Ferry to meet with Blazers about GM job Wednesday

[Minstrel]

An entry about this I read some time ago:

http://basketbawful.blogspot.com/2009/01/word-of-day-kobe-effect.html

 

[BrianFromWA]

while I'm fascinated that this discussion could even happen today, what does that have to do with Ferry in Portland? Are we meeting him at the airport? Pep Rally at the Square?

Some of the weirder machinations I remember about a basketball team's FO, on the eve of the greatest FA period in NBA history, and we're having "K*be v. LBJ Clutch Comparisons". really?

 

[BrianFromWA]

FTR, I'm with HK and Minstrel here. As far as "way more daggers" if you want to call them that, I'm trying to remember a parallel to LBJ destroying the Pistons for 25 straight points in the 4th quarter and overtime of a Game 5 ECF? When everyone on the planet knew he was getting the ball?

 

[Minstrel]

while I'm fascinated that this discussion could even happen today, what does that have to do with Ferry in Portland? Are we meeting him at the airport? Pep Rally at the Square?

Some of the weirder machinations I remember about a basketball team's FO, on the eve of the greatest FA period in NBA history, and we're having "K*be v. LBJ Clutch Comparisons". really?

Was Ferry a good GM (and therefore someone we want hired in Portland) and LeBron James blew it by choking, or was Ferry unable to get his team over the hump?

It's 100% on topic. It's not like it's Kobe vs. Jordan (Jordan was much better).

 

[BrianFromWA]

LeBron blew it when it came out that his mom did Delonte West, and LBJ pouted through game 5 and 6. I don't know that I'd call that a "choke", much like I can't say that putting two all-stars and Shaq around LBJ for peanuts was a black mark in Ferry's ledger.

 

[Minstrel]

LeBron blew it when it came out that his mom did Delonte West, and LBJ pouted through game 5 and 6. I don't know that I'd call that a "choke", much like I can't say that putting two all-stars and Shaq around LBJ for peanuts was a black mark in Ferry's ledger.

Okay...that was a little wordy. I'll put you down as a "maybe."

 

[barfo]

while I'm fascinated that this discussion could even happen today, what does that have to do with Ferry in Portland? Are we meeting him at the airport?

What's his native language? Maybe we could make a banner. What do they speak in Cleveland?

Alternatively, as a welcome gift - a little rain gutter system that he could wear like a headband, so that the rain running off his bald head could be collected and run down a drainpipe rather than running down inside his collar.

barfo

 

[BrianFromWA]

Doesn't Ferry speak Italian? K*be speaks Italian. He's clutch. Or not. Ferry could clutch an umbrella.

 

[mook]

Too bad about this then:



Well you're clearly in some fantasy world where I never became the Lakers mod. Not sure if you noticed, I've defended Kobe since July 06 around here.

Over their entire career? Kobe is an atrocious clutch player in his prime. He had 19.9 PER against one of the softest defenses in the history of the league and choked a 3-1 lead. He shot 38% against the Pistons.

The only "fact" is that Kobe choked in Game 7 and shot 29% over the 7 fourth quarters in the Finals. Anti-closer.

Really interesting points I hadn't ever considered in this thread. Repped.

 

[Drttimmy]

We'll see what Miller and Allen say when Ferry demands complete control. I still don't think he ends up here.

That could be an issue. Brian Smith? said he resigned the Cavs gig because the owner had becoming increasingly meddlesome in the past year. Ferry wanted complete autonomy.

I think the community or decision-making brain trust is going to remain. So, why not split the traditional GM roles into components as well? Just elevate Buchanan/Born into a personnel Director role, so the one thing this team does well and maybe better than any other team--player evaluations--remains intact. Let Miller handle the other GM duties. And the multi-headed unit that currently makes the ultimate decisions remains in place. Why bring in an established guy--like Ferry--with his own ideas and ways of doing things? Why risk him fucking up the one thing that isnt broken on this team, with the player evaluation process they have established? If they really feel the job is too big for Miller, bring in a guy with a financial/legal background to handle the broken down GM side of it. Just dont tamper with the talent identifying machinery.

 

[LittleAlex]

What is the bad move or moves that Ferry has done for everyone to consider him a bad GM?

Larry Hughes.

Isn't that enough?

Paid Varejao (I don't know how to spell that fuck head's name) an absurd amount of money to get knocked down 10 times a game.

Also, he traded away White LeBron (Sasha Pavlovich). That's unforgivable.

 

[maxiep]

That could be an issue. Brian Smith? said he resigned the Cavs gig because the owner had becoming increasingly meddlesome in the past year. Ferry wanted complete autonomy.

I think the community or decision-making brain trust is going to remain. So, why not split the traditional GM roles into components as well? Just elevate Buchanan/Born into a personnel Director role, so the one thing this team does well and maybe better than any other team--player evaluations--remains intact. Let Miller handle the other GM duties. And the multi-headed unit that currently makes the ultimate decisions remains in place. Why bring in an established guy--like Ferry--with his own ideas and ways of doing things? Why risk him fucking up the one thing that isnt broken on this team, with the player evaluation process they have established? If they really feel the job is too big for Miller, bring in a guy with a financial/legal background to handle the broken down GM side of it. Just dont tamper with the talent identifying machinery.

In this forum or another one, I came to the same conclusion. I say we go out and get a guy like Rich Cho and promote him to GM. Now, he's not a talent guy, but he understands the CBA, mathematical models and cap strategy as well as anyone in the league. Make Born or Buchanan the Asst. GM and put him in charge of personnel. If Larry Miller does indeed have the golden touch from his days running the Jordan Brand, then he can do the schmoozing.

 

[hasoos]

I don't think Ferry is a bad GM. I do think he was a GM who was desperate to do whatever was needed to get Lebron to buy into staying on board. I also think that many of the moves he pulled off to try and keep Lebron there were the best he could have done at the time with the talent he had on his roster.

Folks look at this:

He traded Big Z for Antawn Jamison, and then got Big Z back. That is basically getting Jamison for free. Is that a bad deal?

The deal for Shaq kind of hurt the team long term. But they were desperate for a big, and he was really the only big with any talent out there available.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Larry Hughes.

Isn't that enough?

Paid Varejao (I don't know how to spell that fuck head's name) an absurd amount of money to get knocked down 10 times a game.

Also, he traded away White LeBron (Sasha Pavlovich). That's unforgivable.

Well Varejao makes about 5 million less per year than Aldridge. Given the same minutes, I think a lot of people in this forum woul dsay 7 mil per season is great for a guy that can average 11/10 in 36 minutes.

Larry Hughes got hurt, but before he did, he averaged 16+ ppg. Even afterwards he finished in Cleveland with over a 15 ppg avg. Then he traded him. It woul dbe like blaming KP for picking Oden. No one knew he was going to get hurt?

So again, find something that Ferry did that deserves all this hate. Every GM has made mistakes, and Ferry is no different. But man, there are some people that think he has been horrible for no reason

 

[maxiep]

There are more attractive places for Ferry to go, where he'll have more money to spend or an owner that won't be so intrusive. I still think he passes.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

So again, find something that Ferry did that deserves all this hate. Every GM has made mistakes, and Ferry is no different. But man, there are some people that think he has been horrible for no reason

Agree with the nacho lover from Texas.

 

[illmatic99]

Dude, Hughes never even shot 41% from the field during his three year tenure. He sucked both before and after his bouts with injury. He only had one efficient year at Washington and Ferry was duped into signing him while other free agents like Joe Johnson or even Mike Redd were available. It was a horrible move that set them back years.

Ferry can be lauded for getting a whole lot of something for essentially nothing, but the Hughes move can't simply be swept under the rug. It was way too egregious to ignore.

 

[maxiep]

Color me confused. KP made mistakes and deserved to be fired. Ferry made mistakes, but that's okay; every GM makes them.

 

[mook]

I don't think Ferry is a bad GM. I do think he was a GM who was desperate to do whatever was needed to get Lebron to buy into staying on board. I also think that many of the moves he pulled off to try and keep Lebron there were the best he could have done at the time with the talent he had on his roster.

Folks look at this:

He traded Big Z for Antawn Jamison, and then got Big Z back. That is basically getting Jamison for free. Is that a bad deal?

The deal for Shaq kind of hurt the team long term. But they were desperate for a big, and he was really the only big with any talent out there available.

I think that's a pretty fair point. You also have to take into account he didn't really have a lot of great draft picks to work with--since he came on there they had picks at 55, 22, 45, 19, 46, and 30. With them he was able to pluck out Daniel Gibson and JJ Hickson, which is pretty decent for what he had to work with.

He also was Director of Basketball Operations for the Spurs from 2003-05. Having some background in management with the Spurs is always good for a resume.

*shrug* I'm not in love with the idea of Ferry as GM. But I can see how it could work.

 

[OddEnormous]

Color me confused. KP made mistakes and deserved to be fired. Ferry made mistakes, but that's okay; every GM makes them.

Someone is on point today.

 

[mook]

Color me confused. KP made mistakes and deserved to be fired. Ferry made mistakes, but that's okay; every GM makes them.

I don't know that KP deserved to be fired. I doubt I ever will.

I was pretty pissed off about it a few weeks ago, but as the whole thing became much murkier with several sides chiming in, I've given up on passing judgment on the thing. Five years from now if we've won a few championships, firing KP will seem genius. If we're in the lottery, it'll be a disaster. In the end it's about results.

Anyway, I do think there's some benefit to having a new GM with a fresh set of eyes looking over our roster. Somebody who's been on the outside looking in isn't going to be beholden to players, and will see the team in a different light. I just hope whomever we get is a good one.

 

[OddEnormous]

So again, find something that Ferry did that deserves all this hate. Every GM has made mistakes, and Ferry is no different. But man, there are some people that think he has been horrible for no reason

It's worse than him being horrible.

He's just average on his best day.

Why fire someone just to replace him with someone who's accomplished no more than the guy you already had?

In fact he's accomplished less. He inherited the best player in the league by 5 miles.

AND they're going to have to pay him quadruple the bank.

Fucking clown town, that's why.

Gooooooooooooooooooo VULCANS!!!!!!!!

 

[Mediocre Man]

Dude, Hughes never even shot 41% from the field during his three year tenure. He sucked both before and after his bouts with injury. He only had one efficient year at Washington and Ferry was duped into signing him while other free agents like Joe Johnson or even Mike Redd were available. It was a horrible move that set them back years.

Ferry can be lauded for getting a whole lot of something for essentially nothing, but the Hughes move can't simply be swept under the rug. It was way too egregious to ignore.

The 3 years before signing Hughes, he had a PER of 15.82, 17.58 and then 21.63. He failed in Cleveland, but I'm not sure how you can pin that on Ferry?

 

[Mediocre Man]

Color me confused. KP made mistakes and deserved to be fired. Ferry made mistakes, but that's okay; every GM makes them.

has anyone said the KP deserved to be fired?

 

[maxiep]

I don't know that KP deserved to be fired. I doubt I ever will.

I was pretty pissed off about it a few weeks ago, but as the whole thing became much murkier with several sides chiming in, I've given up on passing judgment on the thing. Five years from now if we've won a few championships, firing KP will seem genius. If we're in the lottery, it'll be a disaster. In the end it's about results.

Anyway, I do think there's some benefit to having a new GM with a fresh set of eyes looking over our roster. Somebody who's been on the outside looking in isn't going to be beholden to players, and will see the team in a different light. I just hope whomever we get is a good one.

I guess that's part of my issue. I think if we would have handled the Pritchard situation correctly, we would have been a very attractive job. Instead, we look completely dysfunctional. Every organization has dustups; the key is how you handle them. Like I said before, in London the BP folks are saying, "It could be worse; we could have the PR skills of the Portland Trail Blazers."

 

[maxiep]

has anyone said the KP deserved to be fired?

Read more posts.

 

[OddEnormous]

Anyway, I do think there's some benefit to having a new GM with a fresh set of eyes looking over our roster. Somebody who's been on the outside looking in isn't going to be beholden to players, and will see the team in a different light. I just hope whomever we get is a good one.

There might be some validity to this, the problem of course being they could very easily hire the wrong set of eyes.

 

[mook]

Like I said before, in London the BP folks are saying, "It could be worse; we could have the PR skills of the Portland Trail Blazers."

lol. The funny thing is that after years of being "the Jail Blazers," you'd think they'd have finally figured out how to make themselves look good to the outside world.

 

[OddEnormous]

has anyone said the KP deserved to be fired?

Yes. Paul Allen and Larry Miller and Dirt Clod.

 

[Mediocre Man]

It's worse than him being horrible.

He's average.

Why fire someone just to replace him with someone who's accomplished no more than the guy you already had?
If fact he's accomplished less. He inherited the best player in the league by 5 miles.

AND they're going to have to pay him quadruple the bank.

Fucking clown town, that's why.

Maybe they didn't fire KP because of his GM abilities? I can't imagine somoene thinking KP should have been fired becasue of what he did as GM. He had his shortcomings, but like I said, so do all of them. If reports are true, and who really knows? Then maybe Pritchard was fired because he or his agent were trying to overrun Larry Miller, and that pissed paul off? Something must have pissed off PA because I don't think you would tell your GM not to sit by you anymore because you couldn't make a certain trade.

What's encouraging is that Ferry was also schooled under Buford in SA, and that he was director of basketball operations for them. I really think that it's just a case of different goals for different people.

KP's job was to rebuild this franchise, and make it into a championship contender. Well, if you believe that he was the man in charge of the 2006 draft then he certainly did a good job of rebuilding, but for many reasons, Portland is not a championship contender. Ferry, on the other hand, was in a win now mode from his owner, and tried to put experienced pieces around James to win. They came close, but also failed. I also think it's a bit of a lateral move, but to me that's good because I thought KP did a good job at most of his job.