The Great Equalizers: Ranking the NBA's Five Worst GMs

As a basketball fan, I’m happy. I’m happy for basketball fans everywhere, too, happy that they get to experience the same NBA that I am currently experiencing. Teams are better, players are more skilled (and there’s more of them), fans are more involved, and games are generally more exciting. Every night is must-watch TV if your team is in the Western Conference. Check it: in 2008, two very, very good teams are going to miss the playoffs (as of today, my Mavs sit in 7th place with a 39-21 record) in the Western Conference. The first and fifth place teams are separated by something like three games. It’s like the playoffs already started. As for player personnel, off the top of my head, I can count seven—SEVEN—point guards that are or should be All-Stars. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen uniting in Boston is one of several feel-good stories of the year, along with New Orleans’s resurgence (the city and the basketball team), the emergence of All-Star caliber, hard-working players (Caron Butler, Brandon Roy, David West), and LeBron James (maybe not a technical ‘feel-good’ story, but whenever I watch him play, I just feel good. The guy is incredible). This rookie class is shaping up to be full of All-Stars, highlighted by Kevin Durrant and Al Horford. Even the last place teams have bright futures, with Minnesota cropping a superstar in Al Jefferson, and the Heat still have Wade. Speaking of Wade, this era of basketball is so good, there are several players who have achieved one-name only status, the ultimate sign of dominance. LeBron. Wade. Kobe. Dirk. ‘Melo. It’s like Christmas every time I turn on the TV.

Yet there will always, always be The Great Equalizer, and in today’s NBA, that title belongs to the GM’s. As a life-long Dallas Cowboys fan, I’ve seen what an incompetent General Manager can do to a franchise (Google Jerry Jones, Jimmy Johnson, 1994 season…you get the picture). As a life-long Dallas Mavericks fan, I’ve seen what an able General Manager can do to a franchise (Google Mark Cuban, Nick Van Exel, Jerry Stackhouse, and this one guy named Nowitzki). I’ve seen the good and the bad when it comes to upper-management. And in the NBA in 2008, I have seen not only bad, but embarrassing. I hereby present my Tim Glaze’s Top-Five Worst GM’s of 2007-2008.

5. Jim Paxson, Chicago Bulls

I picked Chicago to make it to the Finals this year, and they really had no excuse not to. The emergence of Luol Deng as a formative scorer next to Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich, the defense of Ben Wallace, and the maturation of super-athlete Tyrus Thomas were suppossed to vault this Bulls team into the upper-tier of the Eastern Conference. Paxson was also sitting on a gold mine; his plan, remember, has been to aquire as many assets and young players as possible, see if they mature enough to carry this team, and if they don’t, trade them for a superstar. Well, the young Bulls performed well enough to garner trade value for Kobe Bryant—the Lakers repeatedly said they would have taken Deng, along with others, for Kobe—and Paxson screwed the pooch, failing to offer a pleasing trade, thus missing out on Kobe. His young team then self-destructed from the stress of trade rumors, openly fighting amongst themselves (the PLAYERS voted to have rookie Joakim Noah suspended). Paxson then fired playoff-proven coach Scott Skiles on Christmas Eve, channeling his inner-Scrooge and basically mailing in the season after two months.

4. Kevin McHale, Minnesota Timberwolves

What people forget is that, at an earlier time, Boston had offered Minnesota Al Jefferson AND Rajon Rondo, along with other pieces, for Kevin Garnett. McHale didn’t pull the trigger, and when it came time to absolutely trade KG, he couldn’t even get Boston to throw in Rondo, and with Minnesota’s current point guard situation laughable (Sebastian Telfair, Marky Jaric, and injury-riddled Randy Foye), I’d say not getting Rondo was a setback. Look, it’s hard to blame McHale for wanting to keep KG—he’s only one of the 50 greatest players to ever play the game, plus one of the more loyal players in the NBA. But he waited a good year-and-a-half too long to trade KG, getting roughly sixty cents on the dollar for the future NBA Hall-of-Famer.

(Something that hasn’t been brought up much, to my surprise, is Minnesota’s recent release of Theo Ratliff. I’m not one-hundred percent sure how it works, but in order for a player to count as cap-relief, don’t you have to keep him on your roster until his contract expires? Maybe I’m wrong, but if the Wolves just indeed let a huge expiring contract go, I’m moving McHale up to at least No. 2)

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3. Billy King, Philadelphia 76ers

Sorry, I can’t help myself. He’s already been fired, a move two years too late. Any GM who can justify paying Samuel Dalembert and Willie Green over $80 million AND trade the franchise’s most popular player for Andre Miller deserves Top-Five-Worst-GM-For-Life recognition, like Adam Sandler in ‘Happy Gilmore’ getting free Subway for life.

2. Chris Wallace, Memphis Grizzlies

He was already slipping down the pole of GM’s before the atrocious Gasol deal, but he’s one city-scandal away from being No. 1 on my list (see the next selection for clarification). People forget that not three years ago, Memphis was a five-seed in the Western Conference, with Gasol as their best player and Mike Fratello their head coach. Now they’re a lottery lock for the next three years, their arena hasn’t sold out since their inaugural season, there’s open rumors about Wallace trying to sell the team, and they have Kwame Brown. Talk about going from good to bad in the blink of an eye. But the real reason for Wallace’s spot at No. 2 is the aforementioned Gasol deal. Allow me to re-visit the trade, in its entirety.

Lakers get: Pau Gasol

Grizzlies get: Javaris Crittenton, Kwame Brown, Aaron McKie, draft rights to Marc Gasol, and first-round picks in 2008 and 2010.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Chris Wallace! The only player that immediately benefits the Grizzlies in this deal, Crittenton (a definite blue-chipper; this guy is going to be really good someday), may not even get regular playing time! The Grizzlies have Kyle Lowry, Mike Conley Jr., AND Juan Carols Navarro! AND THEY TOOK ON KWAME BROWN! Does Wallace think Brown’s arrival will help ticket sales? If I were a Grizzlies ticket holder I’d be setting up my eBay account as soon as possible. But hey, Memphis, look on the bright side. You’re getting Marc Gasol, Pau’s brother, who carries the formative title of Best Player In Spain, which is like saying you’re the healthiest resident at the nursing home. And don’t forget those first round picks, which will be THE last pick of the first round, due to the Lakers’ run of championships that will now most definitely happen. I mean, you couldn’t even ask for Bynum, Chris?!?! KWAME BROWN!?!?!?!

(As you can tell, I’m slightly bitter. The Mavs had to give up two of their top-seven rotation guys for a 35-year-old point guard who, I’m just now realizing, will get burned by any one of the elite point guards in the West. The Lakers gave up Kwame Brown. Don’t ever forget this.)

And the award for Worst GM in the NBA in 2008 goes to:

1. Sam Presti, Seattle SuperSonics

Again, like Billy King, not much explanation needed. When you openly hope for a move to a NEW city and offer no solace for a city that has enjoyed Sonic basketball for over forty years, you’re relegated to Worst GM award. I’ve read a lot of columns that are just plastered with emails from defeated Sonics fans who know that there really is no hope for their franchise. Remember, in 2004-2005, the Sonics won the Northwest Division with Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis leading way. Now? Seattle fans won’t even get to watch soon-to-be-superstar Kevin Durrant blossom into the next Kevin Garnett-Tracy McGrady hybrid. It’s an outrage what’s happening to the city of Seattle. When the Sonics inevitable get ‘relocated’ to Oklahoma City, I vote that basketball fans everywhere boycott watching any Oklahoma City Sonics games for an entire year.

Sorry, Seattle. I will now devote a section of every column I write to telling you good things that are going on with your other pro franchises. Today’s Ray of Hope: the Seahawks just signed TJ Duckett!

by Tim Glaze
Pro Basketball Fans Staff Writer

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