Anybody know how long Presti's initial contract was with OKC? I know he was hired June 7th, 2007. So three years ago yesterday. If he signed for a 3 year deal initially, he could be working without a contract, and thus, not have to get permission from OKC to interview.
That's what Vecsey is claiming: "Sam Presti, who yesterday celebrated a third anniversary as Sonic/Thunder GM, making him a rising free agent according to my records..."
Ah, sorry, hadn't read the Vecsey article. It does add a little more fuel to the fire, I suppose, knowing he wouldn't need to get permission. Permission I would assume OKC would not give.
Presti is a "great" GM simply because it turns out that lucking into the #2 pick in 2007 was the better draft position at this moment. How fucking hard is it to pick Keven Durant over Al Horford?
Hired PJ Carlesimo. Just drafted james Harden over Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry. Seriously, he's some lottery balls a way from being out of the league. The amazing thing about Pritchard is he's build a 50-win team WITHOUT significant help from his own lucky lotto pick. That's the ironic part of the Presti talk, IMO. If the Blazers draft 3,4, or 5 in 2007, Pritchard likely isn't on the hot seat.
I think the pick of Westbrook more than makes up passing on other point guards in the next draft. Most mock drafts had him lower (NBADraft.net had Bayless higher) and Presti really pulled a nice pick at #4.
I don't give a shit about mock drafts. Westbrook was a solid guess to go to OKC right before that draft. I remember reading about how he was blowing everybody away in workouts. Plus, as good as Westbrook can be, he passed on Brook Lopez. he could have Lopez, Evans, and Durant right now. That team would scare the shit out of me for the next 10 years.
I'll give you the point that KP>SP in drafting, it seems, though Harden's not a bust by any stretch and taking Westbrook over Bayless looks like a genius move right now, when it was panned at the time. Are you deliberately not mentioning, or did you forget, the following? Instead of just letting Lewis walk, he got a 8M trade exception for a 2nd round pick. He used that exception to get Kurt Thomas and two 1st round picks (Suns 2008 1st and 2010 1st) Then traded Thomas to the Spurs for Spurs' 2009 1st, Elson and Brent Barry. He then waived Barry. Jumped into two major 3-team trades, lowering team salary with each. Traded Chris Wilcox for Malik Rose and cash. Traded Chucky Atkins and Damien Wilkins for Etan Thomas and 2 of MIN's 2nds. Signed Krstic Hired the Coach of the Year Traded a 2002 2nd-round Euro for Eric Maynor. So he's traded scrubs to save money and traded scrubs to get cash back...he's traded a 2nd-round pick to get 3 1sts...he's gotten under the cap while fielding a pretty decent team...he's found quality free agents at low prices...he's hired the Coach of the Year...he's drafted decently...and you're saying that it's b/c of lottery luck that he's not out of the league? Really? EDIT: And he got value from Ray Allen, even if it was "just" Jeff Green.
Presti also drafted Carl Landry for Houston in 2007, then received a future 2nd round pick and cash. He could have Lopez, Evans, Durant, Landry, and me and still be a force for the next decade. Since everybody likes to pick apart Pritchard's every move, I thought I'd see what Presti has done outside forgetting lucky with Durant.
The Blazers are just a slimeball organization. Larry Miller firing off a letter to GMs threatening them to not sign Miles Lying about conducting a GM search while KP is still in position Shady people.
I would submit that, in my view only, part of my "picking apart kp's every move" comes from the fact that I see Presti, Ferry, Wark, Walsh, Cuban, etc. doing many of the things outlined above...and wonder why we've made one (Great!) midseason trade and generally let value leave for nothing.
Now that we've heard from the Presti Fan Club, can we get back to being objective? Lots of small moves you posted. None mean shit without Durant on the roster. Pritchard has a better team than Presti without his lucky lotto pick being an MVP candidate.
I know you can't stand Pritchard. I don't have a problem with that at all. I just don't see what Presti has done that makes him such an upgrade. What happens when all of his youngsters are up for contract extensions? It's easy to say he's under the cap with such a young team, and without a Nash and Patterson handcuffing him coming into the Seattle job. They were shitty. They got Kevin Durant, Now, they're not shitty. Big deal.
Which could have been Joakim Noah. Green and his sub-14 PER make him a below average PF. A bad pick at #5, and they'll have to overpay to keep him because someone will want him.
Oh, you can try, but this one's going to hurt ya'. Pritchard took over in spring 2007 with the following: Blake, Jack, Roy, Webster, Zach, LMA, Przy, Outlaw...among others. For those counting at home that's 4/5 of our Opening Night 2010 lineup (the #1 pick instead of Przy, which even the coach didn't want to do at first) PLUS a 2010 All-Star. That's the entire 2008-09 and 4/5 of the 2009-10 Opening Night Starting Lineups. Presti took over in spring 2007 with the following. Rashard Lewis UFA--not coming back to Seattle. Ray Allen unhappy. Nick Collison. Ridnour. Petro. Sene. Wilcox and Wilkins. A bunch of guys you don't remember. One starter on the 2008 team, None of the 2009 team. Personally, I think that turnaround (forget anything else I write below)means quite a lot if you're being "objective" and not part of the "Sam Presti Devil's Advocate" club. So let's take Oden and Durant out of the equation. Pritchard traded his 20/10 PF, future all-star for Rudy and Channing Frye. Oh yeah, and cap space. Presti traded his All-star, unhappy shooting guard for his starting PF for the next 3 years. Green's not great by any stretch, but he's the starting PF on a 50-win club. Presti traded a 2nd rounder for 3 1sts and some scrubs. He traded those scrubs for reduced payroll, cap space and 2nd-round picks. He signed his starting C (Krstic) for below-market prices KP went hard after (overpaying) Hedo, Millsap (good) and Miller (what's your take on that one?) Presti hired the Coach of the Year. Presti turns expiring contracts into cash in pocket and lower salaries and draft picks. Pritchard got outfoxed in the Miles fiasco. He's made one trade that you could argue was to our benefit (the Camby one). He's drafted one contributor (Batum) in 3 years. Presti's spun gold from "small moves" to get to a point where he has a 50-win club with the "youngest team in the league". Except that he built it...he didn't inherit it and "let it bake". I don't think Pritchard sucks. If he stays I'm ok with that. You're completely, 100%, off-the-reservation wrong about Presti, though.
All those guys making all these moves sure put their teams in a better spot, didn't they. Most of those guys you listed fall into the knee jerk, make a move to make a move type guys. Except for Presti, IMO, he falls into the mold of KP. This is a relevant quote, "Never mistake activity for achievement. " John Wooden
Ferry getting two all-stars in Jamison and Mo Williams for scrubs didn't improve the team? Walsh getting out from under Isiah Thomas's cap hell in 2 years? Cuban getting Caron Butler for Josh Howard didn't make them better? Trading for Jason Kidd didn't make them better? Pray tell me what Kevin's achieved with his activity. I'll give you Camby for Outlaw and Blake. SEriously good move. Your turn.
