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Anthopoulos and Burke strike up productive friendship
Posted: Thu Oct 7, 2010 7:54 pm
by darth_federer
A significant portion of their summer chat revolved around the importance of having the guts to take calculated chances as a GM, and to not let concerns over risk and public criticism get in the way.
Anthopoulos feels he was way too conservative during his first off-season as general manager, something he wants to remedy this winter. Burke told him the caution was understandable, but with a year under his belt now, he should be better able to trust his instincts.
One of the first emails Anthopoulos received when he was promoted last October after Ricciardi's firing was from Burke, offering both congratulations and his help if ever needed. Feeling like the new kid on the block, emphasis on kid, Anthopoulos was floored by the gesture.
They have continued to exchange messages and ideas since, with the veteran Burke, 55, inviting the rookie 33-year-old to his office this summer for an in-depth chat. They discussed their methods of conducting business and approaches to their jobs. They even agreed to take in each other's next draft, with potentially more such exchanges down the road.
"He has a vision, and I think the key for being a successful GM is having a vision when you start — how's your team going to play, what's its strength going to be," said Burke. "My teams are all the same, when you watch me make a player transaction most people nod and say, 'Well, that makes sense. It's his kind of player.' And I think he has all that, he's got it all planned out.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports ... Comments=yI posted excerpts, so check out the link for more. AA is a BIG basketball fan and hes been to Raptors games in the past. Hes talked about how hes a BC fan in the past too.
You know who I think does a great job. I think Brian Colangelo does a great job. I'm a Raptor fan and to me I don't see him on TV all the time. I don't see him quoted all the time. I see him on TV when he needs to be. I see him quoted when he needs to be. I'm probably similar in style.
http://thestar.blogs.com/baseball/2010/ ... oulos.htmlIts nice to see all these guys getting along. Because of his personality, a lot of people dont think that Burke has allies. But the man is extremely well connected. Hes close friends with Bill Polian (President of the Colts) and guys like Ned Colleti too. After the NHL instituted a salary cap, he spent the summer going over the Colts books to study how they built a team in a salary cap world. Cant hurt to know these guys right?
Re: Anthopoulos and Burke strike up productive friendship
Posted: Thu Oct 7, 2010 8:02 pm
by Randle McMurphy
Stay away from Colangelo.
Re: Anthopoulos and Burke strike up productive friendship
Posted: Thu Oct 7, 2010 8:10 pm
by Avenger
i don't want those two numbnuts giving Alex any advice
Re: Anthopoulos and Burke strike up productive friendship
Posted: Thu Oct 7, 2010 8:42 pm
by Kaizen
Avenger wrote:i don't want those two numbnuts giving Alex any advice
This is how I feel as well. I don't feel comfortable with AA getting advice from Burke when you consider the terrible moves he has made so far.
Re: Anthopoulos and Burke strike up productive friendship
Posted: Fri Oct 8, 2010 2:19 am
by darth_federer
Brian Burke is a good GM. Haters gonna hate
Re: Anthopoulos and Burke strike up productive friendship
Posted: Fri Oct 8, 2010 2:28 am
by Avenger
if you like goon/no skill hockey than yeah he's a great GM
Re: Anthopoulos and Burke strike up productive friendship
Posted: Fri Oct 8, 2010 2:47 am
by darth_federer
Didnt say I liked his style of hockey, but hes won. But no, his teams dont play a grind it out style. They pressure the puck and they re up tempo.
Re: Anthopoulos and Burke strike up productive friendship
Posted: Fri Oct 8, 2010 8:59 pm
by J-Roc
Just noticed AA's quote on Colangelo and I agree with him. Maybe it's because BC has mastered the craft of throwing others in front of the bus, but he seems to have built up a rep where the media doesn't just contact him on a whim for comments. We have Brian Burke on the defensive all the time. AA is heard on interviews all the time. But with Colangelo, we make a big deal on the Raps board the rare times he'll be on the radio. Creates an artificial superiority around himself.
Re: Anthopoulos and Burke strike up productive friendship
Posted: Sat Oct 9, 2010 11:18 am
by pugilistfan
Burke left Vancouver in bad shape and he inherited an Anaheim team with an abundance of young talent.
Burke is a decent GM but hes wildly overrated for what hes done in the past.
Re: Anthopoulos and Burke strike up productive friendship
Posted: Sat Oct 9, 2010 5:10 pm
by Michael Bradley
Randle McMurphy wrote:Stay away from Colangelo.
That was my first thought as well.
Stay far far away from Colangelo, Alex.
Re: Anthopoulos and Burke strike up productive friendship
Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 2:27 am
by darth_federer
Sort of related
“I think most GMs become friends with the GMs in their town . . . I have struck up a friendship with (Blue Jays’ GM) Alex Anthopoulos. I’m really impressed with him. I think he’s a really good guy, a really smart guy. Paul Beeston is a wonderful asset in terms of bouncing things off of, a very bright guy. I really like Bryan (Colangelo, the Raptors GM). He’s a really good guy but I don’t like to be seen with him in public. He’s taller than I am. He’s better looking than I am. He speaks better than I do and he dresses better than I do. So whenever I appear with him, I come off looking short and barely literate and not well-dressed. I like Bryan but I don’t like getting on stage with him.”
http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/nh ... fs-successJ Roc had a good assessment of BC. Everytime hes on the radio or at a media outlet, its a big deal
Re: Anthopoulos and Burke strike up productive friendship
Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 2:32 am
by Randle McMurphy
darth_federer wrote:Everytime hes on the radio or at a media outlet, its a big deal
Only to die-hard Raptors fans who are still willing to deal with his BS.
Re: Anthopoulos and Burke strike up productive friendship
Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 6:15 pm
by raptorforlife88
Wow that's actually a fantastic article on Burke. I have a lot more faith in his abilities after that.
Re: Anthopoulos and Burke strike up productive friendship
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 3:09 am
by DonYon
I hope some of are joking about staying away from the two GMs. These guys aren't normal fans like the majority of forum posters. They have loads of knowledge it's just that they have a certain style and just like any individual they are selective with which type of knowledge they incorporate into their styles. Just because AA listens to them doesn't mean he's gonna do everything they tell them to do, he's gonna be choosy with what information he uses to his advantage, just like any person would/should.
Re: Anthopoulos and Burke strike up productive friendship
Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:27 am
by tsherkin
J-Roc wrote:Just noticed AA's quote on Colangelo and I agree with him. Maybe it's because BC has mastered the craft of throwing others in front of the bus, but he seems to have built up a rep where the media doesn't just contact him on a whim for comments. We have Brian Burke on the defensive all the time.
Because more people care more about hockey here than they do about basketball or baseball...