Chris Wallace (basketball)

Last updated
Chris Wallace
Personal information
Born Buckhannon, West Virginia, U.S.
Career information
High school Buckhannon-Upshur
College University of Kansas

Chris Wallace is an American professional basketball executive and scout who is the director of scouting for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Contents

Wallace began working in the NBA in 1986, and was the general manager of the Boston Celtics for ten seasons. Unlike many of his general manager peers, he has never been a player or coach in the NBA. In 2007, he joined the Memphis Grizzlies as their general manager and vice president of basketball operations. [1]

Early years

Wallace graduated from Buckhannon-Upshur High School in 1976. In 1981, while a student at the University of Kansas, Wallace founded Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, an in-depth preseason guide, which he edited and published until 1996. His work on the publication helped him build a reputation as an expert in the field. [2]

Professional career

Jon Spoelstra gave Wallace his first NBA job with the Portland Trail Blazers. [3] Wallace was Director of Player Personnel for the Miami Heat before coming to Boston. The Heat won a franchise-record 61 games in 1996–97, and Wallace was credited with discovering many of the Heat's players. [2] His responsibilities included college and international scouting and searching for potential talent in the Continental Basketball Association as well as the NBA. Wallace was promoted to that position after four years as a scout for the Heat.

Before joining the Heat, Wallace worked in various scouting capacities for the Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, and New York Knicks. He also worked as a draft consultant for the United States Basketball League.

Boston Celtics

Wallace was hired by the Boston Celtics in 1997, with Miami receiving a second-round draft pick to end his contract and allow him to take the new job, and became general manager for the 2000–01 season. The next season, Wallace made a trade-deadline trade with the Phoenix Suns of top-10 draft pick Joe Johnson for Tony Delk and Rodney Rogers (among others), which would help get the Celtics to their first Eastern Conference finals in over a decade, but the trade became problematic over the long term when Johnson became a major star with Phoenix and Atlanta, while Rogers left the Celtics after Wallace failed to sign him to a contract extension. Wallace drafted Paul Pierce, who fell to the Celtics with the No. 10 pick in the 1998 NBA draft. He also traded for Vin Baker, who had been signed to a large contract and tied up Boston's salary cap for three years while battling alcoholism. He has been criticized for his draft history and his free-agent signings while the Celtics' GM. [4]

Memphis Grizzlies

Chris Wallace was hired to replace outgoing president Jerry West for the 2007–08 season. Wallace stated in an initial press conference that his goal was to one day win a championship with the team and head coach Marc Iavaroni. [5] He was brought to work in Memphis just days before the 2007 draft, where the Grizzlies chose point guard Mike Conley Jr. with the fourth pick. Iavaroni lasted for just over a year as coach before being fired.

Wallace was heavily criticized in NBA circles for trading away the Grizzlies' 27-year-old franchise player, Pau Gasol, to the Los Angeles Lakers on February 1, 2008. In exchange, the Grizzlies received Kwame Brown, Javaris Critterton, a rookie second-round pick who had not yet played in the NBA (Marc Gasol) and a pair of very low future first-round picks (Lakers' 2008 and 2010). [6] Many fans and sports commentators believed that the Grizzlies did not receive enough talent in return for Gasol and that the deal was a salary dump. The move also puzzled some rivals. San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was quoted by Sports Illustrated as saying "What they did in Memphis is beyond comprehension. There should be a trade committee that can scratch all trades that make no sense. I just wish I had been on a trade committee that oversees NBA trades. I would have voted no to the LA trade." [7]

Despite the initial negative consensus regarding the Gasol trade, Wallace eventually won praise for his work rebuilding the Grizzlies' roster and making the Grizzlies contenders in the West. [8] In 2013, Marc Gasol was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Wallace's role with Memphis diminished after team ownership transferred from Michael Heisley to Robert Pera. [8] In 2012, John Hollinger became Memphis' vice president of basketball operations, with Wallace remaining as general manager. [9] During his final season as GM he made his last move by trading Marc Gasol to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, C.J Miles and a 2024 second round pick - which resulted in Gasol winning his first NBA championship while Memphis missed the playoffs. On April 11, 2019, Wallace was demoted from his position as general manager to scout in the Grizzlies' restructuring due to poor results during the 2018–19 season, with assistant general manager Zach Kleiman being his replacement. [10]

Personal life

A native of Buckhannon, West Virginia, Wallace and his wife Debby have one son named Truman. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memphis Grizzlies</span> National Basketball Association team in Memphis, Tennessee

The Memphis Grizzlies are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. The Grizzlies play their home games at FedExForum. The Grizzlies are currently the only team in the major professional North American sports leagues based in the city of Memphis, and the only professional basketball team in the state of Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pau Gasol</span> Spanish basketball player (born 1980)

Pau Gasol Sáez is a Spanish former professional basketball player. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a four-time All-NBA team selection, twice on the second team and twice on the third team. Gasol won two NBA championships, both with the Los Angeles Lakers back-to-back in 2009 and 2010. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2002 with the Memphis Grizzlies, being the first non-American player to have won that award. He is regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time and is also considered as one of the greatest European players of all time. He is the older brother of former NBA player Marc Gasol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darko Miličić</span> Serbian basketball player

Darko Miličić is a Serbian former professional basketball player. He is 2.13 m, and played the center position. Miličić played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2003 to 2013. He is the fifth youngest player and the youngest foreign player to have played in the NBA, the youngest player to have played in an NBA Finals game, and the youngest player to win the NBA championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitch Kupchak</span> American basketball executive and former player

Mitchell Kupchak is an American professional basketball executive and retired player. He is the former president of basketball operations and general manager of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a college player, Kupchak was an All-American at the University of North Carolina and a member of the gold medal-winning 1976 United States Olympic team. As a professional player, he won three NBA titles – one as a member of the Washington Bullets and two with the Los Angeles Lakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keyon Dooling</span> American basketball player (born 1980)

Keyon Latwae Dooling is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player who played the guard position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Gasol</span> Spanish basketball player (born 1985)

Marc Gasol Sáez is a Spanish former professional basketball player who is the president of Bàsquet Girona of the Liga ACB. The center is a two-time All-NBA Team member and a three-time NBA All-Star. He was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013, and won an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Grunwald</span> American-Canadian attorney and basketball executive

Glen Grunwald is an attorney and basketball executive who serves as the executive advisor of Canada Basketball and as a senior advisor of the Memphis Grizzlies.

The 2007–08 NBA season was the 62nd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 131–92 to win the 2008 NBA Finals, four games to two. The 2007 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2007 and Greg Oden was selected first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers. However, he missed the entire season due to knee surgery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Conley Jr.</span> American basketball player (born 1987)

Michael Alex Conley Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. Conley spent 12 seasons with the Grizzlies and became the team's all-time leading scorer before being traded to the Utah Jazz in 2019, then traded again to the Timberwolves in 2023.

The 2007–08 Memphis Grizzlies season was their 13th season in the National Basketball Association and seventh in Memphis. The Memphis Grizzlies failed to qualify for the Playoffs for the second straight season. They finished 14th in the Western Conference with an awful record of 22-60, being only marginally better than the 20-62 Seattle SuperSonics.

The 2007–08 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 60th season of the franchise, 59th in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 48th in Los Angeles. During the offseason, the Lakers re-signed point guard Derek Fisher. The Lakers celebrated their 60th anniversary, thus the Laker jerseys wore the 60th anniversary patches on the leftmost part. They finished the regular season with 57 wins, finishing with the most wins in the tightest conference race in NBA history. The Lakers clinched the top seed in the playoffs for the 29th time in franchise history. This 15-game turnaround from the prior season has been attributed to the progress of the team's bench players and the mid-season trade for Pau Gasol. The Lakers sold out all 41 home games for the season. After 12 seasons in the NBA, Kobe Bryant was named the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player for the first and only time in his career. The Lakers had the third best team offensive rating and the fifth best team defensive rating in the NBA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erik Spoelstra</span> American basketball coach (born 1970)

Erik Jon Spoelstra, nicknamed "Coach Spo", is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Spoelstra is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the league and one of the greatest of all time. He has won two NBA championships as the head coach of the Heat. A Filipino American, Spoelstra is the first Asian American head coach in the history of the four major North American sports leagues and the first Asian American head coach to win an NBA title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memphis Grizzlies draft history</span> Overview of Memphis Grizzlies draft picks

The Memphis Grizzlies were first located in Vancouver after the National Basketball Association (NBA) granted the city an expansion team on April 27, 1994, and they first participated in the NBA draft in 1995. However, the Grizzlies win–loss record after six seasons was only 101-359 (.220), and on July 4, 2001, the league's board of governors approved a move to Memphis, where the team has been located ever since.

The 2001–02 NBA season was the Grizzlies’ 7th season in the National Basketball Association, and their first season in Memphis. After six years of struggling in Vancouver, the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, Tennessee. Although it was the first NBA team for the city, Memphis played home to an American Basketball Association team known as the Memphis Sounds from 1970–1975. The Grizzlies had the sixth overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, and selected small forward Shane Battier from Duke University, and acquired top draft pick and Spanish basketball star Pau Gasol, point guard Brevin Knight and former University of Memphis star Lorenzen Wright from the Atlanta Hawks; Gasol was drafted by the Hawks with the third overall pick. During the off-season, the team acquired point guard Jason Williams, and veteran shooting guard Nick Anderson from the Sacramento Kings, and signed free agent Rodney Buford. However, center Bryant Reeves missed the entire season with a preseason back injury, and never played for the team in Memphis during the regular season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Courtney Lee</span> American basketball player (born 1985)

Courtney Lee is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Western Kentucky University.

The 2010–11 Boston Celtics season was the 65th season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Celtics were coming off of an NBA Finals loss to their rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, in seven games.

The 2011–12 NBA season was the 66th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), which began with the signing of a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the owners of the 30 NBA teams and the NBA's players. The previous CBA, which was ratified in 2005, expired at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2011, resulting in a lockout. With the new deal in place, the regular season was shortened from the normal 82 games per team to 66, because of nearly two months of inactivity. This was the league's first season since 1991–92 without Shaquille O'Neal, who announced his retirement on June 1, 2011, via social media. A 4-time champion, O'Neal played 19 years for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics. The season began on Christmas Day 2011, and ended on April 26, 2012. The playoffs started on April 28 and ended on June 21 when the Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of their series, 121–106, winning the Finals, 4–1 and to capture the franchise's second NBA title. LeBron James was named both the season MVP and the NBA Finals MVP. The NBA regular season would not begin again in December until the 2020–21 NBA season.

The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee.

The 2019–20 Memphis Grizzlies season was the 25th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 19th in Memphis.

References

  1. 1 2 GRIZZLIES: Grizzlies name Chris Wallace General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations
  2. 1 2 Mickey, Furfari (July 27, 2014). "Wallace one of the NBA's best". Times West Virginian. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  3. ↑ Benjamin, Amalie (June 3, 2012). "On the Hot Seat, Erik Spoelstra Has Stayed Cool for Miami Heat". The Boston Globe . Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  4. ↑ "The VP of Common Sense offers his draft advice". ESPN. June 22, 2007.
  5. ↑ GRIZZLIES: Chris Wallace joins Grizzlies as VP, GM
  6. ↑ "Ten teams that had the goods to get Gasol". ESPN. February 5, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Popovich pops off on Gasol trade". Sports Illustrated.
  8. 1 2 "Chris Wallace leader for Kings GM". ESPN. May 31, 2013.
  9. ↑ Stein, Marc (December 14, 2012). "Grizzlies hire John Hollinger". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Memphis Grizzlies announce restructuring of basketball operations department". NBA.com. April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.