Cleveland, OH
Cavaliers Already Have Obvious General Manager Replacement for Mike Gansey
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost general manager Mike Gansey after his promotion to president of basketball operations with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Now Cleveland’s president of basketball operations, Koby Altman, and owner Dan Gilbert must find a replacement for Gansey.
The good news is that the replacement search should be somewhat easy, as the team already has a qualified candidate in waiting.
Assistant general manager Brandon Weems should be promoted.
Weems joined the organization in 2015, but his Cleveland roots run much deeper than that. He’s an Akron native that played high school basketball at St. Vincent St. Mary High School. You guessed it, he’s childhood friends with free agent superstar LeBron James. They played peewee football together before going on to win multiple state championships in high school basketball.
But this is a hire that would do more than pander to James, who is still contemplating his NBA future according to several reports. It would continue Cleveland’s internal stability. Altman has developed a culture of consistency, calculated decision making and player development. Weems has been around the organization from its championship-winning season in 2016 through the rebuilding years and into an Eastern Conference championship contender.
After Weems was done playing, he started a coaching journey at Kentucky under John Calipari. He spent three seasons and was part of the 2012 championship-winning team. After that, he served as an assistant coach at Oakland University in Michigan.
He’s partly responsible for the success of expediting the Cavs out of the NBA Draft Lottery and into a constant playoff contender.
Consistently being promoted within the organization, Weems oversees Cleveland’s amateur scouting efforts. He also has scouting duties at the college and international ranks. Weems is also responsible for assisting Gansey with NBA Draft preparation, from scouting to player rankings and information gathering on each prospect.
The Cavs have consistently drafted well since Weems joined the organization. Outside of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, the Cavs also have more recently hit on Jaylon Tyson and Tyrese Proctor.
The elephant in the room – LeBron
According to Altman, the Cavaliers plan on running this thing back. At his end of season media availability, Cleveland’s president of basketball operations stated his belief in winning a championship with Mitchell as the team’s best player. He sounded committed to Mobley, James Harden and Jarrett Allen.
While keeping the core intact, another obvious move would be pursuing LeBron in free agency. According to reports, James felt “unappreciated” at times throughout the season by the Los Angeles Lakers organization.
Desperate for a championship, the Cavs wouldn’t take LeBron’s mindset for granted. It’s a reunion that makes plenty of sense.
Weems’ connection with LeBron is obvious. It would be a hire that would move the organization another step closer to winning a championship, especially if they land LeBron. But Weems would also be a great partner for Altman to drive the Cavaliers forward into the future, too.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Cleveland EMS responded to a report for a gunshot wound early Saturday morning.
According to EMS, the report was for the 2800 block of Woodbridge Aveune around 2:40 a.m.
When EMS arrived, an 18-year-old woman was pronounced dead on scene and a 25-year-old man was transported to MetroHealth in critical condition.
According to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, the victim was identified as 18-year-old Joshay Andrews, of Cleveland.
19 News has made call outs to Cleveland Police for more information on the shooting and if any arrests have been made.
This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.
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As Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Mike Gansey begins a new chapter with the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland will begin searching for a new GM to work with President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman.
While Altman has been the man behind most of Cleveland’s big moves, including trades like the James Harden deal this year, Gansey has been a key part of the scouting and development operations.
Here are three candidates who could replace Gansey and take over some front office responsibilities.
1. Brandon Weems
Weems could be the most logical candidate for the job, allowing the Cavaliers to make an internal hire. Weems is currently serving as an assistant GM for the team.
He was hired as a director of scouting in 2017 and was promoted to senior director of scouting in 2021. He has been part of several solid draft picks including Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jaylon Tyson, while also missing on picks like Isaac Okoro and Emoni Bates.
Weems still overlooks Cleveland’s scouting in his current possession, and still regularly scouts on his own for the team. He’d be a very logical choice to take over for Gansey, being able to help Cleveland get the most out of limited draft picks and help develop some late round talent.
2. Dave Telep
Once an ESPN analyst, Telep has been a key member of the San Antonio Spurs front office for more than a decade.
He was originally hired as a scouting coordinator, but worked his way up the ranks in the scouting and development department. In 2022 he was promoted to VP of basketball operations, where he helped draft Victor Wembanyama and the rest of the Spurs young cast.
He most recently has served as an assistant GM this season while the Spurs are having a terrific playoff run ahead of schedule. He’ll be a highly coveted prospect for any front office this year, but Cleveland could offer some serious money to acquire him and his development skills.
3. Matt Lloyd
One of the most experienced candidates who could be looking for a new home this offseason, Lloyd has proven to be a front office guy who is willing to make big moves.
He began his career in the late 90s with the Chicago Bulls, worked with the Orlando Magic for a decade, and has been with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the past few seasons.
Lloyd has been a part of a Timberwolves organization that has been active. Some of their splashes include swapping Karl Anthony-Towns for Julius Randle and Donte Divincenzo with the Knicks, and acquiring both Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley from the Utah Jazz.
Lloyd has helped lead Minnesota to two conference finals, and a second round playoff trip this year. Having a voice telling Altman to pull the trigger on franchise-changing moves could be the difference in Cleveland’s success soon.
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