There's also the possibility that he's grown into the role after a year as interim GM. We're not in a position to know the dynamics of how decisions have been made over the past year. There have been some major bumbling moves made, without a doubt, but after the meltdown at mid-season, the team's also been positioned to be in a good spot this summer. Chad doesn't strike me as dumb. I would bet that he'd be the first to admit that things didn't go the way he had hoped, but that he's also learned from what happened. Should he get the job? Not if there's a better candidate. OTOH, I don't know if there is a better candidate either.
Bravo! I think PA has learned to trust his GM more now than he has in the past. And that's a good thing!
Chad reminds me of a calmer Kevin Pritchard. He said BPA a bunch, but also entertaining offers to trade the picks. I'm not in favor of trading out of the lottery, two for one, D-Will for Martell Webster/Jarrett Jack style. I'm not in favor of trading our lottery picks for non-all star vets. Chad basically said that after Davis, the next six or so guys are equivalent. So I don't know why they'd trade two for one to get a higher pick either. We need more talented players. The Blazers need to man up and use their expertise to select BPA, twice. Yes, there is luck involved. Go for home runs or go home.
Chad was on the cusp of moving from scout to GM last year, while working of a man who values ability to get along with him above all else. If we were the board of directors I could see why we might be concerned by that. But, Chad did not have the security of the full GM contract to take strong stands. He is building a rep with PA, but he likely knows if you don't approach it slowly, you will end up out of the organization. I'm not saying I want Chad as GM, but I'm not sure we can say at this time that he wouldn't be good if given full authority and a guaranteed salary for a few years. Am I the only person here who works in large company with complex politics?
To paraphrase for the positive-impaired (cough, MM, cough), you can't really compare the boldness of quickly promoted, interim GM, to a GM who has had the security of a contract. And, the complex political maneuvers required to move from scout to GM can hide the true abilities of the candidate. Chad is still an unknown to most of us.
Well, his own boss came out immediately and said he was not a candidate. It has been over a year, and they are still bringing in other people. Apparently Chad's boss doesn't think he is the right man for this job either
The team should go with BPA, definitely. But not best player available... best prospect available. This means that age should be a factor. If there are two players who play the same position, are the same size, but are markedly different in age (a couple of years)... then the younger guy should be chosen unless the older prospect is a lot better. Ignoring age when drafting a player is like ignoring height: dumb. Ed O.
Well certainly you could look at POR draft record as an indicator could you not? He is head scout, and POR hasn't gotten a signifcant player from the drfat since 2008 (Batum).... So I would say his track record to date is not good.... and the free agents that he brought in last year...which he took responsibility for... were a disaster...bad fits telling the truth about a guy's record isn't being negative...it is called being REALISTIC.....
It keeps coming back to the same thing: our last 4 first rounders - Claver, Babbitt, Williams, and Smith - were terrible. Either Chad doesn't know what he is doing, or he couldn't sell ice water to a man in the desert. The Felton trade and Crawford signing don't exactly cover him in glory either - though the Wallace deal was a sound move.
I'm not against Drummond. If we could nab Drummond with the 6th and maybe Lillard, Lamb, or Waiters at 11, I would be happy.
If you want the BYPA (best & youngest player available), then to be consistent, you must apply the same standard to the GM hiring, which leads to the youngest candidate, Buchanan.
I agree with this. But Chad also made it clear that their priority is getting LA immediate help. I think that means they don't want the best prosepect who may blossom in 2-3 years, they want talent that translates on the court now. In general, for right or wrong reasons, I don't exactly have confidence in Chad's drafting abilities. But he has shown he is capable of trading players for draft picks and I have confidence in his ability to trade draft picks for players. I wouldn't mind seeing Chad become the permanent GM . . . although as I have said, that will lead to either CB being a good or being fired. Does Chad really want to go there?
Whomever is responsible for the Nolan Smith pick should have learned a valuable lesson: ALWAYS draft the BPA over need.
