Great Players Make (bad) GMs

Time to air out a pet peeve, that being the NBA's continued need to hire GMs seemingly based on their playing career (most recently Isiah, Bird, McHale, Ainge, Jordan, Unseld, Baylor, and many others in the past) when historical evidence plainly suggests an inverse relationship between playing success and front office success. Aside from West and Dumars (the 2 exceptions that prove the rule) I believe pretty much every championship team over the last half-century was put together by a GM who either never played or was a marginal journeyman at best (Riley). Meanwhile, you could fill volumes itemizing all the front office blunders made by former superstars.

You'd think at some point they'd realize past playing skills have nothing to do with current front office skills.

 

Re: Great Players Make Shitty GMs

What about great players becoming god awful owners? I am thinking about Wayne Gretzky and the mess in Phoenix.

 

Any projections regarding Garth Snow?

 

Figured you weren't talking about Super Mario.

 

No, actually Mario has done a decent job. I can't understand Gretzky and the situation in Phoenix at all.
Well, if Garth Snow trades Alexei Yashin to another team, then I would say he's great. However, the owner likes Yashin, so I am thinking Snow won't do anything.

(note to Elliotte- quit dreaming of Yashin being traded to the Leafs for McCabe ;D)

 

Dave Taylor was an interesting GM for the Kings at times.

 

Bird hasn't been that bad, Jordan or Isiah bad. He was saddled with some headcases, risky players who acted as poorly as they possibly could be expected.

 

Re: Great Players Make Shitty GMs

Gretzky actually owns a very small portion of the team. The Coyotes are primarily owned by a local businessman who made a mint in the trucking business. He does play a major role in running the organization, though.

He has still done a crappy job, mostly because he (a) surrounded himself with buddies who don't know what the hell they're doing, and (b) hasn't been willing to make the personal commitment to be successful as a coach. His buddies just got shitcanned, so this next season should be interesting. His leash may be a bit shorter.

 

That's one way of putting it.

 

Well according to certain un-named geniuses around here, Kevin McHale hardly quailified as a great player so leave him out of it......

 

Jerry West was an outstanding GM

 

Bird wasn't "saddled" with the headcases. He acquired them, knowing they were headcases. When you intentionally add Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson to your roster, you deserve everything that follows.