Michael Finley had interview for GM with Bulls

[GetBuLLish]

I can't believe there's more than one person who thinks, "Hey he was a good player and I liked watching him play. He should be hired as GM!"

And even worse: "He's from Chicago. Hire him!" As if that's at all relevant to anything, except him being less likely to get lost on the way to work.

[Clint Eastwood]

I can't believe there's more than one person who thinks, "Hey he was a good player and I liked watching him play. He should be hired as GM!"

And even worse: "He's from Chicago. Hire him!" As if that's at all relevant to anything, except him being less likely to get lost on the way to work.

And that he’s been in an assistant GM role for the last 7 years. Let’s not forget that part. I think the main interest from a fan perspective is that we think he would be useful as a “recruiter of free agents” which might be the most important role of the GM under AK. Just my 2 cents.

Your argument I think would be more for those who think we should hire Dwayne Wade for the job or someone like him with no experience.

[Indomitable]

I can't believe there's more than one person who thinks, "Hey he was a good player and I liked watching him play. He should be hired as GM!"

And even worse: "He's from Chicago. Hire him!" As if that's at all relevant to anything, except him being less likely to get lost on the way to work.

And that he’s been in an assistant GM role for the last 7 years. Let’s not forget that part. I think the main interest from a fan perspective is that we think he would be useful as a “recruiter of free agents” which might be the most important role of the GM under AK. Just my 2 cents.

Your argument I think would be more for those who think we should hire Dwayne Wade for the job or someone like him with no experience.

I know we have to improve our relations with players and agents. If Finley helps there I am all for it. Plus I was a fan.

[Susan]

I can't believe there's more than one person who thinks, "Hey he was a good player and I liked watching him play. He should be hired as GM!"

And even worse: "He's from Chicago. Hire him!" As if that's at all relevant to anything, except him being less likely to get lost on the way to work.

I'm not saying that, I'm saying that playing on a bunch of good teams has shown to be a really good breeding ground for successful GMs in the past. Think Danny Ainge. Danny's experience with the Celtics helped him understand how a great team operates and has served him well as a GM.

He's been on enough winning teams over the past twenty years, it's not an accident. Great teams wanted him around because he was a good dude in the locker room. Dallas CUT him when he had his max and they were in cap hell and he still came back to learn this other side of the business from the very bottom. He's earned $130M, he doesn't need to do that ****, he just is a good dude who loves basketball.

https://youtu.be/zpyk9l3XxV0?t=213

His ideal role to me is to be the glue that holds everything together here. Help get AK on the same page as Zach, help Griff get through to a frustrated young star in the making because he clearly knows what it takes and has cache around the NBA.

[rmlsr]

I can't believe there's more than one person who thinks, "Hey he was a good player and I liked watching him play. He should be hired as GM!"

And even worse: "He's from Chicago. Hire him!" As if that's at all relevant to anything, except him being less likely to get lost on the way to work.

I'm not saying that, I'm saying that playing on a bunch of good teams has shown to be a really good breeding ground for successful GMs in the past. Think Danny Ainge. Danny's experience with the Celtics helped him understand how a great team operates and has served him well as a GM.

He's been on enough winning teams over the past twenty years, it's not an accident. Great teams wanted him around because he was a good dude in the locker room. Dallas CUT him when he had his max and they were in cap hell and he still came back to learn this other side of the business from the very bottom. He's earned $130M, he doesn't need to do that ****, he just is a good dude who loves basketball.

https://youtu.be/zpyk9l3XxV0?t=213

His ideal role to me is to be the glue that holds everything together here. Help get AK on the same page as Zach, help Griff get through to a frustrated young star in the making because he clearly knows what it takes and has cache around the NBA.

Just pointing out that John Paxson played on some really good teams. So did Michael Jordan how did they do in front office? Just pointing out the obvious.

[dice]

I can't believe there's more than one person who thinks, "Hey he was a good player and I liked watching him play. He should be hired as GM!"

And even worse: "He's from Chicago. Hire him!" As if that's at all relevant to anything, except him being less likely to get lost on the way to work.

I'm not saying that, I'm saying that playing on a bunch of good teams has shown to be a really good breeding ground for successful GMs in the past. Think Danny Ainge. Danny's experience with the Celtics helped him understand how a great team operates and has served him well as a GM.

He's been on enough winning teams over the past twenty years, it's not an accident. Great teams wanted him around because he was a good dude in the locker room. Dallas CUT him when he had his max and they were in cap hell and he still came back to learn this other side of the business from the very bottom. He's earned $130M, he doesn't need to do that ****, he just is a good dude who loves basketball.

https://youtu.be/zpyk9l3XxV0?t=213

His ideal role to me is to be the glue that holds everything together here. Help get AK on the same page as Zach, help Griff get through to a frustrated young star in the making because he clearly knows what it takes and has cache around the NBA.

Just pointing out that John Paxson played on some really good teams. So did Michael Jordan how they do in front office? Just pointing out the obvious.

isiah thomas, wes unseld, elgin baylor...

former point guards do tend to do relatively well as executives...

[R3AL1TY]

Finley seems like he will be a token hire out of all the candidates. I didn't realize how toxic the Mavericks' culture is behind the scenes.

Out of 4 guys listed that we interviewed I am hoping for Marc Eversley. I could change my mind depending on any other names that could be reported that AK has interviewed. But I like Eversley resume the best so far.

Yea, I like Eversley and Lloyd out of all the names mentioned, and Lloyd seems like the only one that fits the "opposite of me" search Arturas is looking for since Lloyd didn't play pro ball and he was in charge of building the Bulls' first digital database for scouting info. He has deeper roots in scouting than Arturas.

[dice]

The Porzingis trade was a stroke of complete genius, immediately made their franchise relevant again & absolutely robbed the Knicks filthy blind

the knicks got 2 first rounders in exchange for dumping a gimpy malcontent that they would have had to pay huge money to keep...and who had not yet even proven himself as a genuine star (still hasn't). plus they got out from under the last year of hardaway's deal. PLUS they got to take a cheap flier on dennis smith jr. easy decision on their part. they were lucky to get what they got. obviously nobody was offering more

and the mavs were immediately relevant when they drafted doncic. they may well end up regretting the porzingis deal. had they known doncic would be a huge star they may have even refrained from taking such a huge gamble on porzingis...even with the knowledge that he has been healthy and playing well this season

[dice]

I can't believe there's more than one person who thinks, "Hey he was a good player and I liked watching him play. He should be hired as GM!"

And even worse: "He's from Chicago. Hire him!" As if that's at all relevant to anything, except him being less likely to get lost on the way to work.

And that he’s been in an assistant GM role for the last 7 years. Let’s not forget that part. I think the main interest from a fan perspective is that we think he would be useful as a “recruiter of free agents” which might be the most important role of the GM under AK. Just my 2 cents.

Your argument I think would be more for those who think we should hire Dwayne Wade for the job or someone like him with no experience.

how many GMs have definitively demonstrated that they can recruit free agents with anything other than money/location/supporting cast?

[MrSparkle]

Ultimately Arturas did say he'll take his time to find somebody. He seems pretty methodical. Finley is just a guy interviewing for the position.

[SearsTower]

Dumb question: What is the intent of the GM in the new system?

AK is going to make all of the calls. The assistant GM's are going to have their own specialties as far as scouting, analytics, etc. The coach is going to coach.

What does the GM actually do?

If I actually knew that, I might have an opinion on how people would perform in the job. Right now, I'm so lost on this position that I don't even know how to react.

I don't think it's a dumb question. Frankly, I think it's kind of ridiculous to me how a traditionally one person job has been divvied up so much in recent years. When John Paxson first became EVP of BBall Operations, I had always assumed JR just made up the position to avoid firing him or accepting his resignation after he attacked VDN.

But based on the Pax / Gar dynamic these last few years, I believe AK will have the final say on decisions and steer the direction of the franchise as he sees fit. I think the GM handles the agents and contract negotiations? I don't really know though.

Fairly or unfairly, Paxson as EVP became tied to his GM (ie GarPax). I assume that will always be the case, regardless of how they try to divvy up roles.

[Dominator83]

The Porzingis trade was a stroke of complete genius, immediately made their franchise relevant again & absolutely robbed the Knicks filthy blind

the knicks got 2 first rounders in exchange for dumping a gimpy malcontent that they would have had to pay huge money to keep...and who had not yet even proven himself as a genuine star (still hasn't). plus they got out from under the last year of hardaway's deal. PLUS they got to take a cheap flier on dennis smith jr. easy decision on their part. they were lucky to get what they got. obviously nobody was offering more

and the mavs were immediately relevant when they drafted doncic. they may well end up regretting the porzingis deal. had they known doncic would be a huge star they may have even refrained from taking such a huge gamble on porzingis...even with the knowledge that he has been healthy and playing well this season

If porzingis was on the Bulls, he would be our best player by far and large

[dice]

The Porzingis trade was a stroke of complete genius, immediately made their franchise relevant again & absolutely robbed the Knicks filthy blind

the knicks got 2 first rounders in exchange for dumping a gimpy malcontent that they would have had to pay huge money to keep...and who had not yet even proven himself as a genuine star (still hasn't). plus they got out from under the last year of hardaway's deal. PLUS they got to take a cheap flier on dennis smith jr. easy decision on their part. they were lucky to get what they got. obviously nobody was offering more

and the mavs were immediately relevant when they drafted doncic. they may well end up regretting the porzingis deal. had they known doncic would be a huge star they may have even refrained from taking such a huge gamble on porzingis...even with the knowledge that he has been healthy and playing well this season

If porzingis was on the Bulls, he would be our best player by far and large

that's not saying much. and it wouldn't change that he'd be a huge gamble on that contract

[WindyCityBorn]

The Porzingis trade was a stroke of complete genius, immediately made their franchise relevant again & absolutely robbed the Knicks filthy blind

the knicks got 2 first rounders in exchange for dumping a gimpy malcontent that they would have had to pay huge money to keep...and who had not yet even proven himself as a genuine star (still hasn't). plus they got out from under the last year of hardaway's deal. PLUS they got to take a cheap flier on dennis smith jr. easy decision on their part. they were lucky to get what they got. obviously nobody was offering more

and the mavs were immediately relevant when they drafted doncic. they may well end up regretting the porzingis deal. had they known doncic would be a huge star they may have even refrained from taking such a huge gamble on porzingis...even with the knowledge that he has been healthy and playing well this season

If porzingis was on the Bulls, he would be our best player by far and large

He would be lower than Zach as an option. Also he sure as Hell didn't lead the Knicks anywhere and isn't that what we judge players on here. He is benefiting tremendously from playing with Doncic as would any other player.

[dice]

the knicks got 2 first rounders in exchange for dumping a gimpy malcontent that they would have had to pay huge money to keep...and who had not yet even proven himself as a genuine star (still hasn't). plus they got out from under the last year of hardaway's deal. PLUS they got to take a cheap flier on dennis smith jr. easy decision on their part. they were lucky to get what they got. obviously nobody was offering more

and the mavs were immediately relevant when they drafted doncic. they may well end up regretting the porzingis deal. had they known doncic would be a huge star they may have even refrained from taking such a huge gamble on porzingis...even with the knowledge that he has been healthy and playing well this season

If porzingis was on the Bulls, he would be our best player by far and large

He would be lower than Zach as an option. Also he sure as Hell didn't lead the Knicks anywhere and isn't that what we judge players on here. He is benefiting tremendously from playing with Doncic as would any other player.

i'm not sure that he would particularly benefit from playing with any single player, actually. he ain't called the unicorn for nothing. he can get a shot off whenever he wants

[WindyCityBorn]

If porzingis was on the Bulls, he would be our best player by far and large

He would be lower than Zach as an option. Also he sure as Hell didn't lead the Knicks anywhere and isn't that what we judge players on here. He is benefiting tremendously from playing with Doncic as would any other player.

i'm not sure that he would particularly benefit from playing with any single player, actually. he ain't called the unicorn for nothing. he can get a shot off whenever he wants

So why weren't Knicks winning if he is so good? If you put him on the Bulls would we suddenly be good?

*edit I still don't think he is great, but if you replace Lauri with him this season he would have won a lot more games. But this more because of how terrible Lauri was than anything.

[dougthonus]

I'm curious, Doug. Is there something negative you know about him or just an absence of positive. Cuban speaks very highly of him, but I never know whether that's because it's sincere or because he'd be happy to see him gone.

Nope, I don't know anything about Finley really. I thought I've been pretty clear throughout most of my posts that I don't know anything about any of these guys really (same like everyone else here).

I just think his experience is less than other people we're talking about (by quite a bit) and when I hear him speak he doesn't sound like someone who is a natural leader or should be in charge of anything.

I'm fine bringing him in for an interview. I've just said that he would need to wow me in the interview.

[dougthonus]

And that he’s been in an assistant GM role for the last 7 years. Let’s not forget that part. I think the main interest from a fan perspective is that we think he would be useful as a “recruiter of free agents” which might be the most important role of the GM under AK. Just my 2 cents.

Just a fact correction, he was an "intern" for 2 years, AGM for 3, and VP for 2 I believe.

The Mavs came up completely empty with max cap room this past summer despite potentially having 2 stars to play with, warm weather, and a good market. Not saying that's all on Finley by any stretch, but if his main job is recruiting then he didn't move the needle this summer despite theoretically having a ton going for him in making Dallas desirable.

Your argument I think would be more for those who think we should hire Dwayne Wade for the job or someone like him with no experience.

If you look at the things people say would be Finley's strengths (connecting with players and the community), Wade would absolutely be better at both of those things. Hopefully, if we bring in Finley he has a lot of other strengths from his time in Dallas's FO.

[GameBredAPBT]

Porzingis would be perhaps the best big man in the league with or without Doncic. His comeback after the injury this year has been nothing short of miraculous & speaks volumes toward his insane levels of talent & work ethic. He’s actually looked better with Doncic off the court in some cases. He can also actually play defense. The Mavs became relevant when they traded for him, which was a brilliant move, Knicks or not. Who knows what their record would look like without him, but I’d bet they’d be in the lottery. One of the best trades we’ve seen in recent years. Trading peanuts for a transcendent big man. Derp

Edited out your random wide sweeping insults of everyone who disagrees with you, please cease such behavior

[coldfish]

Porzingis would be perhaps the best big man in the league with or without Doncic. His comeback after the injury this year has been nothing short of miraculous & speaks volumes toward his insane levels of talent & work ethic. He’s actually looked better with Doncic off the court in some cases. He can also actually play defense. The Mavs became relevant when they traded for him, which was a brilliant move, Knicks or not. Who knows what their record would look like without him, but I’d bet they’d be in the lottery. One of the best trades we’ve seen in recent years. Trading peanuts for a transcendent big man. Derp

It’s embarrassing reading comments on this forum for a multitude of reasons, but it’s especially cringe when it’s obvious that hardly anyone that posts here actually watches the NBA outside of the Bulls

Well, everyone is welcome to their own opinion. IMO, I strongly disagree with this.

KP is a lot of motion without results. His shot selection is questionable at times. His passing is limited. His rebounding rather mediocre at best. His defense is more about highlights than solid fundamentals.

He isn't a terrible player or anything but I wouldn't even put him in the conversation for "best big man in the league" let alone name him that. For most of the season, the Mavs were actually better with him on the bench than when he played. That only really changed over the last month of the year.

I mean, you just called out a bunch of posters as cringe worthy and in the same post, named KP the best big man in the league. That's. . . .wow.