Greg Miller Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Hunt, Garnett, Young

March 17th, 2015 at 11:20am CST by Chuck Myron

Nuggets players would endorse the removal of the interim tag from coach Melvin Hunt‘s job title, and it’s a move the organization will at least consider, GM Tim Connelly told Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post.

“As an organization, we have all been impressed with the job Melvin has done thus far,” Connelly said. “When the season concludes, he will be one of the candidates as we begin an exhaustive search to find a head coach.”

Hunt is an impressive 6-3 in his brief tenure, and Hochman argues that while he deserves a shot, there are other candidates who merit consideration, too. Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

The injection of 20th-year veteran Kevin Garnett into the inexperienced Timberwolves roster struck an immediate chord, Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders told reporters, including Newsday’s Roderick Boone. “It was like three little kids looking at Santa Claus coming down the chimney,” Saunders said of the reaction some of his younger players had to meeting Garnett.
Thaddeus Young indicated to the Wolves that he didn’t intend to pick up his player option worth about $10MM for next season, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Young had reportedly requested a trade through his agent. Young, who hasn’t decided on opting in with Brooklyn, credits the Timberwolves organization for accommodating his wishes, working with his agent and keeping him in the loop, as Zgoda relays. Saunders this week expressed his affection for Young as a player, as Boone notes in his story.
The Nuggets have begun to sit key players for rest, but Wilson Chandler, a free agent after next season, is not pleased, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relays. “It’s tough when you’re fighting together but you’re getting set up for failure,” Chandler said. The decision isn’t coming from the players or Hunt, Dempsey writes, which suggests it’s the front office’s call.
Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News has more details on Greg Miller’s decision Monday to relinquish his role as CEO of the company that controls the Jazz, a move that team and company officials insist won’t have much effect on Jazz basketball operations.
The Jazz have recalled Ian Clark from the D-League, the team announced. He averaged just 14.0 points in 32.0 minutes per game but nailed 45.0% of his three-point attempts on an assignment that last nearly a month.

Jazz CEO Greg Miller To Step Down

March 16th, 2015 at 4:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:30pm: Rigby stopped short of acknowledging the move and made it clear that whatever is taking place, it won’t affect the day-to-day operations of the Jazz, as he said in a statement that the Jazz have released.

“I can reassure fans that the Jazz are conducting business as usual and that the changes are designed to keep the LHM Group, including the Utah Jazz, intact as a community asset for future generations,” Rigby said in the statement. “We are grateful to Greg for his many contributions in supporting the Jazz, and look forward to him continuing to serve as our Governor on the NBA Board and as an active member of several NBA executive committees. As owners, the Miller family still runs the Jazz and remains engaged and committed to building a championship-caliber team.”

1:21pm: Greg Miller, the CEO of the Miller Management Corporation that controls the Jazz, has decided to step down after a seven-year tenure, as Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune confirms (Twitter link). The news appears to have first leaked when an employee at a Miller-owned radio station mentioned the move on Twitter, as Andy Larsen of Salt City Hoops notes (Twitter link). The Jazz have yet to make an official announcement, but Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News has obtained a copy of the press release the franchise is seemingly set to deliver. Miller, the son of late Jazz owner Larry Miller, is second in command to Gail Miller, Larry’s widow, in the organization, but Greg Miller’s decision will have little impact on the Jazz, according to Jazz president Randy Rigby, as Falk writes in a full story. Miller, along with his family, will continue to be involved in signing off on player personnel moves, Falk tweets.

Miller was reportedly part of a group of decision-makers behind the hiring of coach Quin Snyder this past offseason, and he made the team’s official statement when Snyder joined the Jazz. Steve Miller, another of Larry Miller’s sons who had been president of Miller Sports Properties, is also stepping down, Sorensen reports.

The press release that Sorensen obtained indicates that Gail Miller will set up a new corporate structure with an outside board of directors. Forbes recently valued the Jazz at $850MM, pitting it as the 20th most valuable franchise in the league.