Chris Wallace Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies Sign Chris Wallace To Extension

July 29th, 2014 at 12:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:30pm: It’s a three-year deal with a team option on the final season, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. It appears as though the terms kick in for this coming season, though that’s not entirely clear.

11:16am: The Grizzlies have signed Chris Wallace to a multiyear extension and dropped the interim tag from his GM job, the team announced via press release. The team had applied the interim tag to Wallace’s GM title earlier this offseason when it parted ways with former CEO Jason Levien, although it represented a return to power for Wallace, who had retained the title of GM even during virtual exile from the organization.

“We are very pleased to announce Chris Wallace as our general manager,” owner Robert Pera said in the team’s statement. “Chris has been at the forefront and a stable presence throughout some of the Grizzlies’ greatest successes. His strong bonds and experience, not only within the organization and NBA but also within the Memphis and Mid-South communities, make him the ideal fit to lead our basketball operations. We believe Chris’ skills and expertise to be vital in our continued success of our franchise.”

A report late Monday indicated that Memphis had reached agreement with Ed Stefanski to serve as the team’s executive vice president of player personnel, a role that would make him an assistant to Wallace. The extension seems to confirm that Wallace will remain in charge of the team’s front office, even though the Grizzlies had apparently been seeking a “GM-in-waiting” to eventually take over for him.

Wallace first became the GM of the Grizzlies in 2007, but even though he didn’t lose his job when Levien came aboard with the sale of the team to Pera in 2012, Wallace went nearly a year without stepping foot in Grizzlies offices. Pera nonetheless emerged as an apparent fan of Wallace’s, saying shortly after Levien’s departure that he wanted to retain Wallace in some form or fashion even if he wouldn’t return to his role as head of the club’s basketball department. More recently, Pera said that he might promote Wallace to president of basketball operations, but it appears as though that job will remain vacant and Wallace will head the front office with his familiar job title of GM.

Grizz Eye Grunwald, Dinwiddie For GM-In-Waiting

July 15th, 2014 at 10:56pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The Grizzlies have narrowed down their list of candidates for a front office job that could eventually lead to becoming the team’s future general manager, according to Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski. At this point, former Knicks executive Glen Grunwald and current Pacers VP of basketball operations Peter Dinwiddie are considered to be the leading candidates. Both were interviewed for the position last month, and league sources tell Wojnarowski that they are expected to individually meet with team owner Robert Pera soon. Chris Makris – who currently serves as GM of the Grizzlies’ D-League affiliate, the Iowa Energy – is highly regarded within the organization and is also expected to meet with Pera at some point.

Whoever earns the position will be expected to work initially under current GM Chris Wallace, according to sources; however, Wojnarowski adds that the hiring could also ultimately involve a higher-profile decision-making role within the organization.

Grizzlies Owner On Wallace, Randolph, Levien

June 27th, 2014 at 1:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace made his first significant moves since returning to control over the team’s basketball operations department in the past 24 hours, agreeing on an extension with Zach Randolph and coming away with Jordan Adams and Jarnell Stokes from the draft. Owner Robert Pera had praise for Wallace Friday morning on 92.9FM ESPN radio in Memphis, but he also shed some light on the future of Wallace’s role as the team interviews candidates for a GM-in-waiting gig. Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal provides a subscription-only transcription of Pera’s hour-long talk. We’ll share three of the owner’s most relevant comments:

On Wallace:

“What he says is the truth. He doesn’t play any games. …We might very well promote Chris Wallace to president of basketball operations. It’s wide open. Either way, Chris Wallace is staying around.”

On the agreement to sign Zach Randolph to an extension:

“We’re excited about that. Our two goals were making sure Zach was happy and focused and our other goal was to surround Zach with the right pieces to win a championship.”

On former CEO Jason Levien:

“Part of what makes me successful in my career is if I have a feeling about something or an instinct I go ahead and do it. Once I get a sense, I’m aggressive and I do it. [Levien and I] became fast friends. Over the course of time, what I learned is he’s very talented but I felt it was my responsibility to make sure the organization and the culture is headed toward a championship. I have my reasons and I stepped in and made a change. …I don’t think it was a bad thing.”

Talks Stall Between Grizzlies, Zach Randolph

June 25th, 2014 at 11:08am CST by Chuck Myron

11:08am: The impasse came about when negotiations “went beyond” Wallace from the Grizzlies side, Tillery writes in a subscription-only piece. That indicates that owner Robert Pera is hesitant to spend too freely on Randolph, but that’s just my speculation. In any case, Randolph is leaning toward opting out, according to Tillery.

10:38am: Two others Western Conference teams are paying close attention to the talks and preparing strong pursuits of Randolph should he hit free agency, according to Tillery (on Twitter).

9:58am: The number of years involved in the deal aren’t the stumbling block, but the two sides are split over money, TNT’s David Aldridge tweets.

JUNE 25TH, 9:35am: Randolph and the team have hit a snag over money and the length of a new deal, and he’s giving serious thought to turning down his player option and hitting free agency next month, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Memphis wants a three-year deal while Randolph is pushing for a four-year arrangement. Since extensions can only add three years onto an existing deal, that presumably means Randolph prefers to opt out and ink a new deal with the team in free agency.

JUNE 20TH: The Grizzlies and Zach Randolph seem close to a deal that would keep the power forward in Memphis for the next several seasons, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes in a subscription-only piece. A report last month indicated that the Grizzlies and the Raymond Brothers client were in talks on an extension, but it’s not clear whether the deal would involve an extension or a scenario in which Randolph opts out and signs a new long-term contract. The 32-year-old has a player option worth more than $16.9MM for next season.

Tillery also casts a degree of doubt on this week’s report that indicated that GM Chris Wallace would remain in charge of the team, though he describes him as the front-runner for that role. Wallace is “ardent” about coming to terms with Randolph, and he’s had frequent discussions with Brothers, according to Tillery.

“It’s going forward,” Wallace said of the talks. “We’re very excited about what Zach’s done in the past and hope to have him here in the future. This has really been a terrific boon for both sides. He’s obviously meant a great deal to us on and off the court. And Memphis has worked for him. This has been, by far, the best stop for him since he’s been in the NBA. So we’re working towards that goal.”

Brothers also sounds optimistic about reaching a deal, Tillery notes. It’s a change of pace from the Grizzlies’ stance under ousted CEO Jason Levien, who, as Tillery reveals, attempted to trade Randolph for Eric Gordon before the start of the season until the Pelicans rebuffed his efforts. It was one of at least two attempts Levien made at trading Randolph, as the then-CEO was high on Ed Davis, believing in him as a replacement for Randolph at power forward, Tillery says.

It appears that market value for Randolph is akin to a deal worth $30-35MM over three years, which would represent a significant dip in annual salaries over what he would earn on his option next season. Still, both sides are liable to make concessions given their mutual admiration, as Randolph has spoken on multiple occasions of his affection for Memphis. There’s chatter regarding a role within the Grizzlies organization for Randolph after he retires as a player, Tillery adds.

Grizzlies Interview Four For GM-In-Waiting Gig

June 24th, 2014 at 4:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace and representatives of owner Robert Pera have interviewed four candidates to become the team’s player personnel director and serve as a GM-in-waiting, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Nets assistant GM Bobby Marks, Pacers vice president Peter Dinwiddie, Knicks director of pro personnel Mark Hughes and former Raptors and Knicks GM Glen Grunwald have all had meetings with the club, which envisions one of them eventually replacing Wallace, Berger writes.

There’s been plenty of confusion regarding the future of the Grizzlies front office ever since Pera ousted former CEO Jason Levien and installed Wallace as the interim head of the basketball operations department. A report last week indicated that Wallace would remain as GM for the “foreseeable future.” While that seemed to indicate that Wallace would stay in charge, Wallace retained his GM title even as he was stripped of control of the front office under Levien’s regime. A more recent report hinted that Wallace’s future has yet to be decided, referring to him only as a front-runner to retain control of the front office, though Berger’s dispatch seems to indicate that Wallace will remain in power for at least a while after the team makes its hire.

Grunwald probably has the lengthiest resume of the group, as none of the other candidates have been in charge of a team’s front office. An earlier report indicated that Knicks director of player personnel Mark Warkentien was also a candidate. The team apparently asked for permission to interview Thunder assistant GM Michael Winger, but Winger short-circuited that attempt and let Memphis know he’s not interested.

Grizzlies Notes: Front Office, Calathes, Gasol

June 19th, 2014 at 9:26am CST by Chuck Myron

The position of player personnel director that the Grizzlies are seeking to fill would serve as a GM-in-waiting for the club, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. That seems to indicate that Memphis envisions once more transitioning away from Chris Wallace as the head of the front office at some point, though there doesn’t appear to be a timetable for doing so. In any case, Memphis is casting a “wide net” as it conducts its search, Windhorst writes. Here’s more on the Grizzlies:

Nick Calathes is on a non-guaranteed contract with the Grizzlies for next season, but he’s drawing interest from multiple European clubs. CSKA Moscow has matched a three-year, $6.5MM offer from Panathinaikos of Greece for the 25-year-old guard, according to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia, advancing an earlier report from Sport24 (translation via Carchia). Calathes would have to sit out the first 13 games of next season because of a drug suspension.
Kevin Love‘s ability to hit free agency next year has sparked a glut of trade rumors, but that’s not so for Marc Gasol, another star big man set to hit the market in July 2015. There’s a decent chance that it will the last opportunity for Gasol, who’ll be 30 next year, to cash in with a lucrative long-term deal, but Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal hears that he’ll prioritize winning over money, as Tillery writes in a subscription-only piece.
Gasol also told Tillery of his affection for the Grizzlies. “You know my relationship with Memphis and my relationship with the Grizzlies,” Gasol said. “I’ve always said Memphis is my home away from home. [Owner] Robert [Pera] knows that. I know that. My teammates know that and that’s all that matters. I live day to day but I don’t see myself anywhere else. Only time will time. But I don’t see a reason to change right now. Why would I change right now?”

Chris Wallace To Remain As Grizzlies GM

June 18th, 2014 at 4:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:28pm: Winger is satisfied with his job in Oklahoma City and has turned down the Grizzlies’ request for an interview, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

4:18pm: Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace will continue as GM of the team for the “foreseeable future,” tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. The Grizzlies’ search for a GM has “evolved” into a search for a player personnel director, the role Stu Lash held when he acted as second in command to CEO Jason Levien in the front office before both were let go last month, Amick reports (Twitter links). The team has asked for permission to interview Thunder assistant GM Michael Winger for the job, according to Amick. Wallace assumed “interim responsibility” for the Memphis front office when Levien and Lash departed, according to the team’s press release, and today’s news appears to signal that he’s likely to remain in charge of the Grizzlies on a more permanent basis.

Wallace maintained his GM title even as his role was marginalized under Levien, but Amick seems to indicate that he’ll remain in control of the team’s front office in addition to retaining his title. Wallace’s continued employment with the Grizzlies in some form or fashion has long appeared safe, and the mutual willingness of Wallace and the Grizzlies to continue their association even as Wallace spent a year without setting foot in his office supports that. The general sentiment is that whomever the Grizzlies hire as player personnel director will be on a fast track to become a GM, according to Amick, though it’s not clear whether that person would be a GM-in-waiting of sorts for Memphis.

Winger hasn’t drawn much mention in connection to jobs since assuming his role with the Thunder in 2010, though that might have more to do with Oklahoma City’s guarded nature with information. Amick’s tweets indicate that the Grizzlies are vetting other candidates for the player personnel director position, too.

And-Ones: Leonard, Wallace, LeBron, Randle

June 16th, 2014 at 10:12pm CST by Zachary Links

It sounds like the Spurs will be able to get the band back together when it comes to the core, but they will have to tackle Kawhi Leonard‘s extension this summer, writes Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders. Leonard is eligible for an extension starting July 1st and it’s obviously in their best interests to lock up the Finals MVP. Koutroupis believes that a five-year, deal in the neighborhood of $78.8MM would get it done. Here’s tonight’s look around the NBA..

Chris Wallace is in charge of basketball operations on an interim basis for the Grizzlies but when it comes to the draft, it’s a collaborative effort involving coach Dave Joerger and owner Robert Pera, writes Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal.
LeBron James joining the Clippers makes sense to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Between Dwayne Wade being over the hill and the deterioration of Chris Bosh‘s shooting, Blakely believes that James will seek greener pastures.
The Lakers will work out Julius Randle tomorrow, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Randle will complete an individual workout, unlike the Lakers’ first pre-draft workout that put a dozen prospects up against each other.
Darnell Mayberry and Anthony Slater debated the odds of Thabo Sefolosha returning to the Thunder next season. Mayberry says there’s no shot while Slater thinks there’s a slim chance he could return. It would probably be in OKC’s best interest to let Sefolosha walk, Slater writes, but there’s a small chance he stays since his asking price is so low.
With assistant Kevin Eastman moving up from the Clippers‘ bench to the front office and assistants Tyronn Lue and Alvin Gentry both up for head coaching jobs elsewhere, there could be more changes on the way, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
The Clippers are giving some thought to hiring Lawrence Frank as an assistant coach, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Frank was the Nets’ lead assistant last season until he was reassigned by Jason Kidd. Frank and Clips coach Doc Rivers previously worked together in Boston.

Fallout From Grizzlies, Joerger Reconciliation

May 26th, 2014 at 9:10am CST by Chuck Myron

Robert Pera challenged Tony Allen to a game of one-on-one before last season, and when Dave Joerger expressed misgivings about such an event, owner Robert Pera blamed him, rather than Allen, whose indifference was the main reason the game never happened. Chris Mannix of SI.com passes along that detail along with others in his peek inside the rollercoaster relationship between Pera and the coach that appears hunky dory now. Yet after the Allen-Pera showdown failed to come off, Pera wanted to fire the coach, Mannix writes. Pera’s unconventional ideas included using Mike Miller as a player-coach, which would be impossible under the collective bargaining agreement. He also insisted on more minutes for Ed Davis, and when Davis only played a single minute in an early season game, Pera again wanted Joerger gone. Only when told it would be unseemly to fire a coach so early into his tenure did he back off, according to Mannix. Here’s more from a strange situation in Memphis and Minnesota:

There was some confusion last week over whether Lionel Hollins has interviewed for the Wolves head coaching job, but according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, he’s done so. Zgoda also confirms that Sam Mitchell, a favorite of owner Glen Taylor, has interviewed with Minnesota, too.
The Grizzlies likely would have asked to swap first-round picks, perhaps attached to additional draft compensation, according to Zgoda, but the Wolves were reluctant to give up even a future second-rounder, as Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com write. That’s because the Wolves believed the Grizzlies would fire Joerger rather than keep him, allowing Minnesota to scoop him up without relinquishing any compensation.
Pera, on Twitter, said that he never spoke with the Wolves about compensation for Joerger, and Pera and Joerger appear nonetheless sincere when they say they’re in it for the long haul together, tweets Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal. Pera “improved” Joerger’s contract this weekend, Zgoda writes.
The Grizzlies owner vowed on Twitter to spend to upgrade the team. “I will open up the checkbook and do whatever it takes to bring us closer to a championship organization,” Pera tweeted.
Pera also said the team has begun the hunt for a new head of basketball operations, as Stein and Shelburne note, and he added that he wants interim GM Chris Wallace in the organization in some capacity, whether he keeps his GM role or not.

And-Ones: Love, Celts, Cavs, Blatche, Clips, Grizz

May 20th, 2014 at 9:02pm CST by Alex Lee

Some thought tonight’s NBA Draft Lottery results could have major Kevin Love implications, though salary cap guru Larry Coon of ESPN doesn’t believe the Timberwolves star can be moved before the draft. According to Coon, such a deal would require cap room that teams will not have before July (Twitter links here).

The Celtics, who pick sixth, are a “sleeper” team in the Love sweepstakes, but owner Wyc Grousbeck says he isn’t hurrying the rebuilding effort, as he tells Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe. “That KG deal might be once in a lifetime, but I think over the next four or five years, we will get back to being contenders, if not three years,” he said. “I think we can get back there. I think this summer, one way or another, we’ll take positive steps, whether we just draft two players and continue to build, or whether we make a blockbuster deal.”

Here is what else is going on around the Association tonight, as the Heat and Pacers battle it out in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals:

ESPN’s Chad Ford considers Andrew Wiggins the favorite to land in Cleveland after the Cavaliers won Tuesday night’s lottery (via Twitter). Ford tweeted before the results were in that the Cavs preferred Jabari Parker, however he indicated afterwards (also on Twitter) that he was a corrected by a trusted source in Cleveland.
The admirable play of Andray Blatche down the stretch and into the postseason for the Nets could set him up for a decent pay day, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Blatche has said he will opt out of his one-year player option for next season, though Brooklyn controls his Early Bird Rights according to Bontemps.
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News provides the transcript of today’s post-television interview session with new Warriors coach Steve Kerr, which is a bit juicier than what we relayed earlier on. Per Kawakami, Kerr covets a big man that can shoot. Meanwhile, Golden State GM Bob Myers also indicated the team will pursue shooting this summer, tweets Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group.
Speaking before the lottery proceedings, commissioner Adam Silver detailed the process that comes with a forced sale of the Clippers. However, Silver did indicate that he will continue to urge owner Donald Sterling to sell the team on his own, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Though he hasn’t been assured that his role is permanent by Grizzlies owner Robert Pera, GM Chris Wallace said at a Thursday afternoon press conference that he believes Memphis can win the NBA title next season, writes Zack McMillin of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “We’re a very formidable team. We just have to find a way to make that next step. Is it easy? No, but it’s attainable and we’re not going to rest until we hang that championship banner and have this parage this town deserves,” Wallace said.