vivek/Dumars/Divac?
Its scary how similar that structure is: owner/jock/analytics guy 2.0.
The answer is inherent to your question. Vivek is the commonality, yes, but the difference is the other two people. Are you saying Mullin/PDA, Vlade/PDA, and/or Dumars/Vlade is the same as Mcnair/Dumars just because of Vivek? I’ll be honest, the potential is there and you and others are correct in thinking such things could happen because obviously it’s happened before. In my opionion maaaaaan, the other side of potential is more likely. Only one of those people is the same in those triumvirates. Of course, Vivek is the owner and, ultimately, he “makes” all the decisions. However, allowing those decisions is probably a better word despite our jaded perspectives that have been forged over decades and influenced by multiple owners. However, if we’re excited about Mcnair, why would we not be excited about Dumars? Mcnair, presumably, signed off on the job knowing Dumars would be the CSO (I actually would venture to guess Mcnair took the job, in part, knowing he could have Dumars as a mentor of sorts, but that’s purely speculative). In my estimation, those two are stronger than any of the aforementioned executives and, to me, that’s why this is different. Time will tell. Vivek is Vivek, yes. Yet, Mcnair and Dumars are on different planets from any FO execs hired previously. I’m excited.
La vie en rose baby, purpler pastures are ahead and my cowbells are ready to let fandom ring.
Hope you are correct but not likely and no interest in drinking this kool-aid !
It’s 2020 bro, the Kings are my source of optimism!
I agree! I think that Vivek has come to trust Dumars, so he wanted to keep him around. I do see signs of progress here. I think Vivek is viewing Dumars in an executive strategy role more like what Jerry West did when he was with the Warriors. This is different than what West is doing now with the Clippers where he reports to Lawrence Frank.
Dumars made it clear that he is not interested in doing the job of a GM. Time will tell if Vivek can stay out of McNair’s way, but I do not think Dumars’ presence is necessarily a bad thing.
This is all highly accurate.
The problem here is, besides the obvious fact that Dumars reports directly to Vivek, is that the game has passed Dumars by. He’s just not someone to rely upon to advise on basketball strategy in 2020 and beyond.
I mean, I hope you’re right. But stating it with certainty is pretty silly.
Having Dumars outside the structure of basketball operations opens the door to tomfoolery in an organization where there has been a steady dose of during the entire Kings playoff drought.
It’s not that it will happen. It’s that it can happen.
I understand the legitimate cause for concerns given what we have seen in the past. And there are some red flags here. But I am going to chose to be optimistic until given a more concrete reason otherwise.
Dumars title does mention basketball strategy, but it also mentions “business, basketball, new ventures, entertainment and real estate” – that’s very broad and could be as simple as Dumars is in a PR / advisor role as someone smart whose been around the game for awhile. Though, fair to point out, how much does he actually know about real estate and new ventures – so could be a red flag.
However, McNair is also not a mediocre candidate where Sacramento was his only opportunity. He is not a big talker a la Brandon Williams who talked his way into Sacramento and is seizing his one chance. He’s a very thoughtful and qualified candidate who like Gupta, would likely have had other opportunities in the future. He’s an Ivy league CS major who has worked his way up in the FO of one of the most successful teams of the last 14 years and who has a fantastic FO tree.
That isn’t to say our opportunity is perfect or has no red flags – almost any lottery team will be offering an imperfect situations. However, I don’t think that McNair would risk his career on an unstable opportunity with a structure that posed significant risk to his ability to conduct his job.
Everyone is capable of making bad career decisions. But just because Joe Dumars is still here doesn’t make this decision bad. Its up to Monte to build a winner, and he’ll have every opportunity to do that.
I think this is a valid and important point. Would McNair have walked from his current role (which by the sounds of things might have been a little uncertain… so there is that) to take a role where he wasn’t going to be in control? I’d think with his resume he would have had a discussion about that, and he is obviously ok with this org chart, or he would not take this job.
Agreed – if this was some junior candidate, TV analyst, or retread than perhaps they would accept any structure just for the opportunity and money.
However, McNair isn’t in that situation, so I like to believe he wouldn’t step into a poorly structured situation out of desperation.
I mean, he did take a job with the Kings.
The corollary to the old Groucho Marx “I don’t care to belong to any club that would have me as a member.”
As Kings fans, we want a GM with great judgement, so we don’t want any GM who would accept the opportunity to be our GM.
I think the basis of your thesis is incorrect – if McNair doesn’t work out here, I’m not sure it’s a career ruiner. It wasn’t for Malone, won’t be for Joerger, wasn’t even for Pete D.
I don’t doubt McNair is optimistic that this isn’t the “same old Kings”, but I don’t think anyone will know that for sure until we’re a few seasons in.
Seriously, WTF is this? Monte McNair is a great hire. Then Vivek hires Dumars as “Chief Strategy Officer” (an invented position if there ever was one) to oversee and advise on… a bit of everything? Yeah, not likely. Dumars doesn’t know jack about business and real estate (at least no more than the average mildly informed citizen). He’s a basketball guy, meaning he will be focusing on basketball, and reporting directly to Vivek instead of Monte, who was SUPPOSED to be “the guy” in charge of all basketball ops. Way to take what could have been a great, exciting hire, and screw it up by hiring the newest official back-stabber at the same time. I wish Monte McNair the best of luck. He should invest in body armor and a rear-view camera.
Yeah, I think this idea that Dumars is helping on other things outside of basketball is probably misdirection.
Can anyone point me to one one decision that Dumars convinced Vivek to make that has led us in a bad direction? I mean seriously! The only one that we can possibly know of is convincing Vivek to push Vlade out? Which is what EVERYONE wanted! As far as we know, he has acted in good faith within his role. And help lead a process to find a competent GM.
I think the Vlade tenure alone is enough to prove that Vivek does not meddle in basketball decision making anymore. This team is 100% Vlade’s creation.
Stop being so reactionary to every bit of news. Let it play out. McNair is a very good hire. Thats the story here.
For me it has nothing to do with Dumars the person, it’s the same bullshit of having two people at the top who report independently to Vivek. It creates workplace competition and back-stabbing. This has been the trend of Vivek’s ownership style and it’s blown up in the Kings faces twice already.
The Warriors, Clippers have similar management structures. Not saying we are them but it can work. It all depends on Monte
The Warriors and Clippers have ownership that are willing to invest vast sums of money into basketball operations, while the Kings have historically had one of the most under-resourced front offices in the league.
Dumars’ salary – no matter the PR spin – is money that should be allocated to Monte McNair’s front office budget. I’d much rather McNair have whatever Dumars is getting paid to invest into scouting, analytics, trainers, etc.
You’re right, it all depends on Monte, but more significantly, it all depends on Vivek to give him the best opportunity to succeed.
I agree with this thinking. I just don’t think we’re doomed because it is set up this way. Theres reason for hope
The difference between the Kings and the other franchises is Vivek is the owner.
To me it all depends on Vivek not Monte – if Vivek can refrain from interfering and creating organizational dysfuntion then Monte will have a chance to right the ship
He refrained during the entire Vlade tenure. He’s shown he can do that.
Not even Grant pushed this level of fairy tail falsity.
Even he disclosed that Joerger wasn’t really Vlade’s hire.
But when did Grant say this? I would bet it was after Dave got fired, b/c you know, that’s how Grant rolls.
You bet correctly.
When the Kings win as much as the Warriors and Clippers do, I will give Vivek the benefit of the doubt.
The Warriors hadn’t won anything in 35 years when they hired West.
You’re right. And I stand by my statement. Until the Kings prove this works for them, I will be highly skeptical, especially since Vivek has more or less done this exact same thing (hire an advisor to unofficially compete with the GM for his ear) multiple times, with disastrous results.
I think given the mess with Mullins-PD-Malone and then Divac-PD-Karl there is a reason for very legitimate concern (that you have raised).
I will also point out that Dumars’ role / this set up is virtually identical to what Jerry West had with the Warriors and is probably the path Vivek is at least trying to copy.
Now, it maybe that West is a very special NBA talent and the Warriors success had less to do with having an advisor and more to do with West’s uncanny ability. But I would imagine this is what Vivek is trying to replicate.
The point cannot be emphasized enough: Joe Dumars is very much NOT Jerry West.
Fair, but two points:
1 – Dumars is not Jerry West
2 – Dumars role is not an anomaly in NBA circles
That’s not the point. The point is this Management structure can work. Some Championship teams are built like this. Give it time.
The Kings have also been built like this, officially or unofficially, for the past seven years. Skepticism is not just understandable, it is demanded.
I certainly haven’t heard this before in the past 14 years. 😉
How many final decisions did McNair make in Houston ? Answer- Zero ! Maybe he will make some here and have success but no reason to think things are actually better except for just Hope !
Yes, West is a special talent, that’s indisputable. But it is also necessary to emphasize that Vivek isn’t Joe Lacob, either.
The head of the Business Operations also reports directly to Vivek. It doesn’t mean that they get to weigh in on draft selections.
But Dumars’ job description explicitly states that he will be advising on basketball matters and reporting directly to Vivek.
Which isn’t the same thing as saying that his opinions will carry more weight than McNair’s.
Even if Houston blows up, McNair wouldn’t be unemployed any longer than he wanted to be. I don’t see him coming here to be hamstrung by Joe Dumars.
Dumars’ opinion on basketball matters shouldn’t carry ANY weight, is the point. Unless he reports to McNair, which he does not. This organizational structure will inevitably lead to competition and friction between Dumars and McNair, and confusion among the fanbase, the players, the coaches, and the rest of the organization. What happens the next time the Kings draft a player who doesn’t reach his potential? Or the next time the Kings make what turns out to be a bad trade? Was that McNair’s call? Dumars’ call? Vivek’s call, after listening to McNair and Dumars and then going his own way? There is STILL going to be no clarity about who, exactly, is IN CHARGE here, and so every mistake (and mistakes are inevitable, even in great organizations) will lead to finger-pointing and petty he-said-she-said office political nonsense. For goodness’ sake, just hire ONE GUY, make him THE GUY, and get the heck out of the way. Enough with this Silicon Valley crap. This isn’t that hard. ONE FREAKING GUY.
Exactly. This is just more of the same shit from the stupidest organization and the worst owner in professional sports. Even a consultant with a proven track record could not get Vivek out of his own way. That last tweet in the article says it all. Multiple candidates turned this job down for that very reason.
So we get the guy desperate enough clinging to a possibly sinking ship in Houston. Out of the 6 candidates that were named, most people had Monte 3rd or 4th. It’s a mediocre hire. Which to the Kings feels like a huge win.
But they even fucked that up, and I give it a year before this competent individual realizes how shit runs around here. He might already think of this job as a placeholder. First time one of his highly technical analytical basketball decisions gets shot down by the guy who won a championship in 2004, he’s gone.
It was always the plan to have Joe D running things. He was a great player in the 80s and 90s and had success as a GM before the game passed him by. He whispered some sweet nothings to Vivek about jazz music and did he mention he knows Isiah Thomas? This dog and pony show with Sportology and interviews speaks for itself. As one of our more illustrious posters often says, “The proof is in the pudding”. Well the pudding looks a lot like Joe D’s jizz cuz we’re all getting fucked.
Another decade of irrelevance likely. Maybe we’ll crack 40 wins at some point though. They’ll probably throw a parade.
Time to take a break from this team again. I hope I’m wrong and this group does great things. I hope so for the fans, who deserve so much better than this shit-show circus they are subjected to year after year. Not optimistic though.
Damn! Airmax coming with the fire!
Wow!
So pessimistic Airmax. At most this will set us back 6 years.
That’s not to mention Pete D and Mike Malone, George Karl and Vlade and Brandon Williams and Dave Joerger.
McNair is a very good hire. Thats the story here…agreed.
Dumars has been around the game his entire life. Knows the game. 3 rings…player/GM. If anything, his role should be strictly advisory. Dumars should be our Jerry West…wishful thinking. Dumars should have the opportunity to give an opinion strictly based on the improvement of our team. Not a decision maker. A different pair of eyes. McNair doesn’t appear arrogant and McNair won’t see everything. This is why it is imperative the FO operates like a machine. McNair appears to listen and communicates well. Dumars is competent enough for an advisory type of role. Not sure what his title means now though. McNair has an it factor. I have no worries about him until it’s time to worry about him.
Now, Limp Walton has to go. We have another chance to get it right. In this order, fire Walton, hire Donovan, Brown, or D’Antoni. We need a damn coach. I’m in on Donovan. That has WCF written all over it with smart solid moves. It’ll be up to the players then.
I think there’s room for other roles if they handle them correctly. Dumars represented Killian Hayes, and set Hayes up with his trainer (Will Bynum). If McNair’s team is high on Hayes, then Dumars would be the person to make the introduction. Dumars has a very good reputation throughout the league, and I think it would be beneficial to leverage his relationships to convince rookies and free agents to at least meet with McNair. In a perfect world Dumars could be Scott Perry lite. He makes the introductions and gives his opinion, but doesn’t make the ultimate decision about a specific transaction.
“Dumars should have the opportunity to give an opinion strictly based on the improvement of our team. Not a decision maker. A different pair of eyes.”
I’d be a lot more comfortable if McNair hired someone who shared his values to perform in this role instead of being saddled with Dumars. It is also contrary to the announced organizational structure, where Dumars reports to Vivek, not McNair.
Reporting and decision making are not the same. Maybe I’m overly optimistic after 22 yrs of misery with this team. I think this could work. McNair should have people that share the same values as he does, but this is still an athlete’s game. An athlete sees the game completely differently than say someone who watches and critiques the game. McNair is a former athlete, but in football. McNair doesnt need a bunch of yes men. Maybe 1 at the most. As our GM, he should listen to a former successful player and semi-successful GM for ideas. Listening does not mean Dumars is making decisions. Nor do I think Dumars will attempt to sabotage this set up. The FO needs stabilizing true, but you can never fully understand anything in life from just one perspective…specifically basketball. We need more people and Vivek needs to pay up to build a winner. Either he’s in it to make money, win, or both. I hope he understands it takes money to win and I hope winning trumps everything else.
Give them time. Hell, we’ve waited 14 yrs to sniff the playoffs. We’re finally seeing some daylight. Now if we can only get Donovan in here…ð¤
Not like anyone has a choice, really…but if I had a nickel for every time…
I think this is a very fair (if optimistic) take, but it is missing the Vivek component.
So I hope you are right. But I don’t get the outrage towards those who see a problem in this dynamic, unless Vivek has finally realized he’s not a visionary and isn’t going to revolutionize the league.
That’s not the story here, really. It’s a piece of a larger story. This franchise has about a 100% track record of screwing up their good fortune. Assuming things are different now is specious logic, based on history alone.
Ultimately, it might be fine. But let’s be real, there’s no chance McNair is the primary voice in the room in this setup.
I love that they pretend that Joe Dumars isn’t work shopping stuff with Vivek outside of McNair’s chain supervision by giving him fake duties.
Hey Joe, we planned to redo the 800 block by now. Do we hold off on that for 2 years or 3? Is it now apartments or still condos? Finally, the movie theater wants to extend rent credits to March 2021 … thoughts??? Also, McNair wants to make Bagley a center. You good with that? PS – great job guarding MJ in 88.
“Monte, you are THE GUY and report directly to me! Joe, you are the OTHER GUY who will tell me to ignore Monte and do something else.”
Exactly. Same shit, different day.
I disagree
So you believe that Dumars will completely stay out of the way of who to draft and trade and will leave the decision to McNair?
I mean with all of his real estate and entertainment duties … he may not have time to meddle.
you realize that ex basketball players can venture outside their previous expertise, right? It’s possible Dumars has investment background in those areas and we just don’t know it yet.
The former GM sure as hell was venturing outside his area of expertise.
Whatever the hell it was.
Shaving intermittently.
Wikipedia & Google say he has business experience. He used to own an auto supply company. I’m not sure if that’s a useful background for any of the businesses the Kings are involved in.
You don’t hire a painter to fix a pro racecar, and you don’t hire a basketball executive to sell condos.
I am not saying that, I don’t mind Dumars having a voice. I mean, he built a championship team for crying out loud, he knows what he’s talking about.
My point is he wont be the final decision maker. And Vivek won’t go around Monte to appease Dumars. That is all that matters
I’m glad you are optimistic about this, and I think a lot of us want to be too. But the fact that from our outside view looking in on the front office workings of this organization in the past, we don’t have what we the fans take as solid evidence that this can work to better the team’s performance, both on and off the court.
McNair is a fantastic hire and light years ahead of the last five years, if he is the SOLE person responsible for decisions. Dumars is also a good hire, and I hope they work well in their respective roles. But the fact that they have roles that appear to overlap as well as the history this team has with disfunction, betrayal, and mismanagement doesn’t give us positive vibes. I want to be wrong, but the experience to this point doesn’t give me hope in that regard.
I think the first real proof to us fans or outside the building will be come draft time, if nothing else big happens first.
If he’s not the final decision-maker, he should be reporting to the final decision-maker, which is supposed to be Monte McNair. That’s the problem here. McNair is a great choice for decision-maker, but Vivek has clouded the waters by hiring Dumars as a not-decision-maker whose job will be to influence decisions outside the official decision-maker’s chain of command. It’s a recipe for confusion and toxicity.
EDIT: I really, really hope you are right and this all works just fine. I (and others) are just extremely cynical after so many years of seeing this exact same thing playing out poorly.
Again, I don’t know how anyone could state something like this with such certainty. You’d almost think they were a brand new fan of the franchise.
Well put!
Last 12 hours of fandom:
ð¬ ð ð ð ð³ ð¤ ð¤¦ï¸
But hey, it included some moments of happiness and optimism, so …
it was fun while it lasted.
Vivek’s strategy has been a problem
He is unlikely to sell
Is Aneel taking over the most pragmatic solution?
Aneel wanted Luka. What else do we need to know? Dave & Sam Amick conjectured that Aneel was the one advocating for Gupta. Monte may work out fine, but Aneel has been more closely aligned with the fans. The People’s Chairmen!
Signed,
-Not Aneel Ranadive
And once again, we are reminded that we are the KANGZ… the optimism was fun while it lasted. I hope I’m wrong but I can already see Mcnair stepping down in the near future.
Heres a thought Vivek – if excellent candidates are rejecting the position due to you keeping Dumars on in the front office, maybe it’s a bad idea.
Hope I’m wrong
But an excellent candidate took the position
More excellent candidates declined to even be interviewed because of Dumars’ involvement, per Amick. That tell me all I need to know.
Do we know for sure any other candidate is more excellent than Monte. I mean, its all conjecture from us. I am just saying let it play out
I’m totally fine with Monte, I don’t like that fact others turned down interviews because of Dumars’ role.
That’s fair
If that’s all you were saying, I don’t think you’d get so much disagreement.