No, I realize that you don't have the resources to make the actual hire yourself. I'm just curious who (if anyone) Portland could have hired that you would have been at least cautiously optimistic about. Perhaps no one, since you've lost faith in the people making the hire? I think what people are mostly saying is that, in the absence of actually being able to do the due diligence themselves, his background in a couple of the aspects related to being a GM (statistical analysis and cap management) and his status within the game as a well-regarded assistant and supposedly hot GM prospect is exciting. None of us are able to make concrete points about why he'll succeed since none of us know him or have talked to him. My own interest in Cho comes from my admitted bias in favour of sophisticated statistical analysis. I think scouting is absolutely necessary, but I think statistical analysis is integral to measuring player ability in ways that the human mind is unable to do so just from direct observation. The human mind has strengths that computers and math can't duplicate, which is why I say scouting is also essential. I think Portland already has high level scouting minds in Born and Buchanan, so I like the idea of hiring a guy who's considered strong on the statistical side of things. I realize that for people who are dubious of statistical analysis of athletes, that won't be compelling. It's simply why I like the hire, not necessarily why anyone else should.
Are you Chris Rock in disguise? How many Comedy Central roasts have you been invited to? You must go on last with stuff like that, I mean who could follow it? "Oh YEAH!!!!! well when God um made um the word fail and then um invented the dictionary he um... like he probably like put a picture of you next to the word fail!!!!!"
You used the word "FAIL" in a post and then criticize another person's sense of humor in the same thread? OK. Haha. Ed O.
OK--my reasoning for liking the Cho hire is that he seems to be a very rare combination of qualities. He has an engineering and mathematics backgroud, which indicates that he's highly intelligent and analytical. He left a lucrative career to pursue work in sports management, which shows that he has a love and enthusiasm for the job. He's a dispute resolution attorney, which suggests that he's skilled and experienced in negotiation, something Pritchard was missing. He's been a cap expert for his previous organization, which shows that he's strongly familiar with the NBA CBA. I don't believe that there was anybody out there who wasn't already employed in a GM position who would be a better combination of these valuble characteristics than Rich Cho, experience be damned. Is that sufficient reasoning for you?
And that is why I've always said you are one of if not the best posters on here. Great post. I still think the last 5 months in the front office have been a failure and an unnecessary circus. This is not how successful franchises are run. And in the end no matter how well you make the case for Cho (who might be wonderful) being the best of the 3 people they have brought in... we still have no idea if he can do the job which AGAIN, I would be more open to if we were struggling to make the playoffs. Look, he's here. I'm going to root like fuck for him and everyone else involved. The bigger picture is that I think this franchise is run by a bunch of fuck wits who brag about how much they've lost on a team who haven't won a championship in 30 years and claim thats a sign of a good owner. It's not. This is just one more episode in this fiasco of a franchise my opinion.
There's nothing wrong with being unsure. Everybody here is unsure about this hire. However, OddEnormous came right of the gate with his first post claiming that "Cho is starting a rebuild and shipping out Roy and Aldridge for cap space". That doesn't come across the same as "I'm unsure".
I agree that this situation has been poorly handled. I will just drop out this debate with one last thought: a talented person can learn and become experienced - an experienced dud will never become talented.
Love that quote, love that Cho is like Penn, and love that Pritchard's scouts are still working for the Blazers. It's a decent day. I'd have been pissed at a Rod Thorn or a Danny Ferry. I don't understand exactly why they hired Cho, but I hope it works out, and if the team is headed to a more collaborative model, then I'm onboard.
Care to comment on why you were so upset that Miller wasn't quickly finding a replacement GM? If you don't care who makes the decisions and want it to be collaborative, why the need to rush to find a new GM?
