As one of the longest tenured members of the Minnesota Timberwolves Front Office, Manny Rohan has experienced more in his 11 seasons than some experience in a lifetime working in the NBA.
The Australian-born Rohan joined the Wolves as an intern in 2010 under the David Kahn regime, under whom he was promoted to Basketball Operations Assistant in 2011. When Flip Saunders returned to Minnesota to oversee all basketball activity in 2013, Rohan was elevated to Manager of Basketball Administration. Rohan’s ascent continued to the director level in 2016 when Tom Thibodeau was hired following Saunders’ untimely passing. Finally, the Brisbane native was promoted to Assistant General Manager last year when Gersson Rosas was hired as the franchise’s President of Basketball Operations.
One doesn’t endure so many changes over a decade in an NBA front office without the nuanced competence Rohan possesses.
“Manny makes the team better with his diligence,” Rosas says. “There's no box that's not checked. There's no scenario that hasn't been discussed. There's no perspective that we haven't evaluated, thanks to [Rohan’s] thoroughness. His ability to study and make sure that we're covered from every platform and every perspective allows us to make educated decisions.”
“Manny is an expert in the CBA,” Executive Vice President Sachin Gupta adds.” He knows every rule inside and out, and he knows every team inside out. He's also a terrific scout, and he comes up with our best ideas. He's the one behind the scenes making all the moves.”
Rohan’s experience and previous law experience provides the Wolves’ staff with salary cap and administrational expertise. When a contract is signed, when a trade is made, Rohan is there to cross the T’s and dot the I’s.
“It's my responsibility to understand the mechanisms by which we'd be able to make trades on draft night and how that all interacts with the salary relating to free agency,” Rohan explains.
He continues: “The primary thrust of my day-to-day is related to salary cap and administration. The rules that allow for player transactions, as well as the general operations of the team are the biggest components; then a secondary focus is the departmental budget and ensuring our spend on medical staff, scouting and all those things that aren't necessarily in the public eye, are all in line with projections.”
With the 2020 NBA Draft approaching, Minnesota will rely on Rohan’s input in improving the team for sustained success. Rohan is focused not only on drafting talent, but also in consulting on the impact of potential trades.
“My role in the draft process is primarily to understand the salary cap implication of trades,” says Rohan. “The draft process has been different from prior years, just in terms of our ability to meet with and touch players. Obviously it's a unique situation but it presents opportunities as well.
“We've had a longer ramp up to the draft and I think it'll be a unique opportunity for us this year.”