I'm not sure it's far to characterize the Billups deal as "lucky" (most great deals can otherwise be characterized as lucky that the other GM screwed up), but if Warkentien is the next Blazers GM, I am a little worried that his resume is a bit lacking outside the Billups move (and I agree that trading Miller for Iverson in the first place was almost as negative as trading Iverson for Billups was inspired).
I'll give him credit for acquiring Birdman. That was an under-the-radar player that's been valuable for Denver. But he also dumped Camby for nothing.
So his best moves are almost entirely canceled out by his worst. Most of the rest of their core (Anthony, Nene, Martin) was in place when he got there.
Warkentien doesn't seem like a bad GM (so, at least, he wouldn't be a reprise of the PatterNash debacle)...but that seems to be about the best one can say about him. I think Pritchard, so far, has been a very good GM. Unless Pritchard has done something truly outrageous, I'd lose a lot of respect for the franchise dumping him without a clearly superior GM ready and willing to be hired. Warkentien ain't it.
