Kevin Pritchard Should Be GM Of The Decade
When I was at the Knicks/Blazers game the other day, I was reading through the press materials and came across an amazing fact buried deep within the packet. Of the 15 players on Portland’s roster, 13 were first round picks; nine of those were picked with the 11th selection or higher, and three were selected third or higher.
Now without looking at every NBA roster, I would venture to guess that no other team in the League has nine players drafted in the Top 11 picks. And sure the draft isn’t an exact science, but the cream often rises to the top. Wondering how this happened? The answer is Kevin Pritchard.
Going to school in Portland for four years allowed me to witness Pritchard’s transformation of the Rose City franchise from the Jail Blazers to one of the NBA’s youngest and most talented squads. In two draft-day deals, Pritchard sent Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa to the Bulls for LaMarcus Aldridge, and Randy Foye to the Timberwolves for Brandon Roy.
In addition, Pritchard must know someone intimately in the Suns front office in order to acquire the rights to Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Rodriguez for cash considerations. If not for Derrick Rose, Rudy has as good a chance as any to win Rookie of the Year.
So while Boston will most likely beat the surging Blazers in this Friday’s game, Kevin Pritchard has set up Portland to be successful for years to come.
December 4th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Big Sia says:
Durant will haunt him
December 4th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
chronically_ill says:
The Blazers have some nice young pieces, but come on. GM of the Decade? Win a chip first, and then let’s talk.
December 4th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
hahns says:
i was at the knicks game too. oden does NOT know what hes doing when hes on the court
December 4th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Aron says:
@chronically_ill
His ‘chips will come. Unlike other GMs that have been handed squads, Pritchard has pieced together this team from garbage.
Guys like him and Colangelo up in Toronto have assembled squads rather than just accepted the status quo.
December 4th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Samaki Walker says:
Dumars does it without the lottery. *insert Darko joke here*. But seriously, pretty hard to mess up with you pick top 10 year after year. *insert Paxon joke here*.
December 4th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
doc says:
His chips will come huh.You hope they will they dont look like no certain thing to me.They good but this Portland about to win the chip shit is ludacris.
December 4th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Aron says:
@doc
Not this year, but come on. Tell me a team with a younger, more talented core than the Blazers?
December 4th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
dmitry of jersey says:
the nets
December 4th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
vinny says:
Atlanta, and the nets are both young core talented teams.
And Rod thorn has to be in the running for any gm of the decade conversation-even without the ring.along with joe dumars and the gm of the spurs.
December 4th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Aron says:
@dmitry
Are you serious? Other than Devin Harris, Yi, Brook Lopez and sometimes Ryan Anderson, you guys aren’t going anywhere, anytime soon. I’m sorry.
@vinny
Atlanta is a good call. Lots of young talents on that squad.
December 4th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
the rocket cat says:
I’ve said it before: if the Blazers weren’t in Portland, they’d be in the best position heading into 2010 of any team in the league. Not only do they have a young core, their core is presently cheap as hell, and will still be cheap as hell in 2010. They can spend all that cap space on free agents, then go way over the cap when the time comes to re-sign their existing players. Paying the luxury tax shouldn’t be too much of an issue for Paul Allen. If guys like LeBron and Bosh are really serious about winning a championship, they should go to Portland. However, if they want to play in a big market or live in a city where they won’t be bored out of their minds, it may not be the best choice.
December 4th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Joshua says:
teams with a young nucleus MEMPHIS anybody
arthur mayo gay gasol conley warrick and more they are young and in a couple of years they gonna rule not that i’m a memhis fan but they have good players and with this years almost sure to be lottery pick they only gonna be better
December 4th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
JCARR says:
This guy is an uncredited genius!!! He has put the perfect plan now all the pieces have to execute and work correctly.
From jailblazers to blazing.
@Aron
What other GM would challenge his title as GM of the decade?
December 4th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Big Sia says:
NETS >
December 4th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
dagwaller says:
And in related news, Vincent Cassel has gone missing!
http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/photo/vincent_cassel.jpg
Could be the same person.
December 4th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Drink the Haterade (KB24 Chip 09) says:
What about the Lakers, young only two of their players are over 30, Kobe and D Fish
December 4th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
msahovey says:
Get real AP he is going to end up as the goat of the decade. That Oden pick is looking worse and worse everyday.
December 4th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
dmitry of jersey says:
Aron:
Ok I concede: other than a star point guard, a potential star center, and a set of legit role players under 30 yrs old, the Nets got nothing.
If the Nets had anything near a home-court advantage in the Izod center they would be a real threat in the East in the next couple years.
… the Blazers might be young, but collectively they are like T-Mac: incredible talent but an injury waiting to happen.
December 4th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
j says:
If you think the oden pick was a bad pick either you dont watch trailblazer games, or you dont know shit about basketball. yes his stats suck, yes he isnt very good yet, but he draws so much attention offensively and is a big factor on the defensive end. on defense he changes a lot of shots and blocks a few, plus he clogs the lane and gets rebounds. offensively, though he looks terrible, the defense is always focused on him. other players get a lot of open shots because of odens presence. why do you think rudy blake, and outlaw are hitting at such a high percentage. It is because they are so open cause the people guarding them are sagging to help on oden. though he sucks righ now he is a game changer and teh right pick to make. all durant does is jack up 20 shots a game at less than 40 percent for a shitty team
December 4th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
the_don_mega says:
how ’bout Pops?
December 4th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
A,R. says:
Of the decade? Eh. I don’t know. I mean its easy to fall from grace as a GM. One minute your the most loved man in the city, then a free agent signing doesn’t pan out or a top draft pick turns out to be a bust and they’re calling for your head. And besides Kupchak has to be at the top with that heist he pulled off on the Grizzles last year! Lmao! Not to mention drafting Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar, and Sasha V in recent years. Plus he learned from the best in Jerry West (Shaq, Kobe, need I say more?)
December 4th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Holladay says:
Yeah Portland looks good know with all those 1st round lottery picks. But what’s gonna happen come contract time when all of these young stars contract are expiring in the next 2 yrs. Everybody aint gonna be able to get the paper they want or deserve. Then will see if Mr. Pritchard is GM of the Decade.
December 4th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
sith lord 24 says:
a GM’s job is to get the Players there. A coaches job is to win the with the players. this guy HAS done his job!!!
December 5th, 2008 at 12:00 am
DrunkPTownLegend says:
@ holladay…….The nba, Where Paul Allen happens
December 5th, 2008 at 2:10 am
Jakestephens503 says:
I gotta agree with my boy AP. We lived in Portland throughout some of the darkest years in Blazers history, with the darkest being in 2006. In that year, they went 21-61. Pritchard took over for the next draft, took the #4 pick and turned that into LaMarcus Aldridge, took Sebastian Telfair and turned that into Brandon Roy and that was basically his first chance to prove himself. Since then, he’s taken Greg Oden and basically bought Rudy Fernandez and Nicolas Batum, two very promising European talents who have already proven they belong in the league. His first year, we improved to 31 wins, his second 41 wins, and this year, we’re looking like 51 wins is very possible and could do even better. That would be 3 straight years of 10 win improvements with most of the talent still not near their peak, that’s pretty much unprecedented in basketball. On top of that, Greg Oden is playing well, as long as he stays relatively healthy this year, I think he’ll be fine, and his size and defense are already impacting the game even if he is out of shape. I watch all their games and he definitely changes how teams attack the basket and a lot of veterans don’t even try to contest his dunks already when he’s within a foot or two of the basket, that’s saying something. New Jersey has some young pieces, but I guarantee they can’t win a championship if they don’t bring in at least one more all-star level player, such as LeBron James, which is very possible. Atlanta has young talent, but I don’t think they really compare to Portland, how will they replace Bibby and what if Joe Johnson leaves as a free agent? The Lakers will be interesting to watch with their young players, but Kobe’s already in his 13th season, I think he’s got a few great seasons ahead of him, but it’s tough to play MVP-type ball in your 15th or 16th NBA season, so a player like Bynum would really have to step up. But one of the most important things Pritchard has does is change the culture of the team from guys who had bad attitudes and couldn’t stay out of legal trouble to solid citizens and he took one of the highest payrolls in the league and has basically nobody signed past 2010, which leaves a lot of flexibility for 2010. Once we get rid of Raef LaFrentz, we have the youngest team in the NBA and we already have one of the league’s best records. I am admittedly very biased, but I think Portland has the brightest future of any team in the NBA, although that could change if everything is shaken up in 2010 w/ free agency. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t give Pritchard the GM of the Decade yet because San Antonio has won 4 championships in the last 10 years and though the Blazers have a great nucleus of young players, an award like that should go to the GM of a team that has won multiple championships and the potential of the Blazers means nothing until they win a ring or multiple ones, but big ups to AP for giving much needed recognition to what KP has already accomplished.
December 5th, 2008 at 2:47 am
johnsacrimoni says:
It all rests on Oden. If he can come anywhere close to the franchise player he was hyped to be, the Blazers will be serious contenders for years to come. If he turns out to be a bust or chronically injured, they’ll just be a middle-of-the-road team.
December 5th, 2008 at 3:11 am
bookkwormmaster@yahoo.com says:
sith lord 24 says:
a GM’s job is to get the Players there. A coaches job is to win the with the players. this guy HAS done his job!!!
Gotta agree with SL24. The guy has brought in the talent, he brought in the coach, he did a complete 360 on the franchise’s future AND image. He is definitely the front-runner but like some other posters said the gms of the Lakers an Spurs respectively are right their breathing down his neck.
Food For Thought: I like what Greg Oden has brought to that team with his presence in the paint and I am not knocking drafting him with the no. 1 overall pick, but just think about how sick the Blazers would be with a trio of Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldrige, and Kevin Durant. They would be the Suns lite. I mean at this point I don’t really see too much of a big difference between Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla from a defensive standpoint other than that Oden is more athletically gifted than Przybilla (big fan of this guy; love they way he plays). Switch Oden with Durant with that team being that young, talented, and deep and we’re talking about a potential dynasty waiting to happen. Plus with Durant at the 3 and my new fav international player Rudy Fernandez (became a fan during the olympics before he lit up the U.S.) able to switch between the 2 and 3 and you can trade either Travis Outlaw or Martell Webster and another player of two for a solid big man.
December 5th, 2008 at 3:15 am
solomon says:
NETS? pleeeeezzee… as mentioned above, brook / devin / sean dub / ryan anderson and who? we’re speaking of young core here…
ATL, yes, they somehow cracked the playoffs and went 7 with beantown… MEM, yes, but needs to rack up some W’s 1st before anything else…
btw, good one, Jakestephens503
December 5th, 2008 at 9:42 am
rell says:
GM of the decade should be a tie between Danny Ainge and Kevin Mchale.
Kevin Mchale for resurrecting the struggling franchise the Boston Celtics.
Danny Ainge for help building Portland franchise by trading our #7 pick which turned out to be Brandon Roy for Sebastian Telfair. You are welcome Portland.
Honorable mention – Chris Wallace for making the Lakers a title contender. (Just remember Wallace you still owe Boston for destroying our franchise. We are still on waiting on the Rudy Gay trade).
December 6th, 2008 at 7:34 am
Stephen says:
@rell – Kevin McHale gets even more thanks. Brandon Roy wasn’t the #7 pick, he was the #6 pick. If McHale didn’t swap Roy for Foye, Portland’s future wouldn’t be nearly as bright.
December 6th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
BEdger says:
you guys saying Portland should have drafted Durant are nuts! First of all #27 commenter up there says that the Blazers could be Suns lite….when exactly did the Suns win a title? Better yet, when was the last title won with offense and not defense? Durant wouldn’t bring anything to the table that the Blazers don’t already have, having Oden and Pryzbilla manning the paint is crucial to the Blazers success. With Oden playing, the Blazers allow 14 less points per game than when he is not playing, tell me that doesn’t make a difference
December 6th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
dickey simpkins says:
I’m sorry, but when did the Blazers make the playoffs? I like the Blazers, love Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernandez, but let’s be real. This honor goes to Joe Dumars or RC Buford, guys who have built successful teams that contend for titles every single year without the benefit of lottery picks, tons of cap space, or an owner who doesn’t give a crap about the luxury tax. (having Tim Duncan doesn’t hurt…but who said a GM didn’t need luck?)
December 7th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
PhxBlazerFan says:
I agree that you cannot yet call Pritchard the GM of the Decade. He could be very well on his way though. After 3 years he’s taken a team that had huge image problems, was WAY over the cap and had little talent for the future. Now, they are loaded with young talent, have great cap flexibility, will be at least $32 million under the cap in 2010 and have multiple additional picks for the next 3 years. Add the fact they they are #2 in the West right now and still aren’t even close to their potential. And look how fast he did it, they must win a championship though before you can continue the debate.