Minnesota Sports Forum

You may have seen a 5 minute clip of this interview but here is the audio of the whole thing. Feel free to skip 5 or 7 mins ahead to get to the actual interview. I've listened to quite a few of Rosas spots and this one is where he seems the most conversational. I'm guessing he and Jim Peterson have talked a few times before last week.

https://soundcloud.com/the-layup-line-wolves/jim-petersen-interview-with-gersson-rosas

In all seriousness, Rosas seems like a great guy. Maybe Taylor finally got one right. I sure hope so.

What I like about Rosas:

1. He started out as a coach and scout, which means he's a basketball guy at his core with experience and expertise in personnel evaluation. This fact alone distinguishes him from David Kahn. And at the end of the day, the ability to evaluate talent and make good judgment calls on players is the absolute number 1 characteristic for being the head of basketball a operations - especially for a team like the Wolves that needs more talent and a better balance of talent.

2. He's had extensive experience as an NBA front office executive for a team that was successful during his tenure and he apparently played a substantial role in the operation of that front office. This distinguishes him from both Kahn and Thibodeau.

3. He appears to be an excellent communicator, positive, approachable and smart as well as a genuinely nice guy. These are all important attributes for a head of basketball operations or any major organization for that matter.

4. He apparently got specific with Glen about what he'd do if named PBO. According to Glen, Rosas proposed a plan on what he'd do if hired as the Wolves new PBO. I like that Rosas has already closely examined this team and was willing to get specific with Glen about what he would do here.

5. I like his emphasis on getting the team to play the modern NBA pace and space game.

Looks like the guys are coming in top workout already.

The summer league guys have already started.

Wiggs and cov came in today.

Once kat comes in, I'd lock those 3 in a gym to work on communication on both sides of the ball.

crazy-canuck wrote:Looks like the guys are coming in top workout already.

The summer league guys have already started.

Wiggs and cov came in today.

Once kat comes in, I'd lock those 3 in a gym to work on communication on both sides of the ball.

Good news.

lipoli390 wrote:What I like about Rosas:

1. He started out as a coach and scout, which means he's a basketball guy at his core with experience and expertise in personnel evaluation. This fact alone distinguishes him from David Kahn. And at the end of the day, the ability to evaluate talent and make good judgment calls on players is the absolute number 1 characteristic for being the head of basketball a operations - especially for a team like the Wolves that needs more talent and a better balance of talent.

2. He's had extensive experience as an NBA front office executive for a team that was successful during his tenure and he apparently played a substantial role in the operation of that front office. This distinguishes him from both Kahn and Thibodeau.

3. He appears to be an excellent communicator, positive, approachable and smart as well as a genuinely nice guy. These are all important attributes for a head of basketball operations or any major organization for that matter.

4. He apparently got specific with Glen about what he'd do if named PBO. According to Glen, Rosas proposed a plan on what he'd do if hired as the Wolves new PBO. I like that Rosas has already closely examined this team and was willing to get specific with Glen about what he would do here.

5. I like his emphasis on getting the team to play the modern NBA pace and space game.

I agree with all of this, though I have to admit, I had to laugh when I read the comparison to David Kahn. It's a poor state of affairs when that's what we're comparing the hire against to decide if we're getting an upgrade.

I also liked the following 2 things about what Rosas said:

1. He didn't simply shower Wiggins with praise. He showered Wiggins potential with praise only, Rosas basically confirmed Wiggins should be considered a disappointment so far but can be a lot better. He also stated something that people need to remember about Wiggins in that just because he's not the rah-rah guy who looks like he's going 110% every play, if he plays efficiently then you could have a player that looks like Tracy McGrady. He also indicated he would make sure Wiggins knows what works for him and what doesn't.

2. I also like that he believed in himself to go back from the Houston Rockets as an intern to go coach high school basketball just go get to the path he wanted to get to career wise. That is a huge bet on yourself, and it paid off for him.

mrhockey89 wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:What I like about Rosas:

1. He started out as a coach and scout, which means he's a basketball guy at his core with experience and expertise in personnel evaluation. This fact alone distinguishes him from David Kahn. And at the end of the day, the ability to evaluate talent and make good judgment calls on players is the absolute number 1 characteristic for being the head of basketball a operations - especially for a team like the Wolves that needs more talent and a better balance of talent.

2. He's had extensive experience as an NBA front office executive for a team that was successful during his tenure and he apparently played a substantial role in the operation of that front office. This distinguishes him from both Kahn and Thibodeau.

3. He appears to be an excellent communicator, positive, approachable and smart as well as a genuinely nice guy. These are all important attributes for a head of basketball operations or any major organization for that matter.

4. He apparently got specific with Glen about what he'd do if named PBO. According to Glen, Rosas proposed a plan on what he'd do if hired as the Wolves new PBO. I like that Rosas has already closely examined this team and was willing to get specific with Glen about what he would do here.

5. I like his emphasis on getting the team to play the modern NBA pace and space game.

I agree with all of this, though I have to admit, I had to laugh when I read the comparison to David Kahn. It's a poor state of affairs when that's what we're comparing the hire against to decide if we're getting an upgrade.

I also liked the following 2 things about what Rosas said:

1. He didn't simply shower Wiggins with praise. He showered Wiggins potential with praise only, Rosas basically confirmed Wiggins should be considered a disappointment so far but can be a lot better. He also stated something that people need to remember about Wiggins in that just because he's not the rah-rah guy who looks like he's going 110% every play, if he plays efficiently then you could have a player that looks like Tracy McGrady. He also indicated he would make sure Wiggins knows what works for him and what doesn't.

2. I also like that he believed in himself to go back from the Houston Rockets as an intern to go coach high school basketball just go get to the path he wanted to get to career wise. That is a huge bet on yourself, and it paid off for him.

Calvin Booth did a similar thing turning down an opportunity from Tim Connelly and instead ran an AAU team. Rosas was encouraged by Dennis Lindsey to find his path. Note that Rosas was an assistant coach when Ebi's team won the state HS championship.

Other than making decisions on the Wolves head coach, GM and Assistant GMs, another early and important test for Rosas will be what he does with the Wolves current scouting staff. I recall Thibodeau attributing the Patton selection to the Wolves scouts. And I know for a fact that the trade for Payne was largely scout-driven. The decision-making judgment of the top executives is obviously critical in making good player personnel decisions. But having good scouts is equally critical. A top executive's decisions are only as good as the information and analysis he gets from those reporting to him. Thibodeau kept the scouts he inherited from Flip and Flip didn't overhaul the scouting department either. Given the bevy of bad personnel decisions over the years, I think a major overhaul of the basketball department, top to bottom, is long overdue.

Great point. They need to change.

lipoli390 wrote:Other than making decisions on the Wolves head coach, GM and Assistant GMs, another early and important test for Rosas will be what he does with the Wolves current scouting staff. I recall Thibodeau attributing the Patton selection to the Wolves scouts. And I know for a fact that the trade for Payne was largely scout-driven. The decision-making judgment of the top executives is obviously critical in making good player personnel decisions. But having good scouts is equally critical. A top executive's decisions are only as good as the information and analysis he gets from those reporting to him. Thibodeau kept the scouts he inherited from Flip and Flip didn't overhaul the scouting department either. Given the bevy of bad personnel decisions over the years, I think a major overhaul of the basketball department, top to bottom, is long overdue.

Rosas has been scouting for years. Thibs wasn't out there watching prospects live in college games or traveling over to Europe seeing guys multiple times. Rosas isn't a former coach turned GM. Flip did actually get some new scouts. You may find it amusing that Thibs actually brought back the longtime Wolves Europe guy that Flip let go. I'm certainly not suggesting there shouldn't be an overhaul but it should probably be pointed out that it probably won't happen before this draft. I think the thing Rosas is going to improve on for this franchise is the processes they go through to make these types of decisions. After working for Thibs I'd bet some of these guys will have an open mind with someone actually really truly seeming to want their input.

Edit:

The Twins weren't exactly Wolves bad when it comes to draft picks but...damn they didn't find a really good starting pitcher for years...and how much turn over was done to the scouting dept? I think the biggest chance was who was in charge and the processes and focus they had on certain aspects of scouting and player acquisition. Jim Peterson has said a couple times since the hire that the Wolves needed new processes to be successful and really hasn't had them for years. I think a new approach cutler or whatever buzz words can have a meaningful effect if implemented well. The resources are there let's hope Rosas is able to utilize and bring to life something legit. I feel good about it. Lol