Mark Warkentien An Option For....

[SlyPokerDog]

Mark Warkentien An Option For Clippers?

Sterling can forget LeBron in 2010, but what about Carmelo Anthony in 2011? Mark Warkentien has shown ‘Melo that he can construct a contender around him in Denver, and as much as anything, that’s what star players want with their max deals: reasons to believe they’ll play for titles.

Warkentien was the 2009 NBA Executive of the Year, and here’s a most absurd fact: He still hasn’t been offered a contract extension. Sources say his agent Steve Kauffman was told that talks would start over the summer and never did. Amazingly, Denver owner Stan Kroenke and his son Josh have yet to reach out.

“So far, Denver hasn’t done anything to try and keep him,” a league source said.

Warkentien spent most of his childhood in Southern California, graduated from Cal State Fullerton and sources insist that Denver’s puzzling reluctance to engage in extension talks has left him prepared to move on. It would be a crushing blow to a Nuggets franchise that Warkentien helped elevate from a perennial first-round loser into a Western Conference finalist and championship contender. There’s always been something of a power play in Denver’s front office, a fight for ownership’s ear, but most league executives and agents consider Warkentien one of the sport’s shrewdest talent evaluators and negotiators.

http://www.hoopsnotes.com/2010/03/mark-warkentien-an-option-for-clippers/

 

[maxiep]

Warkentien is a douche. He and Sterling would deserve each other.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Warkentien is a douche. He and Sterling would deserve each other.

I was thinking more along the lines of....

"Introducing the next GM of the Portland Trail Blazers..."

Could it be that PA doesn't think KP is bad, he just thinks Warkentien is better?

 

[maxiep]

I was thinking more along the lines of....

"Introducing the next GM of the Portland Trail Blazers..."

Could it be that PA doesn't think KP is bad, he just thinks Warkentien is better?

How could he? KP was promoted over Wark.

If you're going to bring back Warkentien, then why not hire the real thing and bring back Whitsitt?

 

[illmatic99]

I was thinking more along the lines of....

"Introducing the next GM of the Portland Trail Blazers..."

Could it be that PA doesn't think KP is bad, he just thinks Warkentien is better?

Fuck that.

I would hate to be a fan of a team that rewards rats like Wark.

 

[Darkwebs]

Why are you guys hating on Warkentien? Pardon my ignorance.

 

[illmatic99]

He's the one feeding those defaming, damning lies to AWoj. He did the same stuff last year about how KP was supposedly disliked by all his fellow GMs for being "arrogant. "

 

[Darkwebs]

He's the one feeding those defaming, damning lies to AWoj. He did the same stuff last year about how KP was supposedly disliked by all his fellow GMs for being "arrogant. "

We can't be sure it was Warkentien that was the AWoj's source, can we? I don't want to crucify an innocent man.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Wark is a rat. I wouldn't trust a word he says.

 

[illmatic99]

We've all been speculating as much since last year. Quick goes as far as to nearly name him in today's article:

All of this reeks heavily of a certain Western Conference general manager who is widely known to envy this job. He happens to have experience with the workings of the Vulcans. He has been on a constant smear campaign since Pritchard took over, harboring feelings that Pritchard "gloats" about his success, "rubbing it in the nose" of colleagues.

If some want to tout that source as credible, and not recognize the motives, that's on them. And if Vulcan wants to play that way, then maybe this isn't the place for Pritchard after all.

 

[Darkwebs]

We've all been speculating as much since last year. Quick goes as far as to nearly name him in today's article:

Hmmm...nice find. That does seem to point to Warkentien.

I've heard 2 interviews with him on Canzano's BFT show over the past year and he didn't sound like as a douchebag either time, nor did he seem to harbor any resentment towards the Blazers or KP. I guess he is a two-faced rat like you have commented. If he is the one that is trying to sabotage KP, then I hope karma catches up to him.

 

[alex42083]

Fuck that.

I would hate to be a fan of a team that rewards rats like Wark.

Agreed. It's obvious Warkentein has played some role in all this, and the guy hates/is envious/jealous of the job KP has done here. I sure hope this doesn't end with that guy becoming our GM this summer. It'd be hard to support someone like that.

 

[illmatic99]

I think July is when we first started suspecting this douche: http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/7/15/949941/the-kevin-pritchard-pendulum

Dave said at the time:

We've seen this play out nearly constantly in the media discussion of the Blazers this summer. How many potential moves have been leaked? How many apparent failures trumpeted? How many anonymous criticisms leveled? How often have we responded to these as if they were gospel truth when "unnamed GM" was our only link to the information?

As an example of how easily this goes down and how suspect it is, let me share this absolutely legit, yet anonymous, piece of information with you. I have it from two independent sources among the national media corps that much of the news and criticism attributed to the Blazers this year via "unnamed sources" has actually stemmed from Denver Nuggets GM Mark Warkentien. Naturally neither of these sources is willing to go on the record but they are in a position to know, every bit as much as every "unnamed GM" is in a position to know about the inner workings of the NBA.

Now, maybe Mr. Warkentien is a genius and has everything pegged as it is. Maybe Mr. Warkentien has lingering memories (of whatever kind) from his decade coming up the ranks in the Blazers' front office. Maybe Mr. Warkentien is looking at a division rival with whom he is competing directly and that colors his vision. We don't know...and that's the point. If more of us were aware of this kind of ill-kept secret it would put the information we're receiving in perspective as something to chew on, but not to swallow whole.

 

[jlprk]

It's obvious Warkentein has played some role in all this, and the guy hates/is envious/jealous of the job KP has done here. I sure hope this doesn't end with that guy becoming our GM this summer. It'd be hard to support someone like that.

It's not obvious at all. It may or may not be true. Warkentien was our very highly-rated assistant GM under Whitsitt, but Patterson-Nash hired Pritchard to basically replace him in the post-Whitsitt purges. He wanted to stay with the Blazers but felt forced out. He quit and soon was Cavs GM, and then Nuggets VP--the guy is good.

We should have kept him by placing the junior Pritchard (14 years younger) below him. He worked with members of the current Blazer staff, so I doubt he's making up the rumors--he's hearing the inside scoop from them constantly.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

It's not obvious at all. It may or may not be true. Warkentien was our very highly-rated assistant GM under Whitsitt, but Patterson-Nash hired Pritchard to basically replace him in the post-Whitsitt purges. He wanted to stay with the Blazers but felt forced out. He quit and soon was Cavs GM, and then Nuggets VP--the guy is good.

We should have kept him by placing the junior Pritchard (14 years younger) below him. He worked with members of the current Blazer staff, so I doubt he's making up the rumors--he's hearing the inside scoop from them constantly.

I think I have to agree with this assessment. Pritchard clearly has an eye for talent and would have been excellent as Player Personnel Director/Assistant GM or something like that, whereas Warkentien seems to be more well-versed in the team-management aspect of the GM position, as well as likely having more juice leaguewide in order to make deals necessary to bring a team to contender status.

How nice would it be to have Pritchard to run our drafts, and Wark to run the team the rest of the year. He may be "a rat", but I think he's a rat that you want on your side whenever possible.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Was it Warkentien who traded for Chauncey Billups? Sounds good to me! As to character issues, I don't know what to believe any more. It seems like every GM in the league is a dick, if "reports" are to be believed.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Warkentien is a douche. He and Sterling would deserve each other.

Repped!

 

[ABM]

On this morning's MSP, Quick all but named Warkentien as Adrian Wojnarowski's sidekick in the Kevin Pritchard "smear campaign".

If true, sad. Very sad, indeed.

 

[gatorpops]

Anyone notice how the language of the first post here is nearly identical with the language that is being presented about KP. Is something larger going down related to the Owners/Player negotiations this summer?

 

[STOMP]

How could he? KP was promoted over Wark.

Nope, thats wrong. Warkentien had the Assistant GM/Director of player personnel position under Nash. He reportedly angrily resigned following the 2004 draft when Nash went against the room opting for Telfair over Al Jefferson. KP took over his job after he quit.

STOMP

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Anyone notice how the language of the first post here is nearly identical with the language that is being presented about KP. Is something larger going down related to the Owners/Player negotiations this summer?

That's a good point. It does make it sound like the Denver FO situation is very similar to ours. Anyone know if Warren LeGarrie is Warkentien's agent too?

 

[RoyToy]

Nope, thats wrong. Warkentien had the Assistant GM/Director of player personnel position under Nash. He reportedly angrily resigned following the 2004 draft when Nash went against the room opting for Telfair over Al Jefferson. KP took over his job after he quit.

STOMP

What a little bitch. Cry baby. Pritchard didn't resign when they took Webster over Paul and Deron did he?

 

[RR7]

What a little bitch. Cry baby. Pritchard didn't resign when they took Webster over Paul and Deron did he?

Well, in reality, it probably makes more sense to resign if you have completely differing opinions on team building than those you work for, if your input isn't valued. If not, he'd likely be out of a job right now, because people would see their bad decision making, and put blame on him as well for being apart of it.

 

[maxiep]

It's not obvious at all. It may or may not be true. Warkentien was our very highly-rated assistant GM under Whitsitt, but Patterson-Nash hired Pritchard to basically replace him in the post-Whitsitt purges. He wanted to stay with the Blazers but felt forced out. He quit and soon was Cavs GM, and then Nuggets VP--the guy is good.

We should have kept him by placing the junior Pritchard (14 years younger) below him. He worked with members of the current Blazer staff, so I doubt he's making up the rumors--he's hearing the inside scoop from them constantly.

That's an interesting theory. Clearly, you believe the culture of the organization didn't need to be changed. I disagree. The atmosphere under Whitsitt and then Patterson was poisonous. Pritchard did more than identify good players for us; he changed the culture from "Desperate Housewifes" to "7th Heaven".

The kind of bullshit meddling, Seattle power plays and public backstabbing reminds me of the dark days of this franchise. You didn't see this shit under the Glickman/Inman/Petrie regimes and you haven't seen it until a few weeks ago.

 

[Wheels]

so let me get this straight.. if Wark is "smearing" KP's name in the media with Wojodouche... then why would the Vulcans have anything to do with this?

 

[maxiep]

I think I have to agree with this assessment. Pritchard clearly has an eye for talent and would have been excellent as Player Personnel Director/Assistant GM or something like that, whereas Warkentien seems to be more well-versed in the team-management aspect of the GM position, as well as likely having more juice leaguewide in order to make deals necessary to bring a team to contender status.

How nice would it be to have Pritchard to run our drafts, and Wark to run the team the rest of the year. He may be "a rat", but I think he's a rat that you want on your side whenever possible.

There's a reason, for all his success with the Thuggets, Kroenke hasn't offered him an extension yet. Being a GM means you are a manager who develops a culture as well. Warkentien, like Whitsitt, isn't a chemistry major.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

so let me get this straight.. if Wark is "smearing" KP's name in the media with Wojodouche... then why would the Vulcans have anything to do with this?

I think the theory is that Wark is tight with the Vulcans as well, and that this is a two-pronged campaign.

 

[maxiep]

so let me get this straight.. if Wark is "smearing" KP's name in the media with Wojodouche... then why would the Vulcans have anything to do with this?

Because there are people in Vulcan who worked with Warkentien for years and wanted him to succeed Nash.

 

[Wheels]

Because there are people in Vulcan who worked with Warkentien for years and wanted him to succeed Nash.

I think the theory is that Wark is tight with the Vulcans as well, and that this is a two-pronged campaign.

Thanks for clarifying that guys. Back to my "F The VULCANS" Campaign strategizing then"

 

[ebott]

Nope, thats wrong. Warkentien had the Assistant GM/Director of player personnel position under Nash. He reportedly angrily resigned following the 2004 draft when Nash went against the room opting for Telfair over Al Jefferson. KP took over his job after he quit.

STOMP

Correct. Here's the timeline...

2004: Wark thinks Patternash is completely incompetent due to the drafting of Telfair over Al Jefferson and quits. It's unclear to me whether Pritchard was with the team at the time.
2005: Pritchard takes over as coach after Mo Cheeks is fired. Warkentien is working for Cleveland at the time.
2006: Pritchard is given the reigns for the draft. Warkentien is named GM in Denver.

As to the real topic: I highly doubt Wark would come back here. He left very pissed off back in 2004. Have things changed that much since then? Sure Patternash is gone. But he'd still have to deal with the Vulcans.