I was going to include this in another thread, but it relates to the rox big time. Had a chance to watch and listen to hi presser and if we had a gm with his mindset, the rox would be in the finals. Being a former player and champion, he lives and breathes basketball. After firing a successful coach, he talks about winning rings and holding people accountable. The asked him about the roster and he said there will be big changes for damn sure. He said they won't rebuild, but there will be a huge shakeup. That's what I'm talking about! Here is a pistons team that has made the finals twice and conference final 5he last 6 yrs, yet he talks about major changes. Dumars was a basketball player and he drafts basketball players. Yet we here how people, including Mr. Moneyball thinks a team that can't win a 1st series thinks this team is good enough. That's the difference between a basketball man and a moneyball, number crunchers man.
Do you honestly think that its Flip's fault that the Pistons lost? Do you honestly think they can upgrade substantially by making big moves? Can we get Tayshaun... please I'm sorry but Dumars is trying to fix something that wasn't broken. All he needs to do is get someone to take the headcase that is Rasheed and insert a leader for that team and the Pistons would be fine.
Isiah Thomas was a better basketball player and he drafts better basketball players. Michael Jordan was the best basketball player and he drafts the best basketball players. Who needs moneyball nerds?
don't understand this thread at all. i belive morey is good too, he is very active and he understands what the team needs. gm is not our problem
1. LeBron James St Vincent-St Mary's HS Cleveland 2. Darko Milicic Sebria-Montenegro Detroit 3. Carmelo Anthony Syracuse Denver 4. Chris Bosh Georgia Tech Toronto 5. Dwyane Wade Marquette Miami 6. Chris Kaman Central Michigan LA Clippers 7. Kirk Hinrich Kansas Chicago 8. T.J. Ford Texas Milwaukee
if one poster embodies the stereotype of offseason whiner who wants change for the sake of change...it is you sir... any great trade ideas you want to enlighten us with while you are at it?
Darko was a misstep, but they still wn a ring. Look at their roster and you'll see basketball players. If u analyze how the team was put together by putting a premium on guys that can make basketball plays. U think about drafting prince,stuckey, and maxiel late in the draft, signing billups for mle money out of minny, trading for rip and rasheed while letting "the heart" wallace go. He comes on sirius and he talks about basketball players that make basketball plays. I just think if I was betting my house on who was more committed to win a title,I'd say it would be dumars.
what you are describing has more to do with luck than any real grand scheme. billups and rip were considered busts before ever stepping foot in detroit, and sheed was picked up for next to nothing because he was a malcontent cancer that portland (and atlanta) were willing to simply give away. the fact they have been able to maintain their level of success has probably more to do with the fact they are playing in the comically bad east than anything else. if a team in the western conference missed on the 2nd overall pick as bad as detroit did, do you think they would still be in the upper echelon? I think not... I guess what I am getting at is detroit is a team blessed with luck. and that is something houston has received in short supply during the tmac/yao era... tell me this...do you think this rockets team would be perenial contenders if they were to switch conferences with detroit? furthermore, do you think last years rockets team would have lost a 7 game series to the Cavaliers? frankly I can understand why Dumars is willing to blow the whole thing up...
Strange thread...you praise Dumars for firing Flip Saunders now because Flip supposely failed and firing him what championship caliber GM supposedly does... but there were calls for firing Flip in past years, too, and Dumars didn't do it. So, if you think Flip failed this year, wasn't Dumars wrong last year for not firing him? Wouldn't a true genius have seen that one coming? Dumars is a good GM, but not because he supposedly has the guts to blow up a decent team in pursuit of championship...in fact, the Pistons has had as much continuity as anyone over the last several years. He builds a good base, then consistently added talent (and young talent, too) to it to keep the team going. This is what Morey is trying to do, too with the Rockets.
You have to give Dumars credits. So it's pure luck that most of his trades/signs/draft are so good? Hills for Wallace Stack for Rip Nobody for Sheed Billups and Dice for MLEs Draft Prince This guy assembled a champion team from scratch
There's a lot in this post I just don't get. But let's just tackle one point. Exactly what in these quotes make you think that our GM feels our team is "good enough"? [rquoter] "As you can tell, the NBA regular season doesn't matter a whole lot," Morey said. "We've shown that with Yao, without McGrady, we can win. We've shown with McGrady, without Yao, we can win at a high rate — 50 to 60 wins. We've shown with both of them, we're even better. We are focused pretty much only on what are weaknesses that will keep us from winning in the first round." ... "We feel like we're a good player short of being where we want to be," Morey said. "We haven't really earned the right to start worrying about specific teams in the Western Conference and how we stack up against them. Until we've gone a little farther in the playoffs, we're just focusing on us getting better." ... "We're probably going to have to upgrade through trade," Morey said, "as opposed to free agency." ... "We're really focused on being able to upgrade for next year's playoffs," Morey said. "Don't judge the team on Oct. 1. We think we've got a lot of assets that a lot of teams want — a lot of ways to upgrade. Often the best opportunities to use those come at trade deadlines." [/rquoter]
leebigez, a bold thread! I believe if Morey doesn't pan out. A former Rocket player will become GM. K e n n y
Mehh. You know damn well why we haven't gotten out of a first round series and it has absolutely nothing to do with "making plays". Last year, we didn't have enough talent. This year, injuries were too much. While I agree with you that Dumars is the best GM in the NBA, your bashing of Darryl Morey makes it seem like you are lucky, rather than knowledgeable, in saying Dumars is the best GM. Morey has done a fantastic job. I expect that we can go into next season with the SAME roster and go all the way if health permitted. It has nothing to do with talent, chemistry, basketball IQ, athleticism - it's JUST health that can keep us out. If we're at the point where all we need to worry about is shoring up the backup C (where we have Deke) and backup SG (where we have BJaxx and Head) then I can't imagine how you think Morey hasn't put this team on its way. When was the last time we had no overpaid players? When was the last time we picked up quality players with lower draft picks? I'm confident that simply the addition of the #25 pick plus improvement from Scola, Landry and Brooks will put us in contention for the crown. Sorry but I just don't share your view that Dumars is leaps and bounds better than Morey. He is better IMO, but not much and you would be lying if you said you can't believe there are people who think Morey is better.
I dunno, I think firing Flip is pretty much bullcrap. If it was me I'd have reworked the roster and kept the coach.
The reason why I brought this up is because I feel like Morey had a chance to upgrade the roster and didn't. I don't think anyone with any basketball acumen could have looked at the roster and said even if healthy, we can win the title. I bet he's one of the very few gm's that don't factor in size of a player. Also what dumars does is make everyone accountable, period. This is about titles, not 1st rd exits. I want everyone that thinks I'm just bored, and look at some of my postings before the win streak ever happened and after it was over. I think I've been pretty consistent. There is no one that can say this roster with a healthy Yao was playoff ready. Think about the simple formula. The Rox went into the season counting on the best big man that had missed 50 games the last 2 seasons. A once atheletic tweener that hasn't been effective in 4 yrs. Another tweener whom the team traded away a few yr prior. 1 international rookie,one college senior with bad knees, and another college senior. Oh did I mention that u had trouble scoring in the playoffs because u had no one outside tracy that could get his own shot? It was and still is a house of cards. Their age of our 2 stars suggest they have 5 or more yrs of high level of hoops, but their bodies and injury history says they have 2 manybe 3. Its should be the ring now and I get the feeling that the rox will roll into the season without the 3rd scorer and try to ride and feel it out. Unlike last season when they won almost half their games in 1 streak, its going to be too late. I know Dumars feel this way about Detroit and it bother me morey doesn't probably see it that way. I hope everything goes fine and the rox make a move and get that 1 player at the beginning of the offseason so the team can develop some chemistry, but I think its not going to go that way.
I always wonder how come the moronic Milicic pick is never brought up when it comes to Dumars. How do you blow that pick with Wade, Bosh and Anthony as part of a pool to choose from. I bet Dumars is kicking himself for passing on Landry at his 27th pick last year, instead he took Afflalo.
5 straight conference final appearances. 2 finals appearances. 1 championship. He build those teams piece by piece. Dumar already has his Landry, his name is Jason maxiell. If you could trade dumars for morey that is a trade you probably make.
