One of my favorite pieces of writing of the summer was this NBA Fanhouse article by Bethlehem Shoals about the plight of the NBA General Manager. As someone who never hesitates to criticize a GM's decision, it was a pleasure to read.
What we forget is that NBA GMs face a unique challenge. On the one hand, the GM is arguably the most important person within the organization. Coaches matter, of course, but the NBA is primarily a players' league, with the coach acting more as a manager. The players matter, insomuch as they decide games. The owner matters because he is at the top of the organization's flow chart. The general manager, however, delivers the players, hires the coach and carries out the owner's vision. He's ultimately the one who has his fingers in every part of the team.
But on the other hand, a general manager often doesn't matter that much. The NBA is forever a superstars' league, and most of the time, everyone knows who is going to be a superstar. It doesn't take a genius to pick LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, John Wall and other great No. 1 picks. That one player can mask so many mistakes a GM makes and make him out to be more of a genius than he actually is.
You can see where the whole picture becomes really murky. General managers are criticized for a number of unrelated things, but the reality is that this is not a level playing field. We try to objectively evaluate GMs by looking at their win-loss record, but that's completely unfair because GMs deal with different owners, have varying degrees of luck in finding that elusive superstar and operate under different budgets (not every team can pay the luxury tax, you know). Context is so important, and yet, whenever people evaluate NBA GMs, it often is on some sort of universal scale (e.g. winning). I realize why we talk in these kind of terms (the age of Twitter, the enlightened fan, etc.), but it doesn't have to be like this.
Therefore, I'm going to attempt the 30 NBA GMs using a more qualitative scale that goes beyond one's win-loss record. I will do my best to consider context rather than wins. We'll count from 30 to 1, because I'm guessing you all want to read about bad GMs first.
1. Pat Riley, Heat
2. Kevin O'Connor, Jazz
3. Daryl Morey, Rockets
4. Sam Presti, Thunder
5. Mark Warkentien, Nuggets
6. Kevin Pritchard, Blazers
7. R.C. Buford, Spurs
8. Danny Ainge, Celtics
9. Geoff Petrie, Kings
10. Donnie Nelson, Mavericks
11. John Hammond, Bucks
12. Rod Thorn, Nets
13. Mitch Kupchak, Lakers
14. Donnie Walsh, Knicks
15. Danny Ferry, Cavaliers
16. Steve Kerr, Suns
17. Otis Smith, Magic
18. Ernie Grunfeld, Wizards
19. Gar Forman/John Paxson, Bulls
20. Jeff Bower, Hornets
21. Chris Wallace, Grizzlies
22. Rick Sund, Hawks
23. Michael Jordan/Rod Higgins, Bobcats
24. Joe Dumars, Pistons
25. Mike Dunleavy, Clippers
26. David Kahn, Timberwolves
27. Bryan Colangelo, Raptors
28. Larry Riley, Warriors
29. Ed Stefanski, 76ers
30. Larry Bird, Pacers
