OT: Chris Wallace

[Captain_Caveman]

Been a pretty good GM for a guy who supposedly sucks.

Despite two owner-mandated cap dumps (Johnson-Rogers/Delk, Pau Gasol) in 9 years as GM of two different teams, his teams now have 4 second round appearances and (soon) 2 Conference Finals appearances (nearly 3), and may make the Finals or even win a title this year. His teams have never paid the tax, yet been consistent overperformers when he was the head man.

Was way ahead of the international scouting curve, and almost landed us Dirk and Pau as a result. Instrumental in the careers of Marc Gasol, Ben Wallace, Bruce Bowen, Tony Allen, Mike Conley and the resurgence of of Zach Randolph. Was an advocate of both ZBo and Tony Parker in the 2001 draft, before Paul Gaston gave our 3rd pick to Red to take Forte with. Also wanted Dooling over Moiso in 2000.

Has gotten stung by alcoholics a few times (Vin Baker, Kedrick Brown), but have to give hats off to the guy.

[165bows]

Are you serious this is all Hollinger.

: )

It will be some serious vindication if they finish this series.

Amazing though how many people still cite the Gasol/Gasol trade as an example of the Lakers getting players for nothing.

[Ed Pinkney]

I think the owner related decisions resulted in an unfair level of criticism at the time. But I guess no one picked how good Marc Gasol would end up being so you can understand how much of a joke that trade appeared at the time.

I guess this is why you can't easily judge GM's over a short period of time unless they are truly horrendous and make continuous bad decisions despite not having any restrictions by owners.

[Bluewhale]

I think all the Hollinger doubter should shut up now.

[15th overall]

He always came off as smarter than his resume would have you believe in every interview that I ever heard. Seemed like a pretty nice guy too. I got family in Memphis so I have a second degree rooting interest in him. Glad to see him doing so well. Have they announced the candidates for Executive of the year yet?

I know Memphis' frontcourt isnt hurting or anything but he got owned in that Kevin Love for OJ Mayo swap. Imagine that team with him on it. Insane.

I think all the Hollinger doubter should shut up now.

Is he responsible for anything other than the Rudy Gay dump? (Serious question)

[threrf23]

Greivis Vasquez off the bench probably could only help, too

[Ed Pinkney]

He always came off as smarter than his resume would have you believe in every interview that I ever heard. Seemed like a pretty nice guy too. I got family in Memphis so I have a second degree rooting interest in him. Glad to see him doing so well. Have they announced the candidates for Executive of the year yet?

I know Memphis' frontcourt isnt hurting or anything but he got owned in that Kevin Love for OJ Mayo swap. Imagine that team with him on it. Insane.

I think all the Hollinger doubter should shut up now.

Is he responsible for anything other than the Rudy Gay dump? (Serious question)

As far as I understand it, know he has not. Even the Rudy Gay trade I think had a fair amount of owner input to happen.

[Marley2Hendrix]

I'll remember him for botching the 2001 draft when he "deferred" to Obie and allowed him to draft KB and again "deferred" to Red on the Parker pick. Certainly a smart guy who has had a lot of hits, but I hate the way he seems to deflect blame on the misses.

[Fencer reregistered]

I'll remember him for botching the 2001 draft when he "deferred" to Obie and allowed him to draft KB and again "deferred" to Red on the Parker pick. Certainly a smart guy who has had a lot of hits, but I hate the way he seems to deflect blame on the misses.

Right.

Generally, Wallace hasn't distinguished himself much in the draft at either the Celts or Grizzlies.

[165bows]

I think the owner related decisions resulted in an unfair level of criticism at the time. But I guess no one picked how good Marc Gasol would end up being so you can understand how much of a joke that trade appeared at the time.
I guess this is why you can't easily judge GM's over a short period of time unless they are truly horrendous and make continuous bad decisions despite not having any restrictions by owners.

Oh, sure. Everyone thought that trade was a joke when it happened - it was just more fuel for the conspiracy talk. I was talking about people that still reference it that way, and fail to mention that it turned out to be a very fair trade.

[Captain_Caveman]

I'll remember him for botching the 2001 draft when he "deferred" to Obie and allowed him to draft KB and again "deferred" to Red on the Parker pick. Certainly a smart guy who has had a lot of hits, but I hate the way he seems to deflect blame on the misses.

Didn't actually happen like that. As reported to me by someone over his head, Gaston gave Red the 21st pick in that draft. He felt bad that Pitino had basically kicked Red out of the building, and even stripped him of his title of Team President. Red is a DC guy who was tight with the HS coach at DeMatha, where Forte went. Wallace (and Obie) wanted ZBo or Parker with that pick (ZBo went just higher than that in the end).

The team also went into the draft expecting to land Kedrick and Radmanovic at 10 and 11, but Johnson slipped.

Vin Baker trade aside, a lot of Wallace's "mistakes" were actually just being overruled by people up the food chain. The Forte pick, owners forcing him to dump salary, Pitino cutting Big Ben (twice, I believe, including once for Dwayne Schintzius and Eric Riley),etc...

[gocelts]

If OKC had Westbrook this series would be over.

Wallace has done an okay job...but he unforunatley learned his leasons at the expense of the Cs.

[ParticleMan]

meh, the grizz are still not built to win anything.

they got lucky that westbrook was out. with BW that series turns around 4-1 for OKC, imo. durant got zero help.

once the spurs dispatch the plucky warriors, they are going to get past the griz without too much trouble, unless ginobli goes on his period again and misses games.

it's a shame that injuries to BW and Rose not to mention rondo (and to a lesser extent curry) have totally changed the complexion of these playoffs. tough year to be a allstar pg.

[sully00]

What Wallace has always been good at is dealing with being responsible but at the same time lacking the authority to do anything about it. He didn't defer to OB or Red he didn't have the authority to overrule them. Wallace didn't hire OB, it was a supposed to be a power sharing trio with Leo Papile that never works because one person always ends up in charge and the power structure in Boston had been the HC was in charge and OB was the most valuable to the success on the floor he had Antoine and Paul under control. Chris was always at a disadvantage in those situations because he was not capable of coaching the team himself.

Wallace was groomed to be the GM for a President/Head Coach, that is what he did for Riley and then Pitino and essentially continued to do for Danny Ainge. Pitino actually sent Riley a second round pick for Wallace after the Heat won 61 games and Pitino had his disaterous first season trying to be a GM/HC and screwed up the salary cap.

Wallace suffers from the fog of history. ML Carr cut Ben Wallace not Pitino, Wallace was already on the Bullets when Pitino became Head Coach. Pitino was responsible for the Rick Fox, David Wesley for Chris Mills and Travis Knight fiasco Wallace wasn't hired until Pitino's second season.

Wallace dealt for Vin Baker because ownership would not allow him to resign Rodney Rodgers even though he had just traded Joe Johnson to get him. He was not allowed to go over the lux tax and he needed a big, it was terrible trade but it was forced by the payroll restrictions Gaston put in place so he could sell the team, Wallace was just trying to save his job. That instinct is what will keep him employed in the NBA as long as he wants a job.

Chris Wallace is not a genius or a mastermind he is a survivor. Where are Pitino, OB, and Papile now?

[Slartibartfast]

I remember Wallace talking up Shammond Williams as the key to the Vin Baker trade.

The Kedrick Brown pick, Joe Forte over Tony Parker, JJ and a pick for Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk, Kenny Anderson's expiring for Vin Baker... dark days, dark days.

[theman]

Also wanted Dooling over Moiso in 2000.

Has gotten stung by alcoholics a few times (Vin Baker, Kedrick Brown), but have to give hats off to the guy.

Dooling wasn't any better than Moiso. Everyone knew Baker had his issues.

Amazing though how many people still cite the Gasol/Gasol trade as an example of the Lakers getting players for nothing.

Marc Gasol was nothing but a second round pick throw in at the time of that trade.

[sully00]

I remember Wallace talking up Shammond Williams as the key to the Vin Baker trade.

The Kedrick Brown pick, Joe Forte over Tony Parker, JJ and a pick for Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk, Kenny Anderson's expiring for Vin Baker... dark days, dark days.

Tony Parker is at least a little revisionist history he would have been a risky pick and Forte was a first team All American. The Kedrick Brown instead of Troy Murphy, Jason Collins, Zach Randolph, Brendon Haywood, and Samuel Dalembert when you then have to turn around and do the Vin Baker thing is really really tough to understand or make an excuse for but again it was a front office in survival mode not a team making a 3 or 5 year plan.

The other interesting thing about the Rodgers/Delk trade was that Wallace had originally traded for Raef LaFrentz and Nick Van Excel for Kenny Anderson and Joe Johnson and Gaston would not approve the deal because of NVE money and certainly wouldn't have signed Raef and in hindsight but I don't think that Wallace and OB really knew that at the time. The C's were never really for sale they were just sold.

[theman]

Wallace dealt for Vin Baker because ownership would not allow him to resign Rodney Rodgers even though he had just traded Joe Johnson to get him. He was not allowed to go over the lux tax and he needed a big, it was terrible trade but it was forced by the payroll restrictions Gaston put in place so he could sell the team, Wallace was just trying to save his job. That instinct is what will keep him employed in the NBA as long as he wants a job.

Chris Wallace is not a genius or a mastermind he is a survivor. Where are Pitino, OB, and Papile now?

Who's call was it to send Johnson and not Brown to Phoenix for Rodney Rodgers?

Also, who decided to use the Phoenix pick a year earlier than it needed to be?

Were those both on Pitino or Wallace?

[sully00]

Marc Gasol was nothing but a second round pick throw in at the time of that trade.

This is not true at all. You didn't know and I didn't know and Wallace doesn't ever really deserve the credit for this. Marc Gasol was an excellent NBA prospect which is why the Lakers drafted him early in the 2nd round even though he was under contract in Europe. But he had also been living in Memphis with Pau so the Grizzlies organization knew exactly how good he was they saw him play all the time. The issue with Gasol is he was already getting paid in Europe to bring him to the NBA cost Memphis 10 mil over 3 years.

That isn't to say they knew he would become DPOY and a franchise center, nobody would have predicted that but he was clearly a key part of that trade. Memphis did know enough to be willing to pay him like he was a top 5.

[sully00]

Wallace dealt for Vin Baker because ownership would not allow him to resign Rodney Rodgers even though he had just traded Joe Johnson to get him. He was not allowed to go over the lux tax and he needed a big, it was terrible trade but it was forced by the payroll restrictions Gaston put in place so he could sell the team, Wallace was just trying to save his job. That instinct is what will keep him employed in the NBA as long as he wants a job.

Chris Wallace is not a genius or a mastermind he is a survivor. Where are Pitino, OB, and Papile now?

Who's call was it to send Johnson and not Brown to Phoenix for Rodney Rodgers?

OB per himself

Also, who decided to use the Phoenix pick a year earlier than it needed to be?

Wallace/OB/Papile the decision to use the picks in that draft was how they convinced Gaston to give them the job. OB had finished the season going .500 over the last 48 games and he, Wallace and Papile made a presentation to Gaston to let them keep their jobs.

To be fair the Nuggets had just gone 40-42 with Van Exel/LaFrentz/McDyess/Voshon Leonard/James Posey they looked like they would be a playoff team in '01. McDyess blew out his knee after 10 games. It would be the equivalent of betting on HOU not to make the playoffs next year.