We missed this back in June but it's still relevant today: Billy King talking to a London group, Leadership in Sport, about his vision for the Nets and how players have to fit into the team culture, even in their social media offerings.
It may be two months old, but in light of what happened in the draft, free agency --and one big contract move, it's an interesting take on where the GM sees the team headed.
On implementing your culture...
"The big thing is character. You try to get guys who understand that they're bigger than themselves, that the team is bigger than them. It takes time to get them to understand that. You try to work it out. But the main thing is to get them to focus on the Brooklyn Nets. You spend time talking about the importance of team, sharing the basketball and doing things for each other. And if guys don't fit, you move those guys out. But you're always constantly trying bring in guys, veteran guys that lead by example."
On the Brooklyn Nets culture...
"I think we're there. I think we're still evolving. We haven't to got there completely, to where it's a hard-working, blue-collar team which I would want, but I do believe that we have a culture that understands we're playing for something bigger than them."
On what he works on every day...
"I think it all starts with the coach and I think we have the right leader in Lionel Hollins, who believes in team success. team goals more than individuals. He's always harping on them in practice and comes down to something as simple as making an extra pass to the guy that's open, helping your teammates, sacrificing. So he's the daily messenger. I'm sort of the reminder, maybe every other day."
On players' social media offerings...
"Each one of them I look at as their individual brand. So I try to tell them if the big brand, the Brooklyn Nets, succeeds, then their individual brand will follow. Your individual brand will not lead the big brand. So I monitor them on Instagram and Twitter. I try to give them guidance. We do training, media training, with them on understanding that when you talk on Twitter or Instagram or any social media, you're basically talking to the media. So you got to be careful in what you say and what you do."
It's the same group Irina Pavlova spoke to June about the role of women in sports ... and bias towards Mikhail Prokhorov.