According to the ever-reliable Peter Vecsey: (I would've put this in the thread about "new GM", but that seems to have devolved into a pissing-match.)
If they're going to fire KP and replace him with Presti (assuming this is real) then I have no problem with that whatsoever.
I bet this is just like when we signed Milsap to a contract..we're trying to put the Thunder in lux-tax hell!!!! what?
If it were anyone else besides Vessey I'd be excited. While I fully believe KP is on his way out, I don't believe for a second that Presti would find our job more appealing than his current one. Both teams are pretty equal, at this point, and his team is a little younger with a ton of cap space. I don't want to hear about quality of living either because there are beautiful areas in just about every city.
I agree, and not so much because I believe that Presti is necessarily a better GM than Pritchard (he might be, and he might not), but because it would likely hinder the development of the team whose future I fear the most going forward. Anything that's bad for OKC is good for us.
It would be quite a slap in KP's face. Clearly, the reason for firing would be determined as the Oden pick.
...especially if you're pulling down millions of dollars per year. Anyone have an idea of where Presti's family roots are though? About the only thing I dug up on his youth in 2 seconds of googling was that he went to college in Boston. When John Nash was in charge, following nearly every decision/move I'd invariably say something along the lines of..."Well hopefully there is more to this decision then is on the surface" or "Maybe this move is part of a greater scheme and a 2nd shoe will drop in the coming days and make sense of this"...unfortunately that never seemed to be the case. After JN was allowed to explore other opportunities my reaction to the Blazer's moves was almost always greated with... "Yeah! Great move" Contract negotiations would be the main exception, but I've loved the focus on athletic defenders in the frontcourt and size throughout the roster. truth be told, I've never known exactly how much either Nash or KP were weighing in on the decisions that I was reacting to and how much it was a group management decision. While I'd suspect that both had quite a bit of say in matters, I don't believe that only a couple people in the world can excel at this job. I'd guess that a new guy would probably allow the core of present roster to remain intact for at least a year while he learns the organizational ropes... hopefully the guys enjoy a year of relative health and prove worthy of a long run together and only tinkering is required to keep this team competing for championships. Thats sort of talent I see in place so I'd hope a new GM isn't too eager to prove his worth and get "his guys"... maybe the new guy will be promoted from within the organization? If the speculated firing happens, we'll probably not be privy to what caused Pritchard to fall out of favor at least until after he's gone as that would be unprofessional of the organization... I wouldn't be surprised if Canzano-Vescey type speculations are all we're ever given. STOMP
Unless he talked PA out of Durant, I doubt this seriously. Every GM would have taken Oden, with the exception of maybe Orlando.
On oregon live Larry Miller said they were only halfway through the review process for KP. Considering this was from Vescey, I am not sure it has any legs. I believe the Blazers would have had to ask permission from OKC to talk to Presti anyhow, otherwise it is tampering I believe.
If Presti were the replacement GM, I'd be a lot less concerned. I think Presti is one of the few GMs that is of similar caliber to Pritchard, so the team wouldn't lose much, if anything. My great, enduring worry is they fire Pritchard and then end up with someone mediocre (or worse...the Whitsitt-to-Nash downgrade looms ominously in my mind).
So one article I read said they met in NY. Another said they met in Seattle at Paul Allens house. They can't even get their story straight.
Recruiting may involve more than one meeting... perhaps the two accounts are simply describing two events in the same process.
