September 6, 2021
Dan Boyce
Podcasts
0
2114 Views

This month the Perth Wildcats announced former Director of Scouting at Philadelphia 76ers Danny Mills would join the team as General Manager of Basketball Operations.

Mills’ primary role will be to oversee the basketball department, with a particular focus on recruitment, talent identification and player pathway strategy and development.

Visit dunk.com.au for your next set of basketball uniforms.

Mills was born and raised in Perth and played juniors for both Wanneroo Wolves and Willetton Tigers. He was an eight-time WA State Team representative, a Perth Wildcats training squad member in 2002-03 and played college basketball at Oregon Tech from 2004-07.

He joined the podcast to talk about his time with the 76ers during its “Trust the Process” era, thoughts on Ben Simmons and his future, plans for the Wildcats roster for this season and memories of his time as a player and being a lifelong Wildcats fan.

iTunes – Spotify – Stitcher – Libsyn – TuneIn

Topics include;

How the role was offered to Danny and what a general manager of basketball does (2:00)
Danny’s experiences playing basketball as a junior, being a part of the AIS squad which included Andrew Bogut and his college career (4:00)
Memories of the NBL growing up in Perth and being a huge Wildcats fan (9:00)
How he was able to get a role as a scout with the Philadelphia 76ers and how that led to the role with the Perth Wildcats (13:00)
Being a part of “The Process” in Philadelphia and what he learnt from it (15:00)
Thoughts on Ben Simmons current situation (23:00)
How Perth is different to every NBL team and what the team is focused on for future success (31:00)
The background on signing new head coach Scott Morrison (36:00)
Signing Vic Law (41:00)
The Wildcats roster needs for this season and what he plans to focus on next (43:00)
Thoughts on the next star program and is it something they intend to utilise this season? (51:00)
What the Wildcats will do with their vacant third and import spot (56:00)

All of this and a whole lot more…

Does money equal wins in the NBL?

Over the past three NBL seasons, clubs have spent almost $97 million assembling their rosters, but how much of that money has translated into wins, and which teams have delivered the best value for money? These figures represent cash spend, not salary cap spend. Cash spending includes player salaries and additional costs such as agent fees, bonuses, import related expenses and luxury tax, rather than simply the amounts counted against the league's salary cap. How much have NBL teams spent over the past three seasons?…

ARE THE HAWKS “TIRED” OF TATUM’S VOICE?

Larry Bird believed players began tuning out coaches after three years. Pat Riley reportedly put the limit at five, while Steve Kerr admitted his Golden State players were tired of hearing him in his fourth season. Now Justin Tatum is in his fourth season with Illawarra, and the Hawks have gone from NBL champions to the bottom of the ladder. Could they be experiencing the same problem? Justin Tatum transformed Illawarra from one of the NBL's worst teams into champions. But ahead of today's clash…

COULD BRIAN GOORJIAN HAVE SAVED THE MELBOURNE TIGERS?

In 2002, the Melbourne Tigers were fighting for survival when they identified an opportunity to attract supporters from their biggest rivals. Their plan to honour Brian Goorjian was blocked by the Victoria Giants, potentially changing the course of Melbourne basketball history. In 2002, the Melbourne Tigers devised a plan that could have changed the future of their club. The Tigers were emerging from financial administration, crowds were falling and the club had been forced to abandon its home at Vodafone Arena, now known as John…

Danny Mills (Perth Wildcats GM) on this seasons roster and plans for future Wildcats success