Category: Detroit Pistons Blog

The Detroit Pistons announced today the completion of their basketball operations staff with the additions of Britta Brown, Tony Leotti, Michael Lindo and Ryan West, as well as the return of former staffers Harold Ellis and Rod Williams.

Britta Brown joins the club as Senior Director of Basketball Administration. Brown will oversee team operations, logistics and assist in day-to-day management of the department. Most recently, Brown was an Assistant Athletic Director at Eastern Michigan University, responsible for athletic and alumni events, overall development and daily department management. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008 where she was also a member of the women’s lacrosse team.

Tony Leotti joins the Pistons as Senior Director of Strategy and Systems. Leotti will assist with salary cap oversight and overall strategy. Leotti joins Detroit after four seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers where served as the club’s Director of Basketball Administration & Team Counsel and was a part of the 2016 NBA Champions front office. Prior to joining the Cavs, he served as the Associate Vice President & Senior Associate Counsel for the NBA where he advised team and league personnel with transactions and interpretations of the collective bargaining agreement. Leotti earned his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Economics from Georgetown in 2004 while also competing as a lightweight rower. He later received a Juris Doctor law degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from New York University in 2010.

Harold Ellis and Ryan West both join the basketball front office as pro personnel evaluators. Ellis rejoins the Pistons following a stint as a Pistons assistant coach during the 2008-09 season and as a scout for the team from 2009-12. Since those appointments, he held a Director of Pro Scouting position with the Orlando Magic from 2012-17 and a Director of Player Personnel role with the New York Knicks from 2017-20. West comes to Detroit after spending more than a decade in scouting capacities with the Los Angeles Lakers, holding the Director of Player Personnel title from 2015-19. He was also a scout for the Memphis Grizzlies from 2002-09.

Michael Lindo has been hired as Director of Player and Family Engagement and will be responsible for assisting Pistons players and their families off the court. Prior to coming to Detroit, Lindo worked at Under Armour for six years as the Sports Marketing Consultant – Director of Under Armour Association. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Sports Management from Howard University in 2013 and his Master of Professional Studies in Sports Industry Management from Georgetown in 2016.

Along with the announced new hires, the club also announced five promotions within the department. Gregg Polinsky has been elevated to Senior Director of Player Personnel, Bernard Condevaux to Senior Director of Medical and Performance, Dan Rosenbaum to Senior Director of Analytics, Eric Tellem to Director of Pro Scouting and Jhonika Hawkins to Director of Executive Operations. The club also welcomes back Rod Williams as Director of Team Security. He rejoins the Pistons after serving in security positions with the club from 2012-14 and 2017-18.

Anyone who keeps up with the world of ticket reselling / scalping would be interested in a story developing in Michigan, as reported by the Detroit News:

Michigan crept closer Tuesday to repealing the state’s ban on ticket scalping as a years-long effort to reform the law gained steam.

State House lawmakers passed legislation Tuesday that would repeal a Michigan ban on ticket scalping while preventing software or practices that interfere with a venue’s ticket sale efforts.

The two bills will advance next to the Senate, where the upper chamber will vote on whether it concurs with changes to the legislation it originally approved in January.

Michigan’s ban on reselling event tickets at prices above face value has been in place since 1931.

The Detroit Pistons have named David Mincberg as assistant general manager.

Mincberg comes to Detroit from Milwaukee where he spent three seasons with the Bucks, including this past season as Vice President of Basketball Strategy. Prior to joining the Bucks, Mincberg spent five seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies where he started as Team Counsel before becoming the Grizzlies’ Director of Scouting.

A native of Washington, D.C., Mincberg holds an undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

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The Detroit Pistons hired Troy Weaver as their new General Manager today.

“Troy is an outstanding executive with an exceptional track record for identifying and developing talent,” said Pistons owner Tom Gores. “In talking with Troy, he’s got both the skill and temperament to lead, and the confidence and creativity to work collaboratively with others. We’re excited for him to take the reins as General Manager of the Pistons at this important moment. Ed and the team have done excellent work creating flexibility with our roster and establishing a clear direction. Troy comes aboard to help take us to the next level.”

Weaver, 52, joins the Pistons after spending the past 12 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC), including the last three-plus years as the club’s Vice President of Basketball Operations. Previously, he served eight seasons as Vice President/Assistant General Manager with responsibilities that included coordinating player-personnel matters, NBA Draft preparation, free agency planning and summer league roster construction.

Per the Detroit Free Press, “Weaver’s reputation for spotting talent in the NBA draft and facilitating an environment to help young players develop stands out. The Pistons will potentially have a top-five draft pick and more than $30 million in cap space, so Weaver will have ample opportunity to reshape the roster this offseason.”

“It’s an honor for me to join a franchise with the history and tradition of the Detroit Pistons,” said Weaver. “I’m excited for the challenge of building this team into a consistent winner and assembling the pieces to compete at a very high level. We’ll get to work right away, evaluating opportunities and installing systems that will make us all successful.”

And per the Detroit News, “Weaver is regarded for his decisions in player personnel, which starting in his first season with the Thunder in 2008, as he pushed for drafting Russell Westbrook with the No. 4 pick in the 2008 draft. At the time, Westbrook wasn’t projected as an elite NBA prospect, but Weaver identified him as a breakout star.”

Ed Stefanski, Senior Advisor to Tom Gores, noted that Weaver’s experience over multiple years in Oklahoma City and around the NBA make him a great fit to help move the Pistons franchise forward.

“Troy’s basketball knowledge and experience will help this organization in all facets of strategic planning and roster development this coming season and beyond,” said Stefanski. “He has a good eye for talent, is a great communicator and is team oriented. I look forward to working with him as we focus on achieving our collective goals.”

The Detroit Pistons claimed guard Jordan McRae off waivers today.

McRae, 6-5, 179, averaged career highs in points (11.5 ppg), rebounds (3.3 rpg), assists (2.6 apg) and minutes (20.8 mpg) in 33 games (four starts) with Washington and Denver this season.

The Detroit News adds this:

Jordan McRae had a busy first 24 hours on the job after joining the Pistons on Wednesday. He barely had time to process that he was joining his third team this season before he was off a plane from Denver and headed to Little Caesars Arena.

He warmed up for the game and while team equipment manager John Coumoundouros was still preparing McRae’s jersey, the newest Piston, who was claimed off waivers, was still trying to find his way around Little Caesars Arena and get his bearings before Wednesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In 119 career NBA games (nine starts), the Savannah, GA native has averaged 6.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists with Phoenix, Cleveland, Washington and Denver. He was drafted 58th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs.

McRae played four years at the University of Tennessee, where he averaged 13.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 114 games and was a two-time All-SEC selection. He averaged 18.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists as a senior.