Suns hire away Wizards' "master evaluator"

[keynote]

"Master evaluator"?

http://www.azcentral.com/insiders/paulc ... -for-suns/

When Ryan McDonough became the Suns general manager, he talked about following Boston’s tighter front office model with “master evaluators” who could scout and compare players from any college or league.

The first men he targeted for those roles are Washington Wizards director of player personnel Pat Connelly and former Los Angeles Lakers assistant general manager Ronnie Lester, who are joining the Suns’ scouting staff in unspecified roles.

Connelly has spent seven seasons with the Wizards, working the first five as a scout and being promoted to director of player personnel for the past two seasons. He was considered a top collegiate and international talent evaluator for Washington but also delves into salary cap management and analytics.

So, the Suns are cherrypicking a talent evaluator who was part of the brain trust that has managed the Wizards' draft over the past seven years!?

Connelly: don't let the door hit ya where the dog shoulda bit ya.

[montestewart]

now we know where they can trade Vesely.

[JWizmentality]

If he was responsible for Vesely, Satoransky, Veermenko, Big Pecker.....good riddance.

[montestewart]

He'll probably be great now that he's left the Wizards, just like Jordan Crawford.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

now we know where they can trade Vesely.

Hooray!

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

If he was responsible for Vesely, Satoransky, Veermenko, Big Pecker.....good riddance.

Can the Suns also take Ernie Grunfeld?

[keynote]

Let's not sell him short. He was also part of the team that ran the calculations behind the Wizards' masterful management of their salary cap over the past several years.

In any event, I can't tell whether this is a promotion or a lateral move, but the fact that he got the gig says that his interview skills must be Gar Heardian.

[Silvie Lysandra]

Well, the problem with dissing anyone in the Wizards scouting department is the Scott Campbell/Morocco Brown syndrome - we now know that Campbell and Brown are elite talent evaluators, it's just that Vinny refused to listen.

Maybe Connelly was screaming to high heaven while Ernie was flushing assets down the toilet but Ernie refused to listen.

[montestewart]

Well, the problem with dissing anyone in the Wizards scouting department is the Scott Campbell/Morocco Brown syndrome - we now know that Campbell and Brown are elite talent evaluators, it's just that Vinny refused to listen.

Maybe Connelly was screaming to high heaven while Ernie was flushing assets down the toilet but Ernie refused to listen.

OK, well then maybe we know who's going to trade us the next Vesely.

[nuposse04]

morris for vesely, make it happen.

[gaspar]

morris for vesely, make it happen.

Nah, we will keep the twins, but you can have Beasley or Brown

[closg00]

Well, the problem with dissing anyone in the Wizards scouting department is the Scott Campbell/Morocco Brown syndrome - we now know that Campbell and Brown are elite talent evaluators, it's just that Vinny refused to listen.

Maybe Connelly was screaming to high heaven while Ernie was flushing assets down the toilet but Ernie refused to listen.

Good point. If you review who we have brought-in for pre-draft workouts the last 4-5 years, we have brought-in the right talent, Leonard for example in 2011. OTOH the Wiz staff "were practically unanimous" in wanting Vesely.

[keynote]

Maybe Connelly was screaming to high heaven while Ernie was flushing assets down the toilet but Ernie refused to listen.

That's certainly the position I would take in a job interview if I were Connelly. Every anecdote would start with "what had happened was..."

The problem is: how do I prove it? I can't just go back and say: "yeah, I wanted [insert every good prospect and smart pick from the past decade], but management went in another direction. Again." Does he have video of himself saying he wanted Leonard and Faried while holding up a June 15, 2011 newspaper?

At some point, you gotta be able to point to a track record.

[LyricalRico]

morris for vesely, make it happen.

Nah, we will keep the twins, but you can have Beasley or Brown

Shannon Brown for Vesely? Sign me up for that, bro.

[montestewart]

Maybe Connelly was screaming to high heaven while Ernie was flushing assets down the toilet but Ernie refused to listen.

That's certainly the position I would take in a job interview if I were Connelly. Every anecdote would start with "what had happened was..."

The problem is: how do I prove it? I can't just go back and say: "yeah, I wanted [insert every good prospect and smart pick from the past decade], but management went in another direction. Again." Does he have video of himself saying he wanted Leonard and Faried while holding up a June 15, 2011 newspaper?

At some point, you gotta be able to point to a track record.

Wait a minute, I thought we were talking about this guy Connelly . . .

Do they need a new GM too?

[AFM]

Suns hired WizD?

[Nivek]

I don't know Connelly. He might be a good evaluator. He's not the decision-maker, so it's tough to know what he advised vs. what the team did. Also, he may have established a reputation as a talent evaluator through "hanging out" with scouts from other teams. They all go to the same places to watch the same players, and they all talk about what they see. So, it could be that he impressed people with things he said in those kinds of settings.

All that said, there's a key passage in Mike Lee's article:

Connelly has been with the Wizards for the past seven years, including the past two seasons in his role as director of player personnel. He was preceded at that position by his older brother, Tim, who left to become the assistant general manager for New Orleans in August 2010.

And this one:

Another brother, Joe, currently serves as a player development assistant with the Wizards.

Now, maybe the Connelly boys are really smart and great judges of talent. Or, maybe they know someone and are getting the hook up. And, maybe they really are smart, because they seem to be jumping ship before there's a regime change in Washington.

[dangermouse]

C...can we have one of your Doctors? Please Suns.... please.

[keynote]

C...can we have one of your Doctors? Please Suns.... please.

Yes! Maybe it's a sign and trade.

[Nivek]

Oh yeah, the brother Joe Connelly -- he was Blatche's trainer. That worked great.