I think two visions are always important. The owner should be setting the organizational vision and the GM should be setting the basketball vision. In some sense, it's the difference between, say, a CEO and a CTO in a tech company. The CEO should be setting the overall organizational vision for how the company will do things, processes, etc. The CTO should be setting the technical vision...how the company will innovate in their product, what skills they need to hire/acquire to do it, what they should be researching.
This was my statement also. HEALTH. Then, our lineup is Oden, Aldridge, Wallace, Matthews and Miller and we're making a deep playoff run. We still need to identify our PGOTF and add a big or two. Sign Joel back to a minimum contract. Draft a PF/C type with one of our picks. Dangle Batum for the PG.
Why? Portland is 53-29 with Oden in the regular season and 2-4 in the playoffs with him. I always find it funny that people say we would dominate with Greg. Why? I'm not saying we wouldn't, and I think we would certainly be a lot better on paper than we are without him., but what has he, the coaching staff or the team shown with him in that says we would dominate in the playoffs?
Portland needs to upgrade everything but SF and starting PF. Wherever it can get the most possible talent upgrade between starting/backup PG, SG, C, and backup PF, it should. Particularly if the incoming talent involves better shooting and/or defense.
Hmmm, well let's see... 4 WCF appearances, 2 finals appearances, 15 straight years in the playoffs, and currently on a 3 year streak; since being an owner. I don't know what you call success, but so far, he's doing better than 20 other teams historically.
Not quite. PA wanting people to nod their heads when he speaks is not in fact the same as having a vision about how to build a competitive and successful sports franchise. I think it's become fairly clear that he hasn't the first clue that teams don't in fact, work like start-ups -- wherein you throw a ton of money around and fire people willy nilly until you achieve some kind of profit or product. Owning/running a successful franchise does in fact require true leadership skills and the ability to empower expert employees to go out and do their best, while you mostly stand aside and handle the money side of the business and occasionally sign off on or veto deals when there is a tangible financial impact for your organization. The bottom line is right now we appear to have an owner who is eager to win and is willing to spend, but largely has no idea of how to go about it and has also mostly surrounded himself with sycophants and boot-lickers which makes his chances of success even more remote.
Is it yours that he will ever be? I honestly think the Oden we saw was as good as it's going to get going forward.
This, but I'll make it a little more attainable. We need a dynamic scorer that can get their shot any time they want and has the ability to create for his teammates. I'd also say a franchise center, but those seem to be a curse for the Blazers.
In reality, other than health, what this team needs more than anything else is a new owner. I think Paul Allen has gone off the rails.
Well first of all Cuban has become much less hands on over the years but unlike Allen it appears that he posseses the acumen to handle some personnel duties as well as knowing how to run a successful business.
That's never stopped you saying it. But actually, I agree with your original post: teams win in the playoffs by putting talent on the floor. So, obviously, it has to be talent that can play together. But Dallas has success with Jason Kidd and JJ Barea, both technically PGs, on the floor at the same time. Phil Jackson teams have had enormous success without a stereotypical PG. Currently my obsession (because (a) he seems to be available, and (b) I watched how effective he was for Team USA last summer) is Iguodala. Swingman doesn't seem to be an area of need, but imagine a lineup with Wallace, Aldridge, Iguodala and two others on the floor together... You could add Brandon Roy for the fourth quarter, because Iggy actually gets ridiculous amounts of assists. And if Oden is healthy, that's a pretty intimidating five. Substitute Dre Miller for Roy and you've got your starters. (You would need to pick up the odd James Jones type shooters...)
