Seriously, How 'Bout This Guy For GM?

[ABM]

Rich Cho.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/ian_thomsen/07/02/free.agency/1.html#ixzz0sYvP4D8S

Assistant GM Rich Cho, the Swiss army knife of the Thunder's front office. Cho is a lawyer and capologist who also knows a player when he sees one. "He's so smart with numbers and negotiations and the cap," said Hawks GM Rick Sund, who worked with Cho with the old Sonics in Seattle, "and he's an attorney and he's brilliant in finance and he's a good people person."

Most fans (and many NBA owners) have never heard of Cho, but people in the league view him as a prototype for the next NBA era, an executive who draws on a number of backgrounds to come up with solutions. "Rich is incredibly talented," said Presti. "He has great versatility in his approach and skills and is someone that consistently thinks of the long-term interest of the organization."

• The law. Former Sonics president Wally Walker used to employ Cho in both the basketball and business offices in Seattle, where Cho would work on sponsorships and other business deals in addition to helping Walker and Sund structure their basketball payroll. When Presti took over, he focused Cho entirely on basketball and has turned him into a scout as well as a numbers-crunching salary-cap expert.

Someday, Cho will be a GM or team president in the NBA, and as such he'll be able to draw on his experience in the business office while not needing to hire legal counsel or a capologist -- he'll fill both roles himself. "The combination of all of those things gives him a really good future," said Sund. "Going back over my career of 30 some years in the NBA, I wish I'd picked up a law or business degree along with my understanding of basketball. I've been in basketball all my life, but the different dimensions Rich has -- I wish I had them."

 

[Nikolokolus]

If Randy Pfund fizzles (and I suspect Ferry will probably decline) then it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to pursue him

 

[ABM]

If Randy Pfund fizzles (and I suspect Ferry will probably decline) then it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to pursue him

Nik, if only you had learned to lay off the booze, I think you could have had a shot at the position.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda.

 

[tlongII]

He sounds like a good candidate. It's hard to tell what kind of a talent evaluator he is, but he seems to have the other skills necessary for the position.

 

[ABM]

He sounds like a good candidate. It's hard to tell what kind of a talent evaluator he is, but he seems to have the other skills necessary for the position.

If he could work in tandem with B-squared, perhaps that would be enough?

 

[axs88]

I heard Chad Ford raving about him as a somewhat under-the-radar assistant GM who had a key role in the Thunder's success.

I would be happy to get him.

 

[Ed O]

I met him a few years ago at a CLE. Got to talk to him for a bit and he seemed like a genuine and genuinely sharp guy.

Of course, I WAS in a room full of lawyers, and that sometimes distorts one's perspective on sincerity.

Ed O.

 

[Idog1976]

Rich Cho.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/ian_thomsen/07/02/free.agency/1.html#ixzz0sYvP4D8S

Nice find ABM. I would go for it. An unknown would only help our cause at this point. I'm assuming here we have no shot at the West's and Presti's of the world.

 

[maxiep]

A genius idea, ABM. I wonder why no one else thought of it before?

http://sportstwo.com/threads/162648...e-GM-we-want?p=2365350&viewfull=1#post2365350

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Uh, we had someone just like that. Vulcan fired him for being too smart and a nice guy.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Uh, we had someone just like that. Vulcan fired him for being too smart and a nice guy.

Would you like a refill on that glass of Kool-Aid?

 

[Ed O]

Uh, we had someone just like that. Vulcan fired him for being too smart and a nice guy.

Pritchard wasn't an attorney nor anything resembling a capologist.

Ed O.

 

[Minstrel]

Cho seems like what Portland had in Tom Penn. Being good/great at finangling the numbers is a great ability to have, but he also needs the vision and ability to chart a smart course. I thought Pritchard had that (others will obviously disagree with me) which is why I thought he and Penn were a good combination. I wonder if Cho has that, or if he needs to work with a guy like Presti who provides that.

In loose terms, do you want a CFO or CTO in ultimate charge of a corporation, or a CEO? Obviously, some CEOs don't bring much and therefore the company could as well be run by one of the other officers...but ideally, you want a vision guy as CEO and brilliant adjunct officers to help him make his vision happen.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Would you like a refill on that glass of Kool-Aid?

Yes, please.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Pritchard wasn't an attorney nor anything resembling a capologist.

Ed O.

I was thinking of Penn

 

[jlprk]

To Sonic fans, Cho was the only management guy who wasn't a bad guy. Wally Walker, his lapdog Sund, Mr. Starbucks, and Okies like Bennett and Aubrey were all on the shit list, but Cho wasn't. Cho was discussed on the board as a GM, but his basketball knowledge was in question, so he was thought to be more of a future team president. It looks like Presti now has him scouting and learning the game.

Oklahomans use religion to persuade ESPN moderators to delete posts. I wish some would trot in on their burros and spice this place up.

 

[ABM]

A genius idea, ABM. I wonder why no one else thought of it before?

http://sportstwo.com/threads/162648...e-GM-we-want?p=2365350&viewfull=1#post2365350

GMTA.