Minnesota Sports Forum

Coaches/GMs aren't in my wheelhouse, so I really don't have any names to add. I just hope they get someone that understands people on an individual and collective basis and can coach to get the most of their unique personalities. Thibs doesn't seem to have a clue when it comes to the humanities.

Re: David Griffin

He's actually a Phoenix native, if I recall correctly he started as an intern for the Suns and worked his way up. He was very well thought of by Jerry Colangelo and the previous regime (prior to the current Sarver disaster in Phoenix). He'd be a solid hire IMO if Thibs was shown the exit.

I'm not sure about Griffin. He's very articulate and smooth, but there's something about him that reminds me of David Kahn -- sort of a wind-bag feeling. And he really didn't do anything special as Cleveland's top executive. The fact that he took Bennett as the top pick in the draft is enough by itself to almost disqualify him from consideration in my view.

I'm never going to know enough to offer a reasonably informed opinion on the PBO position. That's because I doubt I'll ever know the things I'd want to know for my decision. As I see it, either our PBO or GM (preferably both) absolutely have to have a track record of excellent player personnel judgment as PBO, GM or assistant GM of some other NBA organization. Assuming we can't lure the top guy (PBO) currently with another team, I'd look for GMs and Assistant GMs who made the following judgments for their respective organizations:

1. The Boston front office personnel who advised and advocated drafting Tatum and make the deal they made with the Sixers in last year's draft. Also, the Celtic front office personnel or scouts who recommended/advocated drafting Brown and Smart and who recommended hiring Brad Stevens. Maybe it was all Ainge, but I doubt it. Obviously, Ainge gets credit for making the ultimate decisions, but I'll bet all of these moves were recommended and advocated by others in the front office. I'd want to know who. If one individual emerges as having his fingerprints on most or all of these moves, he's instantly become a top candidate.

2. The Indiana front office personnel responsiblr for recommending/advocating/negotiating the Paul George/Oladipo trade

3. The Denver front office personnel responsible for drafting Murray and Jokic as well as acquiring Will Barton.

4. The Jazz front office personnel who recommended/advocating/negotiated the deal to draft/acquire Donovan Mitchell.

I don't see how we could pass on Griffin if he were willing to come here. In his short tenure, he has made three extraordinary moves that clearly set him apart from other GMs.

1) He had the foresight to draft Anthony Bennett with the #1 pick. While some may say that he has not lived up to the standards of a typical #1 pick, I think most would agree AB is a late bloomer and still has a solid future in the NBA.

2) In the subsequent year, he selected Andrew Wiggins with the #1 pick. Wiggins quickly converted his non-stop motor and passion for the game into a max contract.

3) He was willing to take a chance on letting LeBron James come back to Cleveland when every other GM thought he was washed up. Griffin's out-of-the-box thinking led to multiple championships for the Cavs.

(Yes, I have had a couple cocktails tonight. But I would submit that anyone who endorses Griffin as our next POBO might have had a couple also).

longstrangetrip wrote:I don't see how we could pass on Griffin if he were willing to come here. In his short tenure, he has made three extraordinary moves that clearly set him apart from other GMs.

1) He had the foresight to draft Anthony Bennett with the #1 pick. While some may say that he has not lived up to the standards of a typical #1 pick, I think most would agree AB is a late bloomer and still has a solid future in the NBA.

2) In the subsequent year, he selected Andrew Wiggins with the #1 pick. Wiggins quickly converted his non-stop motor and passion for the game into a max contract.

3) He was willing to take a chance on letting LeBron James come back to Cleveland when every other GM thought he was washed up. Griffin's out-of-the-box thinking led to multiple championships for the Cavs.

(Yes, I have had a couple cocktails tonight. But I would submit that anyone who endorses Griffin as our next POBO might have had a couple also).

Have one for me LST. Keep on rockin. This post was hilarious, I'm still laughing.

longstrangetrip wrote:I don't see how we could pass on Griffin if he were willing to come here. In his short tenure, he has made three extraordinary moves that clearly set him apart from other GMs.

1) He had the foresight to draft Anthony Bennett with the #1 pick. While some may say that he has not lived up to the standards of a typical #1 pick, I think most would agree AB is a late bloomer and still has a solid future in the NBA.

2) In the subsequent year, he selected Andrew Wiggins with the #1 pick. Wiggins quickly converted his non-stop motor and passion for the game into a max contract.

3) He was willing to take a chance on letting LeBron James come back to Cleveland when every other GM thought he was washed up. Griffin's out-of-the-box thinking led to multiple championships for the Cavs.

(Yes, I have had a couple cocktails tonight. But I would submit that anyone who endorses Griffin as our next POBO might have had a couple also).

Yeah, I was gonna bring up these same three topics in my anti-Griffin rebuttal, but I'm pretty sure how I feel about Wiggins and Bennett is well-recorded. I'm not in favor of hiring guys that piss away assets.

Note: To this day, the single move that made me hop off the Thibs train was drafting Kris Dunn over Jamal Murray. I still believe that was a wasted asset and we're still paying for it. Sure, Dunn was involved in the Butler trade, but had it been Murray and his rookie season been the same (but in a different environment), I doubt he would have been included.

longstrangetrip wrote:I don't see how we could pass on Griffin if he were willing to come here. In his short tenure, he has made three extraordinary moves that clearly set him apart from other GMs.

1) He had the foresight to draft Anthony Bennett with the #1 pick. While some may say that he has not lived up to the standards of a typical #1 pick, I think most would agree AB is a late bloomer and still has a solid future in the NBA.

2) In the subsequent year, he selected Andrew Wiggins with the #1 pick. Wiggins quickly converted his non-stop motor and passion for the game into a max contract.

3) He was willing to take a chance on letting LeBron James come back to Cleveland when every other GM thought he was washed up. Griffin's out-of-the-box thinking led to multiple championships for the Cavs.

(Yes, I have had a couple cocktails tonight. But I would submit that anyone who endorses Griffin as our next POBO might have had a couple also).

lol. Best post of the day, LST!! I admit you scared me as I was reading your first sentence. Well done! You should drink more often. :)

This roster is made up of coach killer players. Coaches should be strategists not motivational speakers. Can u think of any great players that needed to be motivated by there coaches?

PorkChop wrote:This roster is made up of coach killer players. Coaches should be strategists not motivational speakers. Can u think of any great players that needed to be motivated by there coaches?

Phil Jackson wasn't a strategist.

To clarify about Griffin he was the shot caller on Anthony Bennett it was Chris Grant who was actually the person who didn't want to draft him...which I guess makes it even worse for Grant. Griffin said that the guy he liked the most was Oladipo (might be nice to claim that in hindsight idk). Not saying we should get Griffin but yeah. Let's just say he isn't a slam dunk canidate and leave it at that. Go....wolvesssss..... sign