According to Adrian Wojnarowski (who else, really?), the Denver Nuggets are finalizing a deal to bring former assistant general manager Pete D’Alessandro back to the organization for a front-office position. Per Woj:
D’Alessandro will serve in an operations position, answering to president Josh Kroenke, league sources said. A formal agreement and title will be completed on Thursday, sources said.
For D’Alessandro, this move is an escape hatch out of a Kings organization in which owner Vivek Ranadive usurped his authority as general manager. Ranadive hired Vlade Divac to oversee basketball operations, despite the fact that he hasn’t been around the NBA for a decade.
D’Alessandro went to the Kings three years ago from Denver, where he had been the assistant general manager under Masai Ujiri. D’Alessandro has a strong relationship with Nuggets GM Tim Connelly, and D’Alessandro’s role will allow for him to be a resource, when called upon, for Connelly.
Ranadive forced D’Alessandro to fire coach Michael Malone in December, but D’Alessandro’s arrival in Denver will have no negative impact on Malone’s candidacy to become Nuggets head coach, sources said. Connelly and Malone have a longstanding relationship and respect for each other, and D’Alessandro wouldn’t be working closely with the head coach. Malone is one of several candidates still being considered for the job, including interim coach Melvin Hunt.
Long considered one of the brighter basketball minds in front-office circles, D’Alessandro has spent years building his reputation as an analytics and salary cap guru. In 2010 he joined former Nuggets’ general manager Masai Ujiri’s staff and worked his way up to role of Vice President of Basketball Operations, helping the Nuggets win a franchise best 57 games in 2012-13.
The old idiom, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” applies aptly in this scenario given D’Alessandro’s splendorous esteem around the league and Vivek Ranadive’s increasing dictatorial stranglehold on the Sacramento Kings organization. The fact D’Alessandro was unwilling to remain a puppet in Ranadive’s idiotic marionette scheme says all you need to know about the type of character D’Alessandro possess.
This of course is a huge win for the Nuggets organization.
In other news, the Nuggets worked out NBA Draft prospect Justise Winslow on Wednesday morning. Winslow is one of the more talented defensive athletes in the draft and is currently projected to land with the Nuggets at No. 7 overall by DraftExpress.com.
