Tag: Scott Perry

Rumor: Sam Presti could ‘be allowed to leave’ for Knicks

Presti’s name has been mentioned in conjunction with the New York Knicks front office. He’s has been the GM of the Thunder since 2007.

Chris Paul, Steven Adams, and Danilo Gallinari might not be the only members of the Oklahoma City Thunder organization that are rumored to be available.

Executive Vice President and General Manager, Sam Presti, could be as well.

Although clearly not a trade, Presti’s name has been mentioned previously in conjunction with the front office of the New York Knicks, and now, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Presti’s relationship with Thunder owner Clay Bennett is such that Bennett would be “unlikely to block Presti” if he wanted to move on from Oklahoma City.

Bondy hinted at the Knicks’ interested in Presti back in November, and said that should James Dolan move to fire then head coach David Fizdale that “president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry would then find themselves in the crosshairs”.

Fizdale was fired on December 12.

According to Sports Illustrated, both Bondy and Ian Bagley of SNY have stated that Dolan’s first choice for the front office would be Raptors General Manager, Masai Ujiri, however, if Ujiri can’t be lured away from Toronto, Presti could be their next target.

Presti has been the general manager of the Thunder since 2007.

The New York Knicks have issued the …

The New York Knicks have issued the following statement: “The New York Knicks organization would like to thank David Fizdale for his leadership and professionalism over the past two seasons. He represented the organization with nothing but class. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors. ” Statement from David Fizdale: “Coaching the New York Knicks has been a great honor and I appreciate Steve Mills, Scott Perry and Jim Dolan for providing me with this opportunity. There are lessons we take with us from every life experience and I am especially grateful for the lessons I have learned from the extraordinary group of people within the MSG family – from the players, coaches, development staff, and trainers to the arena crew, concession workers and ushers – who have all treated me and my family so well during our time with the team.”

If Fizdale is fired in-season, he’ll …

If Fizdale is fired in-season, he’ll have two years left on his contract, according to reports. It’s unclear if those two years are fully guaranteed. Mills and Perry also have years remaining on their deals. Mills, per sources, has a double option on one of the remaining years of his deal. So Dolan would pay them money not to work if he decides to fire them.

If Mills fires Fizdale, the next …

If Mills fires Fizdale, the next question is if he and Perry will keep their jobs beyond this season. In a conversation with Mills and other front office members after the Mills/Perry press conference, Dolan gave off the impression that Mills and Perry would be safe if the team showed progress, as SNY reported. Just how Dolan defines progress is unclear. But if Fizdale is fired, it seems as if the Knicks would have to play much better under the interim coach for Mills and Perry to keep their jobs and have a chance to hire another coach in the offseason.

Dolan had a conversation with Mills and …

Dolan had a conversation with Mills and other members of the front office the day after the press conference. Per SNY sources, Mills and management came away with the impression that they would be safe if New York showed progress. The Knicks are 2-2 since Mills and Perry addressed the media, presumably at the direction of Dolan, who was understandably unhappy with the club’s rough start.

Kiki Vandeweghe interested in Knicks president job?

Regarding the front office, Mills and GM Scott Perry are likely to last the rest of the season, according to sources. That could change if James Dolan gets cranky, but, regardless, the front office is far from safe in the offseason. Names are already being floated across the league of executives who might replace Mills. They include: Masai Ujiri, Sam Presti, Kiki Vandeweghe (who is interested in the job, according to a source), Daryl Morey (who probably won’t last in Houston following the China controversy), Trajan Langdon and Sam Hinkie.

NBA Rumors: Sam Presti a candidate in potential Knicks front office overhaul?

Could Sam Presti be a potential candidate for the Knicks if James Dolan decide to make changes in New York’s front office?

Rumors about trades and deals have been swirling around the Oklahoma City Thunder for months, ever since General Manager Sam Presti negotiated deals to send away OKC’s top two stars in Paul George and Russell Westbrook.

It seems no one has been immune to gossip. As it turns out, neither is Presti.

There’s a lot to unpack, but first, as difficult as a rebuild in Oklahoma City could be, at least the Thunder aren’t the New York Knicks.

The saga of James Dolan and David Fizdale continued this week, thanks in part to the Knicks’ 120-102 blowout loss to Chicago. Although they recovered nicely with a win over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, Fizdale is still considered to be on the hot seat, especially following the team’s previous loss to the Bulls—one in which rookie Coby White outscored the entire Knicks team by himself in the fourth quarter of the contest.

Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News believes that if Dolan moves to fire Fizdale during the regular season, it could also jeopardize the status of those in the front office. Should a scenario unfold where team president Steve Mills or GM Scott Perry be out of a job, one of the names reportedly being tossed around is Presti.

“There is already speculation around the league about potential front office replacements, with two names surfacing most often: Toronto president Masai Ujiri and Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti. Presti (meanwhile) sprouted from the Spurs tree and has served as the Thunder’s GM since 2007. He drafted Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden but has been hamstrung by running a team in one the league’s smallest markets. After 12 years in OKC, it’s easy to envision him being tempted by New York.”

Right now, that’s certainly a lot of speculation. Fizdale, Mills, and Perry are all still employed and other names as potential candidates would likely come up should there be an opening in New York.

But it wouldn’t be completely unreasonable for the Knicks to make a run at Presti, should the opportunity present itself.

David Fizdale done in New York?

One step: Mills and general manager Scott Perry addressing the media after Sunday’s loss to the Cavaliers while Fizdale was still in the locker room. Mills and Perry stressed that the team wasn’t meeting expectations, seemingly a veiled shot at the coach. Adrian Wojnarowski on ESPN: The dismissal of David Fizdale is inevitable, and there was, I think, a bond broken between management and their head coach with how they handled things after that loss Sunday night.