Yeah I agree Morey has done well with his consistent results, how ever he hasn't been able to really draft an *All-Star* player yet, which really involves too many variables anyways. The only blemish I see is Joey Dorsey, whom I don't believe is on any current NBA roster. Everyone else is still in the league. Morey definitely has a track record of drafting more complete players who don't have a terribly high ceiling but this definitely gives us a better opportunity to have them contribute more effectively on a smaller time table.
Pretty difficult to draft all-stars when your highest pick was at 12, though we DID turn that pick into a superstar in Harden.
Huh, where did Kawhi get drafted, or Tony Parker, or Manu Ginobli? In fact where was Draymon Green drafted? There are plenty of teams with all star players that were not picked by us, we haven't had a single one since Morey came on....not a single all star or core player drafted. DD
That does not make Morey a good drafter. It just shows you he's a good trader. Lamb was traded before he turned from a "potential" to a real player. If Lamb turned out to be a superstar on Harden's level, Morey would be lauded as making a great pick but then the Harden trade wouldn't look as good.
he is a below average drafter, context shows that a good chunk that did pan out were adelman's picks.
But we do not know how many picks Les wasted (Zhou Qi - question mark) and other coaches. I think you could say average to below average when it comes to 1st round picks.
Malik Badine or whatever his name was a terrible pick. Not sure where he is these days. He also picked Brad Newley and I have no idea where he is as well. The Capela pick seems to be a good one though.
For every player he drafts, the GM gets inputs from everybody - scouting team, coaches, owner, etc. So when he drafts a good one, somebody else gets credit. But when he drafts a bad one, he takes the blame? Sorry, that doesn't fly.
A lot of guys here might actually agree on one thing... that Morey aint the God anymore that he was when he fleeced other GMs in trades. He is a normal guy with flaws and mistakes, who also worked out good trades. IMO I cannot say today that I blindly follow or trust in him.
Other GM's have taken Maury's spreadsheets and statistical tools and one upped Maury while our GM is still wheeling and dealing trying to get that 2nd superstar.
Coaching and team situation matters. If a team already has a foundation player can afford to develop projects. Parker was walking into a situation where the team already had Duncan who had the great luck of coming in right off a Robinson injury. That's a great situation for an undisciplined defensive sieve Frenchman as Pops could afford to develop him. Green was in the same situation where he was going on a team that already had 2 foundation players picked higher than any pick Morey has had. Do you honestly think Parker, Green, or Kawhi would have developed the same way if they played for say the Kings, Bucks, or Sixers? I honestly don't. Without a foundation pick, we have to quickly ramp up our young players and see if they develop into diamonds under pressure or stay as role players. This is where the "kicking the can" phrase you are so enamored with comes into play as we are literally going from one young player to another looking for that one person that can quickly develop into the type of player we hitch the team to. If Morey ever had a top 10 pick where foundation players were much more of a sure bet, I would agree that your argument has some level of merit.
I have no argument, Morey is a MEH drafter, just another guy, when Patrick Patterson is number 6 on your draft board, you really suck at making draft boards. I believe he is a mediocre talent evaluator and drafter. DD
Well now we all see in hindsight that Morey had put a good team together that needed only a few tweaks here and there.
I'd suggest reading the last page of this thread. You'll see how common of a thought it is. Or maybe it's just that when "derpdakota" and "wtf wtf" start mass posting, a barrage of spam tilts the perception towards whatever they claim.
