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Latest On Kings’ GM Search

June 13th, 2013 at 11:31am CST by Luke Adams

11:31am: According to Amick (via Twitter), Wallace, Morway, and Layden are currently atop Ranadive's list.

8:30am: Earlier this month, ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported that Chris Wallace appeared to be the favorite to be hired as the Kings' new general manager. Since then, plenty of other candidates have surfaced, but Wallace continues to remain firmly in the mix. According to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, Wallace met with team ownership for the third time on Wednesday.

Despite meeting several times with Wallace, the Kings continue to explore other options. Stein reports (via Twitter) that Sacramento will interview Spurs assistant GM Scott Layden, while Sam Amick of USA Today says (via Twitter) that new Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has been doing extensive background work on former Hawks GM Rick Sund. If Sund, who has interest in the job, was picked by the Kings, he'd serve as the more experienced addition in a partnership with current Warriors assistant GM Travis Schlenk, according to Amick (via Twitter).

Although Larry Bird is no longer in the mix for a position in the Kings' front office, there are still plenty of other names connected to either the team's president or GM roles. Chris Mullin, Mike Dunleavy, David Morway, and Kenny Smith are among Sacramento's other potential targets.

Pacific Notes: Suns, Kings, Lakers, Jamison

May 2nd, 2013 at 5:40pm CST by Luke Adams

As we wait to see if the Warriors can finish off the Nuggets tonight and set up a second-round date with the Spurs, let's check in on a few items out of the Pacific Division….

Bucks assistant GM Jeff Weltman remains the frontrunner for the Suns' general manager opening, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Weltman is one of four candidates to have been interviewed by the team so far, according to Coro. Former Pacers GM David Morway, Spurs assistant GM Scott Layden, and Celtics assistant GM Ryan McDonough are the other interviewees so far.
Potential Kings investor Chris Kelly tells David Bienick of KCRA in Sacramento that the Sacramento group expects to put half of its offer for the Kings into escrow by Friday. At this point, the group is still working with the NBA rather than the Maloofs, Kelly tells Bienick (Twitter links).
In his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Derek Page wonders if it's time for the Lakers to start rebuilding.
After missing his exit interview earlier this week, Antawn Jamison had it today with GM Mitch Kupchak, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter). Jamison seems highly unlikely to return to the Lakers next season.

Layden, Weltman, McDonough Suns GM Finalists

May 1st, 2013 at 8:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

8:31pm: Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports adds Celtics assistant GM Ryan McDonough to the list of finalists. McDonough interviewed Tuesday with Babby and owner Robert Sarver, and Weltman will interview Thursday. The Suns want to make a hire quickly so they can decide on a coach and prepare for the draft. Babby made a push to hire Weltman in 2010, when Sarver favored Lance Blanks instead.

5:03pm: Spurs assistant GM Scott Layden and Bucks assistant GM Jeff Weltman are rumored as the finalists for the vacant GM position in Phoenix, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter link). Milwaukee gave Weltman approval over the weekend to interview for the Suns job, while this is the first we've heard of Layden in connection with the opening. Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported Weltman was the frontrunner for the gig last week.

Layden has only been on the job in San Antonio for eight months. He previously held GM jobs with the Knicks and Jazz. Weltman hasn't run a team's front office before, but he's been with Bucks GM John Hammond ever since Hammond came aboard in 2008, and prior to that, Weltman and Hammond worked together with the Pistons.

Whoever gets the Suns job will decide who will coach the team next season. Interim Lindsey Hunter is still Phoenix's head coach, but he appears on shaky footing, and is interviewing with the Pistons for their head coaching vacancy. Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby is promising a "summer of analytics" for the team, so presumably the next GM will be a devotee of advanced metrics.

Spurs Hire Scott Layden As Assistant GM

September 1st, 2012 at 3:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs have brought Jazz assistant coach and former Knicks president and GM Scott Layden aboard as assistant GM, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Layden also served as GM of the Jazz from 1992-99. Wojnarowski says the Spurs were also considering Gersson Rosas, vice president of player personnel for the Rockets.

One of Layden's tasks will be to administer the Spurs' scouting department. San Antonio has been renowned for its scouting over the years, finding hidden gems to help the franchise win four championships and annually compete at a high level. Dennis Lindsey, who left the post this summer to become GM of the Jazz, is the latest in a long line of Spurs assistant GMs who later became top executives with other clubs. Danny Ferry, Sam Presti and Dell Demps have all held the job in the past.

Layden helped the Jazz supplement Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone in the '90s, as Utah made back-to-back appearances in the Finals in 1997 and 1998. Layden had much less success with the Knicks from 1999 to 2003, as the team declined from perennial contender to lottery regular.