In his first column for
Bleacher Report, Ric Bucher writes that GMs from across the league are reporting that their owners have skyhigh/unrealistic expectations for the upcoming season. Bucher spoke to several execs and asked them about their chief concern for 2013/14 and
Nets GM
Billy King was the only one whose biggest concern centered on basketball. The expectation level of owners and front office turnover has changed the mindset of many execs who were once seeking the formula for success but are now zeroed in on survival.
The
Pacers are a young squad with a payroll ($71.431MM) on the cusp of the luxury-tax threshold, but one opposing GM said that, for financial reasons, they will have a hard time ever fielding a team deeper in talent than this one.
Danny Granger’s $14MM contract comes off the books next season, but that savings is wiped out by
Paul George’s extension kicking in. The bottom line is that locking up free-agent-to-be
Lance Stephenson will require stripping the roster of its current depth. “
One thing I can tell you,” the exec said. “
Indy is not paying the luxury tax.”
Some are skeptical of
Clippers coach
Doc Rivers‘ praise for center
DeAndre Jordan and his effort, but Bucher hears that it’s legit. “
He’s more engaged than ever before,” a scout said of Jordan, who clashed with previous coach
Vinny Del Negro. “
He’s constantly talking on defense, and that’s new.” Of course, Rivers will have quite a bit of say in personnel in L.A.
One GM who was polled said the shift from commissioner
David Stern to
Adam Silver is his biggest worry. “
I don’t know how much he thinks about the integrity of the game,” the GM said. “
He’s more about selling widgets.”