SAN ANTONIO (AP) Monty Williams is the new vice president of
basketball operations for the San Antonio Spurs, returning to the
franchise he has already been part of as both a player and a
coaching intern.
Williams appeared in 154 games with the Spurs between 1996 and
1998. He was a coaching intern with the team in the 2004-05 season,
the first step on a path that would lead him to spend five seasons
as an assistant in Portland, five years as a head coach in New
Orleans and then an assistant again last season in Oklahoma City.
Williams has also been an assistant for the USA Basketball men’s
national team.
His hiring was one of several announced Friday by the Spurs, who
also added Brian Wright as assistant general manager, Phil Cullen
as director of basketball strategy, Pat Sund as a pro personnel
scout, Nick Repole as director of basketball information systems
and Landry Fields – who spent five years in the NBA as a player –
as a college scout.
The Spurs also made a number of promotions, most notably Will Hardy
being elevated from video coordinator to assistant coach.
Other promotions included Andy Birdsong to director of pro player
personnel, Brandon James to assistant general counsel and director
of basketball administration, Dave Telep to director of scouting,
Xavi Schelling is now the team’s director of sports science and
athletic performance, Niraj Mulji is the new basketball operations
manager and Dutch Gaitley replaces Hardy as video coordinator.