I expected the Hornets to be in the play-offs this year, but I had no idea they would be this good (partially because they are never on television).
As I watched the game tonight, I realized that nobody mentions Jeff Bower among those who deserve the Executive of the Year Award. Instead, Danny Ainge and Mitch Kupchak's names are mentioned.
I see this as a problem with professional sports. We glamourize the big deal, but do not reward the true art of building a team.
Bower did not make any big moves in the off-season, though drafting Julian Wright at #13 appears to be a steal now. During the season, he did not make a blockbuster move, choosing instead to add Bonzi Wells in a swap of former Sacramento Kings for Bobby Jackson.
However, last year, his big deals went unnoticed because the Hornets suffered so many injuries that knocked them out of the play-offs.
Trading for KG and Gasol were no-brainers. No GMs would have messed up those deals. I'm not sure acquiring KG or Gasol illustrate a GM's acumen. Sure, they changed the face of their franchises, but they were no-brainer deals. I actually thought Ainge's most savvy move was signing James Posey and Kupchak's best move has been to resist Kobe's pleas and not trade Andrew Bynum, as well as a series of unheralded draft picks like Sasha Vujicic and Jordan Farmar who now contribute.
Similarly, Bower did not make any one astounding move. Paul fell in his lap, which shows as much about Atlanta and Milwaukee as it does about his skill as a GM. However, look at the Tyson Chandler deal. J.R. Smith and P.J. Brown for Chandler. When the deal was completed, which led to Chicago signing Ben Wallace, everyone annointed Chicago the front runners in the Eastern Conference. Nobody said that the Hornets got the better end of the deal. Chicago is in ruins, having dealt Wallace and Smith and watching Brown walk as a free agent, and Chandler is defending Tim Duncan better than anyone in the league while running the pick-and-roll alley-oop with Paul like Nash-to-Stoudamire circa 2006. In retrospect, that deal looks almost as lop-sided as the Gasol for Kwame Brown trade, but nobody thought that at the time. That's the type of deal that makes a GM.
The Chandler trade was not the only move. Acquiring Peja Stojakovic was not a huge move and many people were skeptical, feeling Peja had peaked as a player and did not have much to offer. Morris Peterson lost playing time and fell out of favor in Toronto. Jannero Pargo. Melvin Ely. Bobby Jackson.
No big piece, beyond the drafting of David West (a steal) and Chris Paul (ditto). But, he fit the perfect complementary pieces around West and Paul through a series of trades and signings. He built a championship contender the old fashioned way, like the Spurs.
The Spurs had a bit of luck (Duncan) and used some great evaluation skills to find two hifdden gems in the draft (Ginobili and Parker). Then, Buford and Popvich fit pieces around the stars: Oberto, Barry, Finley, Bowen, Vaughn, etc. No big pieces, just pieces that fit and help the Spurs win. Joe Dumars built Detroit in a similar fashion, acquiring players when their value has dipped (Billups, Hamilton, Wallace) and allowing them to leave when their price is too high (Okur, Ben Wallace) and drafting very well for their draft position (Prince, Stuckey, Maxiell).
Bower never did anything noteworthy enough to win an award. However, he built a franchise which has a chance to compete for the NBA championship for the next five years, as Paul and Wright have yet to reach their prime, West and Chandler have just hit theirs and Peja is still at the end of his. If he continues to make savvy moves and stays true to his method, the Hornets are poised to be one of the top organizations into the next decade.
Bower's job in New Orleans reminds me of Geoff Petrie making Sacramento relevant. He drafted Peja and left in Europe. Then, he drafted Jason Williams and Hedo Turkuglo. He trade Mitch Richmond, possibly the most popular Sacramento King, for Chris Webber and then signed Vlade Divac, away from the Hornets, no less. In a couple moves, Petrie built one of the best teams in the NBA for a 5-6 year stretch. New Orleans drafted West, then Paul and Wright; traded Brown, one of the most popular Hornets for Chandler, and signed Peja and now the Hornets should be one of the top teams for the next 5-6 years.
I think it is unfortunate that these moves, which really show a GMs true skill go unnoticed and overlooked in favor of the splashy moves or the superstar deals. Hopefully some voters will appreciate the craftsmanship Bower showed in building the Hornets into a contender, even if it did not happen overnight.
Showing posts with label Geoff Petrie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Geoff Petrie. Show all posts
Monday, May 05, 2008
Sunday, April 15, 2007
State of Sacramento
Ailene Voisin has another column calling for Mussleman's firing. Last year, she wanted Peja traded, but then changed her mind. Then she wanted Adelman fired. Seriously, in a week last year, she went from writing that Corliss Williamson should get Peja's minutes to proclaiming that Peja should be the Kings' #1 option and Adelman should be fired. And, nobody said a word. Now, it seems like she wants Adelman back.
The problem is everyone thinks they can coach better than an NBA coach. Voisin seems to think she can do a better job. Personally, I think Voisin should be fired. Her columns flip-flop without explanation. She adds no insight into her columns about the Kings. I think the Bee could find a better writer to cover the Kings. Why not start with the guy who runs SacTown Royalty? Fire Voisin and hire him. He covers the Kings better than the Bee anyway.
Voisin starts by saying it's hard for her to call for someone's job. What? She's been doing this consistently for the past year. The only people she is afraid to criticize are the ones who deserve the criticism, the Maloof brothers. Because, if we want to pass blame for the state of the Kings, it starts at the top.
I intended to criticize Geoff Petrie, but I think his hands have been tied for at least a year or more. I will be shocked if Petrie does not leave in the off-season. I can't imagine he is okay with the moves the Kings have made.
Vade Divac leaving started the decline. However, the Chris Webber trade officially ended the era. As I wrote on several occasions, the Kings were a system team who out-performed the level of their talent. But, nobody realized this; instead, the perception of the individual players inflated. However, look at the players who have left the Kings over the years. Who has played better on another team? Peja? Webber? Bobby Jackson? Keon Clark? Doug Christie? Mo Evans? Darius Songalia? Brad Miller made Team USA: are you serious? Like putting an immobile center who cannot defend against the pick and roll is a good move in International basketball. Seriously, do people even watch the NBA anymore?
Petrie's genius in building the Kings was finding players who fit the system. This is why it was so easy to predict the Kings would draft Kevin Martin, Francisco Garcia and Quicy Douby when the Bee had no idea who these players were. They fit the Kings' style of play.
However, the Maloofs grew restless. After annointing the Peja-Bibby-Miller trifecta as the foundation of the organization and telling the world the Kings starting five (Bonzi Wells and Shareef Abdur-Rahim) was the best in the NBA, the Maloofs panicked after a slow start induced by injuries and new players. During the era, there was stability; after the Webber trade, the Kings were going through a change. And, the Maloofs lacked the patience to go through the brief growing pains.
Instead, they forced the Artest for Peja trade, which Sacramentans hailed as a giant win. But, nobody mentioned that Artest's acquisition coincided with a healthy Bonzi Wells and Shareef Abdur Rahim. People gave Artest all the credit, but, in reality, it had the effect of trading one starter who had been injured and getting three starters in return. Of course there was going to be improvement.
The Maloofs also forced the firing of Adelman. Thought Artest liked Adelman and this year's team would have much more continuity after the previous year's upheavel, the Maloofs again lacked patience, the virtue which allowed the Kings to build a winner in the first place.
Also, according to some media reports, the Maloofs squashed a proposed trade that would have sent Bibby to the Lakers because they did not want to help the Lakers. However, now the Kings are saddled with Bibby and his big contract, and the trade, depending on how early in the season, may have been for Andrew Bynum, which would have been an absolute steal and would have given the Kings the type of young, interior presence they have never had. But, that's what happens when owners allow personal feelings to make their business decisions.
So, the Maloofs wanted defense. And, they hired Mussleman. But, they did not change the personnel. So, a bad defensive team with Adelman and now with Mussleman is somehow the coach's fault? Maybe one should examine the roster:
Bibby is notorious for being one of the worst defenders at the point guard position. Through his career, SAR has been, statistically, one of the worst defenders at the PF position. And, Brad Miller is a terrible defender for the C position. So, somehow a coach is supposed to turn a team with three of the worst defenders at their positions into a good defensive team? Talk about asking for miracles. Now, add to the mix SAR's bad knees and Miller's plantar fascitiis, not to mention Artest's battles with the law, and this is Mussleman's fault?
I don't care if Mussleman stays or goes. I said at the time it was a bad hire. I did not think Adelman should have been fired. But, I simply want people to acknowledge that the owners and management need to share the blame. The Kings' fall from grace started with the owners, not the coaching.
Furthermore, everyone now loves Justin Williams. I wonder why he wasn't here all season, since he was in training camp with the Kings. Oh, that's right, the owners were too cheap to keep him. Teams are allowed to keep 15 players; the Kings only kept 13. The last two players cut were Williams and Louis Amundson, now of the 76ers, who was voted the NBDL rookie of the year. But, nobody has criticized the Maloofs for this. Nobody. Williams could have been on the roster all year. Same with Amundson. But, it's Mussleman's fault that he did not play Williams sooner?
Fire Mussleman. Or, keep him. Whatever. Just make sure that when the Bee writes its season wrap-up, it spreads the blame. It points out the flaws in the Maloof's decision-making. Mussleman made some mistakes. Sure. But, he's young. Last year, at this time, everyone was certain it was only a matter of days until Toronto fired its coach, Sam Mitchell. Now, Mitchell is a top contender for Coach of the Year. Did he go from terrible coach to great coach? No, he benefitted from an influx of talent: Bargnani, Ford, Parker, Garbajosa, Humphries. Bryan Colangelo gave him a team with similar strengths built to win and he went out and did the job. The Kings gave Mussleman a roster of mis-matching parts with differing strengths and a philosophy (defense) that did not mesh with the personnel and expected Mussleman to win. I do not see how that is Mussleman's fault. Sure, he could have done better or done things differently. That's easy to say when you're behind a computer. But, get down in front of 20,000 people and see if it's easy. Because, as soon as you tinker too much, NBA players complain that the coach won't settle on a line-up and he plays too many players (see Bill Simmons' complaints about Doc Rivers). You're damned if you do and damned if you don't, especially when you have a team whose owner's expectations do not align with the talent on the floor.
But, as long as Mussleman can be fired, I think Voisin should join him. Just as Voisin seems personally unhappy with Mussleman, I am personally unhappy with Voisin, and maybe that's enough to fire to someone. If Mussleman underachieved with his team, Voisin has underachieved in her ability to articulate why. So, if one goes, so must the other.
The problem is everyone thinks they can coach better than an NBA coach. Voisin seems to think she can do a better job. Personally, I think Voisin should be fired. Her columns flip-flop without explanation. She adds no insight into her columns about the Kings. I think the Bee could find a better writer to cover the Kings. Why not start with the guy who runs SacTown Royalty? Fire Voisin and hire him. He covers the Kings better than the Bee anyway.
Voisin starts by saying it's hard for her to call for someone's job. What? She's been doing this consistently for the past year. The only people she is afraid to criticize are the ones who deserve the criticism, the Maloof brothers. Because, if we want to pass blame for the state of the Kings, it starts at the top.
I intended to criticize Geoff Petrie, but I think his hands have been tied for at least a year or more. I will be shocked if Petrie does not leave in the off-season. I can't imagine he is okay with the moves the Kings have made.
Vade Divac leaving started the decline. However, the Chris Webber trade officially ended the era. As I wrote on several occasions, the Kings were a system team who out-performed the level of their talent. But, nobody realized this; instead, the perception of the individual players inflated. However, look at the players who have left the Kings over the years. Who has played better on another team? Peja? Webber? Bobby Jackson? Keon Clark? Doug Christie? Mo Evans? Darius Songalia? Brad Miller made Team USA: are you serious? Like putting an immobile center who cannot defend against the pick and roll is a good move in International basketball. Seriously, do people even watch the NBA anymore?
Petrie's genius in building the Kings was finding players who fit the system. This is why it was so easy to predict the Kings would draft Kevin Martin, Francisco Garcia and Quicy Douby when the Bee had no idea who these players were. They fit the Kings' style of play.
However, the Maloofs grew restless. After annointing the Peja-Bibby-Miller trifecta as the foundation of the organization and telling the world the Kings starting five (Bonzi Wells and Shareef Abdur-Rahim) was the best in the NBA, the Maloofs panicked after a slow start induced by injuries and new players. During the era, there was stability; after the Webber trade, the Kings were going through a change. And, the Maloofs lacked the patience to go through the brief growing pains.
Instead, they forced the Artest for Peja trade, which Sacramentans hailed as a giant win. But, nobody mentioned that Artest's acquisition coincided with a healthy Bonzi Wells and Shareef Abdur Rahim. People gave Artest all the credit, but, in reality, it had the effect of trading one starter who had been injured and getting three starters in return. Of course there was going to be improvement.
The Maloofs also forced the firing of Adelman. Thought Artest liked Adelman and this year's team would have much more continuity after the previous year's upheavel, the Maloofs again lacked patience, the virtue which allowed the Kings to build a winner in the first place.
Also, according to some media reports, the Maloofs squashed a proposed trade that would have sent Bibby to the Lakers because they did not want to help the Lakers. However, now the Kings are saddled with Bibby and his big contract, and the trade, depending on how early in the season, may have been for Andrew Bynum, which would have been an absolute steal and would have given the Kings the type of young, interior presence they have never had. But, that's what happens when owners allow personal feelings to make their business decisions.
So, the Maloofs wanted defense. And, they hired Mussleman. But, they did not change the personnel. So, a bad defensive team with Adelman and now with Mussleman is somehow the coach's fault? Maybe one should examine the roster:
Bibby is notorious for being one of the worst defenders at the point guard position. Through his career, SAR has been, statistically, one of the worst defenders at the PF position. And, Brad Miller is a terrible defender for the C position. So, somehow a coach is supposed to turn a team with three of the worst defenders at their positions into a good defensive team? Talk about asking for miracles. Now, add to the mix SAR's bad knees and Miller's plantar fascitiis, not to mention Artest's battles with the law, and this is Mussleman's fault?
I don't care if Mussleman stays or goes. I said at the time it was a bad hire. I did not think Adelman should have been fired. But, I simply want people to acknowledge that the owners and management need to share the blame. The Kings' fall from grace started with the owners, not the coaching.
Furthermore, everyone now loves Justin Williams. I wonder why he wasn't here all season, since he was in training camp with the Kings. Oh, that's right, the owners were too cheap to keep him. Teams are allowed to keep 15 players; the Kings only kept 13. The last two players cut were Williams and Louis Amundson, now of the 76ers, who was voted the NBDL rookie of the year. But, nobody has criticized the Maloofs for this. Nobody. Williams could have been on the roster all year. Same with Amundson. But, it's Mussleman's fault that he did not play Williams sooner?
Fire Mussleman. Or, keep him. Whatever. Just make sure that when the Bee writes its season wrap-up, it spreads the blame. It points out the flaws in the Maloof's decision-making. Mussleman made some mistakes. Sure. But, he's young. Last year, at this time, everyone was certain it was only a matter of days until Toronto fired its coach, Sam Mitchell. Now, Mitchell is a top contender for Coach of the Year. Did he go from terrible coach to great coach? No, he benefitted from an influx of talent: Bargnani, Ford, Parker, Garbajosa, Humphries. Bryan Colangelo gave him a team with similar strengths built to win and he went out and did the job. The Kings gave Mussleman a roster of mis-matching parts with differing strengths and a philosophy (defense) that did not mesh with the personnel and expected Mussleman to win. I do not see how that is Mussleman's fault. Sure, he could have done better or done things differently. That's easy to say when you're behind a computer. But, get down in front of 20,000 people and see if it's easy. Because, as soon as you tinker too much, NBA players complain that the coach won't settle on a line-up and he plays too many players (see Bill Simmons' complaints about Doc Rivers). You're damned if you do and damned if you don't, especially when you have a team whose owner's expectations do not align with the talent on the floor.
But, as long as Mussleman can be fired, I think Voisin should join him. Just as Voisin seems personally unhappy with Mussleman, I am personally unhappy with Voisin, and maybe that's enough to fire to someone. If Mussleman underachieved with his team, Voisin has underachieved in her ability to articulate why. So, if one goes, so must the other.
Monday, March 05, 2007
The Ron Artest Saga
Last year, when the Kings acquired Ron Artest, I titled my blog piece about the trade, "Hide the Children, Artest Coming to Town." I guess I wasn't too far off...
The blog appears to be prophetic in other ways too. First, I called Adelman's demise and Pete Carril's exit.
Then, I suggested that for the trade to work, it had to be the first of a couple deals, not just a stand alone trade. As we have seen, the Kings have failed to make subsequent deals and the Kings remain mediocre. As I wrote: "he (Artest) alone is not the answer."
I also wrote:
The Kings offense remains disjointed, as it often appears as though they have two different systems depending on who is in the game; Mike Bibby still struggles to stop dribble penetration and Abdur-Rahim and Miller do not seal the interior.
I wrote:
The Kings' operandi could not have changed more, as they attempt to go from an entertaining, movement-oriented, fast-paced exciting team to a grind it out, defensive slugfest organization because the Maloofs believe that is what wins.
As I wrote:
The answers so far appear to be: Yes, Petrie trusted Artest with his legacy; yes, Ron-Ron briefly resuscitated the Kings; No, he has been able to will his teammates to defend better; No, Artest still freelances on the perimeter, shooting far too many jump shots, rather than getting weaker forwards in the post. Unfortunately, these are no longer interesting times for the Kings; instead, the franchise is in a state of flux, heading in several directions at once.
The blog appears to be prophetic in other ways too. First, I called Adelman's demise and Pete Carril's exit.
Then, I suggested that for the trade to work, it had to be the first of a couple deals, not just a stand alone trade. As we have seen, the Kings have failed to make subsequent deals and the Kings remain mediocre. As I wrote: "he (Artest) alone is not the answer."
I also wrote:
The Kings offense needs re-shuffling and Artest's presence does little to seal the interior or stop dribble penetration from opposing point guards.
The Kings offense remains disjointed, as it often appears as though they have two different systems depending on who is in the game; Mike Bibby still struggles to stop dribble penetration and Abdur-Rahim and Miller do not seal the interior.
I wrote:
The Artest trade signals a momentous change in the Kings' operandi, and another deal of some sort, whether major or minor, would make sense.
The Kings' operandi could not have changed more, as they attempt to go from an entertaining, movement-oriented, fast-paced exciting team to a grind it out, defensive slugfest organization because the Maloofs believe that is what wins.
As I wrote:
Does Petrie trust Artest with his legacy? Can Ron-Ron resuscitate the Kings? Can Artest will Abdur-Rahim, Bibby and Miller to defend better? Will the Kings move to a high-low offense featuring Miller high and Artest low? These are intresting time for the Sacramento franchise.
The answers so far appear to be: Yes, Petrie trusted Artest with his legacy; yes, Ron-Ron briefly resuscitated the Kings; No, he has been able to will his teammates to defend better; No, Artest still freelances on the perimeter, shooting far too many jump shots, rather than getting weaker forwards in the post. Unfortunately, these are no longer interesting times for the Kings; instead, the franchise is in a state of flux, heading in several directions at once.
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