Speaking of Pete Philo, this is a good interview from the summer:
http://www.eurohoops.net/2012/06/one-on-one/5936A couple Wolves-related parts:
What about the Minnesota Timberwolves? How do you manage all of this?
“Minnesota is my first job. I spend 90% of my day working for the Timberwolves. I am lucky to have a great boss in David Kahn who understands the importance of the China opportunity and all that it also does for us in Minnesota. The experience and information are very valuable. I am only gone for small periods of time throughout the summer. I don’t miss many Timberwolves responsibilities at all. In fact, I will leave Team China on Friday to go to scout the eurocamp, then to Minnesota to help prepare our draft room. After that I will go to Venezuela to scout the Olympic qualifying tournament in which the third place team will be placed in our group in London. After that tournament I will go back to China and join the team for the final phase of preparation. After London Olympics I will have a little time off then get prepared for training camp with the Wolves. It’s actually a great balance” .
The Timberwolves were the surprise team in the NBA this year until injuries hit the team. What are your thoughts about the future of the team?
“Our team is a young and exciting team. Unfortunately we did get hit with some injuries this past season which is obviously out of our control. We also hired a new coaching staff prior to last season. We have something to be excited about in Minnesota. We feel confident that the players who were injured will come back strong and ready for a new season. I’m not a fan of predictions or expectations but we are definitely heading in the right direction…”
and this:
I have heard your name come up a few times as a future GM in the NBA, is this your goal or desire?
“I am not a chaser of job opportunities. I like where I am within the Minnesota organization. David Kahn often asks for my input and information. I feel like a very big part of the organization and we are all in a good place. I am about quality of life. I live in Charlotte NC, a great area to scout in/from, I also have a direct flight to Europe. I feel like I can maximize the scouting experience in my current situation. I am very fortunate to have done what I’ve done thus far in basketball. Eurocamp for nine years, World Championships, Olympics, etc. If being a GM is in the cards one day then it will happen. If it doesn’t, I will be very happy with my career”.
Sounds like he has a good working relationship with Kahn. I wonder if he could be promoted to assistant GM or VP of Basketball and be the talent guy to Kahn's money guy.
