George David Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Rumors: Karl, Brown, Bulls, Pistons

May 15th, 2014 at 9:22pm CST by Cray Allred

George Karl would like to coach the Cavs and is high on Kyrie Irving, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears (Twitter link), but a source tells Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer that Kevin Ollie doesn’t envision taking the Cleveland coaching gig. It’s unclear whether the team has interest in either Karl or Ollie. Here’s more from the Central:

Former Cavs coach Mike Brown is open to listening to coaching opportunities, but plans to take a year off from coaching, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links).
Bulls GM Gar Forman is optimistic Chicago can select two rotation players in the draft, but is open to other possibilities, including trading up or doing a draft-and-stash, he tells K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. “If we want to try to create more cap room, we may look at doing something with one or both of those picks,” Forman said (Twitter links).
The Bulls are prioritizing added shooting this offseason, tweets Johnson.
Stan Van Gundy will retain Ken Catanella as the Pistons cap specialist, reports Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Van Gundy will meet Friday with Detroit’s assistant GM George David, who has a “solid chance” to stay in the front office, according to Ellis (Twitter links).
At today’s introductory press conference, Van Gundy said he is excited about the dual role he will have with the Pistons. “I think the position gives us a chance to create the most unified organization in sports,” Keith Langlois of Pistons.com quotes Van Gundy as saying. “That’s what the dual role is all about. I came into the NBA in an organization like that in Miami with Pat Riley running it and I think there are tremendous advantages there.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Central Rumors: Bucks, Pistons, Calipari

May 14th, 2014 at 12:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

The NBA is set to announce approval on Thursday of the $550MM sale of the Bucks from Herb Kohl to Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Lasry, who’ll have to divest his minority share of the Nets, and Edens had prioritized taking control before Tuesday’s lottery, Windhorst writes. Still, opposition groups are lining up against public funding for a new arena in Milwaukee, and the NBA has the right to buy the team for $575MM if a deal for a new building isn’t in place by November 2017. Kohl put that clause in the purchase agreement to keep the new owners from moving the team, Windhorst notes. Here’s more from the Central Division:

A league executive told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press that Stu Jackson is a possibility to serve as Pistons GM under Stan Van Gundy, noting that Van Gundy worked under Jackson as an assistant at the University of Wisconsin in the 1990s (Twitter link).
The fate of John Loyer isn’t immediately clear in the wake of Van Gundy’s hiring, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who notes that Loyer has one season left on his contract. Loyer had been serving as Pistons interim head coach, and it’s possible he’ll return to the role of assistant coach that he occupied before the team fired Maurice Cheeks in February, according to MLive’s David Mayo.
It’ll be business as usual at this week’s draft combine for Pistons assistant GM George David and director of basketball operations Ken Catanella, who jointly ran the team’s front office following the end of Joe Dumars‘ tenure, Ellis tweets.
John Calipari would love to coach LeBron James someday, as he tells Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer, but he’s committed to Kentucky and won’t be in the mix to replace Mike Brown on the Cavs, who loom as a possible free agent destination for James.

Pistons Rumors: GM Search, Monroe, Loyer

April 19th, 2014 at 11:19am CST by Cray Allred

Vincent Ellis of Detroit Free Press looks at the background of the interim team currently running the Pistons front office, led by assistant GM George David and director of basketball operations Ken Catanella. Ellis believes ownership would be comfortable progressing through the draft without making a GM hire, based on the current personnel’s experience. Here’s more out of Detroit:

Ellis says that David and Catanella will be considered for the permanent GM role, and that interim coach John Loyer will likewise be a candidate for the permanent head coaching job.
Loyer told David Mayo of MLive.com that he is proud of his time at the helm this season, working with a team under-performing and fractured by the firing of Maurice Cheeks. “I felt very confident going in that I’d earn their trust. And I feel very confident, going into the last game of the season, that I’ve got their trust,” said Loyer. “I’ll let what I’ve done and what I’ve brought to the table every day speak for itself.”
In a separate mailbag post, Mayo opines that Greg Monroe‘s tendency not to make strong statements concerning the team could be influenced by Detroit’s decision to bring in Josh Smith rather than trust Monroe to lead a young frontcourt.
Mayo thinks Detroit’s plans for the offseason are a crapshoot at this point, citing the front office turmoil.
Mayo doesn’t believe the uncertainty surrounding Detroit’s first round pick in the draft is as significant as the myriad of other issues and decisions the team needs to work through.

Pistons, Joe Dumars Part Ways

April 14th, 2014 at 10:49am CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons have officially announced via press release that Joe Dumars “will step aside” from his job as president of basketball operations, effective immediately. That suggests that Dumars tendered his resignation, as he’d reportedly planned to do, though reports Sunday indicated the team had told Dumars they wouldn’t renew his contract, which was set to expire in the offseason. In any case, the move ends Dumars’ nearly 14-year tenure atop the Pistons basketball operations department. He’ll remain with the team as an adviser, as expected. Director of basketball operations Ken Catanella and assistant GM George David will assume the responsibilities that had been Dumars’ while the club searches for a formal replacement.

“Joe Dumars is a great champion who has meant so much to this franchise and this community,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said in the team’s statement. “We are turning the page with great respect for what he has accomplished not only as a player and a front office executive, but as a person who has represented this team and the NBA with extraordinary dignity.”

The 50-year-old Dumars was the longest-tenured executive in charge of day-to-day basketball operations in the league, with the possible exception of Pat Riley, who’s split much of his more than 18 years with the Heat between the front office and coaching. Dumars became president of basketball operations in Detroit in June of 2000, and he’s been with the Pistons in some capacity since 1985, when he began his Hall of Fame playing career with the club. His time as an executive included the 2004 championship and six straight conference finals appearances, but also the drafting of Darko Milicic at No. 2 overall in 2003 and an ongoing string of five non-playoff seasons.

“It’s time to turn the page on a wonderful chapter and begin writing a new one,” Dumars said as part of the press release. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great people throughout the last 29 years as both a player and executive, and I’m proud of our accomplishments. Tom Gores and ownership is committed to winning and they will continue to move the franchise forward.”

Dumars will reportedly have the ability to seek GM jobs with other NBA clubs, and he figures to be much sought after. A report earlier today indicated he already has a gig lined up with another team. The Pistons have already begun their search process for a new head of basketball operations as well as a new coach, since John Loyer is filling in only on an interim basis for Maurice Cheeks, whom the team fired in February.

Gores has appointed a pair of executives with Platinum Equity, his investment firm, to oversee the club’s searches. Those execs, Phil Norment and Bob Wentworth, will also supervise Catanella and David, and Norment, in the team release, says the club has developed a preliminary list of candidates to replace Dumars.

Latest On Pistons, Joe Dumars

April 14th, 2014 at 9:08am CST by Chuck Myron

The parting of Joe Dumars and the Pistons isn’t coming about via a resignation from Dumars, but rather the team’s decision not to renew his contract, reports David Mayo of MLive. Detroit’s longtime president of basketball operations has accepted the team’s offer to remain as an adviser, as we passed along last night from Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News. The Pistons have already begun looking for someone new to lead their basketball operations, Mayo writes, with assistant GM George David set to lead the team in the meantime, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Director of basketball operations Ken Catanella will also play a leading role in the team’s draft and free agency preparations, Goodwill tweets.

Phil Norment and Bob Wentworth of owner Tom Gores’ Platinum Equity investment firm will lead the search for Dumars’ replacement, according to Mayo, who adds that Gores is looking for stability and someone who, like Dumars, will stay atop the team’s basketball operations for many years. It’ll probably be someone with a background in analytics who won’t shy away from the spotlight and will be the public face of the franchise, Mayo writes.

The Pistons are already screening candidates to become the team’s new head coach, Mayo reports, though it’s unclear if the team is considering interim coach John Loyer for the long-term job. The team is likely to deliver a list of finalists to the new head of basketball operations, who’d make a choice from that list, Mayo adds.

Dumars will serve in a capacity similar to Jerry West‘s job with the Warriors, according to Berger, though Mayo contradicts that, writing that he’ll have a “non-basketball role.” Sharp says Dumars will have no say in the daily operations of the team. Berger says the advisory gig won’t preclude Dumars from seeking a GM job with another NBA team, and Berger’s sources expect him to draw interest from clubs around the league. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders hears Dumars might have another such job lined up already, though he seconds a tweet from Matt Dery of Detroit Sports 105.1 and says it’s not with the Cavaliers, who were linked to Dumars in February.

Dumars still has the respect of owner Tom Gores, Berger hears, and source tells him the organization considers it important that his dismissal be carried out in a dignified manner. The Pistons consider the appointment of Dumars as an adviser to be a respectful compromise, but still a condemnation of his oversight of the team during five consecutive non-playoff seasons, Sharp writes.