Vlade adds GM to his VP of Basketball Operations title

[Double-K]

SACRAMENTO, CA ---- The Sacramento Kings today announced that Vlade Divac will serve as the Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager moving forward. Hired in March as the V.P. of Basketball and Franchise Operations, his expanded role in the Kings front office emphasizes a commitment to improving the organization on the court and comes in conjunction with Mike Bratz being named Assistant General Manager, Roland Beech as Vice President of Basketball Strategy and Data Science and Peja Stojakovic as Director of Player Personnel and Development.

Entering his third season in the Kings front office, Bratz brings nearly 40 years of basketball experience as a player, coach, scout and front office executive to bear in his position, which includes scouting collegiate, professional and international talent and maintaining player databases, in addition to helping Divac oversee all aspects of the day-to-day operation of the Kings basketball operations department. His Kings lineage connects him to Sacramento as both a player and coach, suiting up for the team during its inaugural 1985-86 campaign in the River City and also as an assistant for seven seasons from 1991-1998.

Beech joins the Kings as Vice President of Basketball Strategy and Data Science after spending the previous decade in a variety of positions with Dallas, most recently serving as the Mavericks Vice President of Basketball Operations. His experience includes time on the bench as an assistant coach during Dallas’ championship season in 2011. A vanguard of the analytics movement since founding 82games.com—a well-respected resource providing innovative, data-driven basketball analysis, Beech has accrued distinctive experiences working on the cutting edge of statistical evaluation as a consultant, coach and front office executive.

Stojakovic rejoins the organization after one of the most successful playing careers in Sacramento Kings annals. In his new role as Director of Player Personnel and Development, he will be responsible for keeping abreast of domestic and international talent pools available to the Kings as well as assisting Divac and Bratz with the team’s scouting efforts. Additionally, Stojakovic will serve as general manager for the Reno Bighorns, Sacramento’s D-League affiliate. Selected 14th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft, the Serbian-born sharpshooter helped form a nucleus that would go on to participate in the postseason in each of his seven seasons in a Kings uniform.

“We’re fortunate as an organization to enter this season with three professionals of this caliber,” said Divac. “Having such individuals as integral members of our basketball operations team offers more than a unique set of basketball philosophies, experiences and instincts, but also a depth of character commonly associated with winning cultures. With Mike, Roland and Peja on board, I’m more confident than ever in the future success of the Sacramento Kings.”

http://www.nba.com/kings/new/kings-announce-basketball-operations-update

 

[Double-K]

In conjunction with Mike Bratz being named Assistant General Manager, Roland Beech as Vice President of Basketball Strategy and Data Science and Peja Stojakovic as Director of Player Personnel and Development.

 

[PurpleHaze]

Forward and onward! Go Kings!

 

[Pacboy]

Wasn't Geof Petrie also VP of basketball operation and GM? If so, Vlade is taking a page out of the Petrie book which is fine by me.

 

[VF21]

“We’re fortunate as an organization to enter this season with three professionals of this caliber,” said Divac. “Having such individuals as integral members of our basketball operations team offers more than a unique set of basketball philosophies, experiences and instincts, but also a depth of character commonly associated with winning cultures. With Mike, Roland and Peja on board, I’m more confident than ever in the future success of the Sacramento Kings.”

There it is.

 

[gunks]

Not surprised.

Mr. Divac has done a bang up job GMing thus far, no reason to replace himself!

 

[VF21]

Not surprised.

Mr. Divac has done a bang up job GMing thus far, no reason to replace himself!

I can imagine Vlade debating about whom he should select right until the moment he saw the perfect guy ... looking back at him from the mirror.

 

[funkykingston]

I can imagine Vlade debating about whom he should select right until the moment he saw the perfect guy ... looking back at him from the mirror.

My biggest fear was that Vlade would be a poor GM and taint my fond memories of him as a player. It's already clear that those fears were unfounded.

Go Kings.

 

[Chupacabra]

I imagine Vlade sitting in a board room by himself, pretending to go around the room and take a vote on who the GM should be. It was a unanymous vote.

 

[Chupacabra]

 

[The Hammer]

Thank God.

Just didn't want to bring on someone else who he might have to share power with. Go Vlad. We got you man.

 

[King Baller]

In Vlade we trust

 

[upinsmoke]

We got your back Vlade lets go get a damn ring.

 

[miltonap]

The Vladfather strikes again

 

[gunks]

Thank God.

Just didn't want to bring on someone else who he might have to share power with. Go Vlad. We got you man.

Contrariwise, my good man, I daresay that it is Vlade who got us! As beloved as he was as a player, we may love him even more as a GM!

Guy dumped dead weight and addressed roster needs all in one off-season! Can't remember the last time our roster had so much cognizant turn over! PDA moved a lot of contracts, but all he really did was switch out mismatched parts for other mismatched parts! Vlade brought in vets and defense. We still need shooting, but Vladefather did a lot with the sloppy roster he inherited.

Bonus points for keeping the core (Cuz/Rudy/DC) together.

The dude knows how to build a team.

 

[VF21]

Contrariwise, my good man, I daresay that it is Vlade who got us! As beloved as he was as a player, we may love him even more as a GM!

Guy dumped dead weight and addressed roster needs all in one off-season! Can't remember the last time our roster had so much cognizant turn over! PDA moved a lot of contracts, but all he really did was switch out mismatched parts for other mismatched parts! Vlade brought in vets and defense. We still need shooting, but Vladefather did a lot with the sloppy roster he inherited.

Bonus points for keeping the core (Cuz/Rudy/DC) together.

The dude knows how to build a team.

I don't think we have to choose one reason to revere my august namesake.

 

[bajaden]

Wasn't Geof Petrie also VP of basketball operation and GM? If so, Vlade is taking a page out of the Petrie book which is fine by me.

Yes! Petrie held both positions, essentially making him the man. At this point, Vlade answers to no one but Vivek. Well done sir.....

 

[VladFather]

Well deserved, to say he has gone above and beyond Kings fans expectations of him so far is an understatement. Let's go Kings!!!

 

[VF21]

Well deserved, to say he has gone above and beyond Kings fans expectations of him so far is an understatement. Let's go Kings!!!

People keep saying this like no one thought Vlade was capable of doing anything more than the bare minimum. Not everyone felt that way.

 

[The Hammer]

People keep saying this like no one thought Vlade was capable of doing anything more than the bare minimum. Not everyone felt that way.

Correct.

And for the record, I always thought it was ludicrous to assume Vlade was going to have any kind of learning curve or limited GM ability. The guy is a CLASSIC gm figure. Magnetizing personality, commands trust and respect from players, understands basketball from a team perspective... with all due respect you'd have to be either not paying attention, ill-informed, plain dumb, or working an agenda to think he wasn't going to be at least very good at this.

All that said, he HAS indeed exceeded even my wildest expectations. It remains to be seen, but this could prove to be the best offseason in franchise history. It's already easily the second best.

I never even thought of the salary clearing move, let alone signing so many high quality FA's. I thought: please draft WCS, and the sign Rondo, and get one or two other vet defensive/shooting presences. I would have been ecstatic with that. Instead, I'm doing everything I can to get my wealthy friends to bet significant money on the Kings this season, with the expectation that some life altering winnings are easily withing reach and even quite likely.

 

[VladFather]

People keep saying this like no one thought Vlade was capable of doing anything more than the bare minimum. Not everyone felt that way.

Actually I had high expectations for Vlade. Heck, I created my account, named after him when he was signed as VP, before any of his moves! However, he inherited such a mess, I don't see how anyone could have expected such a turnaround, especially after many of Vlade's supposed free agent targets kept rejecting the Kings and it looked like Cousins might be on his way out. Many Kings fans on this site were becoming apathetic about the team. Now two months later and to have this turn around has been nothing short of remarkable. So, yes, I think he's exceeded my already high expectations of him, and I don't think that's a slight on what I expected from him as GM at all!

 

[VF21]

Actually I had high expectations for Vlade. Heck, I created my account, named after him when he was signed as VP, before any of his moves! However, he inherited such a mess, I don't see how anyone could have expected such a turnaround, especially after many of Vlade's supposed free agent targets kept rejecting the Kings and it looked like Cousins might be on his way out. Many Kings fans on this site were becoming apathetic about the team. Now two months later and to have this turn around has been nothing short of remarkable. So, yes, I think he's exceeded my already high expectations of him, and I don't think that's a slight on what I expected from him as GM at all!

You created your account when he was signed as VP? How cute.

I created my account (Vladefan21) when I first joined the now defunct Kingstalk.com back in 2000. I have followed Vlade's career from the very beginning, and continued to watch him after he left the NBA. When I heard that Vlade was going to be involved with us once again I knew things were about to get very interesting and a whole lot better - and that was before any of us had an inkling that he would be stepping into the upper echelon.

Yes, he's exceeding a lot of people's expectations. I'm just saying I - for one - have always had the utmost faith in his ability to succeed at whatever he touches. When he agreed to join Vivek's team, it reinforced my optimism. I will be honest in that not even I, the biggest Vlade fan around, could have imagined just how much he's been able to accomplish - but I did firmly believe he would do great things.

GO KINGS!

 

[IfAt1st]

I like all of this except the on-the-surface blatant-nepotism of bringing in Peja in a Director position.
As great of player as he was, he simply is not qualified to be in that position, and anyone who says otherwise is lying.

Now that does not mean he can't do a good job - after all, there have been rookies with no experience who were born for their role and succeeded - but noone can say that Peja has any experience to warrant coming into the organization in this capacity.

 

[kingsboi]

so VP and GM? That's a lot of burden on mister Vlade's shoulders....let's hope he can handle it.

 

[Kingsgurl]

I like all of this except the on-the-surface blatant-nepotism of bringing in Peja in a Director position.
As great of player as he was, he simply is not qualified to be in that position, and anyone who says otherwise is lying.

Now that does not mean he can't do a good job - after all, there have been rookies with no experience who were born for their role and succeeded - but noone can say that Peja has any experience to warrant coming into the organization in this capacity.

I think Peja is perfectly capable of scouting talent and working with young players on their game, which is basically what his job is. I think his worth as a long time TRUSTED friend of Vlade is actually a great benefit at this time. It is crucial to this organization, following on the heels of the complete and utter dysfunctional, back-stabbing, ego driven, cess pool Vlade was hired to clean up, that there be trust, similar mind sets and goals. We are on an accelerated time line here, and there is no time to waste on worrying about snakes in the grass or rats in the wood pile anymore. We can 100% trust Peja, the same way we can 100% trust Vlade. No one could say that Vlade had any experience to warrant him coming into the organization in his capacity either.

 

[The Hammer]

so VP and GM? That's a lot of burden on mister Vlade's shoulders....let's hope he can handle it.

Oh stop.

Titles schmitles. All it basically means is that there's nobody else around who thinks they're also a boss. All a front office is is a collection of people, with a power structure somehow arranged. This just cleans up our power structure: it's all Vlade. Best possible arrangement if you ask me.

 

[kingsboi]

for a GM....Vlade sure is involved in a lot of photos with the players. Can't say I've seen that elsewhere in the league.

 

[Tetsujin]

for a GM....Vlade sure is involved in a lot of photos with the players. Can't say I've seen that elsewhere in the league.

To be fair, few GMs are an international sports icon in the way that Vlade is. It's not unlike John Elway with the Denver Broncos. A legend's in charge damn it and the team is going to remind you of it at every given juncture.

 

[VF21]

I like all of this except the on-the-surface blatant-nepotism of bringing in Peja in a Director position.
As great of player as he was, he simply is not qualified to be in that position, and anyone who says otherwise is lying.

Now that does not mean he can't do a good job - after all, there have been rookies with no experience who were born for their role and succeeded - but noone can say that Peja has any experience to warrant coming into the organization in this capacity.

I'm calling you on this. What are the qualifications to be "Director of Player Personnel"? How do you know what he is being expected to do?

 

[bajaden]

You created your account when he was signed as VP? How cute.

I created my account (Vladefan21) when I first joined the now defunct Kingstalk.com back in 2000. I have followed Vlade's career from the very beginning, and continued to watch him after he left the NBA. When I heard that Vlade was going to be involved with us once again I knew things were about to get very interesting and a whole lot better - and that was before any of us had an inkling that he would be stepping into the upper echelon.

Yes, he's exceeding a lot of people's expectations. I'm just saying I - for one - have always had the utmost faith in his ability to succeed at whatever he touches. When he agreed to join Vivek's team, it reinforced my optimism. I will be honest in that not even I, the biggest Vlade fan around, could have imagined just how much he's been able to accomplish - but I did firmly believe he would do great things.

GO KINGS!

I suspect that there are some that didn't know what the VF stood for. But yeah, your living proof of early perception of Vlade's abilities. Not to belittle what it takes to be a good GM, but, I do think that some people overestimate what's not important. I don't think knowing how to work the in's and out's of the salary cap is important. All you have to do is hire someone with that ability. Being in charge is for the most part about delegation. No GM can scout every college player, nor scout opposing teams. You hire people to do that for you. A good GM has to have a vision for the future, and the ability to receive and process information.

Personally, I think the best experience a GM can have, is experience from having played in the league. Who knows better what goes on in a locker room? A player like Vlade, who has great social skills, and who was a very crafty player, was a perfect candidate for the GM job. Does anyone really think that the national media was going to affect him? This is a man who preformed his duties on the court while he spent all his time off the court on the phone or watching television to find out if his family was still safe during the war in his homeland. He may look and act like a big Teddy Bear, but never lose sight of the fact that he's still a bear.

Vlade has been through the ringer several times, and always comes out standing, and smiling. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to be a GM. Mostly you need the ability to hire good people that you trust, and then let them do their job. Obviously you have to make good decisions about personnel. What's possible and what's not. Mostly you have to go to the beat of your own drummer. It's appears that's what Vlade is doing. He knows what he wants. Prior to his arrival, I had the feeling that we were just throwing darts against the wall and seeing what the results were. That isn't a plan. That's a hope and a prayer that you accidentally stumble on the right combination. Vlade is everything I expected him to be.....