Front office, coaches, player development, etc.

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#3
Is there an up to date list of front office personnel, coaches, training staff, analytics, etc.?

Basketbal lnsiders seems to have a lot, but it still shows Mike Bratz and Pete Youngman.
I'll start with Pete Youngman, who is no longer the Kings head athletic trainer. He's still with the Kings but now as a senior advisor. His replacement is Joe Resendez and the new assistant athletic trainer is Joel Noland.

Obviously Luke Walton is the head coach. His lead assistant is Igor Kokoskov, who recently was the head coach of the Sun's. His other assistant's are Bob Beyer, Jesse Mermuys, Roy Rana, and Bobby Jackson as a developmental coach. They recently added Lindsey Harding as the only female assistant. Jonah Herscu is the advance scout and Vince Scott is the video coordinator who doubles as a developmental coach.

In the developmental dept, they recently added Stacey Augmon and the renown Rico Hines, a developmental coach guru that many players around the NBA have worked with and who is held in very high regard. Hope that helps. I haven't included all those involved in the scouting dept.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#5
Yes, that helps, was hoping to get the FO and scouting/analytics staff as well
Well there are over a hundred people working on the executive side of the organization, so I'm not going to list the bean counters and the coffee makers. But I'll give you as many as I can of the players who count.

GM and President of operations: Vlade Divac
Assistant GM: Ken Catanella
Assistant GM: Mike Bratz
Assistant GM and Director of Player Personnel: Peja Stojakovic
Special Advisor to the GM: Joe Dumars
Vice President of Basketball Strategy and Analytics: Luke Bornn
Director of Basketball Operations: Anthony McClish
Director of Amateur Scouting: Gene Cross
Director of Professional Scouting: Adam Filippi
Regional Scout: Chris Alpert
Regional Scout: Acie Law
Regional Scout: Gregory Stratton
International Scout: Peja Drobnjak
International Scout: Zarko Paspaji
Advance Scout: Dan Hartfield
Scouting Coordinator: Robbie Lemons
Basketball Analyst: Christ Pickard
Basketball Analyst: Mathew Van Bommel
Basketball Analyst: Colin Montague

There are at least 75 to 100 more people involved in the organization from accountants, video Coordinators etc. to equipment managers. I left one person off because I'm not sure he's still with the organization, but he may be. He was listed as Vice President of basketball strategy. His name is Roland Beech.

Hope that helps. Most people are amazed at how many people are involved in an NBA organization. It takes a lot of people and money to keep everything ticking.
 
#6
That is perfect, exactly what I was looking for. For years it was alluded to that the Kings FO was thin, I have not heard the same thing recently, it definitely doesn't look think to me.

Is Bratz still there? I thought he was gone.


Where did you pull that info from, I looked all over for it.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#7
That is perfect, exactly what I was looking for. For years it was alluded to that the Kings FO was thin, I have not heard the same thing recently, it definitely doesn't look think to me.

Is Bratz still there? I thought he was gone.


Where did you pull that info from, I looked all over for it.
Well, I did a google search which led me to many different sites. I also went to the Kings website, Real GM, Wickipedia, Basketball Insiders, Yahoo Sports, The Athletic, and the Scout. Like you, I thought that Mike Bratz was gone, but every single site I went to showed him still with the team. So take that for what it's worth. If Mike is still with the team, the only person who is still with the Kings longer is Jerry Reynolds.
 
#8
Well, I did a google search which led me to many different sites. I also went to the Kings website, Real GM, Wickipedia, Basketball Insiders, Yahoo Sports, The Athletic, and the Scout. Like you, I thought that Mike Bratz was gone, but every single site I went to showed him still with the team. So take that for what it's worth. If Mike is still with the team, the only person who is still with the Kings longer is Jerry Reynolds.
I think he is gone as of last year.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sa...ays-with-fire-mike-bratz-director-of-scouting
 
#9
Well there are over a hundred people working on the executive side of the organization, so I'm not going to list the bean counters and the coffee makers. But I'll give you as many as I can of the players who count.

Consigliere: Matina
GM and President of operations: Vlade Divac
Assistant GM: Ken Catanella
Assistant GM: Mike Bratz
Assistant GM and Director of Player Personnel: Peja Stojakovic
Special Advisor to the GM: Joe Dumars
Vice President of Basketball Strategy and Analytics: Luke Bornn
Director of Basketball Operations: Anthony McClish
Director of Amateur Scouting: Gene Cross
Director of Professional Scouting: Adam Filippi
Regional Scout: Chris Alpert
Regional Scout: Acie Law
Regional Scout: Gregory Stratton
International Scout: Peja Drobnjak
International Scout: Zarko Paspaji
Advance Scout: Dan Hartfield
Scouting Coordinator: Robbie Lemons
Basketball Analyst: Christ Pickard
Basketball Analyst: Mathew Van Bommel
Basketball Analyst: Colin Montague

There are at least 75 to 100 more people involved in the organization from accountants, video Coordinators etc. to equipment managers. I left one person off because I'm not sure he's still with the organization, but he may be. He was listed as Vice President of basketball strategy. His name is Roland Beech.

Hope that helps. Most people are amazed at how many people are involved in an NBA organization. It takes a lot of people and money to keep everything ticking.
Fixed it for you
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#10
Last edited:
#11
Well that settles it. I think that headline is somewhat misleading though. Mike has been with the Kings organization off and on almost from the beginning and he predates D'Alessandro. Mike was on the original Kings team as a player when they moved here, and later served as an assistant coach for 7 years. But the fact is, he's gone.
I think Mike advocated for PappaG. That pretty much did him in.
 
#15
Yes. And Vlade was quoted as saying he was going to trust his scouting guys.
If true then this is really a scouting issue. Time to upgrade those spots. Or at least start taking into account some sort of exterior consensus when it comes to the draft. It's not that complicated. There are websites and youtube channels that do as much and/or better scouting than some NBA teams. It ain't rocket science.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#16
If true then this is really a scouting issue. Time to upgrade those spots. Or at least start taking into account some sort of exterior consensus when it comes to the draft. It's not that complicated. There are websites and youtube channels that do as much and/or better scouting than some NBA teams. It ain't rocket science.
Before you or anyone else gets their panties in a tither, there is only one scout on the staff that was there for the 2015/16 draft, and it was his first year on the job. That's international scout Peja Drobnjak, who is a close friend of Vlade's and played on the Serbian National team with both Vlade and Peja Stojakovic. How much value Vlade put on his opinion at that time is anyone's guess.

Another Serb, was hired by Vlade just recently in 2018/19. Zarko Paspaji was also vice president of the Serbian Olympic team under Vlade, and also played on the Serbian National team. He's also a good friend of Vlade's.

The Director of Pro-Scouting for the Kings, Adam Filippi has vast experience and is highly respected around the league. He started his career with Nets in 1999, and at the time was the youngest scout in the NBA. He founded Global Vision, and international scouting service that consulted with many of the NBA teams. After the Net's he spent 10 years as a scout for the Lakers under Jerry West, and then 7 years as a scout with the Hornets. He's written two books that are highly acclaimed. "Shoot Like the Pro's" and "Mastering the Art of Free Throw Shooting". He's also a certified personal trainer, and performance specialist. He was hired by the Kings during the 2018/19 season.

Gregory Stratton became a Regional Scout for the Kings during the 2016/17 season. From 1993 to 2001, he was the team coordinator for the Orlando Magic. From 2001 to 2006, he was the manager of scouting for the Warriors. From 2006 to 2012 he was a scout for the Orlando Magic. From 2012 to 2016 he was a regional scout for the L.A. Clippers.

Gene Cross became a regional scout for the Kings for the 2016/17 season after serving as an assistant coach for the Reno Bighorns during the 2015/16 season. Which he as least coached Papagiannis but had nothing to do with drafting him. Prior to that he was head coach of the University of Toledo, and was an assistant coach for Notre Dame, DePaul, And Virginia.

Both Chris Alpert and Acie Law were hired in 2018. I'm sure everyone is familiar with Law, who played in the NBA not that long ago. Alpert has a lot of experience in the NBA ans was recently the Vice President of the D-League, now the G-League.

So as you can see, only one person in the current scouting dept was with the Kings in a scouting capacity when he was drafted in the 2015/16 draft. Im not a judge of who is or who isn't a good scout, but to my mind, it appears that the Kings have hired very experienced people who have been around the block a few times. I'm not sure how much responsibility you can put on Drobnjak since it was his first year on the job, and he probably had the least amount of experience. But then that might explain such a poor decision at the time.

Let's remember that the Kings scouting dept was left in shambles by the Maloof's and had to be totally rebuilt. Hopefully those kind of mistakes are in the past.
 
#17
Before you or anyone else gets their panties in a tither, there is only one scout on the staff that was there for the 2015/16 draft, and it was his first year on the job. That's international scout Peja Drobnjak, who is a close friend of Vlade's and played on the Serbian National team with both Vlade and Peja Stojakovic. How much value Vlade put on his opinion at that time is anyone's guess.

Another Serb, was hired by Vlade just recently in 2018/19. Zarko Paspaji was also vice president of the Serbian Olympic team under Vlade, and also played on the Serbian National team. He's also a good friend of Vlade's.

The Director of Pro-Scouting for the Kings, Adam Filippi has vast experience and is highly respected around the league. He started his career with Nets in 1999, and at the time was the youngest scout in the NBA. He founded Global Vision, and international scouting service that consulted with many of the NBA teams. After the Net's he spent 10 years as a scout for the Lakers under Jerry West, and then 7 years as a scout with the Hornets. He's written two books that are highly acclaimed. "Shoot Like the Pro's" and "Mastering the Art of Free Throw Shooting". He's also a certified personal trainer, and performance specialist. He was hired by the Kings during the 2018/19 season.

Gregory Stratton became a Regional Scout for the Kings during the 2016/17 season. From 1993 to 2001, he was the team coordinator for the Orlando Magic. From 2001 to 2006, he was the manager of scouting for the Warriors. From 2006 to 2012 he was a scout for the Orlando Magic. From 2012 to 2016 he was a regional scout for the L.A. Clippers.

Gene Cross became a regional scout for the Kings for the 2016/17 season after serving as an assistant coach for the Reno Bighorns during the 2015/16 season. Which he as least coached Papagiannis but had nothing to do with drafting him. Prior to that he was head coach of the University of Toledo, and was an assistant coach for Notre Dame, DePaul, And Virginia.

Both Chris Alpert and Acie Law were hired in 2018. I'm sure everyone is familiar with Law, who played in the NBA not that long ago. Alpert has a lot of experience in the NBA ans was recently the Vice President of the D-League, now the G-League.

So as you can see, only one person in the current scouting dept was with the Kings in a scouting capacity when he was drafted in the 2015/16 draft. Im not a judge of who is or who isn't a good scout, but to my mind, it appears that the Kings have hired very experienced people who have been around the block a few times. I'm not sure how much responsibility you can put on Drobnjak since it was his first year on the job, and he probably had the least amount of experience. But then that might explain such a poor decision at the time.

Let's remember that the Kings scouting dept was left in shambles by the Maloof's and had to be totally rebuilt. Hopefully those kind of mistakes are in the past.

Hmmm, that is very interesting. I don't want to rehash the Bagley v Doncic thing, but if we had that many international scouts working and passed on Luka there has got to be a reason.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#18
Hmmm, that is very interesting. I don't want to rehash the Bagley v Doncic thing, but if we had that many international scouts working and passed on Luka there has got to be a reason.
Well I'll stick to my original thoughts on that subject. I think it came down to fitting the type of team that Vlade was trying to build, which was a team playing at a fast pace and with ball movement. If you look at the differences between Doncic and Bagley, and if you consider both of them equally talented, then Bagley is the better fit. I don't think it came down to which player was more talented, but more likely what those talents were.

The Kings drafted a young PG who they wanted to handle the ball and run the team. A player they saw as a potential superstar. Doncic is a player that likes to have the ball in his hands as well, so right off the bat you have a conflict in usage. Not saying it couldn't be worked out, but if you draft Bagley, you don't have that conflict. And Bagley best fits a team dedicated to a fast pace.

I think it's possible that if Bagley wasn't in that draft, the Kings might have taken Doncic. Personally I had three players that I wanted the Kings to choose and would have been happy with either of them. Jackson, Doncic, and Bagley. I had Doncic third on that list, mostly because of fit, but would have been perfectly happy with him if the Kings decided to take him. I think all three of those players are going to be great players, so there was no bad choice there.

As a side note, I watched Doncic play quite a bit internationally, and I always thought he was a bit out of shape. That did bother me, but many European players have had to adjust to the NBA, playing with faster stronger players on a daily basis. Interesting that reports out of Dallas are saying Doncic is reshaping his body and getting into the best shape of his life. Welcome to the NBA Luka!
 
#19
Before you or anyone else gets their panties in a tither, there is only one scout on the staff that was there for the 2015/16 draft, and it was his first year on the job. That's international scout Peja Drobnjak, who is a close friend of Vlade's and played on the Serbian National team with both Vlade and Peja Stojakovic. How much value Vlade put on his opinion at that time is anyone's guess.

Another Serb, was hired by Vlade just recently in 2018/19. Zarko Paspaji was also vice president of the Serbian Olympic team under Vlade, and also played on the Serbian National team. He's also a good friend of Vlade's.

The Director of Pro-Scouting for the Kings, Adam Filippi has vast experience and is highly respected around the league. He started his career with Nets in 1999, and at the time was the youngest scout in the NBA. He founded Global Vision, and international scouting service that consulted with many of the NBA teams. After the Net's he spent 10 years as a scout for the Lakers under Jerry West, and then 7 years as a scout with the Hornets. He's written two books that are highly acclaimed. "Shoot Like the Pro's" and "Mastering the Art of Free Throw Shooting". He's also a certified personal trainer, and performance specialist. He was hired by the Kings during the 2018/19 season.

Gregory Stratton became a Regional Scout for the Kings during the 2016/17 season. From 1993 to 2001, he was the team coordinator for the Orlando Magic. From 2001 to 2006, he was the manager of scouting for the Warriors. From 2006 to 2012 he was a scout for the Orlando Magic. From 2012 to 2016 he was a regional scout for the L.A. Clippers.

Gene Cross became a regional scout for the Kings for the 2016/17 season after serving as an assistant coach for the Reno Bighorns during the 2015/16 season. Which he as least coached Papagiannis but had nothing to do with drafting him. Prior to that he was head coach of the University of Toledo, and was an assistant coach for Notre Dame, DePaul, And Virginia.

Both Chris Alpert and Acie Law were hired in 2018. I'm sure everyone is familiar with Law, who played in the NBA not that long ago. Alpert has a lot of experience in the NBA ans was recently the Vice President of the D-League, now the G-League.

So as you can see, only one person in the current scouting dept was with the Kings in a scouting capacity when he was drafted in the 2015/16 draft. Im not a judge of who is or who isn't a good scout, but to my mind, it appears that the Kings have hired very experienced people who have been around the block a few times. I'm not sure how much responsibility you can put on Drobnjak since it was his first year on the job, and he probably had the least amount of experience. But then that might explain such a poor decision at the time.

Let's remember that the Kings scouting dept was left in shambles by the Maloof's and had to be totally rebuilt. Hopefully those kind of mistakes are in the past.
There have been changes so we will see where it goes from here. Results matter and the results to look for are the ones where the pick isn't practically made for you. From what I can tell, since Vlade came aboard it seemed like development has trumped scouting. It's as if they could take a blank slate and teach it to be something more even if common sense tells you there is literally no opportunity for them to get the chance to even play. I like what Vlade has done in some drafts by spreading the risk among multiple picks but again, the results are what they are. As for their international scouting, it's hard to tell since the last few drafts haven't really been loaded with talent in that regard. In the end it comes down to the big board you've drawn up.
 
#20
Hmmm, that is very interesting. I don't want to rehash the Bagley v Doncic thing, but if we had that many international scouts working and passed on Luka there has got to be a reason.

In the end Vlade may catch heat for passing on Doncic, look like a genius, or play out even, but I think it was still consensus you take one or the other. The only way you totally F a pick like that up is reach on someone you fall in love with that nobody has rated there. Vlade has a pretty good track record about moving down in that instance.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#21
There have been changes so we will see where it goes from here. Results matter and the results to look for are the ones where the pick isn't practically made for you. From what I can tell, since Vlade came aboard it seemed like development has trumped scouting. It's as if they could take a blank slate and teach it to be something more even if common sense tells you there is literally no opportunity for them to get the chance to even play. I like what Vlade has done in some drafts by spreading the risk among multiple picks but again, the results are what they are. As for their international scouting, it's hard to tell since the last few drafts haven't really been loaded with talent in that regard. In the end it comes down to the big board you've drawn up.
I don't think it's an either/or when it comes to development and scouting. I think you need both, and personally, right now, I think the Kings are doing both. This last draft, even though we didn't have a 1st rd pick, it was the first draft in a long time where the Kings had the luxury of picking a player without immediate expectations. For the last 10 or so years, our draft picks have been expected to contribute right away, which mean't throwing them into the fire.

Some have responded well, and others not so well. Ideally, you would like to draft a player and give him time to develop without that added pressure. The Spurs always draft somewhere between 25 and 30. They draft a player, and he seems to disappear into their organization only to emerge a couple of years later as a solid contributor, and sometimes a borderline star. They've had no need for their picks to contribute right away. That's a luxury, and the Kings are slowly moving in that direction.
 
#22
I don't think it's an either/or when it comes to development and scouting. I think you need both, and personally, right now, I think the Kings are doing both. This last draft, even though we didn't have a 1st rd pick, it was the first draft in a long time where the Kings had the luxury of picking a player without immediate expectations. For the last 10 or so years, our draft picks have been expected to contribute right away, which mean't throwing them into the fire.

Some have responded well, and others not so well. Ideally, you would like to draft a player and give him time to develop without that added pressure. The Spurs always draft somewhere between 25 and 30. They draft a player, and he seems to disappear into their organization only to emerge a couple of years later as a solid contributor, and sometimes a borderline star. They've had no need for their picks to contribute right away. That's a luxury, and the Kings are slowly moving in that direction.
I never said you didn't need both, but they are two separate things with scouting being your launching point. Being proficient in scouting will almost always without fail greatly effect the outcome of any draft result relative to expectation. And taking someone you like, even if they end up paying off for you and beating expectations does have some impact on their asset value around the league in the interim. Percentage wise the stars are typically scouted as being that from early on. Some disappoint, some underrated ones eventually surpass even those clear stars but the method holds up quite well over the course of time I'd bet. As I brought up though, this is also not just a question of scouting, it's a question of asset management. That's already been discussed since the last draft though.