I will begin the final part of this series by saying that I stand behind my thoughts, feelings, and views regarding the decisions made by several NBA GMs, and that I will not be issuing any apologies at any time in the near future. However, I do want to applaud several guys who actually take their jobs seriously and care about the finished product they present to their fans: Gary Sacks and Neil Olshey (L.A. Clippers), Masai Ujiri (Denver Nuggets), Chris Wallace (Memphis Grizzlies), Danny Ferry (Atlanta Hawks), Bob Myers and Larry Riley (Golden State Warriors), Donnie Walsh (Indiana Pacers), and Sam Presti (OKC Thunder). These gentlemen have obviously done their homework, taken calculated risks, and have built a foundation that will pay off for years to come. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are successful NBA franchises. With that being said, here are my final two culprits: Lance Blanks and Ernie Grunfeld.
4. Lance Blanks (Phoenix Suns): I understand that you have to endure some growing pains before you can enjoy the fruits of your labor, but this guy’s decisions would even have my eleven-year-old scratching his head. First, he sends perennial all-star Steve Nash to division rival L.A, and then he proceeds to drop big bucks on unproven free agents (Michael Beasley, Marcin Gortat, Goran Dragic, and Channing Frye). Usually, when your franchise is in a rebuilding mode, you tend to start from scratch going from top to bottom; this includes head coaches, assistants, equipment managers, arena personnel, etc.
You basically want to mirror what Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay did this past off-season; CLEAN HOUSE! Blanks moved and signed players, but still managed to overlook the guy who calls the shots on the sidelines: Alvin Gentry. He couldn’t possibly think that the team’s recent failures had absolutely nothing to do with Gentry’s coaching techniques. If that was his assessment, Suns CEO Robert Sarver should be taking a closer look at his GM.
Courtesy: Washington Post
5. Ernie Grunfeld (Washington Wizards): My general admiration and New York kinship for Grunfeld made this a difficult decision to say the least. However, his recent decision making, and Brett Dickinson’s pain have helped me immensely in critiquing him. Besides drafting superstar John Wall, Grunfeld’s track-record over the last five-years has been nothing short of ridiculous.
Coming from a guy who put together those rough, rugged and ultra-competitive New York Knicks teams, to his brilliance in Milwaukee – trading Stephon Marbury for Ray Allen, drafting Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson, recognizing Rafer “Skip To My Lou” Alston’s talents, trading for Sam Cassell, acquiring Vin Baker, and trading for Tim Thomas, Jason Caffey, and Toni Kukoc – you would expect a lot more. As if sending Caron Butler, Antwan Jamison, DeShawn Stevenson, and Brendan Haywood to the Mavericks, for basically nothing in return, he gives a guy, coming-off of two major knee surgeries (Gilbert Arenas), a max contract worth about 111-million-dollars! That contract basically doomed the franchise for the following five-plus seasons.
Grunfeld then proceeded to let Andray Blatche walk, traded for oft-injured center Nene, gave up on a promising young center (JaVale McGee), and signed a player who has been saddled with back problems since high school (Martell Webster). Do I need to elaborate any further? All I will say is that maybe it’s time for Ernie Grunfeld to walk away from the game. Excluding the last eight seasons, he’s had one hell of a run.
