What will it take for Ballmer to admit that the GM/Coach Doc experiment has failed?

[nickhx2]

i absolutely don't mind moving on, i'm just pretty clueless as to who's out there we could go after. kinda sucks that the guys one might hope the most to get are beyond entrenched in their jobs. technically though you never really know who'll become available.

[Ranma]

I'm going to take this opportunity again to campaign for Warriors Assistant GM Travis Schlenk. He's been my top choice for Clippers GM since last season after I reviewed bios on Doc-replacement candidates. He's benefited from coming up in the game by being around the NBA's best. He puts an emphasis on finding fits within a team's system as well as character and talent. He's apparently done a lot of the prep work for the Warriors' drafts and Jerry West even endorses him.

With regards to a coach, I'd target Coach K as my primary pursuit. He may be a pie-in-the-sky proposition, but people said the same thing about Brad Stevens--my previous top coaching target--before the Celtics landed him. Not to mention, Mike Krzyzewski previously considered coaching the Lakers, so Ballmer would have to do a better job of selling him on taking on the new challenge of the NBA in making history by turning around the Clippers. I'd be comfortable in giving whomever Schlenk thinks would be a good fit as coach as he's a straight-shooter, which would be refreshing given the egomaniacal excuse-spouting from Doc. Heck, I'd even be fine with Doc as coach to finish out his contract as long as Schlenk gets total control of the basketball operations.

Schlenk has had extensive experience in practically all facets of basketball operations and obviously has had extended time with the Warriors as one of the most successful organizations in today's NBA. Frankly, he's more qualified than Neil Olshey was when he was given more influence in directing the Clippers and Olshey was the one who set the table of talent and assets for Doc to squander upon his arrival.

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Ever wonder what it’s like to be on the inside of a championship team? USA TODAY’s Sam Amick talks to Golden State Warriors assistant general manager Travis Schlenk. They discuss everything from how life is with the team on the road, what it’s like after wins and losses and how to keep building a team when you pick at the end of the draft. They also talk about what the team thought of Draymond Green when he was at Michigan State and what he thinks of how good Stephen Curry is now.

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[Ranma]

Travis Schlenk, 41, is in his 12th season with the Golden State Warriors, and his fifth as assistant general manager. In this role, Schlenk reports directly to General Manager Bob Myers and assists in the management of all day-to-day basketball operations, including all player-related matters.

With more than 16 years of experience in the NBA, Schlenk has held jobs at virtually every level of basketball operations, including positions in the video room, on the bench, scouting and in the front office.

Prior to being promoted to his current position, Schlenk spent the previous two seasons as the team’s director of player personnel. In that role he assisted in all player personnel matters, while also assisting with trade & free agent discussions, player contracts, salary cap analysis and adherence to Collective Bargaining Agreement rules and regulations.

NBA.com Profile: Travis Schlenk - Assistant General Manager


Jordan Ramirez, WarriorsWorld.net (9/1/15)

“He is one of those guys who flies under the radar,” executive board member and Hall of Fame player Jerry West said of Schlenk in 2013. “He’s not a self-promoter, as some people are in this league. I’ll certainly go to bat for him.”

Before hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy with Golden State, Schlenk worked with Chuck Daly as an intern with the Orlando Magic. Following Orlando, he signed on as a video coordinator with the Miami Heat working alongside the likes of Pat Riley, Stan Van Gundy and Erik Spoelstra.

“He’s arguably the hardest-working person in the organization,” general manager Bob Myers said. “He’s not afraid to travel. He’s up late. He’s on prop planes going to the middle of nowhere.”

Warriors Extend Assistant GM Travis Schlenk to Three-Year Contract Extension


Tim Kawakami, Mercury News (2/16/15)

“Travis–I would say there’s no gray with Travis. You ask him a question, he’ll give you an answer… Great conviction. Doesn’t talk around issues. Goes right directly at them.”

Schlenk and Kirk Lacob are the team’s two assistant GMs—Schlenk spends more time on the scouting side and Lacob on the administrative side.
...

“Travis, I think, should have a (GM) job,” West said.
In the Warriors’ mix, Schlenk and West often find themselves on the same, cautionary side of the debate.

“I’ve got the reputation I guess as a bit as the ‘no’ guy, the bad news guy,” Schlenk said. “I guess I’m not scared to be that person.

“I’m definitely the pessimist of the group. And Jerry, too. Jerry’s pessimistic as well. Jerry makes me look optimistic most of the time.
...

“He’s not afraid to rip into me,” Kirk Lacob said of Schlenk. “He’s the one person in the organization not afraid to say something to me.

“It’s not, ‘I’m going to treat you different because you’re the owner’s son,’ It’s ‘you’ve done something wrong somebody has to say something about it.’

“I always appreciated that coming from him but it’s also a really nice balance to have.”

Assistant GMs Kirk Lacob and Travis Schlenk Aren’t Shrinking Violets: The Warriors’ Front-Office Antagonist and the “No” Guy


Brian Chung, BayArea.SBnation.com (6/15/11)

As Matt Steinmetz reports, Schlenk already exists on the Warriors payroll as a scout, instrumental to "finding" d-league talent such as Anthony Tolliver, Kelenna Azubuike, and Reggie Williams. Dorell Wright is also another "baller on a budget" that Schlenk brought over to the Warriors.

Aside from his time with Montgomery, Schlenk has been around some of the NBA's best, such as Chuck Daly and Pat Riley. Jerry West gave his vote of approval of Schlenk's possibly career trajectory.

Warriors Promote Travis Schlenk to Assistant GM

[Ranma]

Paul Suellentrop, Wichita Eagle (4/27/13)

“He’s always married technology with the craft, a mixture of art and science,” said Mitch Germann, a former executive with the Sacramento Kings who met Schlenk at Wichita State. “Travis represents that new breed of NBA executive in basketball operations, using big data to make decisions.”
...

Every guy we draft or bring in, we give a personality test,” Schlenk said. “When a team gets along and there’s camaraderie, you see it on the floor.”

The 2012 draft yielded scorer Harrison Barnes, center Festus Ezeli and defender Draymond Green.

“We lean on him heavily as to what he thinks of a player, how much the player will improve,” Myers said. “Usually, he’s the one on the staff that’s seen the player the most.”

Homegrown Travis Schlenk Finds His Way Around the NBA


Matt Steinmetz, MatthewSteinmetz.com (2/8/15)

Said Schlenk: “We’ve been good for the past couple years. Maybe not championship quality but we’ve been playoff caliber. I tell (general manager) Bob (Myers) all the time ‘Our job now is not to screw it up.’ When you’re sitting with the record we have, and the year we’ve had, you’d like to tinker but you don’t want to mess it up. Chemistry is such a big thing, and our group of guys has such great chemistry. We’d hate to do a move just to do a move and have it mess up our chemistry.

“I don’t know we’ll do anything. We’re certainly active … But at the same time, we’ve got to be cautious as well.”

*** Though former GM Larry Riley was sometimes ridiculed for it, Schlenk said the common thread throughout all of the team’s transactions and trades has been “high character:”

“Obviously, everyone is looking for talent. But as an organization we focus on character. We try to bring in high-character guys. The first draft I was involved in was the Steph Curry draft (“I can’t take credit for that”). But when you look at the guys we’ve drafted have been high-character guys. Even if they haven’t panned out on the court of us.”

*** On essentially being a team playing small ball:

“You want to be versatile. To be really successful, look at the Spurs. They can play big with Duncan and Splitter or they can play a small lineup by putting Boris Diaw at the four. Having the ability to play both styles is what you’re aiming for.”

Warriors’ Schlenk Indicates Team Unlikely to Make a Move


Matt Steinmetz, MatthewSteinmetz.com (3/5/16)

–Back in 2012, the Warriors drafted Barnes, Festus Ezeli and Green. What do you remember about the discussions surrounding Green, who was a second-round pick but obviously has blossomed into a star player?

Schlenk: “I’ve actually gone back and looked at my notes over the past few weeks on him to see, because I was curious. Going back and looking, I watched him since he was a sophomore there. So three years in a row. You noticed his ability to rebound the ball. Every single one of my notes from those games say: great hands, great nose for the ball, good passer.

“The one question mark on him: Would he be able to shoot the ball from distance? And you think back from when he came into the league until now, he’s really put in a lot of time working on his shooting. That’s made him a threat from the 3-point line, which has been a huge factor for us. When you’re looking at him, you’ve got basketball IQ, ability to pass, you’ve got ability to rebound. And his improvement on his shooting has made a world of difference.

“The one thing that really stands out to me, he was a pudgy guy at Michigan State. And he put a ton of work in on his body and he’s lost weight which has helped him a lot. He used to have some knee and back issues in college. He doesn’t have those issues anymore because he’s dropped the weight. He’s done a lot of things that people may not be aware of to turn himself into the player he is.”

“In my opinion, when you start making mistakes in free agency those contracts can really hinder your team. If you make a mistake in the draft you’re talking about a two-year commitment and a fairly nominal deal, a few million dollars. But if you go out and give a guy a four-year and now we’re talking $100 million contract, those can be disastrous mistakes.

“So I really put a lot of stock in getting free agency right because … the college draft is a gamble. You’re trying to project sometimes what 19-year-old and 20-year-old kids are going to be in three or four years. You should be able to know what NBA guys do because they’re playing against NBA players. I spend a lot of time on that, and I think it’s very important.”

Warriors Assistant GM Travis Schlenk: On What Team Looks for in a Player, What They Saw in Draymond Green, Why Anderson Varejao Fits in, Etc.

[Captain Ballmer]

It those post above doesn't deserve and1's, i don't know what does. I'm all on board. Give me some Schlenk

[Ranma]

Read on Twitter

[mattd13]

I use to be a doc fan but when he brought in lance and josh I knew trouble was coming. the one thing that sticks out about the warrior guy is his belief in character, which is vital to team chemistry. it is unfortunate but I believe doc has to go. he is in over his head as a gm. the only player he has got that has made a difference is jj and I give him credit for that. I am an old guy but I believe the clips need to find a young coach like brad stevens and look to the long term. I love coach k but he is a short term. this team needs stability at gm and coach.

[Wammy Giveaway]

We all know Doc Rivers is allergic to rebuilds. When the Celtics traded Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, Doc immediately fled.

The Clippers are in the same situation, under an ultimatum of a season where failure to reach the conference finals could cost them everything: Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and J.J. Redick. If they lose in the 2nd round, worse, lose to the Warriors in that 2nd round, Doc will want out.

But, Orlando is undergoing a rebuild. Their roster isn't championship material, still reeling from Dwight Howard's departure to the Lakers. They might not make the playoffs for quite some time. But Doc won't care for one reason only: his family lives there.

If Doc leaves a contender for a rebuilding project, it will expose Doc's hypocrisy. If the team regresses from championship contention to lottery status, he'll flee. In Orlando, he won't have to care if the Magic are champions or lottery bound, as long as he is close to his family. Why?

Doc Rivers only cares about the sure thing.

[nickhx2]

his kids are all grown adults with careers so i'm pretty sure his family doesn't necessarily all reside in orlando

[QRich3]

Schlenk is an option to consider for sure. I personally am partial to Mike Zarren from the Celtics, who reportedly turned down the 76ers and Nets (EDIT-Pistons not Nets) jobs after all but being offered the GM position. One has to think that coming to LA under Ballmer with this roster has to appeal him at least a little.

And Hinkie's no compete clause is over this season btw.

It's still a long shot, I don't see Ballmer restructuring the front office this summer unless something drastic happens. And drastic means something bigger than losing in the 2nd round again, probably.

I am an old guy but I believe the clips need to find a young coach like brad stevens and look to the long term. I love coach k but he is a short term.

Problem with that thinking Matt, is that there's no young coach like Brad Stevens. This team also needs a young superstar like rookie Lebron, but there's no such player available either. If you go with a young coach, it's a lot more likely you end up with someone like Hoiberg or Brian Shaw than the next Stevens. And poaching Coach K from Duke is equally unrealistic. If you set that kind of unrealistic expectations, that's how you end up like half of this forum screaming for Doc's blood, instead of trying to rationalize what has gone wrong and why, and you're just setting yourself for another disappointment with the next guy, be it Schlenk or whoever.

[Wammy Giveaway]

And drastic means something bigger than losing in the 2nd round again, probably.

It could mean either injuries to the major players like last year, a collapse similar to the 3-1 one to Rockets, or the grand ejection from Chris Paul I outlined earlier that he has demonstrated in Game 6 vs. Grizzlies in 2013 NBA Playoffs. Any of these three things could trigger a nuclear overhaul.

[nickhx2]

i'd be mildly curious as to what hinkie's plans would be with an established team. one skill i think he'd bring is being able to properly accumulate and manage assets, something this team hasn't really done with doc.

[TucsonClip]

I agree that Zarren would be a good hire. Im not letting Frank stay on as GM, you have to clean house and hire a proven GM.

I wish we could go back in time to before we traded for Doc and hire my combo of Dennis Lindsey and Mike Budenholzer. Those two have done quite well for themselves since...

[QRich3]

I've thought about that what if scenario several times, and in the end I always come back to the same thing, if you do anything different that summer who knows what happens when the Sterling situation comes. The Chris Paul wanting a black coach because he didn't trust DTS was a real thing, if things develop differently and DTS is still here, we are in a worse situation no matter who's in the front office. So all in all, I'll take Sterling being gone over everything else. Just think how impossible it seemed to get rid of him 5 years ago.

[Ranma]

I wish we could go back in time to before we traded for Doc and hire my combo of Dennis Lindsey and Mike Budenholzer. Those two have done quite well for themselves since...

I've advocated for that combination as well given that they were prominent alumni from the Spurs organization, which was full of premium executive talent at the time. However, since they both came from a topnotch NBA organization, it would have been doubtful that they would accept a position with the Clippers with Sterling still as owner. It was also doubtful that Sterling would have paid the amount of money to convince them otherwise since they were not big name coaches in his eyes. Plus, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were not clamoring for either of them like they possibly were for Doc at the time during Del Negro's tenure.

Still, that would have been the smart thing to do at the time much as I feel with Schlenk's experience with the Warriors. Now that we don't have Sterling to serve as an albatross, we can actually make legitimate pitches to that type of executive talent as well as dream coaching candidates similar to Brad Stevens.

[MartinToVaught]

I've thought about that what if scenario several times, and in the end I always come back to the same thing, if you do anything different that summer who knows what happens when the Sterling situation comes. The Chris Paul wanting a black coach because he didn't trust DTS was a real thing, if things develop differently and DTS is still here, we are in a worse situation no matter who's in the front office. So all in all, I'll take Sterling being gone over everything else. Just think how impossible it seemed to get rid of him 5 years ago.

I highly doubt the DTS saga would have gone any differently with Budenholzer and Lindsey in charge instead of Doc. Doc had nothing to do with DTS spewing out racist drivel as usual, Stiviano recording it, Silver actually taking action instead of ignoring it like Stern always did, or Shelly taking control of the family trust and selling the team. Our saving grace wasn't a coaching change - it was Stern finally retiring. He was always Sterling's biggest enabler.

Doc did, however, use the situation as an excuse to grab for more power and less accountability for himself. And that wouldn't have happened with a traditional GM/coach tandem in place.

[wco81]

This article is known for the claim that CP is closer to Doc than any other Clippers player.

But it also says that Ballmer is getting recommendations on the coach/GM structure:

Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen, Ballmer's close friend, told him from the outset it was unwise to give the same man control as both president and head coach.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2699554-after-all-their-progress-the-clippers-are-a-franchise-at-a-dangerous-crossroads

[Quake Griffin]

https://www.facebook.com/am570lasports/videos/1352151848156759/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED

[Ranma]

https://www.facebook.com/am570lasports/videos/1352151848156759/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED

The link to the Facebook video hasn't worked for a couple of days. Can you give us the gist of what it covered, Quake?

[QRich3]

The yearly Kevin Arnovitz's article about possible future coaching prospects is up, and it's very good as usual:

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/page/presents18986226/five-nba-coaching-prospects-watch

It points to 5 guys to watch this year:

Ettore Messina, San Antonio Spurs assistant coach
[...]
Jerry Stackhouse, Raptors 905 head coach (D-League)
[...]
Darvin Ham, Atlanta Hawks assistant coach
[...]
Brent Barry, Turner Sports analyst
[...]
Chris Fleming, Brooklyn Nets assistant coach

As well as some of the usual candidates he's already covered in previous years: Alex Jensen, Nate Tibbetts, Tony Bennett, Stephen Silas, etc.

Personally, from the new guys, although I'm intrigued by Barry and Stackhouse, I don't think anyone but Messina can coach this team unless they blow it up completely. In which case, I'd rather go with a more established prospect like Jensen or Tibbets.