Who is the best GM in the NBA

[MarkGrace]

I didn't say it was you! But yeah, whoever is posting that stuff is getting it from Simmons' podcast. I was actually a bit disappointed that Simmons didn't discuss the Al Jeff acquisition more (or, at all, really), since he loves Al.

I thought the comment came in context of discussing the trade?

[Donuthole]

I thought the comment came in context of discussing the trade?

Yeah, that was the entire extent of it. I guess I should have said analyzing the trade. Pretty much all he said was "smart teams like Utah find ways to land players like Al Jefferson for little to nothing." Then he made the comment about how Utah is one of the five best-run teams in the NBA. He ranked them above the Lakers and Celtics, because, as you mentioned, they succeed in spite of their location, not because of it.

[LiveCoug]

Is Kupchak really the best? He has the easiest job of any GM out there...

[HBCoug]

Is Kupchak really the best? He has the easiest job of any GM out there...

It's funny how perceptions change given a little time and some success. Back when he shipped off Shaq to Miami for LO, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant, Kupchak was regarded as incompetent--even moreso after sending Butler to Washington for Kwame Brown and giving Luke Walton a really bad contract. Bill Simmons included him in his Atrocious GM summit spoof along with Billy King, Isiah Thomas, and other all-time buffoons. Fast forward a year or two after parlaying Kwame's expiring K into Pau Gasol, and Kupchak is regarded as one of the better GMs. I didn't pick him as the best GM, I chose Presti. But there is a laundry list of players who use Laker interest as leverage to get bigger deals with other teams. Raja is the latest, but guys have been doing it for years. Brian Grant (when he was actually good), Jimmy Jackson, James Posey --so many others all feigned interest in signing with LA for cheap in order to get another team to up the ante. Artest is one of the only guys I can remember who actually took below market value to come play in LA (Malone and Payton maybe, but both were basically done).

[New Mexican Disaster]

It pains me greatly to say RC Buford because I hate those bastard San Antonio Spurs. He has continually added valuable pieces and found players internationally and on the junk pile that have made them formidable. He has done a ton with some big disadvantages.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

A headline on the side of the front page of espn.com reads "Houston front-runner to be Knicks GM." The thing that originally registered in my mind is that Daryl Morey was going to be the Knicks GM (this is the stuff that happens in my head when I glaze over something). I'm thinking great move!

Then I click on the link and find out that Allan Houston is going to likely be the Knicks GM. I have no idea what kind of GM Allan Houston will be, and I can't help but think that the Knicks have no idea what kind of GM Houston will be. The NBA is weird in that multi-million dollar payrolls are often handed over to guys that have little to no front office experience. It seems like half the franchises in the league are handled extremely poorly. Teams like Utah, Portland and Milwaukee can be semi-competitive while teams like New York and Philly can be perennially uncompetitive.

[MarkGrace]

Teams like Utah, Portland and Milwaukee can be semi-competitive while teams like New York and Philly can be perennially uncompetitive.

This is where I give Kupchak credit. To me LA is inherently one of the easiest jobs in the league, but I would also put NY at or near the top of that list as well, yet they can't even manage to assemble a playoff team and LA has consistently put out championship quality teams over the last decade.

[MarkGrace]

An article ranking GM's: http://www.sbnation.com/2010/7/22/15...pat-riley-heat

He picks KOC #2:

O'Connor may be the most underappreciated GM in basketball. Nobody does a better job of sticking to a plan. O'Connor has committed to Jerry Sloan as his coach and finds players that perfectly fit his system. Players like Wesley Matthews, Paul Millsap, Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Miles, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Matt Harpring and even Deron Williams would all have been successful elsewhere, but their success was magnified because they were all perfect fits for Sloan. O'Connor understands that you can't just throw together talent and expect it to jell. You have to find the right kind of talent, and for over a decade, he's done exactly that.

O'Connor has also done a great job managing the luxury tax, something that will always be an issue because Utah is a small market. Last season, he made cost-cutting moves that didn't affect his team's performance, then recovered from losing Carlos Boozer by trading for Al Jefferson. His one mistake was giving Andrei Kirilenko too much money in 2004, but otherwise, his record is impeccable.

The only thing lacking is a championship, but that's tough to do when you only get one top-five pick in a decade. O'Connor used that pick well, and he's made every last move count. That's the mark of a good GM.

Buford comes in an 7 (but mentions Spurs as best run franchise):

What has happened to the San Antonio Spurs recently? Giving Richard Jefferson $40 million? Going over the luxury tax the year before? Throwing cap flexibility into the wind? It's certainly a bit jarring, and I had to penalize the impeccable Buford for it. Buford probably feels that he needs to spend to prolong Tim Duncan's window, but I'm not convinced about that. If and when Duncan declines and the Spurs need to retool, it will be far more difficult than it should be.

That said -- c'mon, it's R.C. Buford and the San Antonio Spurs. They have to be high on the list because of everything they accomplished this decade. They're the league's best-run franchise, and while a lot of that is luck (drafting Duncan), much of it is due to the work of Buford. He might be losing his touch, but he has to also be rewarded for the touch he showed beforehand.

Presti #4:

Presti is probably the most creative general manager in the league, and he continues to rip off fellow GMs with his unique strategy of using his salary-cap space to pick up draft picks and other young assets. He also consistently nails his draft picks, which is so hard for anyone to do, and has built a young, talented roster that is the envy of everyone.

But I can't put him No. 1 for two reasons. First of all, he has Kevin Durant. Presti completely lucked into Durant, and having a guy like him makes you look a whole lot better. This isn't to take away from Presti's genius long-term plan in building around him, but his strategy wouldn't result in this much success if Durant wasn't around.

Secondly, I strongly believe Presti needs to think about changing gears. His prized young players are all going to have to sign contract extensions, which will eliminate the cap space Presti has always prized. This summer may have been the last time Presti will have enough cap space to sign a piece to put his team over the top, and he declined to use it. With the Thunder now a successful team with a successful core, that could prove to be a mistake.

I'm nitpicking though. The reality is that Presti is one of the best in the business.

[MartyFunkhouser]

A headline on the side of the front page of espn.com reads "Houston front-runner to be Knicks GM." The thing that originally registered in my mind is that Daryl Morey was going to be the Knicks GM (this is the stuff that happens in my head when I glaze over something). I'm thinking great move!

Then I click on the link and find out that Allan Houston is going to likely be the Knicks GM. I have no idea what kind of GM Allan Houston will be, and I can't help but think that the Knicks have no idea what kind of GM Houston will be. The NBA is weird in that multi-million dollar payrolls are often handed over to guys that have little to no front office experience. It seems like half the franchises in the league are handled extremely poorly. Teams like Utah, Portland and Milwaukee can be semi-competitive while teams like New York and Philly can be perennially uncompetitive.

With all the options out there like a successful GM in Kevin Pritchard or trying to steal away someone like Presti, Buford, Morey, etc., why would they even consider Houston.