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I could be wrong, but it seems like there is a greater level of trust with Gersson Rosas and his front office than there have with many past iterations of the Wolves. I will concede that most new hires get the benefit of the doubt inititally, but Rosas has earned it, I think, with his past resume as well as his shrewd maneuvering of the trade deadline. He, along with the rest of his team have the chance to further instill trust by conducting a successful offseason centered around the usage of the first overall pick in November’s NBA Draft.
ESPN story on NBA and NBPA targeting November 18 for the league's 2020 Draft: https://t.co/uGTW2QOxYn
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 9, 2020
Make no mistake, extracting the most value out of that asset is priority number one, whether it’s a player or a trade.
Number two on the list, in my opinion, should be maintaining stability. This only really comes into question because Minnesota has seen Executive Vice President Sachin Gupta and Associate Head Coach David Vanterpool emerge as candidates for other positions,
The Sacramento Kings have requested to interview the Timberwolves Executive Vice President Sachin Gupta, according to this report.
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) September 8, 2020
Gupta was Sam Hinkie’s right hand man when the Sixers FLEECED Vlade Divac and the Kings back in the day. https://t.co/4kLsOYLiRy
ESPN Sources: Pacers beginning with a wide-ranging list in coaching search, including Becky Hammon and Dave Joerger: https://t.co/aD6TZp9y7r
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 9, 2020
Needless to say, losing one of Gupta or Vanterpool would be a huge bummer. Both are vital parts of the operation, and both figured to be in Minnesota’s long-term plan in some fashion.
Gupta is famous for being the architect of ESPN’s Trade Machine, and his experience in the league has made him quite popular. While the Wolves may survive this round of interest in Gupta, once guys like him start interviewing for these jobs, it’s only a matter of time before they take one. Hopefully Sachin can swing a few more big trades to get the Wolves on the right track before he inevitably ends up somewhere else.
The same is true for Vanterpool, though I see it as slightly more likely that he sticks around long-term, if for no other reason than I’d assume he’s the first guy in line should Ryan Saunders be fired. Vanterpool, by all accounts, is an awesome dude who really connects well with players. It’s hard to ignore his relationships with players around the league. Minnesota will eventually have to give him a promotion if they want to retain him long-term.
In the end, I guess it isn’t terrible to have smart, talented people in your building. That’s all you can really ask for. Still, it would suck if Minnesota lost either Gupta or Vanterpool before we really got to reap the rewards for having them in the organization. I’ll be happy for either of them should they get a bigger/better job, but for Minnesota’s sake, I’m hoping for a summer of stability in the front office and on the coaching staff.