Rich Cho new GM

[OddEnormous]

Good at balancing the books. After that it could get shaky....

How do you know he's not the next Kurt Rambis?

Do you have a time machine or something?

 

[mook]

Here's an old interview with Cho if you are like me and just want to learn his background for the first time:
http://www.nba.com/thunder/news/QA_with_Assistant_GM_Rich_Cho-84051-51.html

SUPERSONICS.COM: Can you describe what a typical day is like for you?
Rich Cho: A typical day is pretty hard to describe. It really depends on the time of year. I am pretty busy throughout the year, but the busiest times of the year for me are in May and June prior to the NBA draft, in July and August during the free agency period and in February prior to the trade deadline. On the basketball side, my responsibilities include assisting Rick Sund in player contract negotiations, drafting all player contracts, handling anything related to the salary cap and the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and working closely with our college scouts. I also deal a lot with both the NBA legal department and player agents. On the business side, I’m involved in a variety of legal issues ranging from sponsorship agreements and employment contracts to immigration matters. Compared to other front office executives, your duties are much broader, right?
Cho: Yes. Teams have different infrastructures within the front office. Every team is a little different. Most teams have a dedicated salary cap person, but some teams don’t. Some teams have in-house counsel, while other teams use outside counsel to draft player contracts and handle legal matters. I’m sort of a hybrid of everything.
Do you enjoy that variety?
Cho: Yeah, for me, my job is really interesting because it’s all basketball-related. It’s all fun for me and I really enjoy coming to work every day. I like the fact that I can combine the pure basketball part with the legal and analytical side.
Have you always been a basketball fan?
Cho: Yeah, I’m basically a sports junkie – especially a basketball junkie (and a tennis junkie too). It’s something that I would follow just as closely if I was only a fan and not involved in the front office of a team.
How did you hook up with Wally Walker?
Cho: I was in my first year of law school and I sent a cover letter and resume to the Sonics, and it was addressed to Wally because he was the general manager at that time. A couple months later, I heard back from him. He called and he said he wanted to be the most technically advanced GM in the league. He said he was going to be down in L.A. for a game, and to meet him at his hotel and he would interview me. He wanted me to give him a sense for how I could help him meet his goal. Being a basketball junkie, I put my pseudo-GM hat on and came up with some ideas about how I could make that happen. What actually helped me was my engineering background – I have an undergraduate degree in engineering and I also worked for IBM during engineering school. With the basketball junkie part and the computer and engineering background, I came up with some ideas, and luckily for me he offered me the internship after the interview.
Were you expecting that contact to evolve into a long-term position, as it has?
Cho: I was hoping it would, because I was an engineer at Boeing first, after I got my undergraduate degree. I spent five years at Boeing and I realized I eventually wanted to do something sports-related. I did some research, and I found that a number of people involved in sports - on the team side, the agent side and the governing body side (e.g. the NBA side), had law degrees. So I quit my job at Boeing and decided to try and pursue a career in sports law.
Has your lack of playing experience hurt you at all?
Cho: I don’t think so, because I really follow both college and pro basketball closely. I think to do this job well, you really have to live and breathe basketball. One of the important parts of my job is to follow both pro and college basketball closely because the job itself involves a lot of discussion about players and strategizing about different ways to improve the team – everything from which college games to scout, which free agents to sign, and looking at possible trades to improve the team. It’s important to know a player’s playing background, his productivity, what a player’s strengths and tendencies are, how a player’s skills would complement and fit it with players on your own team, and perhaps most importantly, it’s essential to be able to accurately gauge a player’s market value around the league.
So there’s no attitude like, ‘You didn’t play – you can’t understand’?
Cho: Not really. I would say the league is split as far as front office people that have played pro basketball and those who did not. There are a number of general managers that didn’t play pro basketball. With the complexities of the salary cap and the Collective Bargaining Agreement, I think there is a lot more to running a team than just having the NBA pedigree. I’ve been fortunate enough to gain a lot of experience and knowledge working for both Wally Walker and Rick Sund.
Did your work with the salary cap evolve naturally?
Cho: Yeah, it evolved because of my law school experience, my legal background, and my mathematical background - the cap is really numbers-oriented – and also the complexity of the cap and the Collective Bargaining Agreement required someone who could devote a lot of time to studying it. Luckily for me, it was good timing.
That’s an obvious area where your law background helps you. How about your engineering background?
Cho: Having an engineering degree and an analytical background has helped me a lot in both understanding and applying the salary cap and Collective Bargaining Agreement rules. In particular, the combination of the law degree and engineering background has helped me become really detail-oriented in a job that often requires me to be very meticulous.
How important do you think it is for teams to understand the cap in this day and age?
Cho: I think it’s extremely important, because every transaction has salary cap and luxury tax implications - whether it’s re-signing a player, signing an unrestricted or restricted free agent, trading players, or waiving players. Different salary cap rules apply to different types of free agents and each type of transaction has its own salary cap rules, restrictions, and exceptions. It’s important to know both the short-term and long-term salary cap and luxury tax impact of any type of transaction. I think understanding the salary cap rules and the Collective Bargaining Agreement is one of the most important aspects of a GM’s or Assistant GM’s job.
What are some other teams that have stood out in terms of managing the cap?
Cho: San Antonio has done a real good job. Detroit’s done a good job. Those are two main ones. New Orleans has done a good job too. They’ve all stayed very competitive with a fairly low payroll.
In baseball, analytical methods, especially the use of statistics, have made significant inroads in recent years, a point driven home to the mainstream by Moneyball. Do you see a similar trend in the NBA?
Cho: . We do a lot of statistical analysis, both to evaluate players and to prepare for contract negotiations. I think the trend in the NBA is towards more technology and statistical analysis. In baseball, historically there’s been a lot more stats analysis involved. You’ve got a multitude of stats just for pitchers, righties vs. lefties, switch-hitters, on-base percentage, batting average with and without men on base, just to name a few. Basketball is not as extensive, but it’s definitely going in that direction.
What advice do you have for someone who is an intelligent basketball fan and wants to get into management as you have?
Cho: The main thing is to do an internship with the team. That gets your foot in the door, gives the team an indication of your abilities and your work ethic, and gives you an idea of whether or not you like the business and the type of work you’d be doing. That’s the best way to get in, an internship. After that, you just need to be persistent!

 

[B-Roy]

 

[mook]

So he was an engineer for Boeing, and then an attorney. Jesus. How many years did he go to school?

Anyway, with the coming changes to the CBA, it'll be nice having on board a guy who understands both complex regulation and numbers. The teams that adapt quickest to the new environment will probably succeed the most.

 

[Idog1976]

I LOVE his haircut! Looks like he goes to my barber!

 

[Idog1976]

I'll just assume this is a fantastic hire and we're once again moving in the right direction!

whoa whoa WHOA! You can only make NEGATIVE assumptions. Learn the Forum then post BIATCH!!!!!

 

[oldmangrouch]

If "he could be" is good enough for you so be it. I'm just surprised more teams haven't taken this route if it's such a good idea.

Dude....think! Every GM had a first job somewhere. Teams take that route all the time. Many LA fans were upset that when West left they replaced him by promoting the "inexperienced" Kupchak. All he has done in his first job is collect a few rings.

Take a look around the NBA. You will find a number of GMs who did well at their "first" job.

 

[Idog1976]

It's a molehill when compared to the gigantic fucking flip-out mountain you've created.

I feel an edited song coming on!!!

On a summer day in the month of May a burly bum came hiking
Down a shady lane through the sugar cane, he was looking for his liking.
As he roamed along he sang a song of the land of milk and honey
Where a bum can stay for many a day, and he won't need any money

Oh the buzzin' of the bees in the cigarette trees near the soda water fountain,
At the lemonade springs where the bluebird sings on the gigantic fucking flip-out mountain

There's a lake of gin we can both jump in, and the handouts grow on bushes
In the new-mown hay you can sleep all day, and the bars all have free lunches
Where the mail train stops and there ain't no cops, and the folks are tender-hearted
Where you never change your socks and you never throw rocks,
And your hair is never parted

Oh the buzzin' of the bees in the cigarette trees near the soda water fountain,
At the lemonade springs where the bluebird sings on the gigantic fucking flip-out mountain

Oh, a farmer and his son, they were on the run, to the hay field they were bounding
Said the bum to the son, "Why don't you come to the gigantic fucking flip-out mountains?"
So the very next day they hiked away, the mileposts they were counting
But they never arrived at the lemonade tide, on the gigantic fucking flip-out mountain

Oh the buzzin' of the bees in the cigarette trees near the soda water fountain,
At the lemonade springs where the bluebird sings on the gigantic fucking flip-out mountain

One evening as the sun went down and the jungle fires were burning,
Down the track came a hobo hiking, and he said "Boys, I'm not turning."
"I'm heading for a land that's far away beside the crystal fountains;"
"So come with me, we'll go and see the gigantic fucking flip-out mountain."

In the gigantic fucking flip-out mountains, there's a land that's fair and bright,
The handouts grow on bushes and you sleep out every night
Where the boxcars all are empty and the sun shines every day
On the birds and the bees and the cigarete trees,
The lemonade springs where the bluebird sings
In the gigantic fucking flip-out mountain

In the gigantic fucking flip-out mountain, all the players have wooden legs
And the bulldogs all have rubber teeth and the hens lay soft-boiled eggs
The farmer's trees are full of fruit and the barns are full of hay
Oh I'm bound to go where there ain't no snow
Where the rain don't fall, the wind don't blow
In the gigantic fucking flip-out mountain

In the gigantic fucking flip-out mountain, you never change your socks
And little streams of alcohol come a-trickling down the rocks
The brakemen have to tip their hats and the railroad bulls are blind
There's a lake of stew and of whiskey too
And you can paddle all around 'em in a big canoe
In the gigantic fucking flip-out mountain

In the gigantic fucking flip-out mountain the jails are made of tin,
And you can walk right out again as soon as you are in
There ain't no short-handled shovels, no axes, saws or picks,
I'm a-goin' to stay where you sleep all day
Where they hung the jerk that invented work
In the gigantic fucking flip-out mountain

I'll see you all this comin' fall in the gigantic fucking flip-out mountains!

 

[OddEnormous]

Dude....think! Every GM had a first job somewhere. Teams take that route all the time. Many LA fans were upset that when West left they replaced him by promoting the "inexperienced" Kupchak. All he has done in his first job is collect a few rings.

Take a look around the NBA. You will find a number of GMs who did well at their "first" job.

Are there any that have failed in their first job?

Mitch Kupchak winning NBA titles is not a reason to hire Richard Cho. They're 2 different people.

 

[OddEnormous]

whoa whoa WHOA! You can only make NEGATIVE assumptions. Learn the Forum then post BIATCH!!!!!

Or just type the name of some other GM who's been successful followed by "you never know"

 

[Idog1976]

I also heard there was a lot of jealousy.

No those reports came out AFTER the Oden bathroom pictures were released.

 

[Sug]

Well he was the understudy of someone better than KP, I mean OKC has basically caught us with less resources.

 

[THE HCP]

Same barber for sure!!!!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30530346&id=1105064218

 

[andalusian]

On paper, looks like a nice hire. He has a diverse background and experience working on legal, talent evaluation and other basketball related matters.

As usual, the devil is in the details, the proof is in the pudding, it's not over until the fat lady sings.

Would be interesting to see how this goes on.

I, btw, am already sure of his ability to make things happen. Somehow he managed to take Margaret, which someone told me was batting for the other team, and persuade her to marry him, change her name to Julie and have 2 kids with her.

Onward and upward! To infinity and beyond! Are you feeling lucky? Punk? Dude, where's my car?

 

[OddEnormous]

Well he was the understudy of someone better than KP, I mean OKC has basically caught us with less resources.

Oh dear...

 

[Ed O]

Are there any that have failed in their first job?

Mitch Kupchak winning NBA titles is not a reason to hire Richard Cho. They're 2 different people.

If you're claiming that Cho is a different person than everyone else... you win. Good going.

Now run along and let those of us who actually prefer to apply reason to a discussion post for a while, OK?

Ed O.

 

[Idog1976]

Well he was the understudy of someone better than KP, I mean OKC has basically caught us with less resources.

Well alot of that has to do with pure luck getting Durant. And let's be fair who's luck was that anyways?

OHHHHHH Right!

You know when Napoleon was being shown candidates for generalship they would tell him about the candidates exploits and Napoleon would ask...yes...but is he lucky?

 

[OddEnormous]

Now run along and let those of us who actually prefer to apply reason to a discussion post for a while, OK?

Ed O.

Reason?

"You never know!" "Might be!" "could be!" "Mitch Kupchak!" is reason?

Excellent stuff.

 

[LittleAlex]

I am hoping he works out.

Unlike the situation when KP first started as GM, Cho has very little margin for error.
He needs to hit the ground running.


BTW, that doesn't mean he needs to start making trades right away or anything like that.
It just means he needs to formulate a game plan for the future of the team and begin implementing it right away.
That plan may very well be "Bake It".

 

[mook]

I mean OKC has basically caught us with less resources.

By "catching" us you mean they won only as many games as we did despite them having an injury-free season?

For all the hype the Thunder get, it's important to remember that among all the guys who played major minutes, only two (Durant and Westbrook) had above average PERs. And Durant took absolutely no skill for the Thunder to acquire.

In some ways, the current Thunder remind me a lot of the 2005ish Cavaliers. A 50 win team with one awesome player everybody would've taken in the draft if given the same chance.

Portland, in comparison, had six guys playing major minutes and above 15 PERs. It's a truly loaded team that just got hit by injuries.

That said, I don't necessarily hold the Thunder's limited success against Cho. The Thunder haven't had Paul Allen's deep pockets, and they've had the whole move from Seattle to deal with.

 

[Natebishop3]

Can any board geeks dig out the comments when the Blazers hired KP? I wonder if the same people said he'd never been a GM, etc....

They weren't saying anything, because they weren't fans then....

Seriously though, when KP was promoted, we were coming off our worst season and attendance was in the shitter. Very few people in this city gave a rats ass who the GM was.

 

[mook]

Seriously though, when KP was promoted, we were coming off our worst season and attendance was in the shitter. Very few people in this city gave a rats ass who the GM was.

I remember being so relieved Patternash was gone that I didn't care who the new guy was. I figured at the very worst he could only be just as bad.

 

[OddEnormous]

Seriously though, when KP was promoted, we were coming off our worst season and attendance was in the shitter. Very few people in this city gave a rats ass who the GM was.

AND there was nowhere to go but up AND he was being hailed as the smartest chap in the organization AND we were REBUILDING AND were were getting rid of Nash and Patterson.

For those in absolute hysterics re: my opinion on this hire, I've said before, if we were coming of a 27 win season I'd be in favor of someone like Richard. We aren't even close to being that team. We do not need to free up millions in cap space or stockpile draft picks.

 

[Ed O]

Reason?

"You never know!" "Might be!" "could be!" "Mitch Kupchak!" is reason?

Excellent stuff.

You continue to demonstrate an inability to understand pretty basic concepts that almost everyone else reading these threads grasps. You're like a child. It's probably best if you go back to posting in character so at least some people will find you intentionally funny.

Ed O.

 

[BGrantFan]

You continue to demonstrate an inability to understand pretty basic concepts that almost everyone else reading these threads grasps. You're like a child. It's probably best if you go back to posting in character so at least some people will find you intentionally funny.

Ed O.

To interject, what basic concepts are you speaking of in this post? Cho simply does not have time to learn on the job. He had better be ready right now, and he had better put this team over the top. He's been handed a playoff roster; very few rookie GMs get that opportunity.

I hope he's not in over his head.

 

[OddEnormous]

You continue to demonstrate an inability to understand pretty basic concepts that almost everyone else reading these threads grasps. You're like a child. It's probably best if you go back to posting in character so at least some people will find you intentionally funny.

Ed O.

I'm actually one of the very few thats applied reason to my opinion and several times.

Hiring a rookie at the very instant we need experience. Not to mention hiring someone with less experience than the guy we just fired. Hiring someone who's never made a big final touch trade or brought in a big free agent.

IMO that's a better opinion than "You never know." or "I just feel good about this guy."

"I just feel good about this guy." is 100 times more offensive than giving 4 reasons why you don't like the hire.... but here you are having a go at me.

Is "I just feel good about this guy." reason?

Is it?

Is it?

Or is it you just don't like me so whatever I type you instantly start calling me names?

As usual you offer nothing else than name calling and boring rehashes of other people posts.

 

[Natebishop3]

To interject, what basic concepts are you speaking of in this post? Cho simply does not have time to learn on the job. He had better be ready right now, and he had better put this team over the top. He's been handed a playoff roster; very few rookie GMs get that opportunity.

I hope he's not in over his head.

That's pretty much how I feel. I understand that the guy has talent, and is lauded as a great up-and-comer, but this team needs someone who can take what we have and build on it. I hope Cho is the man for that job.

 

[OddEnormous]

To interject, what basic concepts are you speaking of in this post?

"I just feel good about this guy."

 

[TradeNurkicNow]

So when we make a good trade, is everyone going to say that we CHOWNED them?

I like chowned better than pritchslapped.

 

[THE HCP]

I'm gonna make up some..... "Got Cho?" T-shirts!