sully00 wrote:It wasn't the paying of the tax it was getting the redistributed tax money. It was pretty substantial I want to say it was like 5 mil in Paul Gaston's pocket.
I get hating Wallace for being a weak GM who was overruled by everyone but that was essentially the point he didn't have the authority that is why it was easy for him to stay here after Ainge took over his job never really changed. He would scout some Euros and CBA guys and Ainge and the Coach would make the roster calls. That is why Memphis can bring in a guy like Hollinger and it doesn't affect Wallace because he is looking to find a consensus anyway not dictate.
I wouldn't go too far with that one. Getting players that actually fit your coach's schemes? Imagine that. Guy wasn't getting overruled by the likes of Obie, Papile or Lionel Hollins. We are talking about team owners and team presidents like Pitino and Red Auerbach. Your boss comes up to you right now and tells you to get the hell off RealGM and get back to work, you're gonna do it.
Plus, you say scouting like it's a bad thing. Player evaluation is the whole name of the game, and the most important thing GMs do by far. Just look at Red and Jerry West (both of whom thought/think highly of Wallace, and the latter of which hand-picked him as his successor in Memphis). Evaluating players and prospects and putting a value on them, and seeing who out there is undervalued or underutilized... it's a whole cottage industry now. Ask BfB.
Anyhow, what I am saying in this thread is basically three-fold.
1. Despite the criticism of the guy, his teams have actually been pretty successful in the NBA. That's not luck at a certain point. Just look at the team he put together in Memphis right now. A bunch of undervalued players who are straight killing it. Big, tough, talented and only the 25th highest payroll in the league.
2. Relative to being overruled, or his teams being unwilling or unable to take his advice, guy sure has a lot of killer I told you so's. Dirk, Pau, Jermaine, Parker, Randolph, etc. That's not CBA guys. You are implying this was all luck (Marc Gasol, Parker), but no one is that lucky.
3. No one called him a mastermind, or the Exec of the Year, or excused the Baker trade. I think it is more of a Jeff Green thing, where some people took it upon themselves to completely hate on a guy that actually turned out to be pretty damned good. At a certain point, it's just like, "Hey, look at the scoreboard." Hence this thread.