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Masai Ujiri Hired As Raptors GM (post #780)

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  • Raptors pursuing Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard

    MIAMI -- The Toronto Raptors have asked permission to interview Pacers general manager Kevin Pritchard to head up their basketball operations, league sources told CBSSports.com on Friday.

    As with similar requests from teams to speak with assistant coach Brian Shaw for head coaching vacancies, the Pacers have indicated that they prefer to wait until their season is over to grant permission for interviews. The Pacers trail the Heat 1-0 in the Eastern Conference finals, with Game 2 on Friday night in Miami.

    Pritchard, the former Trail Blazers GM who was hired by the Pacers at the behest of former team president Larry Bird, is said to be extremely happy in Indiana. The Raptors recently overhauled their front-office structure, moving team president Bryan Colangelo to a role on the business side and opening up the search for a new head of basketball operations.

    The Raptors job is attractive to potential candidates because the team does well financially and is prepared to commit significant resources to restoring the team to prominence. Former Staples Center executive Tim Leiweke is in full command of the Raptors' decision-making process and vision as president and CEO of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment.

    League sources told CBSSports.com that one of the possibilities that Leiweke has identified is teaming Pritchard with Oklahoma City assistant GM Troy Weaver, whose name has been attached to several front-office searches in the past two years. It is unclear whether the Raptors have reached out to the Thunder to ask permission to interview Weaver, though it is highly unlikely that Oklahoma City would grant permission for Weaver to entertain a lateral move.

    Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri, the reigning NBA Executive of the Year, remains high on the Raptors' list of potential candidates. Ujiri is engaged in talks with the Nuggets on a contract extension, though it is widely presumed in league circles that the notoriously frugal Nuggets would not be inclined to enter a bidding war to retain him.

    Yahoo Sports reported on Friday that the Nuggets have granted permission for the Raptors to interview Ujiri. When the Sixers pursued Ujiri last summer, he turned down the opportunity to interview and elected to stay in Denver and await the results of negotiations on a new contract that still has not materialized.

    Pritchard emerged as a strong candidate for the Raptors' GM job under Colangelo in 2011, when Toronto ultimately hired former Sixers GM Ed Stefanski. At the time, Pritchard elected to stay with the Pacers when he received a promotion from player personnel director to GM.
    http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/ke...evin-pritchard

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    • Mediumcore wrote: View Post
      This is AMAZING!

      Weaver as GM with Pritchard as a consultant. We'd be getting the best out of Pritchard minus any need for his leadership which some feel is poor.
      It would be amazing for the Raptors.

      Unfortunately it makes absolutely no sense for Pritchard.

      If this was on the trade machine it would be Bargnani for Kevin Love. I mean yeah, it works on the trade machine but it is never going to happen.

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      • It wouldn't be a step down for Pritchard though would it? More like a lateral movement but with possibly a higher salary since the Raptors are looking to pony up some serious $$ for the best staff they can get their hands on. He's a general manager in Indiana, so the same role with better pay might be interesting to him. If he can help Toronto turn things around it would put him into serious contention for a future GM job with other teams considering his track record in Portland, currently Indiana and hopefully if he comes here.

        I'm getting ahead of myself, but it seems like it could work.

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        • If you read between the lines, he addresses the raptors players too.
          About the identity, about who the team wants to be.

          This guys a monster. I love it.

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          • Ujiri or Ed. They're the only two who I think that wouldn't totally blow it up.
            @Chr1st1anL

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              • Nilanka wrote: View Post

                Fast is good. He did say within a month. It's a good sign that Ujiri wants to do quickly as well. Image Ujiri actually did come back to Toronto. I think we'd be the team that their GM gets booed on the road(in Denver)
                @Chr1st1anL

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                • People shouldn't get too excited about what this guy says. It's still just all spin. Just because he's taking a different tone/view than BC, does not make him more capable. Think of it like people from different political parties speaking.

                  At this point, I will only be impressed with results from management/ownership. So far, in limited time, I'm not that impressed. The BC situation hasn't been handled too well. And while they have some nice candidates for the GM opening, there's still a lot of uncertainty because their top targets all could stay with their current teams...though one would think someone from Weaver, Ujiri, Pritchard would be willing to walk. Still though, we're about a month from the draft, so a GM's gotta be in place soon to start evaluating the roster and possible targets for transaction season.

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                  • It better be fast. A lot of groundwork for trades happens leading up to the draft.

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                    • @WolstatSun: Cart before horse here, but wonder if Raptors trade into draft to land Nigerian-born Giannis Antetokoumpo, who Masai is very familiar with
                      @Chr1st1anL

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                        • I dont think Pritchard gets to talk to anyone re a lateral move while his team is in the playoffs which probably means Ujiri gets it if he wants it...doubt that Denver will match an above market offer. In anycase Ujiri can just say he's leaving regardless...seems they have been playing hardaball with him on a new deal until now.

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                          • Chr1s1anL wrote: View Post
                            @WolstatSun: Cart before horse here, but wonder if Raptors trade into draft to land Nigerian-born Giannis Antetokoumpo, who Masai is very familiar with
                            Giannis is actually NOT Nigerian born. It's one of the emphatic points crazy ol' Basilis was trying to make in another thread that was actually 100% true.

                            I mean, I assume since he's Nigerian-descended that Ujiri has likely taken some extra amount of interest in him. But I honestly don't remember reading anything associating them in any way. So if there is any sort of real evidence of some connection between them, I'd like to see it.

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                            • Wonder if the same assumption is also not made with oft mentioned influence of Ujiri with the drafting of Solomon Alabi.

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                              • white men can't jump wrote: View Post
                                People shouldn't get too excited about what this guy says. It's still just all spin. Just because he's taking a different tone/view than BC, does not make him more capable. Think of it like people from different political parties speaking.
                                Yep. His first major decision (i.e. to get rid of Colangelo) resulted in him.... not really being able to get rid of Colangelo. He was clearly forced to acquiesce to other's wishes by keeping BC on in any capacity. Just listen to the guy..... This does not necessarily bode well.

                                Remember, BC said a lot of the same things 7 years ago. Give the new ownership group a couple of years and let's see what they do with a new management team in charge of the Raps. Leiweke talks a great game. So did a lot of guys.

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