Steve Mills Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Poll: Did Knicks Err In Hiring New GM?

September 27th, 2013 at 9:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks pulled off a surprise this week, removing Glen Grunwald from the GM position and giving that job, as well as the title of team president, to former Madison Square Garden boss Steve Mills. The move inspired a stream of reaction that prompted us to use multiple posts to round it all up, and much of the chatter paints the Knicks in a negative light. Mills is inexperienced in player personnel matters, while Grunwald acquired Tyson Chandler and J.R. Smith, helping to construct the roster that this spring gave the Knicks their first division title since 1994, and their first 50-win season since 2000.

Mills seems to possess a superior personal appeal with players, and, as Howard Beck of Bleacher Report wrote today, his connections to the Creative Artists Agency surely endear him to a Knicks franchise that's full of CAA clients. His backers include commissioner David Stern and former Knicks president Donnie Walsh, as Marc Berman of the New York Post points out.

So, would the Knicks have been better off keeping their architect from the past two seasons, or did they make the right move to bring in a new GM? Let us know with your vote, and share more of your thoughts on the changes in New York in the comments.

Knicks Notes: Carmelo, Mills, Grunwald, Houston

September 27th, 2013 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks surprised the NBA world yesterday when they announced that Steve Mills would be replacing Glen Grunwald as the team's general manager. We've already passed along a few of the reactions to that move, but there are a few more leftovers on the front office shake-up among today's Knicks items. Let's round them up….

The Knicks' front office changes are "all to keep Carmelo [Anthony]," a rival executive tells Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. If Carmelo is going to commit long-term to the Knicks next summer, he wants to feel confident that the team can attract a marquee free agent in 2015, when cap space is available, writes Beck. According to that rival exec, Mills likely has a better chance of luring a top free agent than Grunwald, who is soft-spoken and isn't as connected to the players.
Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld wonders whether it would be even be in the Knicks' best interests to re-sign Anthony to a max deal in 2014.
Agent Rick Kaplan, who represents Marcus Camby, called the Knicks' demotion of Grunwald "absurd" and "cruel," according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. "He did everything he was asked to do by his owner, and did it with a smile on his face," Kaplan said. "The only good news is that some lucky team will have Glen fall in its lap and he can finally work for a team that appreciates his enormous talent and class."
One "prominent NBA executive" who spoke to Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News agreed with Kaplan, asking rhetorically, "What in the world did Glen Grunwald do to get fired? They gave [Mills] two jobs today and he isn’t qualified for either one of them."
Sources tell Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report that Allan Houston is likely being groomed to be the next GM in New York.

Reactions To Knicks GM Change

September 26th, 2013 at 11:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, we learned that the Knicks bumped Glen Grunwald as General Manager and brought Steve Mills back to the organization to take his place. The move came without any real warning and at this time, we still don't know what the motive was behind the decision. Here's the latest reaction to the news..

The timing of the move appears to be illogical as Grunwald just completed the final transaction of the summer, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Meanwhile, coach Mike Woodson has a team option for 2014/15 and he no longer has the allegiance of Grunwald, his former college teammate at Indiana.
Berman heard that Mills and team owner James Dolan were at the team practice facility today in Tarrytown to talk to the players about the move (Twitter link).
After talking with Knicks insiders, Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) believes that Allan Houston is being groomed as the next GM. The longtime Knicks guard is currently in their front office and is well-respected around the league.
Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter) guesses that the GM change means that Houston will see an increased role in operations and Woodson has less job security than he did yesterday. In another piece, Begley wonders what this all means as far as Isiah Thomas' ties to the franchise and tries to make sense of why such a decision was made now.
Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal finds it strange that the team had moved so abruptly to replace Grunwald, especially since they aren't necessarily hiring someone who has proven to build a teams worthy of competing for an NBA title.

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Wizards, Hawks

September 26th, 2013 at 10:45pm CST by Ryan Raroque

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune discusses the health of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, Luol Deng's uncertain long-term future with the franchise, how Mike Dunleavy Jr. will look to mesh with the roster, and how Jimmy Butler will handle a move to starting shooting guard as five things to look at for the Bulls going into fall. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago (via Twitter) says that Chicago's official training camp roster is expected to be released tomorrow but doesn't expect Malcolm Thomas or Chris Wright to be on the list.
Michael Lee of CSN Washington wonders if John Wall is ready to lead the Wizards to the playoffs, who will step up in the absence of Emeka Okafor, if Bradley Beal is primed for a breakout season, what to expect from Otto Porter, and the health of Nene as the team's top storylines heading into training camp.
Hawks GM Danny Ferry wouldn't set a timeline for the return of Louis Williams (who is still recovering from reconstructive knee surgery), though he did say that the eighth-year guard has been playing one-on-one games and has had no restrictions in doing so. Ferry also appeared encouraged about what Dennis Schröder can contribute to the team now as a promising prospect and said that Lucas Nogueira and Mike Muscala still need to continue their development overseas (USA Today via the Associated Press).
As Tom Layman of the Boston Herald points out, Celtics coach Brad Stevens will look toward Avery Bradley to be the team's floor general while they wait for the return of Rajon Rondo. In another piece, a handful of college coaches had positive comments for Stevens regarding how they believe he'll be able to transition to the NBA game (NBA.com via the Associated Press).
With Steve Mills in place as the Knicks' newest GM, Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld thinks that it will be important for Mills to start forming a strong relationship with Carmelo Anthony now, especially with the possibility that he could become a free agent this upcoming summer.
Since arriving in New York City, Anthony has been able to build his brand and explore plenty of business opportunities, writes Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report. From the sound of it, Zwerling doesn't think that Anthony will be leaving New York anytime soon, even with an opt-out clause at the end of the season.
Ian Begley of ESPN New York examines the orange and blue's current situation at small forward.
With the rest of the NBA's power elite growing tired of the Heat's dominance, Sam Amick of USA Today delves into why the 2013/14 season could be Miami's toughest campaign for a title yet. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times notes that the Bulls are especially eager to put a halt to the Heat's reign as the NBA's top dog.

Knicks Hire Steve Mills To Replace Grunwald

September 26th, 2013 at 11:10am CST by Luke Adams

11:10am: The Knicks have officially announced the front office shake-up, naming Mills as the team's new president and general manager. Grunwald remains on board as an advisor, according to the release.

Mills' return to the Knicks comes as even more a surprise because he had long been considered the favorite to replace Billy Hunter as the executive director of the NBPA, according to multiple reports.

11:01am: Former MSG president and CEO Steve Mills is expected to return to the Knicks organization in the very near future, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Stein and Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com report that the Knicks will soon announce Mills has been hired to replace current GM Glen Grunwald.

While a number of reports, including ESPN's, are suggesting that Grunwald is "out" as general manager, the team's motives are unclear, and it's not yet known whether he'll be re-assigned to another position or let go, tweets Al Iannazzone of Newsday.

Grunwald became the Knicks' interim general manager in June 2011, and was eventually hired on a permanent basis in April 2012. While he wasn't running basketball operations when the team signed Amar'e Stoudemire or acquired Carmelo Anthony, he has overseen many notable moves since then, such as the additions of Tyson Chandler and J.R. Smith, and the decision to let Jeremy Lin walk.

Odds & Ends: Childress, Lakers, Cooley, NBPA

July 29th, 2013 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are both considered decent bets to hit free agency next summer, if only to re-sign new long-term deals with their current teams. However, as Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld notes, both players would have the chance to hit the market in the summer of 2015 as well, if they opted in for 2014/15. With Dwyane Wade's long-term health uncertain, and the Knicks' books looking fairly empty beyond '15, it may benefit both LeBron and Carmelo to hold off on their free agent decisions for an additional year, rather than locking themselves into new long-term contracts next summer. Here's more from around the NBA on a Monday:

Josh Childress turned down a "lucrative offer" from Greek powerhouse Olympiacos earlier this offseason in hopes of securing a deal with an NBA team instead, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com. According to Charania, Childress is receiving interest from three teams on a potential minimum-salary contract.
The Lakers have officially hired a pair of assistant coaches, Kurt Rambis and Johnny Davis, the team announced today in a press release.
Jack Cooley continues to weigh his options, and it sounds like he has plenty of them. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweets that the former Notre Dame big man has received training camp invites from more than 10 NBA teams, and has also fielded offers from clubs overseas.
Grantland's Zach Lowe tweets that people around the NBA have been talking for months as if it's a foregone conclusion that former MSG president Steve Mills will eventually be named the new executive director of the players' union.
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside speaks to Damion James about the D-League All-Star's quest for an NBA roster spot.
In this week's edition of his Morning Tip column at NBA.com, TNT's David Aldridge looks at Team USA, Ian Clark, and the possibility of HGH testing.

Union Zeroes In On Steve Mills To Replace Hunter

May 31st, 2013 at 7:41pm CST by Chuck Myron

Former Madison Square Garden president Steve Mills is the top candidate to become the next executive director of the players union, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. The position has been vacant since the All-Star break, when the union let go of longtime chief Billy Hunter. Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game reported last week that the union had expressed interest in Mills, who also served as an executive vice president of the Knicks and has worked for the league. Part of that interest stems from Mills' knowledge of the other side of the negotiating table.

Hunter had been running the players association for 17 years, so the process of hiring his successor is a new one for most, if not all, involved. Agent Arn Tellem, speaking at the time of Hunter's ouster, advised the players to take their time in making the decision, and it appears they've heeded his suggestion. Names that have been linked to the open job include NHL Players Association executive director and former baseball union chief Don Fehr, as well as B. Todd Jones, the Minnesota attorney general and acting director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Hunter's controversial dismissal prompted him to file suit earlier this month against the union, president Derek Fisher, and Fisher's publicist, alleging defamation and breach of contract, among other charges. None of the parties named in the suit have responded, and no court date has been set.

Mills is currently CEO of Athletes & Entertainers Wealth Management Group. Union attorney Ron Klempner is serving as interim executive director while the search continues, though it's unclear whether he'll be considered to permanently take over the post.