Washington is bringing in Martin Mayhew to be a high-ranking executive, working alongside Ron Rivera and GM Marty Hurney.
#49ers VP of Player Personnel Martin Mayhew is headed to the Washington Football Team as a high-ranking executive with a title to be determined, source said. He’ll work with coach Ron Rivera and Marty Hurney as WFT restructures its organization.
Washington reportedly is in the works of hiring former Carolina Panthers GM Marty Hurney as their new general manager, but while the deal is still being worked out, they made another big hire by bringing in former San Francisco 49ers VP of Player Personnel, Martin Mayhew, to be a high-ranking executive.
Mayhew, who won a Super Bowl as a player in Washington, was interviewed for the GM job and is now being brought in to be part of the front office with a title to be determined. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Mayhew will work with both Ron Rivera and Hurney to help restructure the organization.
Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes has a message for fans via the team’s social media account.
Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes has a message for fans via the team’s social media account.
Holmes was named the Lions’ new GM on Thursday, and while most of the focus on him has surrounded around how he will impact the organization via coaching decisions and adding players, here we get a glimpse of his personality — that is universally praised by people in the Rams’ organization.
“Lions fans, hello! This is Brad Holmes, new general manager for the Detroit Lions. Excited to get to work. Looking forward to building this team with a collaborative approach and efforts to deliver a winner to this great city of Detroit, its passionate fanbase, and to uplift the community. One Pride!”
Holmes has yet to address the media in an introductory press conference but one is expected to be held in the near future. Stay tuned to Lions Wire as we will have full coverage of that presser when he is made available.
Eric Bieniemy isn’t the only person on the Kansas City Chiefs’ staff getting interviews.
Kansas City Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy isn’t the only member of the organization getting interview requests.
According to reports from NFL Network insiders Ian Rapoport and Peter Schrager, the Carolina Panthers have requested interviews with two Chiefs front-office executives for their GM vacancy.
Rapoport says the Panthers have requested to interview Assistant Director of Player Personnel Ryan Poles. The former offensive lineman for the Boston College Golden Eagles has climbed the ladder through the Chiefs’ personnel department over the past 111 years, starting off as a Scouting Assistant and working his way up to becoming the College Scouting Coordinator for the team. He eventually earned promotions to the Director of College Scouting and now the position he holds today.
Poles has played a big part in building the Chiefs’ roster through the NFL draft and undrafted free agency over the years, so he’s certainly deserving of the opportunity.
The #Panthers have put in a request to interview #Chiefs assistant director of player personnel Ryan Poles for their GM job, per source.
Poles is not the only front office executive that the Panthers have an interest in. According to Schrager, they’ve also requested an interview with Chiefs Director of Football Administration Brandt Tilis for the GM vacancy.
The Panthers have requested permission to interview Chiefs Director of Football Administration Brandt Tilis for their GM position, per source.
Tilis has been with the Chiefs for the last 11 seasons. @gmfb@nflnetwork
If Tilis sounds familiar that’s because he’s one half of the salary-cap duo along with Chris Shea, that helped orchestrate the incredible work structuring the monster contracts in Kansas City, such as the half-billion-dollar deal with Patrick Mahomes. He’s not so much a personnel evaluator as he is a money-man, so that could be appealing to a team like the Panthers that appears set to give HC Matt Rhule roster control.
These types of things are to be expected when you have a winning team. Thankfully, the Chiefs have a number of in-house candidates who they can promote to help offset the loss if either Poles or Tilis were to be hired for the GM job in Carolina.
The Chiefs could see extra draft capital with a new NFL resolution set on developing minority coaches and general managers.
NFL owners voted to approve a plan on Tuesday with the hope of strengthening diversity in the league. The idea is to encourage the development of minority coaching and front office candidates among NFL clubs.
Upon NFLPA approval, resolution 2020 Resolution JC-2A will see teams compensated with future draft picks when minority members of their coaching or front office staff are hired into new positions as head coaches or general managers.
“A team that loses a minority assistant coach who becomes a head coach or loses a personnel executive who becomes a general manager will receive third-round compensatory picks in each of the next two drafts.
“A team that loses two minority staffers to head coach and general manager positions would receive three third-round picks.”
If you’ll recall, the NFL originally proposed a plan which would reward teams for hiring minority coaches. That proposal was met with criticism, but this one has been more well-received. The NFL already rewards teams for developing players who enter the free-agent pool and become contributors elsewhere, so why not coaches and general managers?
The Kansas City Chiefs certainly stand to benefit from this plan, mostly because this is something they’ve been doing already. Andy Reid has historically been one of the great developers of coaches within the league. His coaching tree is vast and his offensive coordinator happens to be overdue for a head-coaching job. Eric Bieniemy is the hottest head-coaching candidate out there. You’ve got fans from the Falcons, Jets, and Texans clamoring for their team to hire him on a daily basis and the season hasn’t yet ended.
But Bieniemy isn’t the only staff member that Kansas City has groomed for a high-level position. Tim Terry (Director of Pro Personnel) and Ryan Poles (Assistant Director of Player Personnel) are both candidates to become general managers in the future. One could even follow Bieniemy to his next gig.
If this resolution can help the NFL become a more diverse space, while simultaneously supplementing draft capital, it’ll be considered a great success from within and outside the league.
At his Philadelphia introduction, Morey clarified that the playing styles of his recent teams in Houston were made with personnel in mind.
With a roster led by All-Star center Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers look much different on paper than the undersized Houston Rockets.
That doesn’t seem to bother new GM Daryl Morey, though.
At his introduction Monday as the new president of basketball operations with the Sixers, Morey was asked about the unique playing style of his recent teams in Houston and how that might mesh with Philadelphia’s more traditional roster. Here’s how the veteran GM responded:
We played the way we played in Houston because that was the best way to utilize the talent we had in Houston. Doc [Rivers] knows how to win more than me, frankly, he’s one ring ahead of me. He’s going to figure out how best to use it. It doesn’t have to be a three, it can be in transition. …
The goal is not to shoot 3-pointers. The goal is to win. You can score on offense in a whole bunch of different ways. Joel happens to be one of the most efficient post-up players in the league. I used to get the question in Houston, which was like, ‘What would you do if you had Shaq?’ My answer was, ‘I would give Shaq the ball 100 times a game.’ Joel is a talent on both ends.
Darryl Morey said volume of 3’s they shot in Houston was because it suited their roster. Sees Embiid as dominant post player. He said if he had had Shaq he would have fed him in the post 100 times a game. It will be interesting to see how Embiid’s game evolves w/ new leadership
To Morey’s point, over his 13 years as GM with the Rockets, many of his earlier teams featured an All-Star center in the form of Yao Ming or Dwight Howard. The exaggerated switch to “small ball” came largely after the acquisition of slashing guard Russell Westbrook, who needed more floor spacing to open up additional room to drive to the basket.
As a result, it would likely be a mistake to assume that Houston will fully transition away from smaller lineups now that Morey is gone, or to assume that the Sixers will adopt a similar playing style to the 2019-20 Rockets. In both cases, the playing style — at least in part — should reflect the talent of the existing roster and the goal of maximizing it.
In Morey’s 13 years as GM from 2007-08 through 2019-20, Houston ranked No. 2 in the entire NBA in total wins, and they have the league’s longest active streak of eight consecutive playoff berths. He was voted by his peers as the NBA’s Executive of the Year in 2018. Rafael Stone, who was previously the No. 2 executive in Houston’s basketball operations department, is replacing Morey as GM with the Rockets.
“No one is surprised that he’s in the league,” said veteran beat writer Jonathan Feigen. “They didn’t think it would happen this quickly.”
On Sunday, Daryl Morey‘s contract with the Houston Rockets was allowed to expire after 14 seasons with the team, including the last 13 as GM.
On Monday, he was formally introduced as the new head of basketball operations with the Philadelphia 76ers.
It was quite a fast turnaround, especially considering a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Morey was interested in taking some time away from the NBA to be with his college-age children, who are taking an academic gap year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
That rationale was published the day of the Oct. 15 announcement that Morey would not be returning to the Rockets. While that report clearly left the door open to Morey eventually working for another NBA team, it certainly didn’t suggest that anything was imminent. Yet, less than three weeks later, Morey is officially leading another franchise.
OFFICIAL
We have named Daryl Morey as President of Basketball Operations.
Per veteran beat writer Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the speed of Morey’s transition caught some in the organization by surprise. In comments on Sunday’s Texas Sports Nation TV show, he said:
I don’t think it’s hard feelings so much that he left, or that he took the other job. Now the ‘gap year’ line, I think there are those in the organization that say ‘You took a gap weekend, you didn’t take a gap year.’
That line, that explanation sort of rings hollow now. But he was here for 14 years, 13 as the general manager. No one is surprised that he’s in the league. They didn’t think it would happen this quickly, but no one is surprised.
He was good to work with and good to work for, so I don’t think there’s hard feelings, but the immediate reaction was over that line.
Josh Harris, managing partner of the Sixers, said his team “moved quickly and aggressively” to bring Morey to Philadelphia upon news of his exit from Houston. “Talent like Daryl rarely becomes available,” Harris said at Monday’s press conference. “He has an extraordinary track record of success in this league as an innovator, visionary, and leader.”
Houston owner Tilman Fertitta had said on the day of Morey’s announced departure that he expected Morey to eventually end up with a team in the Eastern Conference. As a result, even if it’s a faster transition than expected, no one with the Rockets seems surprised by the outcome.
According to Feigen, Morey felt he needed to “start over.”
With Daryl it really was, in his own mind at least, ‘It’s not you, it’s me.’ He really felt like, ‘I need to start over.’ He’s been banging his head against the wall, trying to get the Rockets through those last steps. When you go all in, and you lose, you get up and leave the table. And that’s what Daryl did.
In Morey’s 13 years as GM, the Rockets ranked No. 2 in the entire NBA in total wins, and they have the league’s longest active streak of eight consecutive playoff berths. He was voted by his peers as the NBA’s Executive of the Year in 2018. While Houston never won an NBA title in Morey’s era, they were a clear success by nearly any other measure.
Morey will now look to Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and the Sixers for his championship breakthrough, while Rafael Stone — who was previously the No. 2 executive in Houston’s basketball operations department — is now the GM for James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and the Rockets.
[lawrence-related id=39646,39332]
Sixers managing partner Josh Harris announcing the hiring of Daryl Morey: "Talent like Daryl rarely becomes available so we moved quickly and aggressively to bring him here. He has an extraordinary track record of success in this league as an innovator, visionary and leader."
“I get it, and I understand it,” Fertitta said of Morey’s recent choice to leave the organization after 13 successful years as GM.
Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta said Tuesday that he understands and respects the decision by Daryl Morey to exit the organization after 14 years, including the last 13 as GM.
While the Rockets didn’t win an NBA title in that span, they were a clear success story by almost any measure. They ranked No. 2 in the league in overall wins, and they currently have the NBA’s longest streak at eight consecutive playoff berths. They never had a losing season.
As such, there’s clear mutual respect between the veteran GM and Houston’s relatively new owner. When asked by CNBC’s Power Lunch about Morey’s impending departure, here’s what Fertitta said:
Daryl came back from the bubble… It’s kind of funny, because I made a statement [about him staying] on CNBC. And then, the next day, they get back. … Daryl has always had an out in his contract. This was the year his last kid graduated from high school, where we could kind of do what he wanted to do. He always told me he wanted to go up East.
That’s why he’s had a guy like [new GM] Rafael Stone that’s been his right hand, that’s always worked with us. You know, I understand. Daryl has been here 15 years, and he always told me this, when I bought the team. He liked the opportunity to hopefully go back up East one day. That’s where he’s from, and he wants his children to experience that up there. I get it, and I understand it.
Tilman Fertitta on Daryl Morey's #Rockets departure:
"Daryl has always had an out in his contract. This was the year that his last kid graduated from high school. He always told me he wanted to go back East. … I get it, and I understand it."
Morey is staying on with the Rockets through Nov. 1 in a short-term advisory role, as the team wraps up its search for a new head coach. Fertitta again suggested that Morey could be a resource beyond that period, even if he eventually works for an Eastern Conference team.
“Daryl is still here helping us with our coaching search,” Fertitta said. “Usually in sports, when you’re gone, you’re gone. Daryl isn’t gone,”
“Daryl will always be there for me,” Houston’s owner concluded. “I appreciate everything Daryl has done for this franchise, and what he’s done for me as a new owner over the last three years.”
“It has been the most gratifying experience of my professional life to lead the Rockets basketball organization,” Morey said.
Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey and owner Tilman Fertitta each issued statements Thursday night regarding Morey’s departure from the organization after 14 seasons, including the last 13 as general manager.
Morey is staying in his post until November 1, which will allow him to finalize the ongoing search for a new head coach.
In his statement, Morey said:
After returning from Orlando [the NBA bubble] and reflecting on what has been an amazing 14 years with the Houston Rockets, and after discussing my thoughts with family and close friends, I’ve decided I’ll be stepping away from the Rockets organization, effective November 1.
Tilman [Fertitta] and I have had many conversations since I returned, and his unwavering support and counsel during our time together has been critical to our success. It has been the most gratifying experience of my professional life to lead the Rockets basketball organization, and I look forward to working with Tilman and the management team on the transition.
I am very confident that the future — for the Rockets, and for our incredible fans — is in great hands, and that the Rockets will continue to perform at the highest level.
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Morey isn’t ruling out an eventual NBA return, but he’s interested in exploring other professional opportunities. He also has two college-age children who are taking an academic gap year due to COVID-19, and he can now spend more time with them.
In thanking Morey, Fertitta said in his statement:
On behalf of the entire Rockets organization, I would like to thank Daryl Morey for his hard work and dedication over the past 14 seasons. Daryl is a brilliant innovator who helped the Rockets become a perennial contender. I have truly enjoyed working with Daryl and couldn’t have asked for a better general manager to have at the start of my ownership. I wish him and his family all the best.
Morey will be replaced as GM by Rafael Stone, who has served as the No. 2 executive in basketball operations since April 2019.
Rafael Stone becomes the 10th current Black executive to hold the GM title in the NBA, while Witus will serve as his top lieutenant.
With the sudden departure of Daryl Morey, the Houston Rockets will have a new general manager for the first time since early 2007.
Houston’s new GM is Rafael Stone, and he becomes just the 10th current Black executive to hold that title in the NBA. Most recently, Stone was executive vice president of basketball operations, effectively making him Morey’s top lieutenant with the Rockets last season.
Eli Witus. who was previously assistant GM, will be promoted into Stone’s prior role as the No. 2 man in basketball operations.
Here’s how longtime Houston Chronicle beat writer Jonathan Feigen describes the recent roles of Stone and Witus in the front office:
Stone, the team’s former general counsel, has become increasingly involved in the Rockets’ front office decision making for several years along with Witus and Monte McNair, who became general manager with the Sacramento Kings.
McNair served more as a liaison with the coaching staff, typically traveling with the team, with Stone and Witus working more closely with Morey and former Rockets executive Gersson Rosas, the president of basketball operations with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Stone joined the Rockets in 2005 as general counsel (which actually predates the hiring of Morey), and he increasingly took on larger roles within basketball operations over the years. Meanwhile, Witus joined the team three years later. He started as a statistical analyst in 2008, and has since led the Rockets’ analytics department and cap management since his promotion to vice president of basketball operations in 2013.
When Stone and Witus were promoted to their most recent positions in April 2019 (to help compensate for the loss of Gersson Rosas, who took the top basketball operations job in Minnesota), here’s what Morey said:
We are very fortunate to have Rafael and Eli. They work wonderfully together providing strategic insight and analysis. Collectively, they are on the cutting edge of basketball decision making and have been key to our ability to put the team in the place we are today. It is important to us organizationally to be flexible and creative as we find ways to add to our roster, and these two are at the forefront of that effort.
Whether it be acquiring Chris Paul two years ago or signing Clint Capela this summer, we are leaning on them to identify winning players and figure out the best method of fitting them into our team.
Prior to joining the Rockets and Toyota Center, Stone practiced in Dewey Ballantine LLP’s mergers and acquisitions and capital markets group. While working in that capacity with Dewey Ballantine, Stone represented acquirers, targets, investment banks, investors, and issuers in numerous acquisitions and financings.
A native of Seattle, Washington, Stone received a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Williams College in 1994 and graduated from Stanford Law School in 1997. He also played varsity basketball at Williams College for four years. Stone currently resides in Houston with his wife, Felicia, and their three children.
Stone will become the 10th current Black executive to hold the GM title in the NBA.
Considering the experience that Stone and Witus have with Morey over the years, the Rockets are not expected to see a major transition in their innovative, analytics-driven approach. Under Morey’s watch, the Rockets have the NBA’s longest streak of consecutive playoff berths.
Morey is staying on with the Rockets in a short-term advisory role as the front office completes its search for a new head coach. The decision to leave was entirely Morey’s call, as confirmed to Rockets Wire by a team source who was not authorized to speak publicly on the situation.
As expected, Houston owner Tilman Fertitta and CEO Tad Brown will remain in their usual places at the top of the organizational hierarchy.
