Basketball

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Vlade Divac Resigns As The Sacramento Kings GM – Joe Dumars To Assume Interim GM Role

Overtime Heroics Editorial

1019 days ago

Vlade Divac resigns as the Sacramento Kings general manager. Divac has been part of the Kings front office since 2015.

Vlade Divac Resigns as Sacramento Kings GM – Joe Dumars Announced as Interim GM

BY: TOM WITT – @TOMTOOWITTY – SACTOWN CROWN – AUGUST 14TH, 2020

Joe Dumars, NBA Hall of Famer and former NBA Executive of the Year, will step in as interim GM.

Sam Amick of The Athletic reported Friday afternoon on Twitter –

Kings GM Vlade Divac is stepping down, source tells @TheAthleticNBA. Joe Dumars (advisor previously) will be interim executive VP of basketball ops and immediately assumes GM duties. Dumars will be involved in the search for a new GM.

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) August 14, 2020

Although, initial reports say Dumars will be assuming the GM role on an interim basis, Amick seems to think that Dumars will be in this role for the foreseeable future.

Kings Official Statement

“This was a difficult decision, but we believe it is the best path ahead as we work to build a winning team that our loyal fans deserve,” said Kings Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadivé. “We are thankful for Vlade’s leadership, commitment and hard work both on and off the court. He will always be a part of our Kings family.”

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as the General Manager for the Kings,” said Vlade Divac. “I want to thank Vivek for the opportunity and recognize all of the incredible colleagues who I had the great pleasure of working with during my tenure. Sacramento and the Kings will always hold a special place in my heart and I wish them all the best moving forward.”

Divac’s Career In Kings Front Office

Vlade joined the Sacramento Kings front office in March of 2015.

He first assumed the role of vice president of basketball and front office operations.

In late spring of 2017, Kings GM Pete De’Alessandro was let go from the team for taking a role with the Denver Nuggets. De’Alessandro was replaced by Divac.

Vlade inherited a terribly managed front office, depleted bank account and poorly managed roster and future draft picks.

Famous Divac Quote Comes 360

Divac’s most notable front office move as Kings GM was trading All-Star Demarcus Cousins to the New Orleans franchise for a group of draft selections and players which included Buddy Hield.

Speaking of the Demarcus Cousins trade, Kings GM Vlade Divac said the Kings will be better off in two years or …

‘If I’m wrong, I’ll step down‘

Vlade Divac After Trading Demarcus Cousins

Divac Leaves Postive Impact In SacTown

Divac did make a positive impact on the Kings franchise in many ways.

He drafted potentially ‘franchise changing’ point guard De’Aaron Fox.

Vlade made many tough decisions in terms of building for the future, and not listening to the many naysayers, which were constantly in his ear.

Throughout his tenure in the Sacramento front office, Vlade was often maligned for some of his draft choices, such as passing over Luka Doncic for Marvin Bagley III.

In my opinion, after inheriting a terribly managed franchise, Vlade was a great face for the Kings franchise to help them in the early stages of their rebuilding path!

Thank you Vlade!

Kings General Manager Vlade Divac Elected Into Naismith Memorial ...

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Dumars Front Office History

Joe Dumars is a member of both the NBA and College basketball Hall of Fame.

Dumars is best known for being the ‘quiet’ star player for the ‘Bad Boy’ Detroit Pistons in the 1980s.

Dumars became the Pistons’ president of basketball operations prior to the start of the 2000–01 season.

He was voted the league’s Executive of the Year for the 2002–03 season and built the Detroit Pistons team that won the 2004 NBA championship.

Dumars became the first African-American executive to lead a team to an NBA championship.

The Pistons made it to the Eastern Conference Finals six straight years (2003–2008) under Dumars’ watch.

Dumars guided the Detroit Pistons organization to a 595–536 (.527) regular-season record, 73 playoff wins, six Eastern Conference Finals appearances (2003–08), six Central Division titles, two Eastern Conference Championships (2004 and 2005), and the 2004 NBA championship.

(Joe Dumars Wiki)

My Thoughts

In my opinion, Joe Dumars seems like one of the best candidates to be the long term Kings GM.

The Kings are a young team, with a young coach and a new owner. They need a veteran in there SOMEWHERE.

I think that Dumars makes sense for the Sacramento Kings.

Dumars won championships with teams he built around DEFENSE in Detroit. He traded Grant Hill and others for Ben Wallace and others. Dumars acquired Rip Hamilton, and helped to revitalize Rasheed Wallace’s career and legacy.

There weren’t any ‘superstars’ on those Detroit teams. That is the mold the Kings need to follow if they want to be successful in Sacramento, which is a not a ‘free agent destination’ city.

Dumars did end up drafting Darko Milicic second overall in the 2003 draft, who is seen as a major bust.

Names Mentioned In EARLY GM ‘Hunt’

One name mentioned is former member of the Kings front office and current New York Knicks GM Scott Perry. Perry played a role in drafting De’Aaron Fox.

Jerry West and a handful of others have been mentioned in EARLY talks, but nothing is anywhere near serious at this time.

I personally think that the Kings should keep Joe Dumars long term. A ‘sage’ like this does not come along often, especially in Sacramento.