Good article by Clutchfan's own Kelly D. here: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/kelly_dwyer/08/15/grizzlies/index.html I think I agree with Kelly -- the Logo still knows his stuff, but a team with Jason Williams, Bonzi and Posey (who seems to have taken malcontent lessons from Bonzi) was a disaster waiting to happen. West no doubt thought he could influence Williams and Wells enough to turn them into productive NBA citizens. He may have over-reached a bit in thinking that, but dumping all three of them this off-season was definitely the right thing to do. To play devil's advocate: As evidence for the prosecution in the West Is Losing It case, I give you Brian Cardinal. Kelly, what's the story behind West getting Warrick and Gomes confused? I missed that one. P.S. That is beyond a doubt the first Link Wray reference I have ever seen in a sports article. Work in a Hoops McCann reference somewhere and I'll buy you a Negra Modelo.
In the immortal words of Bill Simmons: "More tapioca Mr. West?" Personally, I don't think West is 'losing it' so much as he's kind of checked out. Like the job counselor Peter goes to see in Family Guy, West has put in his two weeks notice and is just kind of trying to get the team to the point where the next guy won't be totally F'ed in the A.
Oy, topfive, I'm a Dos Equis man -- but I'll work on that. And for Win, wherever he is, I tried my damnedest to get "All the Way From Memphis" somewhere in there ... I don't want to get into the parts I cut out of that article just yet, but I just want to make this point: West isn't making genius moves, and I don't think he has some big trade up his sleeve for after December 15th. I just think he's working with what he has, and shooting for 45 wins -- done slugfest style. On paper, these are dumb moves (forget about Williams, Posey for ancient Eddie Jones? ugh...), but I think he's playing right to Fratello's minimalist style. It isn't a popular stance, but I do think the Wolves/Lakers/Clippers/Jazz/Warriors are in for a dogfight. This is a team full of proud pros, and they won't go down easily.
Personally, I think this is all a set up for a major rebuilding job in 2006/2007. Pau is fools gold that needs to be dumped asap, and they're surrounding him with more or less nice guys that are B-level players. Less tums for Fratello, but I can't see this team winning more than 40 games. When EJ comes off the books, they can make a move. In the meantime, Griz are going to be a balanced but lower-tier squad. Evan
The Grizz have done a good job of overachieving the last couple seasons. They never had a true star but still managed to have 2-3 good regular seasons, but I think they finally figured out how far that could take them.
wow, Kelly, seriously, in that pic, you like a cross between Andy Katz of ESPN and Andrew Bougat....call me crazy, but I think its a match
Only because I'm sick of that picture (taken after I cut off a bunch of my hair to look more "professional"), this is what I resemble these days (especially since we started playing shows this summer): I got a ton of emails about the Bogut thing after I wrote an article about the Bucks a month back ... it beats the ribbing I got from my gf during the playoffs -- she thought I looked like Manu, and I had to correct her: I'm not going bald like Manu, and I can drive to my right.
He inherited his franchise player when he took the job, as well as a glut of forwards. Ever since then all he's done is add a bunch of incohesive talent and further overload the Grizzlies on the wings. NOTHING he's done has contributed to their short-lived playoff appearances. So how is he special? Special, as in drooling over Drew Gooden and taking over Amare Stoudemire, and then blaming his scouts for not telling him how good Amare was? Wasting a top #16 pick on Troy Bell, who everyone knew was an overrated bust-in-the-making? Trading for Dahntay Jones when there was absolutely no breathing room for him on the Memphis roster? I really think he's lost it.
He was only General Manager of the Lakers for four titles, then President of Basketball Operations for another three. Anyone could've done that.
He hasn't really hit any home runs with the Grizz (I don't count Hubie, because I believe that ANYONE would've been better than Sidney Lowe). If you're basing your opinion of West on his past accomplishments with the Lakers, then I think that would be overrating him.
I was just responding to be general "He isn't that good or special" vibe. He may have burnt out as far as it goes with the Grizz - but at one time he was the best executive in the NBA for well over a decade - so don't write that off.
I do think he was overrated by his tenure in LA. He's good, very good. But he didn't have the "golden touch" people proclaimed he did. He doesn't have the franchise player player yet that can be counted on to win in the playoffs. And no one is going to give away a franchise player that can do that. With no $$$ to lure one, that leaves him stuck with a good, but not great, team. That really isn't a crime, and shuffling around role and bench players isn't going to change that.
Man you had to put that in your article....any chance you guys get to say somethin nice about Mr. Babcock you guys do it...........nice.
West doesn't have the $$$ that he had in L.A. Memphis Grizzles aren't making so much money. He does what his boss tells him to do.
the lakers never really spent that much money. i think they eventually did but buss never wanted to go over the LT. shaq made a crapload, kobe made half a crapload, and then they got whatever role players they could from the rest. i'm pretty sure west inherited magic and kareem. i think he made whatever trade got the #1 pick used to get worthy**, but lets face it, magic and kareem is a nice starting place. shaq wanted to go to hollywood and kobe i believe pretty much forced his way to a big market instead of being in charlotte. now west did have to get the cap room to get shaq, and he did have to believe in kobe enough to trade for him (though vlade was obviously expendable once the diesel was coming to LA) and he had to be the big market kobe went to, but if he's the gm of say, seattle, does he have shaq and kobe? that doesn't necessarily make him bad b/c he kept filling in nice role players w/ probably not a lot of money and low draft picks, but CD showed last year that's it's not that hard to keep the role players flowing. ** wtf was up with teams in the 80's building the lakers and celtics dynasties? LA has magic and kareem and somehow make a trade w/ other parts that gets them a 1st round pick that ends up #1 overall? the team they traded with had to have been at least semi-terrible and known it was at least going to be a pretty high pick. but hey, lets be the worst team in the league and hand them the 3rd piece that makes them unbeatable. ***holy crap it was the F'ing cavs in the midst of the their "we'll have to change the rules to say you can't trade consecutive future 1st round picks" heyday and they traded their 1st and butch lee for don ford. who the hell is don ford? why the hell was this trade made? auerbach at least had to give up the #1 pick and 13th for parish and what became mchale, but why were people helping red out anyway. then the nets give the lakers mcadoo for a 2nd round pick and cash. and then somehow the celtics, one year removed from a championship, had the #2 pick for len bias. why did people keep giving them such good stuff and why were the other people so stupid.
