Def Swami wrote:Myself and others have advocated that this team needs a President of Basketball Operations. I don't believe we have had someone fulfill that role since Bob Vander Weide left. It would be nice to have another experienced basketball mind who has relationships in the league with other GM's, agents, and players in the mold of Pat Riley, Larry Bird, or Doc Rivers. I think Hennigan did an excellent job acquiring assets, but always failed to make the deal to consolidate them into a cohesive team that makes sense. I don't think most of that is for lack of trying, but I think a lot of deals in the NBA happen because of networking and relationships that Hennigan never came in with. Having someone who has been well connected for some time would be helpful.
The appearance is that Alex Martins, who I think has done a lot of great things for the franchise in terms of public relations and business, is the next in line after Rob Hennigan in terms of making basketball decisions before getting to ownership. Given his inexperience with roster management or playing, that simply shouldn't be the case. I'm not sure why he's even in the Draft Day war room.
Dennis Scott makes a good point. There isn't any buzz or excitement around this team. It's one of the last teams League Pass fans want to watch. And that's mainly because there isn't an all-world talent like Shaq, Penny, T-Mac, or Dwight that defined every decade of Magic basketball up to this point. Even without that, there isn't much to be excited about outside of this year's draft pick and I think that perception of the franchise permeates throughout the NBA. A massive culture change is in order and that starts at the top of every successful organization.
Our ownership has been gracious for opening their wallets, but they've made several missteps in hiring people inexperienced for their positions, meddling to close to basketball decision-making, and player management (in the past). The DeVos family isn't going anywhere, but I think the bridge between the GM and the family needs to fortified with more competence and experience. The thing I've noticed about ownership is they like to hire people they trust. They have a history of hiring folks they are comfortable with, including John Weisbrod as GM, Otis Smith as GM, Bob Vander Weide as CEO, re-hiring Brian Hill as coach, hiring Jacque Vaughn as coach, hiring Scott Skiles as coach, Bo Outlaw and Nick Anderson as Ambassadors (no qualms), and of course Alex Martins as CEO.
When the Lakers hired Magic Johnson, I thought it was a weird hire given his background. But, I gave it more thought and realized they hired Rob Pelinka to be the new GM, and realized it's actually not a bad hire at all. I think that's a good relationship to have; a GM who takes care of the nitty gritty player management, scouting, drafting, trades, free agency, and cap management. I also think it helps to have a powerhouse above him to offer advice here and there, use his or her relationships to close deals, attract free agents, and set the cultural tone for the franchise.
I don't know if Scott is a great candidate for that kind of role, but I could see where this could be heading and I wouldn't mind it if an experienced GM was in place as well. Ultimately, that buzz that Scott talks about will return once the Magic acquires top tier talent, and that will still most likely come through the draft and trades. Someone who fits the role I've described that would also be familiar with the DeVos family is Doc Rivers. The Clippers are bound for murky waters with Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and JJ Redick all hitting free agency this summer and another likely 1st or 2nd round playoff exit. I wouldn't be surprised if Rivers was let go by the end of the season and the Clippers decided to go in a different direction. Offering Rivers a Riley like position in Orlando, where he still resides, could be somewhat enticing to him. It's just a thought.
Nevertheless, I while I think 3D may not be the man for the job, he makes some good points that I think the Magic could benefit from.
D Scott saying that there isn't much excitement about the team is just stating the glaringly obvious. I don't really see anything that Hennigan could realistically have done (don't mention picking Giannis ffs) with the tools he has had to date, that would have gotten us there. We had excitement in 1995 because we had two #1 picks and drafted Shaq and C Webb (Penny), then we had excitement with Dwight because we got the #1 pick and drafted him as well. Henny hasn't gotten a #1 pick yet, but if he did he may have gotten us Simmons or Wiggins or Towns, and then we would have excitement. Lets not make this out to be something that is created by management, the excitement comes from the chance to win, and 90% of that for a market like ours is dependant on lottery luck. Lets hope we get the #1 this year and then all of a sudden there will be excitement again.
It's pure magic! and cocaine! 