O'Conner is ranked 2nd best GM in the NBA through the end of July 2010 according to this article. While I doubt he would be up there in every article, that he is up there in this one means that he isn't the bad GM some people make him out to be. I think his most brilliant was the latest trade of D-WIll and that was after this article was written. I don't agree with everything he does but I think he does a good job most of the time.
Take the time to read the writers analysis of the other GM's in the league. He obviously knows what he is talking about.
Excerpt from article:
2. Kevin O'Connor, Jazz
Hired: 1999.
Coaches: Jerry Sloan (1999-present).
Long-term plan: Build a good team that fits Sloan's vision.
Key draft picks: Deron Williams (3rd, 2005), Gordon Hayward (9rd, 2010), Ronnie Brewer (14th, 2006), Kris Humphries (14th, 2004), Kirk Snyder (16th, 2004), Sasha Pavlovic (19th, 2003), Eric Maynor (20th, 2009), CJ Miles (34th, 2005), Paul Millsap (47th, 2006), Mo Williams (47th, 2003),
Key trades:
2000: Traded Howard Eisley to the Mavericks, Adam Keefe to the Warriors and a first-round pick to the Celtics for Donyell Marshall.
2010: Traded Kosta Koufus and a future first-round pick to the Timberwolves for Al Jefferson.
Key free agent signings: Carlos Boozer in 2004 (six years, $68 million), Mehmet Okur in 2004 and 2009 (six years, $40 million, two years, $21 million), Andrei Kirilenko in 2004 (maximum contract), Matt Harpring in 2006 (five years, $25 million), Deron Williams in 2008 (maximum contract).
Key free agents let go: Boozer (2010), Karl Malone (2003), Derek Fisher (2008).
O'Connor may be the most underappreciated GM in basketball. Nobody does a better job of sticking to a plan. O'Connor has committed to Jerry Sloan as his coach and finds players that perfectly fit his system. Players like Wesley Matthews, Paul Millsap, Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Miles, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Matt Harpring and even Deron Williams would all have been successful elsewhere, but their success was magnified because they were all perfect fits for Sloan. O'Connor understands that you can't just throw together talent and expect it to jell. You have to find the right kind of talent, and for over a decade, he's done exactly that.
O'Connor has also done a great job managing the luxury tax, something that will always be an issue because Utah is a small market. Last season, he made cost-cutting moves that didn't affect his team's performance, then recovered from losing Carlos Boozer by trading for Al Jefferson. His one mistake was giving Andrei Kirilenko too much money in 2004, but otherwise, his record is impeccable.
The only thing lacking is a championship, but that's tough to do when you only get one top-five pick in a decade. O'Connor used that pick well, and he's made every last move count. That's the mark of a good GM.
http://www.sbnation.com/2010/7/22/15823 ... riley-heat
