Is Malik Rose actually running the show?

[thesack12]

Malik Rose was hired by Detroit on June 29, 2018. So he was brought in after the 2018 draft, and only a couple days before free agency started. So he obviously didn't have any input in the '18 draft, and he likely had very little input in free agency.

Last year's free agent signings were pretty bad across the board. Robinson was a predictable fail, and bringing in the geezer twins Calderon and Zaza never had potential to bring anything good for the present or future. In addition, the 2 way contract guys were entirely uninspiring. Keenan Evans was pretty much anonymous, and we predictably never saw him with the varsity team. 30 year old Kalin Lucas is basically the antithesis of what a 2 way contract should be. 2 way guys should be young developmental guys with upside. So in short none of the guys Ed signed last season, reflected on him having a good eye nor a vision for the future.

However, this year's offseason seems to show a pretty big shift in vision/philosophy. Detroit drafted an 18 year old phenom who is probably 2 years away. They drafted another young foreign project in the 2nd round, who is at least a couple years away also. The free agent signings seem to be value based, without committing long term money. All of Rose/Morris/Frazier have pretty good chances to outplay their contracts. Then we have the waiver claim for 23 year old Christian Wood. Detroit could have filled out their roster with an aging has been, but they chose to go after the upside in Wood.

Unlike last year, both of this year's 2 way signings are young players with solid collegiate credentials.

Ed Stefanski is 65 years old. So If he is fully in charge, I don't know how eager he would be making moves with an eye on years down the road, namley drafting a guy like Sekou. Also, when he was brought in he was supposed to lead the search for the next GM and step aside. Now that Rose seems to be the heir apparent, has Ed went ahead and handed the reigns to Malik behind the scenes?

[DETermination]

I do think he will become the official gm sometime in the next year or two.

[Kilo]

Draft sounds more like Gregg Polinsky to me.

I could see Rose being the push behind Svi trade and Wood claim though given his G-League GM experience. He might trust the level of that league more in finding NBA caliber players out of it.

We also have four Milwaukee Bucks here - Thon, Frazier, Wood and Snell - maybe that's on Sweeney's advice in part. It's interesting we haven't brought in any former Casey players.

[Pharaoh]

It's not a Malik Rose thing - it's a organisation thing.

One guy is not going to sway all the others in the room. There's a load of dudes involved in each transaction.

And who cares if Ed is 65? He's not doing anything strenuous! Dude its in a office.

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[DBC10]

Hm, interesting angle. Ed is 65 years old, not exactly a spring chicken for the GM job. From what I heard, being a GM is putting in 12-16 hours constantly with the phone being glued to your ear/hand half the time. It's a grueling job, so I can see Malik being groomed right now and basically interning for this position once Ed retires.

[thesack12]

Hm, interesting angle. Ed is 65 years old, not exactly a spring chicken for the GM job. From what I heard, being a GM is putting in 12-16 hours constantly with the phone being glued to your ear/hand half the time. It's a grueling job, so I can see Malik being groomed right now and basically interning for this position once Ed retires.

Yep, and along the same lines Dwane Casey is 62 years old. Most of us don't really realize what a grind these guys constantly go through.

Those guys are obviously on the downside of their careers. The clock is ticking pretty loudly for Ed & Dwane. That being the case, its not hard to imagine they both wouldn't be all that interested in a tear it down with an eye on the future type rebuild. Which is what leads me to believe that Malik may be pulling most of the strings.

[Pharaoh]

Hm, interesting angle. Ed is 65 years old, not exactly a spring chicken for the GM job. From what I heard, being a GM is putting in 12-16 hours constantly with the phone being glued to your ear/hand half the time. It's a grueling job, so I can see Malik being groomed right now and basically interning for this position once Ed retires.

On this idea you've got a phone glued fo your head 12-16 hours a day:

How many calls you reckon Ed gets or makes each day to the 29 other teams, medical staff, coaches, scouts etc?

I'd say he'd spend more time talking to our organisation than other teams.

Doubt he's on ESPN **** around with their trade machine

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[Pharaoh]

Hm, interesting angle. Ed is 65 years old, not exactly a spring chicken for the GM job. From what I heard, being a GM is putting in 12-16 hours constantly with the phone being glued to your ear/hand half the time. It's a grueling job, so I can see Malik being groomed right now and basically interning for this position once Ed retires.

Yep, and along the same lines Dwane Casey is 62 years old. Most of us don't really realize what a grind these guys constantly go through.

Those guys are obviously on the downside of their careers. The clock is ticking pretty loudly for Ed & Dwane. That being the case, its not hard to imagine they both wouldn't be all that interested in a tear it down with an eye on the future type rebuild. Which is what leads me to believe that Malik may be pulling most of the strings.

So our GM & Coach aren't gonna go for a rebuild due to their age but they're gonna allow Rose to do it anyway?

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[thesack12]

Hm, interesting angle. Ed is 65 years old, not exactly a spring chicken for the GM job. From what I heard, being a GM is putting in 12-16 hours constantly with the phone being glued to your ear/hand half the time. It's a grueling job, so I can see Malik being groomed right now and basically interning for this position once Ed retires.

Yep, and along the same lines Dwane Casey is 62 years old. Most of us don't really realize what a grind these guys constantly go through.

Those guys are obviously on the downside of their careers. The clock is ticking pretty loudly for Ed & Dwane. That being the case, its not hard to imagine they both wouldn't be all that interested in a tear it down with an eye on the future type rebuild. Which is what leads me to believe that Malik may be pulling most of the strings.

So our GM & Coach aren't gonna go for a rebuild due to their age but they're gonna allow Rose to do it anyway?

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If Rose is the lead dog, what choice do they have?

Its also worth noting that Casey was hired before Rose was brought in. So Dwane isn't Malik's guy.

[Pharaoh]

Yep, and along the same lines Dwane Casey is 62 years old. Most of us don't really realize what a grind these guys constantly go through.

Those guys are obviously on the downside of their careers. The clock is ticking pretty loudly for Ed & Dwane. That being the case, its not hard to imagine they both wouldn't be all that interested in a tear it down with an eye on the future type rebuild. Which is what leads me to believe that Malik may be pulling most of the strings.

So our GM & Coach aren't gonna go for a rebuild due to their age but they're gonna allow Rose to do it anyway?

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If Rose is the lead dog, what choice do they have?

Its also worth noting that Casey was hired before Rose was brought in. So Dwane isn't Malik's guy.

And if Rose isn't the lead guy atm?

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[thesack12]

So our GM & Coach aren't gonna go for a rebuild due to their age but they're gonna allow Rose to do it anyway?

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If Rose is the lead dog, what choice do they have?

Its also worth noting that Casey was hired before Rose was brought in. So Dwane isn't Malik's guy.

And if Rose isn't the lead guy atm?

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When did I say a rebuild was imminent?

Between the draft moves, and free agency signings it seems like there is some kind of a two year plan. That two year plan coincides with Dre's contract coming off the books and Blake needing to make a decision on his option. Even if Blake opts in, he'll be an expiring contract after 2 seasons, so he won't be hard to move.

My point is, if the 2 year plan is indeed in the cards, I don't think Stefanski (who would be 67 at the time) and Casey (Who would be 64) would either have the enthusiasm or energy to engineer a proper tear down/rebuild.

I'm still not entirely convinced Stefanski is sitting in the lead chair at the moment anyways.

[DBC10]

Hm, interesting angle. Ed is 65 years old, not exactly a spring chicken for the GM job. From what I heard, being a GM is putting in 12-16 hours constantly with the phone being glued to your ear/hand half the time. It's a grueling job, so I can see Malik being groomed right now and basically interning for this position once Ed retires.

On this idea you've got a phone glued fo your head 12-16 hours a day:

How many calls you reckon Ed gets or makes each day to the 29 other teams, medical staff, coaches, scouts etc?

I'd say he'd spend more time talking to our organisation than other teams.

Doubt he's on ESPN **** around with their trade machine

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Maybe not now when it's the real off-season with things seemingly calming down after free agency. But I reckon they're always connected on the web gathering information all the time within the organization and outside too. It's like being on call 24 hours.

It might not "feel" like a physically demanding work in comparison to say, coal mining, but it's a mentally taxing work in which you really dont get much time for yourself. Being stuck in an office for more than 10 hours can get to you, especially when everyone is coming to you for problems or ideas.

[kellmellus50]

Someone is doing something because this year is 100 % better than last year,and i agree it's probably Malik Rose behind the scenes

[thesack12]

Hm, interesting angle. Ed is 65 years old, not exactly a spring chicken for the GM job. From what I heard, being a GM is putting in 12-16 hours constantly with the phone being glued to your ear/hand half the time. It's a grueling job, so I can see Malik being groomed right now and basically interning for this position once Ed retires.

On this idea you've got a phone glued fo your head 12-16 hours a day:

How many calls you reckon Ed gets or makes each day to the 29 other teams, medical staff, coaches, scouts etc?

I'd say he'd spend more time talking to our organisation than other teams.

Doubt he's on ESPN **** around with their trade machine

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Maybe not now when it's the real off-season with things seemingly calming down after free agency. But I reckon they're always connected on the web gathering information all the time within the organization and outside too. It's like being on call 24 hours.

It might not "feel" like a physically demanding work in comparison to say, coal mining, but it's a mentally taxing work in which you really dont get much time for yourself. Being stuck in an office for more than 10 hours can get to you, especially when everyone is coming to you for problems or ideas.

+1

These guys also have to deal with a grueling travel schedule. Even when they are "off" or at home, you hear a lot of these are constantly watching film, etc.

Guys like Ed and Dwane, have been doing these kinds of things for upwards of 35-40 years. That's an extremely long time to be distant from their families and living out of a suitcase. Being they are in their 60's, I'd imagine they can see the end of the line for themselves.

[Pharaoh]

So if they're not into a rebuild why aren't we sacrificing the future for a Westbrook, DeRozan, CP3 etc?

I'm sure Malik has input but to credit him for any good moves while trashing Ed for the bad ones is screwy IMO.

To me it seems the organisation as a whole has shifted.

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[thesack12]

So if they're not into a rebuild why aren't we sacrificing the future for a Westbrook, DeRozan, CP3 etc?

I'm sure Malik has input but to credit him for any good moves while trashing Ed for the bad ones is screwy IMO.

To me it seems the organisation as a whole has shifted.

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Here are several reasons why they may not have sacrificed for the future trading for those guys.

1) Getting any of those guys likely makes Detroit a perennial tax team, so Gores simply said no.
2) Perhaps Malik Rose has more power than we think, and he's not down with such moves.
3) Perhaps none of those guys strike the fancy of Ed Stefanski.
4) If the 2 year plan I mentioned is actually a thing, those moves deviate from said plan.
5) The trade cost to get those guys is/was prohibitive

Call it screwy if you like, but the fact of the matter is Malik Rose was brought in a mere 2 days before free agency started last summer. So its a fairly safe assumption that he didn't have much input in last year's free agency. Last year's signings were awful across the board. Yet this summer with Malik having an established presence/voice the signings were very solid across the board and all of them have potential to gain value in Detroit.

I will again repeat the the reason Stefanski was brought in was to lead the search for a new GM. By the time he hired Rose, Ed had already gone through a draft and a hired a coach. So its entirely possible Gores/Ed/Malik all had an pre-arranged agreement that Ed would stand in for awhile to let his already made decisions play out a bit, but Malik would gradually ramp up his presence/voice in the organization.

Do we even know what kind of contract Ed has? Again if the "2 year plan" I mentioned is a thing, its entirely possible that coincides with Stefanksi's contract ending and he officially passes the torch to Malik.

[Pharaoh]

So if they're not into a rebuild why aren't we sacrificing the future for a Westbrook, DeRozan, CP3 etc?

I'm sure Malik has input but to credit him for any good moves while trashing Ed for the bad ones is screwy IMO.

To me it seems the organisation as a whole has shifted.

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Here are several reasons why they may not have sacrificed for the future trading for those guys.

1) Getting any of those guys likely makes Detroit a perennial tax team, so Gores simply said no.
2) Perhaps Malik Rose has more power than we think, and he's not down with such moves.
3) Perhaps none of those guys strike the fancy of Ed Stefanski.
4) If the 2 year plan I mentioned is actually a thing, those moves deviate from said plan.
5) The trade cost to get those guys is/was prohibitive

Call it screwy if you like, but the fact of the matter is Malik Rose was brought in a mere 2 days before free agency started last summer. So its a fairly safe assumption that he didn't have much input in last year's free agency. Last year's signings were awful across the board. Yet this summer with Malik having an established presence/voice the signings were very solid across the board and all of them have potential to gain value in Detroit.

I will again repeat the the reason Stefanski was brought in was to lead the search for a new GM. By the time he hired Rose, Ed had already gone through a draft and a hired a coach. So its entirely possible Gores/Ed/Malik all had an pre-arranged agreement that Ed would stand in for awhile to let his already made decisions play out a bit, but Malik would gradually ramp up his presence/voice in the organization.

Do we even know what kind of contract Ed has? Again if the "2 year plan" I mentioned is a thing, its entirely possible that coincides with Stefanksi's contract ending and he officially passes the torch to Malik.

All I'm saying is that's a lot of assumptions about Malik's role in any decision.

Until something definitive comes out thar states the buck stops with him it's all speculation

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[pistonpat]

Malik Rose was hired by Detroit on June 29, 2018. So he was brought in after the 2018 draft, and only a couple days before free agency started. So he obviously didn't have any input in the '18 draft, and he likely had very little input in free agency.

Last year's free agent signings were pretty bad across the board. Robinson was a predictable fail, and bringing in the geezer twins Calderon and Zaza never had potential to bring anything good for the present or future. In addition, the 2 way contract guys were entirely uninspiring. Keenan Evans was pretty much anonymous, and we predictably never saw him with the varsity team. 30 year old Kalin Lucas is basically the antithesis of what a 2 way contract should be. 2 way guys should be young developmental guys with upside. So in short none of the guys Ed signed last season, reflected on him having a good eye nor a vision for the future.

However, this year's offseason seems to show a pretty big shift in vision/philosophy. Detroit drafted an 18 year old phenom who is probably 2 years away. They drafted another young foreign project in the 2nd round, who is at least a couple years away also. The free agent signings seem to be value based, without committing long term money. All of Rose/Morris/Frazier have pretty good chances to outplay their contracts. Then we have the waiver claim for 23 year old Christian Wood. Detroit could have filled out their roster with an aging has been, but they chose to go after the upside in Wood.

Unlike last year, both of this year's 2 way signings are young players with solid collegiate credentials.

Ed Stefanski is 65 years old. So If he is fully in charge, I don't know how eager he would be making moves with an eye on years down the road, namley drafting a guy like Sekou. Also, when he was brought in he was supposed to lead the search for the next GM and step aside. Now that Rose seems to be the heir apparent, has Ed went ahead and handed the reigns to Malik behind the scenes?

Something is going on. I too have noticed a much better profile of guys we are going after from years past. I thought last years off season was horrible with what you already described above. Nothing against Ed, but he has never done anything of note wherever he has been. While he has "experience", I thought it was a big fail initially. At same time, with his fails, maybeI he learned more about what pieces he needed and is now letting them run it while he oversees it. I mean they finally hired someone another organization wanted ( analytic person who went to Minn).

I don't know if it is Malik, or something else, but this offseason signings and roster building has guys was very smart ( while smaller) . Also they did not panic on the Westbrook situation, like they did with Griffin. My interest is what happens from here. Any smart person knows while Blake makes them competitive, they still are no better than a 6-7th seed. Do they turn him into something that may take them to a higher level in the future and before he gets hurt again? What to do with Drummond as he likely opts out? This is an opportunity to jump start the team if they are looking to break up this merry go round we have been on for over a decade between the 8th seed and 8-12 in the lottery (far enough out to not get a difference maker).

[The_Irony]

have my doubts Malik is running the show solely off the fact that pick 30 had 5 really good players available that fit needs and traded down. seems like a pat garrity move or influence. more than likely it's a committee and they vote on certain decisions and if someone is really determined to make a move then they are trusted to make that move.

[Pharaoh]

have my doubts Malik is running the show solely off the fact that pick 30 had 5 really good players available that fit needs and traded down. seems like a pat garrity move or influence. more than likely it's a committee and they vote on certain decisions and if someone is really determined to make a move then they are trusted to make that move.

Seems dealing #30 was a cap driven move with the added bonus of doing Tellum's kid a favour.

Who's our cap guy in the FO?

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