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Masai Ujiri Hired As Raptors GM (post #780)

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  • Who I think - Ujiri

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    • Apollo wrote: View Post
      I've provided third party accounts with references. One problem was how he tried to get a raise, not the fact that he sought out a raise. That wasn't the only problem.

      I've read enough on Pritchard and studied how he assembled that team to tell you I don't want him as the Raptors' GM.
      With all due respect to Woj who I'm a big fan of, you provided one account:

      According to Chad Ford:

      The team throws him under the bus for months. Leaves him dangling, leaks to the press all sorts of ridiculous and derogatory stuff about him.
      http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/6/29...mmons-and-chad

      Should that be true, how easily could these same people be the sources in Woj's article?

      As for his maturity at the end, that completely the opposite of nearly everything I've read.

      "I admire the professionalism he exhibited tonight. He deserves a lot of kudos. He ran the draft," Timberwolves president David Kahn said. "I just think that he deserves to be commended for acting that way. You would have never known from dealing with him on the phone tonight that this is a guy who that happened to. And he must be a pretty special guy to be able to withstand that. I admire him greatly."
      http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5325352

      That seems to run precisely opposite to any statement about his maturity.

      One very interesting part from the Woj article was this though:

      Kevin was in a constant battle to position himself to get credit away from Nate for whatever success they were eventually going to have there,”
      really? The guy who drafted Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge and Nicholas Batum, who the NBA media already loved and fans worshipped, was trying to position himself to take credit away from Nate McMillian? What credit was he taking away exactly? Its also quite interesting when you read articles that state it was Paul Allen who was jealous of the credit Pritchard was getting

      Then he got fired. Abruptly. Reportedly because owner Paul Allen and his tight circle didn’t like Prichard and the credit he was getting for turning around the team.
      http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.c...n-over-durant/


      And I just thought I'd throw out there how minor those 'millions' he threw into picks were - Serigio Rodriguez and Darrell Arthur. (he also sent a TPE + cash for Rudy Fernandez). Given the roster of Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, and Nicholas Batum, I think its a bit of a stretch claiming he wouldn't have gotten the team into such a great position without it. He made some great moves up in the draft, and can spot talent (former Spurs scout). Paul Allen's millions don't hurt, but its Pritchards actions and choices that deserve the credit.
      Last edited by Craiger; Wed May 22, 2013, 10:28 PM.

      Comment


      • Apollo wrote: View Post
        Morway certainly has a new school style and he's financially responsible and self restrained. You may have sold me with this post. Beyond the organizational strength, is he a strong enough "basketball mind" on his own though? Or would he look to someone else, such as a new right hand man over scouting and has a great track record in analyzing NBA talent? Too bad Zeke burned the bridge out of town because that guy was good at scouting and draft if nothing else in the executive world.


        He's not GM so what I said stands. Also, read post #8 and to refresh yourself on his past as a leader. He's a poor leader.

        In a high tax system what makes you think teams are going to be so eager to trade their picks to Toronto for money? Wouldn't be more wise to fix the cap instead of band aiding it with cash inflows?

        What makes you think MLSE are willing to fork over cash for 1st rounders?
        My opinion is that he's a good judge of talent and makes good basketball decisions so I'm not concerned with this perception some have that he is a prima donna which I don't believe that he is. And I wasn't saying that MLSE would pay for first round picks but you make it sound as if you have first hand knowledge that they won't. I think if they bring in a GM whose philosophy is to build through the draft then they would attempt to acquire picks by purchasing them, through trades or by any other means at their disposal.

        Comment


        • Who i think it will be? Ujiri, Stefanski or Weaver.

          Who i want to be the next GM of the Raps? Stefanski. Why? because he knows this team in and out.
          Mamba Mentality

          Comment


          • Doug Smith believes that Ujiri will be the next GM at least based on his conversation on the Tim and Sid show today. I'm still not sure how I feel about him.

            Ujiri is to close to Bryan, and with Bryan still holding on to this pseduo-presidency title it makes me worried that there will be too much of the same old, same old.

            Comment


            • Regardless of who gets hired as the next GM, I'm not the least bit concerned that he will continue on in BC's shadow. Given some of the comments made by Leiweke recently (interesting article on TSN: http://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=423779), I think part of the hiring process will include a detailed analysis/discussion about the current Raptors roster, to satisfy Leiweke that the immediate future will be anything but maintaining the status quo.

              Some quotes that stood out:

              Tim Leiweke said the decision to relieve Colangelo of his basketball decisions, but retain him as team president was arrived at in large part because the two men had "a disagreement on the current status of the organization and this roster."
              "I guess I don't think that we're 'right there,'" Leiweke said. "I don't think we're a piece away. I think we have work to do.
              Leiweke also made it a point to mention that a "fresh face, with a fresh view of the world, with a fresh view of this roster, with a fresh view of what we need to do to be competitive long term" was something he felt the team was in need of.
              "We need someone who is extremely rational when it comes to the roster and reaching conclusions as to who is going to work and who is not going to work," Leiweke said. "Sometimes you have to find a new set of eyes and a new opinion in order to judge a roster. Not be personal about a player because you chose him or you used the first pick in the first round to pick a player. Sometimes it's easier for a guy coming in that doesn't have that loyalty and doesn't have that burden of being the guy that made that decision. You reach a better conclusion at times about who needs to stay and who needs to go."

              Reading between the lines in that article, there's several conclusions I jumped to:

              1. BC overvalued guys he brought in, especially via the draft, and was unable to properly evaluate them or treat them as assets; he was way too loyal (ie: Bargnani and likely DeRozan, to a much lesser extent).

              2. Bargnani will not be on the roster next season.

              3. The core of the team next season will likely not include all of Gay, DeRozan, Lowry, Valanciunas, Johnson, Ross, Fields, Acy; the core of the team is not good enough to be competitive next year or long-term, and you have to giveup talent to get talent.

              4. For all the talk of analytics, I get the feeling that BC went with his gut and his loyalty way too much (ie: not trading Bargnani, giving a big contract to DeRozan way too early, going 'all in' for Gay), so the new GM will need to follow the analytics / advanced stats way more than simple emotional/subjective evaluation of players.

              5. BC wasn't so much the used car salesman we all thought he was, but rather he was honestly blinded by his own kool-aid, to the point that he truly believed everything he said (ie: about the team being close to the playoffs, about organic growth being enough to take the team to the next step, etc...).

              6. Whoever comes in as GM must buy-in to Leieweke's view of the roster, rather than BC's view, meaning significant change is coming to the team's core; not just a Bargnani dump and not a 'blow it up' rebuild, but something in between.

              7. Every player on the roster not named Valanciunas should have a realtor and moving company on stand-by, as I don't think anybody is safe at this point (maybe not even Valanciunas).

              8. Ujiri seems like a great pick for GM, for several reasons:
              - he's not afraid of coming in and trading the popular/established players (ie: 'Melo in Denver)
              - he's shown an ability to balance both a 'competitive win-now' and 'build for the future' approach in his roster building
              - he's not afraid to pull the trigger on trades and has been able to pounce on trade opportunities (ie: getting in on the Howard trade)
              - has been pretty successful with draft picks
              - has done a good job of positional stacking, to have young players on the roster at each position, further enhancing the tradeability of the more established/expensive players (able to view players as assets, rather than being blinded by emotion/loyalty - its a business)
              - he'll have a good relationship with BC, but will also want to establish his own identity, to prove that he's deserving of the EOY award and not just a BC 'yes man'
              - given his past with the Raptors, he has more than just a passing familiarity with much of the roster, both the pros and cons of each of them (from both an internal Raptors' perspective and an opposing team's perspective)
              Last edited by CalgaryRapsFan; Thu May 23, 2013, 02:55 AM.

              Comment


              • "We need someone who is extremely rational when it comes to the roster and reaching conclusions as to who is going to work and who is not going to work," Leiweke said.

                This is the most telling quote of all. The unstated assumption is that the person who was in place before was NOT "...rational when it comes to the roster and reaching conclusions as to who is going to work and who is not going to work."

                That and the statement that "...the two men had 'a disagreement on the current status of the organization and this roster.'"

                Leiweke's my man.

                Comment


                • Matt52 wrote: View Post
                  Basketball is a business and bc likely excels in the non-basketball parts. If they are saying he has no role in basketball decisions moving forward then who am I to doubt? If Ujiri is brought in with full basketball authority might be bounce ideas off Bc, assuming they are tight, whether he works for MLSE or not? Also BC has basically said we are trading Bargnani, not sure what conflicts arise there.

                  I am not seeing the big deal. Seems like they are doing off the court what guys should be doing on the court which is playing to their strengths.
                  This quote from Leiweke is what I meant on the bold above:

                  He noted Colangelo's communication skills and ability to build relationships with sponsors as to why he would be successful in a business operations role.

                  "He's smart, he's intelligent, he's a good businessman and he's very passionate about the Raptors, very articulate, represents them well and he loves Toronto."

                  http://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=423779

                  Comment


                  • A little more information on Troy Weaver from OKC website:


                    Troy Weaver | Vice President / Assistant General Manager

                    [ ] Troy Weaver begins his fifth season with Oklahoma City and his third as the team’s VP/Assistant General Manager. Weaver joined the Thunder in May of 2008 and assists General Manager Sam Presti with roster development and day-to-day basketball operations. In addition, he coordinates the team’s player personnel matters including NBA Draft preparation, player free agency and summer league roster.

                    Weaver held the position of director of player personnel for the Utah Jazz in 2007-08. He spent three seasons (2004-07) as head scout for the Jazz before his promotion to Director of Player Personnel.

                    Prior to joining the Jazz, Weaver was an assistant coach at Syracuse University for four seasons (2000-04). The Orangemen won the 2003 NCAA National Championship led by Weaver recruit Carmelo Anthony. In addition to his experience at Syracuse, Weaver spent time as an assistant coach at New Mexico (1999-2000) and Pittsburgh (1996-99).

                    Prior to his collegiate coaching days, Weaver amassed an 85-17 record as an AAU coach in Washington, D.C. He guided the DC Assault to the 1996 AAU Tournament of Champions.

                    Weaver graduated with an associate’s degree from Prince George’s Community College (MD) in 1991, where he also played one season of basketball.

                    http://www.nba.com/thunder/team/basketballops1.html

                    With Utah, Weaver oversaw the equivalent of two winning lottery tickets (i.e. 2nd round picks who not only make the league but remain in the league 8-9 years later: Paul Millsap and CJ Miles).

                    He has been associated with 2 of the 3 best run franchises (SA, Utah, OKC) of the last 10 years, in my opinion.

                    He has a very impressive resume. I would be very happy with this hire.

                    Comment


                    • Another article on possible candidates. Ujiri, Pritchard, and Stefanski are mentioned. I took the lesser knowns but click to read up on all:

                      Tommy Sheppard – Vice president of basketball administration, Washington Wizards

                      Maybe not quite as big a name as others on the list, Sheppard has been around the league for many moons now. He has been in Washington for nine years and is Ernie Grunfeld’s right-hand man. Prior to joining the Wizards, Sheppard spent time in Denver where he worked with Leiweke, which could be why he has been linked with the job.

                      Troy Weaver – Assistant general manager, Oklahoma City Thunder

                      Weaver is one of the hottest commodities in the NBA right now as he serves as Sam Presti’s top lieutenant in Oklahoma City. Prior to joining the Thunder staff, Weaver was in Utah where he was director of player personnel. Any link with the Thunder or Spurs front office seems to add to other teams’ interest in the team’s staff.

                      Jeff Weltman – Assistant general manager, Milwaukee Bucks

                      Weltman has been in Milwaukee for five seasons where he has served as assistant general manager to John Hammond. Prior to joining the Bucks, he spent time time in Denver and Detroit as well as with the Los Angeles Clippers.

                      Scott Layden – Assistant general manager, San Antonio Spurs

                      While he is the son of Jazz legend Frank Layden, Scott Layden has quite a long resume of his own. He was GM of the Knicks for five (up-and-down) seasons around the turn of the century but has more recently been part of the Spurs incredible front office staff. Many consider Layden to be responsible for the Jazz decision to select John Stockton.

                      Mike Zarren – Assistant general manager, Boston Celtics

                      He is a lifelong Celtic who has worked his way up the ladder from unpaid intern to assistant general manager in similar fashion to Blue Jays boss Alex Anthopoulos. Zarren is an all-star in the stats community and recently turned down a similar posting with the 76ers according to reports.

                      Tom Penn – ESPN.com

                      Penn was Pritchard’s right-hand man in Portland and also spent seven seasons with the Grizzlies and was with them for their final season in Vancouver. He is considered to be a top-notch expert in managing a salary cap and on the CBA. He has also aided ESPN on their combine coverage in the past.


                      http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/n...he-candidates/

                      Weaver and Penn would be a nice combo - talent spotter and CBA expert.

                      Comment


                      • Matt52 wrote: View Post
                        Another article on possible candidates. Ujiri, Pritchard, and Stefanski are mentioned. I took the lesser knowns but click to read up on all:




                        Weaver and Penn would be a nice combo - talent spotter and CBA expert.
                        Good God...Just please nobody from Washington or Milwaukee. Both those guys seem like they have the worst track record and experience anyway.

                        Comment


                        • I think it is going to be Morway.

                          I hope it is Weaver.

                          Comment


                          • Tim Leiweke, the new CEO of the Raps’ ownership conglomerate, concluded that Colangelo was not the right guy to make those future moves. Now he just has to find a replacement, one who is willing to work with Colangelo hovering nearby, input at the ready. This is an attractive job in some ways. The Raps have been a high-payroll team, and they’ve indicated they are willing to exceed the luxury tax by a significant margin if doing so helps Colangelo’s successor build a winner, according to multiple league sources.

                            They’re coveting Ujiri, up for a new deal in Denver, and he’d be a home run hire — an out-of-the-box thinker who is usually plotting six or seven steps down the line and understands how the league is evolving. He’s also tight with Colangelo, which would either be ideal or awkward. But Ujiri likes his Nuggets team and is curious to see where they might go. Either Denver or Toronto will need to pay him, and if they’re not going to pony up for a guy with Ujiri’s track record, I’m not sure why they are competing in the NBA. If Ujiri passes, the Raps have a half-dozen or so other names in mind. Someone will have a very exciting challenge on their hands.

                            http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-tr...ess-in-the-nba
                            For the first time it appears ownership is willing to spend, spend, spend because content (i.e. ratings and interest) matter like never before thanks to a broadcasting majority ownership team.

                            Comment


                            • A good run down of Colangelo's odyssey from genius to dolt, as per Zach Lowe at Grantland.com:

                              Last summer, the Raps tossed an insane amount of money at Landry Fields, a wing player who cannot shoot at all, partly as a means of blocking the Knicks from trading for the player Toronto really wanted: Steve Nash. The Lakers and Nash’s desire to win a title saved Colangelo from paying Nash something like $10 million per year over three seasons. The Nash-Fields pairing, the team’s intent, would have been a cap catastrophe (captastrophe?).

                              Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan will earn a combined $20.25 million next season, and though DeRozan is only 23, he hasn’t yet played up to his $9.5 million annual salary. But he’s a good kid, and a hard worker, and Mike Conley’s ascension is a reminder that young guys take some seasoning sometimes.

                              The Bargnani and DeRozan extensions speak to something of a lack of creativity and/or aggression when it came to Colangelo’s own guys. It would have taken rare courage for a GM to recognize a sunk-cost no. 1 pick early — to deal him when his value was still relatively high, or to offer him a much lower extension, dare him to take the one-year qualifying offer, etc. But the best GMs make moves that occasionally surprise us, because they are working two steps ahead or have come to some internal conclusion, even an uncomfortable one, about one of their own players. Colangelo struggled to do that with his own guys, and now the Raptors are stuck either paying Bargnani way too much or dealing him for nothing.

                              And that’s almost surprising, because Colangelo is a smart basketball thinker who has done creative, aggressive stuff in the past. He helped build Phoenix teams that literally changed the league. He had Toronto on the forefront of the international game, in terms of both executives (Masai Ujiri, Maurizio Gherardini) and players (Jorge Garbajosa, Jonas Valanciunas). He made a worthy bet on Kyle Lowry, perhaps the league’s most mercurial talent, and saw early the kind of defense-first leader Amir Johnson might become. He was ahead of the game on Tyson Chandler, very nearly closing a deal for him in 2010 that would have given the Raptors a defense-first center who has changed everything for two franchises since then. (The Bobcats pulled out at the last minute.) He invested early, and aggressively, in advanced analytics.

                              All of which is to say: Colangelo’s record is spotty, just like the record of basically every GM who sticks around long enough to make a lot of decisions. There is more bad than good, especially with the team’s recent use of cap space, but it’s easy to see how things might have turned out differently had the Raptors won the lottery in the right season. Even so, the Lowry-Gay-Johnson-Valanciunas-DeRozan five-man core has promise; the Raps outscored opponents by nearly 13 points per 100 possessions — a larger number than Oklahoma City’s league-leading margin — in 343 minutes with those five on the floor, and it’s fun to think of how good that group might do on offense if Valanciunas develops and the Raps dare to flip DeRozan — one of their own — for some real outside shooting.

                              http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-tr...ess-in-the-nba
                              I think the bold is why he is no longer making basketball decisions.

                              Comment


                              • All GM candidates should have to present their Bargnani solution before being offered the job ... Yes long term vision and credentials are very important - but what about the task at hand? How to they view our roster, and where would they take this team in the next 3 years?

                                The Thunder candidate would excite me in this way, as I love many aspects of their roster - outside of just lottery luck.

                                I also believe that Stefanski would be an ideal progression with intimate, intimate knowledge of our roster - but is still new enough to the franchise, that he is not jaded on things we've been seeing for the last 5 years.

                                Masai & Pritchard seem to carry excitement for ability to make moves ... but we don't need a roster shake-up.

                                Phil is an unknown, with a genius mind for basketball, systems and player chemistry - and maybe talent evaluation.
                                The only way to bag a classy lady is to give her two tickets to the gun show... and see if she likes the goods.

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