Worst period of GM'ing in NBA history [Poll]

[AnaheimRoyale]

I was wondering about this question myself earlier. I have some definite thoughts, and will probably post some quite extensive rebuttal's and discussion in this thread as it progresses, but for now I'm keen to hear people construct their own cases.

I've picked what I think are the best options, but I may add poll options if people provide a good case for another time period. As for the Clippers, I think it's tough to add them because the GM's were so often controlled by the owners, and it's often difficult to pinpoint any particular GM at fault.

My thought is the Paxson Cavs have a strong case (http://www.basketball-reference.com/exe ... ji01x.html), aside from lucking into Lebron (after reluctant tanking) they screwed up everything, but they're not alone. Other contenders include the 76ers from 86-90, most of which was the fault of John Nash, the moron who blew up the fo-fo-fo 76ers, when they could have added lottery talent like Daughtery & Kemp to their team, but instead progressively shot themselves in the foot until he was fired, and it was too late by then to persuade Barkley to stay (http://www.basketball-reference.com/exe ... jo99x.html). The Isiah Knicks shouldn't need an explanation. The GSW'ers from the Webber trade through to the present day are a good case study for doing the wrong things. Dumars looked great once, but boy has he sucked in recent times. I've included Bill Davidson, because even though he was GM for so short a time, some of the moves he made were laughably indefensible (effecively trading Parish and McHale to the Celtics for a McAdoo who was so clearly washed up, or trading Moncrief away for nothing http://www.basketball-reference.com/exe ... bi99x.html). Hammond in Milwaukee seems to have little to no idea what he is doing, miring the team in mediocrity, aqnd continuing to "build" teams with players that don't fit together. McHale definitely should be listed, he did quite a bad job maximising talent. A guy like Unsled speaks for himself though.

The Hornets also got some consideration, but they're collapse in the late 90's was more of an ownership issue, and really I don't think they collapsed badly enough to be in this company.

A few of the notable cases which aren't getting much love:

Worldwide Wes
Do people understand how awful Unsled was? I remember when the Pistons won the title in 2004 they had a joke article titled "Wizards win the title", because most of the Pistons starters had been given away for nothing by the Wizards (Sheed, Ben Wallace, Rip), not to mention ridiculous trades like giving away Webber for washed out Mitch Richmond. Unsled was just awful. Have people forgotten the story of how Ben Wallace was told by the Wizards that they had to trade him, because they finally had a chance to get a real big man, and they couldn't pass that up. His name? Ike Austin.

The death of a franchise
The 76ers were once the 3rd great franchise, next to LA and the Celtics, they could have been great through he 90's easily, if not for the idiocy that took place from 1986-1990

Step 1- Trade Moses Malone, a solid role player and a #12 and #21 draft pick to the Wizards in exchange for C.Robinson (who played less than 150 games for the 76ers) and Jeff Ruland (who played 18 games for the 76ers).

Step 2- Trade the #1 pick in the draft Brad Daughtery for Roy Hinson (who would be given away 2 years later)

Step 3- Trade away the rights to Shawn Kemp for trash (in fairness, this wasn't forseeable, but it highlights the way this team just kept trading away picks which could have been used to obtain valuable assets).

Step 4- Trade promising young role player Sedale Threat away for nothing.

This all led to step 5, which was the inevitable departure of Barkley, from a poorly managed team whose ownership he hated. They traded away Moses, and even the classy Mo Cheeks for nothing... would it have killed them to hold onto to Mo Cheeks for a few more years so he could retire a 76er! The 76ers were a team who since 1977 had won 50, 55, 47, 59, 62, 58, 65, 52, 58 and 54 games, they had won a title, and made the finals 3 other times. They went from that to a team who was averaging 45 wins the next four years, and then the bottom fell out and they really started to suck it up.

Mega Bungler Paxson on Cavs

Anyone can be a mediocre GM, but it takes a special kind of deftness to mismanage a franchise as badly as Paxson, who seemed to be a walking unlucky horse shoe. Here are some of his draft picks:

Diop- total bust
Wanger- total bust
Langdon- total bust
L.Jackson - total bust
Mihm - bust
The picks he didn't screw up, he usually traded (badly). He gave a lottery pick away, in exchange for Sasha Pavlovic, and a 1st round pick for Jiri Welsch. The man may not have gotten a single trade right (bar one). He had a young Andre Miller, at the time mooted as a max player with great trade value, however he botched the negotiations so badly he ended up with Darius Miles in exchange, who he then made play point guard. He traded away a young Brendan Haywood for Doleac, a young Derek Anderson for Lamond Murray, then flipped that for a guy named Yogi. Young Harpring got traded for trash, and don't even get started about the Boozer fiasco.

He only tanked for Lebron because he had no choice, and luck bailed him out. Even someone on realgm would have lucked out on some of those moves.

[Foye]

How is Otis Smith not on this list?

[AnaheimRoyale]

I gave it some thought, just not sure he qualifies for historic awfulness, just ordinary badness. Some of these guys have done things even Otis couldn't manage.

[HurricaneKid]

Isaiah had 115M salary on teams that missed the playoffs. BADLY. He would have 40M going to guys who weren't in the league. He is the winner here. But not enough is said about just how terrible McHale was. He had the best player in the league in Garnett and paired him with guys that shouldn't have been in the league. When he finally managed to get a mediocre FA he got Joe Smith. Before it was legal to go after him. How do you make announcements before its legal to talk with people? That one hurt plenty.

[s_g_b]

McHale and its not even close. Garnett trade was hilarious, but he wanted a coach position in Boston in the future so understable.

Randy Foye for Brandon roy

[CourtsideTV]

Otis smith. You have the best center in the NBA in his prime and you can't surround him with a team that makes it to the ECF every season. Instead he goes after washed up unatheletic swingmen past their prime who can't play defense and jack up 3's without feeding the beast down low

[Tommy Udo 6]

"I've included Bill Davidson, because even though he was GM for so short a time, some of the moves he made were laughably indefensible (effecively trading Parish and McHale to the Celtics for a McAdoo who was so clearly washed up..."

WHAT???

It was the Warriors who traded Parish & a draft pick (which became McHale) for the rights to Joe Barry Carroll.


and Otis Smith should be on that list....

Please remind people that Cavs GM Paxson is "Jim" Paxson - not "John" who is with the Bulls. Actually John hired his brother Jim as a consultant in 2006. It is a nepotism job that the Bulls owner allows.

[AnaheimRoyale]

Davidson facilitated the trade to get those guys first though, with McAdoo... if he was good, he'd have done it himself and gotten Parish and McHale. Opportunity lost. But he is here as a fringe option (though I see he already has votes!)

I might have to run through the awfulness of Paxson tomorrow, because it feels like people don't get it (no votes but mine yet!). This guy was like a living unlucky horseshoe, he just sucked, period. Ferry may have been GM when Lebron left, but this guy was the one who crippled the franchise so badly, Ferry had almost no feasible way to keep Lebron...

[Apollo64]

Isiah pretty easily.

[BBgun]

dude, you have the right idea with the Raptors, but the wrong GM and era...the Rob Babcock era is one of the WORST in NBA history. Moves include...trading Vince Carter for Eric/Aaron Williams, an Alonzo Mourning buyout of 10 million, and a couple of meh draft picks...drafting Rafael Aroujo 1 pick before Igoudala, Joey Graham one pick before Danny Grander, Charlie V...etc.

[AnaheimRoyale]

Fixed. Also, do people not know how bad Unsled was?

[Sofia]

Elgin Baylor

[chandlerbang23]

Daryl Morey is highly overated, i wish les would fire him and get the GM from the spurs.

[BBgun]

Fixed. Also, do people not know how bad Unsled was?

lol I actually have no problem with you including both GM's. It really has been an 8 year trainwreck.

[starquest52]

voted Isiah Knicks

[Mobat]

Raps in 4

[cb4_89]

dude, you have the right idea with the Raptors, but the wrong GM and era...the Rob Babcock era is one of the WORST in NBA history. Moves include...trading Vince Carter for Eric/Aaron Williams, an Alonzo Mourning buyout of 10 million, and a couple of meh draft picks...drafting Rafael Aroujo 1 pick before Igoudala, Joey Graham one pick before Danny Grander, Charlie V...etc.

The Charlie V pick wasn't bad at all. He put up a great rookie year and was traded for TJ Ford. Ford was a great point guard. He put up 14/8/3 in less than 30 mpg. It was BC that traded for TJ and not Babcock though. Too bad Horford was a bitch and essentially ended TJ's career.

[MeestR]

polls like these, i believe, more accurately portray the age of the voters rather than their knowledge. "best/worst of league history" always results in high profile people within the last 10 years. the league is almost 70 years old, and has employed tens of thousands of people. surely we can't have all the "best" in history competing with all the "worst" in history.

[Yuri Vaultin]

McHale for the Joe Smith debacle alone.

[Fran Vasquez]

the isiah knicks were not bad, because something thats hilarious, cant be bad