Dell Demps Q & A

NEW YORK, June 13, 2005 -- Dell Demps is in his fourth season on the Knicks’ staff, and was promoted to his new role as Director of Pro Player Personnel in May after serving as a scout for the past three seasons. Dell talked to NYKnicks.com about his role as one of the main evaluators of basketball talent for the New York Knicks.

Q: You recently became Director of pro Player Personnel after being a scout. What are your duties now?
A: I am more involved in the overall picture of who we scout, where we go, and what we do. I still spend a great amount of time on the road evaluating players, suggesting trade scenarios, helping prepare for the draft and watching players in the American minor leagues like the NBDL and the CBA.

Q: Is your time split between college and pro games?
A: Not really. This time of year of course we are focusing on the college game, but mostly I am on the road watching pro players with the chance we may make a trade or look at a free agent to fill an injury spot. We always have to be prepared in case an opportunity comes up. We have a group of guys like Steve Yoder and Dick McGuire who do a lot of our college scouting year round.

Q: How many games do you go to a year?
A: Wow. I will try and see an average of four games in person per week from October through April. I am based outside of Sacramento so I build my schedule around that. Then on tape I would probably watch another 200 or so games.

Q: You have seen other organizations as a player, how do the Knicks compare?
A: This was my first opportunity to work in the front office, when I came on as a scout a few years ago. The Knicks invest the time and the effort into building the system and preparing, which is essential for being a success for the long term. That is not something that all teams do. Also working with people like Isiah, Jeff Nix and Brendan Suhr you learn a great deal by listening. The other great thing is that they also listen to you if you have a thought, so it goes both ways. I think that us a great value and is really important for success.

Q: You had a successful college career and then played in the NBA for a while. What lessons did you learn as a player that you apply to what you do now?
A: The biggest is be a good listener. You have to learn from those around you, your teammates, coaches and those who have more experience. You can also pick up on things others may not notice. In this business those little things make a big difference.

Q: Speaking of listening, Isiah credited you with finding Jackie Butler. What did you see in Jackie that others did not?
A: Well the jury is still out on Jackie but I think he has a chance. We knew we were looking for a backup point guard and were spending time watching Jermaine Jackson in the CBA. I got a chance to see Jackie a great deal and saw that he had one great skill already, a jump hook. He was also very raw but still was able to play at a high level in the CBA. So I thought he was a kid we could take a chance on and see if he can develop. Hopefully he will get that chance this summer.

Q: What is the big difference between coaching and scouting?
A: I really enjoy the scouting side because you can prepare for the long term. Coaching makes you involved with worrying about today, and usually today only. The building of a team is what I enjoy, and that’s what we are doing here. Building for the long term.

Q: You are constantly on the road as you said. Who do you work with on a day to day basis?
A: I am always talking to Brendan and to Jeff Nix about where I am going, who we are looking at and what we are doing. It changes pretty quickly but the goal is to always be in communication so we can see the right players in different places. And all that always goes back to Isiah as well. He is always more than willing to look and listen, and take input when we make a decision.

Yeah, I read this at msgnetwork. It was good work by him to discover Jackie Butler.

This is why we draft so well & make such excellent trades.

was that sarcastic?

Maybe this is just the start of a multi year process and soon (2-3 yrs)could see some results.

We can hope.

Got Patience?

I wonder who is the brains behind Ariza?

Posted by franco12:

Posted by fishmike:

This is why we draft so well & make such excellent trades.

was that sarcastic?

yes.

you never know around here

when did this guy start? he's quoted as saying a 'few years ago'. That would be under layden and layden is the man the who so scouted nene that we traded him and only center (camby) for a stack of medical charts (mcdyss).

That's building for the future.

Posted by Nalod:

I wonder who is the brains behind Ariza?

Wasn't that Kareem who sold Zeke to draft Ariza?

Posted by franco12:

when did this guy start? he's quoted as saying a 'few years ago'. That would be under layden and layden is the man the who so scouted nene that we traded him and only center (camby) for a stack of medical charts (mcdyss).

That's building for the future.

Actually Frank Layden trumped everyone on that. That is why Layden was kinda resented by alot of Knick people. Many thought he relied on his pop alot. It was Frank's call on Sweetney and Lampe. It is hard to argue Frank Layden had alot of success with the Jazz, just look at who he found.