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Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis, who also oversees the Hornets’ basketball operations, said getting Williams’ contract situation finalized was a high priority. “He knows and we know that he’s here for the long term as we develop a young team into a championship contender,” Loomis said. “I’ve been very impressed with Monty since we purchased the team. “I’ve also been impressed with Dell and the job he’s done and the staff in the basketball operations.” New Orleans Times-Picayune

New Orleans Hornets, Coaching, Monty Williams 

Gordon has had several conversations with Hornets coach Monty Williams, but was disappointed about not hearing anything from general manager Dell Demps, the Hornets' new ownership group led by Tom Benson or any other front-office member. He still has yet to speak to the Hornets' brass. "All I could do was communicate with the coach," Gordon said. "That was the only communication I had. My agent [Robert Pelinka] was the only one communicating with the GM and the other front-office people. That was very different for me to go through." Yahoo! Sports

New Orleans Hornets, Monty Williams, Dell Demps, Eric Gordon, Owners, Tom Benson 

New Orleans Hornets Coach Monty Williams said he fully understands the root of shooting guard Eric Gordon's unhappiness. Gordon left here Saturday night after learning he was not going to be a member of the USA Olympic basketball team this summer, depriving Williams of a chance to speak with Gordon face-to-face, though the two spoke on telephone Saturday Williams said. "He had to get out of town; I think he's a bit frustrated," said Williams, who was here on Sunday to watch rookie Anthony Davis – who also did not make the Olympic roster – New Orleans Times-Picayune

New Orleans Hornets, Monty Williams, Eric Gordon 

work with the younger U.S. select team against the senior team. "You know, I've done it. I talked to (Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich) last night and I brought up an instance where I kind of said some things I probably should not have said. I don't take it seriously. What Eric said is not who he is. It's unfortunate because people at home are pretty upset about it. "Everywhere I go, somebody's got something to say. What I would say is 'Let's understand how we were when we were 23.' Give the kid some mercy. We still love him. We're not upset with him. We understand the process. It's unfortunate that it happened this way, but that's just a part of it." New Orleans Times-Picayune

New Orleans Hornets, Monty Williams, Eric Gordon 

New Orleans might target Portland Trail Blazers restricted free agent forward Nicolas Batum, who is considering accepting an offer from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Hornets’ Monty Williams coached Batum when he was an assistant with the Trail Blazers. New Orleans Times-Picayune

Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Hornets, Free Agency, Monty Williams, Nicolas Batum 

Loomis knows a good thing when he sees it. And in the short time he’s spent overseeing the Hornets’ basketball operations, he’s liked what he’s seen from the club’s brain trust, General Manager Dell Demps and Coach Monty Williams. “I like what I’ve seen a lot,” Loomis said. “Monty Williams is bright. He’s got strong core beliefs and a good connection with the players. He’s tough and disciplined and believes in those kinds of things in his program. And I’d say the same things about Dell. The only thing Monty and Dell don’t have is experience.” New Orleans Times-Picayune

New Orleans Hornets, Monty Williams, Dell Demps 

Williams likes the idea of restricted free agent Eric Gordon -- whom the Hornets expect to re-sign -- and Rivers playing in the back court together at times, giving New Orleans two players in the backcourt who can create their own shots from either the perimeter or on the drive. ESPN.com

New Orleans Hornets, Free Agency, Monty Williams, Eric Gordon, Austin Rivers 

It’s fair to say Doc is very comfortable leaving his kid in the care of New Orleans coach Monty Williams and general manager Dell Demps. And even with Austin as such a high pick, he knows he won’t have to deal with the same pressure as Anthony Davis, taken No. 1 by New Orleans. Boston Herald

New Orleans Hornets, Draft, Doc Rivers, Monty Williams, Dell Demps, Austin Rivers 

“I love Monty,” he said. “Honestly, with Monty and Dell we couldn’t have asked for more. I played with Monty and coached Monty, and then I played with Dell Demps, as well. It’s like having a brother coach your son.” Boston Herald

Draft, Doc Rivers, Monty Williams, Dell Demps, Austin Rivers 

Possible targets are former Hornets guard Willie Green, who becomes a unrestricted free agent after playing last season with the Atlanta Hawks; Charlotte Bobcats restricted free-agent guard D.J. Augustin, a New Orleans native; Chicago Bulls restricted free-agent center Omer Asik; Denver restricted free agent Rudy Fernandez, who played for Hornets Coach Monty Williams when he was an assistant with the Portland Trail Blazers; and Houston Rockets unrestricted free-agent guard Goran Dragic, who was part of the three-team deal that initially sent Paul to the Lakers before NBA Commissioner David Stern nixed it. New Orleans Times-Picayune

New Orleans Hornets, Free Agency, Rudy Fernandez, Omer Asik, Monty Williams, Goran Dragic, Willie Green 

After flying into New Orleans on Monday, Davis was scheduled to spend the day with his only pre-draft visit to a franchise. Davis had dinner with Hornets coach Monty Williams in Chicago at the team's pre-draft camp, and will meet with an array of Hornets owners, executives and coaches on Tuesday at the team's facility outside of New Orleans. The Hornets hold the No. 1 pick and there hasn't been a moment of debate about where Davis will go. Yahoo! Sports

New Orleans Hornets, Draft, Monty Williams, Anthony Davis 

Since Davis has not hired an agent yet, Williams said he's had a chance to talk with him a lot. Williams said while attending last week's Chicago pre-draft combine, he met with Davis. ``I stay in communication with him,'' Williams said. ``If the other guys didn’t have an agent, I would talk to them, too. I had a chance to talk to a bunch of guys in Chicago, (Michael) Kidd-Gilchrist, Austin (Rivers), obviously. A lot of guys I saw in the hallways and I shook their hands and kind of told them to beat it.'' New Orleans Times-Picayune

New Orleans Hornets, Draft, Monty Williams, Anthony Davis 

Brian Schmitz: Anthony Davis: Going No. 1 "not set in stone." After talking with Hornets coach Monty Williams, I believe cement is dry on his selection. Twitter

New Orleans Hornets, Draft, Monty Williams, Anthony Davis 

Davis' Kentucky Wildcats won the national championship at the Final Four in New Orleans in April. He has some family members in the city who are excited for his arrival. Also ecstatic are Hornets fans, who suddenly have hope for a brighter future after New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson agreed to buy the franchise. Davis is still learning about the Hornets and the "Big Easy,” but he knows about Williams. "I know they work hard every night under Coach," Davis said. "It’s a great place to play." Yahoo! Sports

New Orleans Hornets, Draft, Monty Williams 

Davis plans to hire an agent in a couple weeks. He expects to also visit New Orleans soon. Williams didn’t offer an official commitment to draft Davis, but no one expects the Hornets to pass on the talented forward. Yahoo! Sports

New Orleans Hornets, Draft, Monty Williams 

But I do know this: At least one NBA head coach, Monty Williams, says the Blazers are making a mistake if they don't consider Malone. Full disclosure: Williams and Malone are both represented by Kauffman. Oregonian

New Orleans Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, Coaching, Monty Williams, Mike Malone 

The thought crosses former Magic forward Monty Williams' mind from time to time. He can't escape it. And as the New Orleans Hornets coach was coming down from the high of his team winning the NBA Draft lottery last week, it revisited him. "I feel blessed, I really do," Williams said by phone late Friday night. "It's such a high because I'm not supposed to be here. I was told I was supposed to die 20 years ago." Orlando Sentinel

New Orleans Hornets, Draft, Monty Williams 

Williams isn't being overly dramatic. He was diagnosed with a heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the disease blamed for the deaths of Hank Gathers and Reggie Lewis. Back in 1990, Williams was delivered a veritable death sentence, doctors telling him that physical activity such as basketball could produce a fatal heart attack. He was taken off the court for two years at Notre Dame until research cleared him. Testing showed that signs of any disease had vanished, allowing him to play nine seasons in the NBA. "It's a miracle from God — no other way to explain it," he said. But Williams has felt he is living on borrowed time ever since. He tries to impart a message to his kids and close friends to make each day count. "I do talk about it a lot to my kids," he said. "I think about it. You look at your wife and kids, and you realize how blessed you are. Don't ever take things for granted. It humbles me." Orlando Sentinel

New Orleans Hornets, Draft, Monty Williams 

In December, NBA Commissioner David Stern nixed a trade that would have sent Paul to the Lakers in a three-team deal, saying it wasn’t in the best interest of the Hornets. Ultimately, Stern approved the trade that sent Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers for guard Eric Gordon, Al Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ unprotected first-round pick, which became the 10th pick in this month’s draft on Wednesday night. “Don’t get me wrong, this is really cool for us, and I feel blessed that we have the No. 1 pick,” Williams said. “But as I said before, my job never changed. I want to keep that focus, no matter what the situation is — ownership, players want to leave, No. 1 pick, the bottom line my job hasn’t changed. My focus is always to try to get better, talk to other coaches and watch other guys practices. I feel I don’t have anything to gloat about. We haven’t done anything yet.” New Orleans Times-Picayune

New Orleans Hornets, Draft, Coaching, Monty Williams 

Williams said he learned from San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich to keep working to improve. “This is the start of a new beginning,” Hornets General Manager Dell Demps said. “We’re hoping for the best. I think we have a good core right now, and we’re looking forward to building for the future and be good for a long time.” New Orleans Times-Picayune

New Orleans Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, Coaching, Monty Williams, Gregg Popovich