Is CD a good GM?

Okay my first post out of frustration...

AirSlamma,


First of all, get Griffin's name right. Also, get Carroll Dawson's name right.

Now secondly, what made you even think to post your thoughts about Eddie Griffin in such a pathetic post with nothing to back it up besides saying 'I still think he has potential'.

And are you serious that the Rockets could have Jefferson???

You obviously weren't around here or a Rockets fan when he was traded for Griffin.

Jefferson has been a surprise while EG has just ****ed up his life.

So go here close this thread immediately.

 

Ahh, the monthly 'CD Sucks' Thread

 

Maybe it's because CD is among the league's worst 3 GMs and only Houston is dumb enough to keep him around. Quite frankly somebody with his track record would have been fired already on any other team not from New York. Now if this team actually gets smart enough and fired him already there wouldn't be these threads around.

 

Unfortunately, I going to have to agree.

Carrol has made some good calls w/ Drexler, Pippen (not his fault that it didn't work out), Steve Francis, even Griffin could have been a great deal. But the fact is that his mistakes outweigh his accomplishments, and the Rockets are suffering the consequences. Just to name a couple (even though ya'll are fully aware of them):

1. 4 first round draft picks out the window.

2. Didn't have a first rounder last year, won't have one this year, where did it go: John Amechi and some frick'n cap room.

3. Mooch, Cato, and MoT are clogging up our salary space and they are virtually stuck with the Rockets, unless some team wants an overpaid, horribly bad CBA backup PG.

* The fact is that CD has put the Rockets in a position where any offer from the Rockets could easily be matched with any team in the league.

 

Of course this poll is gonna be skewed because of its timing, but you also have to take into consideration that CD has done a lot more than just screw up the Eddie stuff (Which wasn't all him either).

Some of his major transactions:

Cassell + Horry for Barkley = Rockets win. Debatable, but the Rockets won that one.
Scottie Pippen for Cato and some garbage = Rockets lose, but CD did great, considering.
Some of said garbage and other random garbage for Francis = Rockets win BIG.
Signing MoTay long term = Rockets break even. Don't lie to yourself, Mo for 6 years is becoming a fair deal now.
Signing Moochie long term = Rockets lose big. Self explanatory.
Signing Cato long term = Rockets break even. He's beginning to earn that contract.
Signing Van Gundy = Rockets win big. It wasn't all Carroll, but his say in things had impact.

On the JVG tip, Dawson didn't do it singlehandedly, just like I said. But none of the drafts were all him and neither were any of the trades or free agent signings. Factor in Rudy T, scouts, Les and even the city of Houston and it's nearly impossible to guage CD's worth without being Les himself. And you see how long he's kept the guy around.

But overall, the house that Dawson built is a very formidable team. In his tenure, we have seen only 2 years without being playoff contenders. And that's including complete rebuilding and one of those years outside of contention was because of injuries, not the GM. How many other GMs can say the same? Not many. CD is one of the best. So I'm not even voting on this poll because there's no option that's accurate enough for me.

 

PS, the only GM that needs to always have his team in position to make trades is one that works for Mark Cuban. Carroll and all of the rest of the NBA would likely prefer to have a very strong, young team that has the potential to be great and the ability to be good. He's succeeded greatly.

 

He lucked out with Yao Ming. The Francis deal and the Mobley pick were good. Overall, I would say his track record is clearly below average, considering we had a championship to build from with Hakeem. Some franchises manage to consistently deliver greatness, once they have reached that plateau. Other franchises do not. The GM does have something to do with that.

 

While you indite at an archaic level, you have yet to suffice me with felicitous rationalizations assaying your credence.

 

Your friend is living in the past.

This is a quote from a direct quote of Les Alexander (gosh, I knew HOOPSWORLD was good for something):

And how have I not backed up my shi*?

I said EG ****ed up his life and he did. You don't need much proof. For the love of god ask him; I'm sure he would wholeheartedly agree.

Who knew Richard Jefferson would be so good? I'll bet the Nets didn't.

And once again, saying "lately his transactions havent been very good" doesn't really back up why you think CD should go.

I would request that your feces be defended.

Oh, and congratulations on making my signature.

 

All I know is that Denver has passed Houston in the rebuilding stage.

 

Denver did an EXCELLANT job with their cap room in the summer. A few years ago they jettisoned all their salary hogs and had one bad year. They get a solid pick in Anthony and then have cap room last summer. They don't OVER pay for anyone and get Miller at a solid rate. They then decide to get solid role players in Lenard, Boykins and Barry. They STILL have cap room this upcoming summer as well! And Camby comes off the books soon as well.

Denver did an excellant job of managing the cap. As has San Antonio. Neither team OVERPAID for role players and drafted well. That is the key.

 

Carroll Dawson is and has been a credit to the Rockets.

Still, Dawson's era may well be at an end -- not because he cannot evaluate talent but because the game has changed.

Players like Steve Francis would have been a Michael Jordan in the pre-zone days. However, the game has changed. Not even Michael Jordan would be Michael Jordan in this new game. Oddly enough, zone-busters like Larry Bird would have really excelled (if a greater career for him could be possible).

Often we as fans, and CD is one of the biggest Rocket fans, become too attached to the past and too loyal to players who have not fulfilled their promise. It's not for me to identify which ones these are because I don't have the expertise or the talent for it. I just hope we make whatever adjustments we need to make before it is too late.

 

To be fair, that was a very old team. Drexler and Hakeem were near retirement so they brought in Barkley to keep the window open a bit longer. Drexler retires and we basically get nothing. Pippen was a disaster...but looked good on paper since he was supposedly still good and wanted to be here - the latter being the what turned on us. Again, it was a move to keep the window open. Barkley then retires due to injury and we get nothing in return. Hakeem should have retired but instead gets traded for about as much as we can expect. Pippen was a disaster...but looked good on paper since he was supposedly still good and wanted to be here - the latter being the what turned on us. Other than the Lakers, who else has turned it around after only a brief lull?

I think until around 2000, CD was doing a slightly above average job. Since then, though, there seem to have been a larger number of mistakes, mostly centered around his apparent nice-guy streak and strong sense of loyalty (rewarding players such as Mo, Mooch, EG - when he saw warning signs but still stuck by him and did not trade, and even Shandon).

I do think, however, that a lot of this past off-season moves were Les-inspired. The Rice trade (bad on basketball paper, good on financial paper), not going after Boykins, Anderson, or Strickand because of Mooch, etc..

I just hope that the Rice TE will be used. Otherwise...sigh.

 

I agree, but I don't have my hopes up too high...

 

Is this question really worth asking? I think CD's track record speaks for itself.

He's a VERY BAD GM.

 

rimbaud, what about Denver (you can't reall call Kiki a good GM)? Utah (talk about a team that'll never suck, ughhhhh)? The problem with our rebuilding process is that we're stuck at square one, or worse and ended up in the negative. Steve and Cat were around since after Quitten and Barkley. Yao is the only new face around here who's important. I just think we should be playing better. That's all there is to it.

 

I agree with rimbaud. CD had been an above average GM. Most of the bad moves happened in the year 2001.

And he didn't do too badly in recent years. Francis was supposed to be a max player. Mobley was signed below value. As Dallas Thomas pointed out, the Taylor and Cato signing don't look as bad now as it was a year ago.

He didn't luck into Yao. He lucked into the #1 pick. He did an excellent job getting Yao with the pick.

If you look around the league, which teams rebuild better than us in recent years? I'd say Spurs, Nuggets, Mavericks, Kings, Pacers and Nets. The Wolves might get the nod after the last offseason. It remains to be seen. The Suns, and the Grizzlies are about even with the Rockets. Some teams (Lakers, Hornets, Pistons) haven't been rebuilding. All other teams are doing worse than us.

I don't think CD is as bad as some of you think.