Sizing up two beleaguered GMs

¹²³ · Feb 16, 2009

The NBA never has suffered from the old "you can't tell the players without a scorecard'' problem, what with them so up-close-and-personal in their skivvies (then) and jimmies (now). But lately, there has been the distinct possibility of mistaken identity in the league's front offices, what with Chicago's John Paxson and Phoenix's Steve Kerr simultaneously steering their team buses off the Road to the NBA Finals.

One has swerved into a desert ditch, the other into a snowbank, but otherwise it might be getting difficult to tell the former three-point-shooting reserve guards who had supporting roles in a Michael Jordan three-peat apart. So here's our Paxson-Kerr scorecard, which can serve as a primer for distinguishing the Bulls' woes from the Suns' struggles.

<TABLE class=cnnInlineCenter cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><STYLE>  </STYLE><TABLE style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #ddd 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ddd 1px solid" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=661 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 0px solid; BORDER-TOP: #ddd 0px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 0px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ddd 0px solid" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=title>Tale of the Tape</TD></TR></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD><TR><TD class=spacer2></TD></TR><TR><TD><TABLE style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #ddd 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ddd 1px solid" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=640 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=person_L width="50%">John Paxson

</TD><TD class=person_R width="50%">Steve Kerr

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=category colSpan=2>Personal Data </TD></TR><TR><TD class=data_L>Born 9/29/60. Guard, 6-2, 175 pounds. Drafted in 1983 by San Antonio, 19th overall pick </TD><TD class=data_R>Born 9/27/65. Guard, 6-2, 175 pounds. Drafted in 1988 by Phoenix, 50th overall pick </TD></TR><TR><TD class=category colSpan=2>Playing Statistics </TD></TR><TR><TD class=data_L>772 NBA games, 17,257 minutes, 5,560 points, 2,758 assists </TD><TD class=data_R>910 NBA games, 16,207 minutes, 5,437 points, 1,658 assists </TD></TR><TR><TD class=category colSpan=2>Shooting Percentages </TD></TR><TR><TD class=data_L>.499 FG, .804 FT, .355 3PT </TD><TD class=data_R>.479 FG, .864 FT, .454 3PT </TD></TR><TR><TD class=category colSpan=2>Championships Won </TD></TR><TR><TD class=data_L>Four (three as Bulls player, 1991-93, and one as Chicago assistant, 1996) </TD><TD class=data_R>Five (three as Bulls player, 1996-98, and two as San Antonio reserve, 1999 and 2003) </TD></TR><TR><TD class=category colSpan=2>Most Memorable Moment </TD></TR><TR><TD class=data_L>Series-winning jump shot on a pass from Jordan with 3.9 seconds left against Phoenix in Game 6 of the 1993 Finals </TD><TD class=data_R>Series-winning jump shot on a pass from Jordan with five seconds left against Utah in Game 6 of the 1997 Finals </TD></TR><TR><TD class=category colSpan=2>Career Before This One </TD></TR><TR><TD class=data_L>Color commentator on Bulls' radio and TV broadcasts </TD><TD class=data_R>Color commentator for TNT and NBA columnist for Yahoo! Sports </TD></TR><TR><TD class=category colSpan=2>Seasons In Current Post </TD></TR><TR><TD class=data_L>Six </TD><TD class=data_R>Two </TD></TR><TR><TD class=category colSpan=2>Team Record During Tenure (Playoff Appearances) </TD></TR><TR><TD class=data_L>216-247 (3) </TD><TD class=data_R>83-50 (1) </TD></TR><TR><TD class=category colSpan=2>Coaching Changes </TD></TR><TR><TD class=data_L>Three (Bill Cartwright to Scott Skiles, Skiles to Jim Boylan, Boylan to Vinny Del Negro) </TD><TD class=data_R>Two (Mike D'Antoni to Terry Porter, Porter to Alvin Gentry) </TD></TR><TR><TD class=category colSpan=2>Best Draft Move </TD></TR><TR><TD class=data_L>Selected Chris Duhon (Duke) with No. 38 overall pick, June 2004 </TD><TD class=data_R>Selected center Robin Lopez (Stanford) with No. 15 overall pick, June 2008 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=category colSpan=2>Worst Draft Move </TD></TR><TR><TD class=person_L width="50%"></TD><TD class=person_R width="50%"></TD></TR><TR><TD class=data_L>Sent rights to LaMarcus Aldridge and second-round pick to Portland for rights to Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa, June 2006 </TD><TD class=data_R>Sent rights to Rudy Fernandez and forward James Jones to Portland for cash, June 2007 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=category colSpan=2>Best Trade/Signing </TD></TR><TR><TD class=data_L>Acquired rights to Luol Deng from Phoenix for conditional first-round pick, June 2004 </TD><TD class=data_R>Acquired Shaquille O'Neal for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, February 2008 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=category colSpan=2>Worst Trade/Signing </TD></TR><TR><TD class=data_L>Signed Ben Wallace to four-year, $60 million deal, July 2006 </TD><TD class=data_R>Traded Kurt Thomas and second-round pick to Seattle for two first-round picks, July 2007 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=category colSpan=2>Current Predicament </TD></TR><TR><TD class=data_L>Under pressure, amid rumors that he might resign, some fans want Paxson to take Del Negro's spot on the bench to coach the roster he assembled </TD><TD class=data_R>Under pressure, amid rumors that he might trade Amare Stoudemire next, some fans wanted Kerr to take Porter's spot on the bench to coach the roster he assembled </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

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If you have to choose one to be the GM for your team, who would it be? Kerr or Paxson?

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