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TSN Basketball Analyst

Archive

1. JEFF WELTMAN (Magic): The former Toronto Raptors general manager is now the president of basketball operations in Orlando. Toronto has lost an outstanding basketball man. Weltman has paid his dues and is deserving of the opportunity. I have respect for his judgement. He played a vital role behind the scenes in the best four-year run in Raptors’ history.

2. JOHN HAMMOND (Magic): It’s like a game of musical chairs. The former Bucks GM is now in Orlando, working as the GM for Weltman, who used to work for Hammond in Milwaukee. I've always said you have to be nice to the folks you meet in college and pro sports. You never know, the guy who works for you today might someday be your boss. It’s a small fraternity. Relationships and trust truly matter in the cutthroat world of competition. You hire folks who are talented and you value their partnership. Hammond knows his stuff and has a lot of experience in every facet of an NBA front office. He also has coaching experience, which is becoming rarer by the minute in NBA front offices. He gets the whole picture. Good hire.

3. DAVID GRIFFIN (Cavs): Speaking of front-office types, I'm not sure what Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert is waiting for. Gilbert has a reputation as a hard negotiator who keeps you waiting, which is obviously an old tactic. Griffin has been now mentioned as a candidate to become the general manager in Milwaukee. It’s obviously a leverage play through some third party to keep that side of negotiation strong. This stuff goes on all the time. Ultimately, it makes total sense to bring Griffin back to Cleveland. He's done a fabulous job.

4. KYRIE IRVING (Cavs): The Cleveland point guard was masterful in the Game 4 win over the Boston Celtics. John Wall is faster and tougher to contain, but no guard in the game today has greater creativity and pure finishing ability than Irving. He’s got a super tight handle and makes some remarkable plays. He’s a joy to watch. The man can go.

5. TYRONN LUE (Cavs): I found it interesting that some folks had a strong reaction to his recent comments that the Celtics are harder to prepare for than the Golden State Warriors. In my opinion, he wasn't in any way, shape or form taking a shot at Golden State. He was simply stating his high regard for the offensive acumen of Boston coach Brad Stevens. I wholeheartedly agree with his assessment. Stevens is in the upper tier of basketball coaches (NBA or NCAA) working today. As a former coach, I totally respect Lue (who is a fine young head coach in his own right) admiring the work of a peer.