Sam Presti is overrated, and how we should look at GM's in the NBA

[Jram]

I tried to explain this a few days ago, but the point is great GM's don't win titles, but they can take a team from bad to good without fortune of drafting hall of famers. I'll explain:

Court Bully » Putting the NBA general manager’s success in perspective

Best GM's in the game are Riley, O'Connor, Buford, Nelson, Walsh, Ainge, Petrie. Presti could get there but we can't get caught up in the narrative.

 

[tremonthustler1]

Presti's not overrated. What Presti has is something every GM wants and almost makes all the difference between being a wunderkind and a run of the mill shmuck:

Freakish luck.

 

[SoulController]

how that roster is managed over the next 3-4 years will show Presti's real value. Perkins contract is garbo

if Jones is a hit, you cant really put that on luck. so many teams passed, that they have to get at least a little credit

 

[PortCityProphet]

so basically dude is saying it all comes down to pure luck in the draft? am i gettin that right?

 

[Jram]

Here is the thing. I'm not saying he's bad, but can you understand the role that fortune plays in this? Presti to me isn't proven to be great or terrible. He's a guy that got top five picks in two straight terrific drafts, and built marginally around it.

I'm not knocking him, I'm trying to be fair about how we look at GM's.

 

[HiphopRelated]

Presti's not overrated. What Presti has is something every GM wants and almost makes all the difference between being a wunderkind and a run of the mill shmuck:

Freakish luck.

Like I said, they were lucky the team was garbage long enough to acquire pieces over years.

Bron was in the lottery 1 year, got Luke Jackson and the team was playoff bound

How he maintains this squad will determine his run as a GM.

A dude like Riley or West has built multiple contenders.

 

[Jram]

so basically dude is saying it all comes down to pure luck in the draft? am i gettin that right?

Absolutly not. In the piece I described that great GM's take terrible teams and make them good with salary cap management and forsight. Yes, great Gm's exist. But in order to contend for titles, you got to land a HOF'er, and that much is luck.

Presti has shown ability to manage the cap and has forsight, so I'm not knocking him. But then again, he's not better than Kevin O'connor, who has proven it for so long, because he landed Durant and Westbrook two straight drafts.

 

[VegetasHairline]

You're gonna say Presti is overrated but have Petrie up there? All Petrie does well is draft. He's awful when it comes to making trades and signing FAs. It doesn't help that nobody wants to go there but the deals he does give are usually no good.

 

[Jram]

You're gonna say Presti is overrated but have Petrie up there? All Petrie does well is draft. He's awful when it comes to making trades and signing FAs. It doesn't help that nobody wants to go there but the deals he does give are usually no good.

Petrie isn't top five to me, but what's the difference between him and Sam Presti? One of them landed the second pick in the 2007 draft. The Kings got the 10th pick in the wrong year. How would Durant look with Boogie Cousins and Tyreke Evans?

Presti hasn't proven any free agent acumen either, because like you said, nobody goes to small markets.

I'm just trying to be fair.

 

[threattonature]

Absolutly not. In the piece I described that great GM's take terrible teams and make them good with salary cap management and forsight. Yes, great Gm's exist. But in order to contend for titles, you got to land a HOF'er, and that much is luck.

Presti has shown ability to manage the cap and has forsight, so I'm not knocking him. But then again, he's not better than Kevin O'connor, who has proven it for so long, because he landed Durant and Westbrook two straight drafts.

But how many other GMs have had top 5-10 picks for years at a time and still remain horrible. Presti took heat when he drafted both Westbrook and Harden cause people thought he reached on them. Hit an absolute homerun with Ibaka. Made a savvy pickup with Eric Maynor even though he's been hurt. The only thing he hasn't shown is being able to attract free agents but then again do they need it with all that homegrown talent.

 

[Loose]

I already discredited your dumb ass analysis.

 

[Jram]

I already discredited your dumb ass analysis.

You just dapped a post than said Presti had freakish luck. You should be disqualified from even posting on anything related to the thunder until you can take your Thunder colored shades off and show the ability to be objective about them.

 

[Jram]

But how many other GMs have had top 5-10 picks for years at a time and still remain horrible. Presti took heat when he drafted both Westbrook and Harden cause people thought he reached on them. Hit an absolute homerun with Ibaka. Made a savvy pickup with Eric Maynor even though he's been hurt. The only thing he hasn't shown is being able to attract free agents but then again do they need it with all that homegrown talent.

Yes, not everyone can draft Durant. Some teams end up in a draft and their second pick is Michael Kidd-Ghilcrist. We can't ignore the fortune involved in that.

And Erick Maynor has proven nothing. He really hasn't been that good even when he's played. We can't cal lthat savvy. and his Aldrich and Jackson first round picks haven't resulted in anything either. And I won't knock him for that because sometimes it just doesn't turn out.

 

[intruder]

You can say he's overrated just like anything else in sports

BUT

Call it luck all you want you gotta Give the man props for playing the hands he was dealt well. Sure he had high picks at 2,3 and 4 for Durant, Harden and Wesbrook but there have been other GMs that had these picks and fukked them up badly

Look at the Hawks for example

• 2nd pick wasted on Marvin Williams when Chris Paul and Deron were on the board
• 6th pick wasted on Josh Childress when Iguodala and many others were on the board
• 5th pick on Shelden Williams. Nuff said.
• 3rd pick on Al Horford. (His only good lottery pick)
• 11th pick on Acie Law

Every year Hawks fans get all hyped up for the draft and i just sit there and wait for the comedy to ensue

 

[Jram]

You can say he's overrated just like anything else in sports

BUT

Call it luck all you want you gotta Give the man props for playing the hands he was dealt well. Sure he had high picks at 2,3 and 4 for Durant, Harden and Wesbrook but there have been other GMs that had these picks and fukked them up badly

Look at the Hawks for example

• 2nd pick wasted on Marvin Williams when Chris Paul and Deron were on the board
• 6th pick wasted on Josh Childress when Iguodala and many others were on the board
• 5th pick on Shelden Williams. Nuff said.
• 3rd pick on Al Horford. (His only good lottery pick)
• 11th pick on Acie Law

Every year Hawks fans get all hyped up for the draft and i just sit there and wait for the comedy to ensue

We'll the Horford pick was solid like you said. The Williams one was disastrous and we all knew it. But the Childress pick, again, brings up the luck conversation, because he was rated that high coming in.

What GM in the world doesn't take Durant second in 2007??

It was a can't miss, consensus pick in a draft with a big drop off after him.