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Removing The Rose Coloured Glasses: An honest Masai Assessment

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  • Removing The Rose Coloured Glasses: An honest Masai Assessment

    http://www.coloradoan.com/comments/a...terrible-shape

    Last Line Of he Article

    Who is to blame for the Nuggets being in bad shape at the moment? Despite what most people think, Masai Ujiri’s name belongs at the top of the suspects list.
    My Reply Under The Article

    Timothy Hedden · Actor at AAB Talent Agency
    1.) Did Ujiri take a hammer to Gallanari's knee?
    2.) Don't you think not having your 10 million dollar SF who can shoot from anywhere might effect the win column?
    3.) Did Masai fire George Karl and replace him with a rookie head coach?
    4.) Did Masai turn the once thriving Manimal into an ineffective 4?
    5.) Did Masai take a bat to Wilson Chandler?
    6.) Did Masai piss off one of the best backup veteran savvy PGs in the game and force him to leave?

    THE ONLY MISTAKE MASAI MADE WAS JAVALE MCGEE
    to which I should have added, did Masai fail to resign Iggy?

    A Healthy Lawson, Miller, Iggy, Chandler, Gallanari is the makings of a 50 win team with room for growth.

    ANYWHO. It got me thinking...Are we viewing Masai through the lens of "ohthankjesuschristhedumpedgaybargnaniandgotstuffba ckohhesthebesteveritis"?

    Are there some dust bunnies under his serta sleep number mattress?

    Its really hard to judge Masai overall because we don't really know what he is turning down.

    We do know he is patient, opportunistic and has yet to lose a trade. But like Denver he is being judged on what he got and not what he fully built and realized. His sculpture was not yet complete in Denver. It makes me curious as to what he will do when the mandate is no longer get something for these overpaid players and it becomes...get us past the first round of the playoffs.

    Not really looking for doom and gloom here because at least he is not BC.
    For still frame photograph of me reading the DeRozan thread please refer to my avatar

  • #2
    Yeah, I think the truth is likely somewhere in the middle. He's not as incredible as portrayed in Toronto, and not as bad as a sour Denver paints him.

    But it'll probably be a few years before we can conclude either way. Masai needs to be judged on his finished product. So far, he's 1 year into a 5 year project.

    Comment


    • #3
      I think you have to judge a GM on his decisions.

      I don't think it's fair to look back and say well this didn't work out, and this fell apart, etc.

      There's a common expression that goes, "focus on what you can control, ignore what you can't."

      If a GM generally makes beneficial decisions, then he's a good GM.

      Javale McGee is MU's biggest mistake. It's somewhat understandable though, he's an athletic big who could keep up with Denver's run and gun style.

      Iguodala was a questionable move in hindsight, because there wasn't any guarantee he'd stay. But if Denver had beaten GS, then Iggy isn't running.

      And finally, I think Toronto has a better chance to resign players than Denver, because despite its negative perception around the league, I think once players play here, especially if the team is successful, they realize there's a lot going on in Toronto. I'd bet our club scene is better than Sacramento's!
      "Bruno?
      Heh, if he is in the D-league still in a few years I will be surprised.
      He's terrible."

      -Superjudge, 7/23

      Hope you're wrong.

      Comment


      • #4
        So, to answer the question, I'd say yes, people here over rate MU.

        But he's a solid GM.

        He's not a magician, but I like his approach. His patient attitude is a breath of fresh air after the Colangelo years.
        "Bruno?
        Heh, if he is in the D-league still in a few years I will be surprised.
        He's terrible."

        -Superjudge, 7/23

        Hope you're wrong.

        Comment


        • #5
          The way I look at it, he's made one bad move- The Javale trade, and that was taking a shot on a young athletic big man. Getting Iggy was a good trade, and if DEN holds onto MU and Karl then I think Iggy re-signs. Chandler's a good player, and Gallinari was playing great before the injury. The reason Denver has broken down is threefold:

          Injuries: Their second-best player and best center option have been injured. Lawson getting hurt.

          System: The personnel doesn't fit it. That's shown especially in the Manimal this year.

          Chemistry: Last year was a true team. A bunch of players getting minutes in a system they liked, winning, with a coach they liked, and they seemed to be having a whole bunch more fun last year. This year, the system doesn't fit the players, the growing pains are taking a toll, the injuries have mounted, they don't like the coach as much (especially Andre Miller).

          He's only over rated here because BC was so, so bad.
          @Boymusic66

          Comment


          • #6
            TSF wrote: View Post
            He's only over rated here because BC was so, so bad.
            However, BC was initially rated highly because of how bad Babcock was

            Comment


            • #7
              Well Timothy Hedden, I gotta say I like Masai and think he's the man for the job. Denver tried to change their identity and it clearly failed.
              @sweatpantsjer

              Comment


              • #8
                To be fair, Afflalo + a pick for Iggy looks like another serious mistake now.

                The article is pretty one sided, though. From the article:

                Chandler has averaged 13.1 points per game during his time in Denver, mainly as a player who plays well one night and then disappears for two weeks. Four months after the trade, Felton was shipped to Portland in exchange for Andre Miller, a point guard who gave Nuggets fans heartburn on and off the court. Gallinari is poised to miss the entire 2013-14 season after suffering a torn ACL at the end of last year, making his long-term prognosis a question mark.

                Koufas was traded this past offseason for Darrell Arthur, who is averaging 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game this year. And Mozgov is a garden-variety center if there ever was one, averaging a little more than five points per game since coming to Denver.

                Meanwhile, Anthony has been a star in the Big Apple. As a Knick, he’s averaged 26.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He’s been named an All-Star every year in orange and blue. He won the NBA scoring title for the 2012-13 season. And last year, he led New York to their first playoff series victory in 13 years.

                Yet somehow, people still think Denver won the trade. In what possible way could that be true?
                First of all, Carmelo wasn't staying. Ujiri made a great trade in the sense that the Knicks probably paid more than they had to.

                Secondly, it looks like the single best asset that Ujiri got in that deal is the Knicks 2014 pick. It can easily end up being Marcus Smart or Aaron Gordon or someone like that. Not to mention the Knicks 2016 pick, which may or may not be good.

                The article mentions picks but then ignores it and judges the trade based on Feltons, Kostas and Mozgovs. That's pretty silly.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Nilanka wrote: View Post
                  Yeah, I think the truth is likely somewhere in the middle. He's not as incredible as portrayed in Toronto, and not as bad as a sour Denver paints him.

                  But it'll probably be a few years before we can conclude either way. Masai needs to be judged on his finished product. So far, he's 1 year into a 5 year project.
                  Yeah I agree with this. That article was pure idiocy. If you're going to blame MU for the Nuggets mess, you have to look at overpaying Nene then Mcgee, giving up a pick for Iggy, and maybe Gallo/Chandler, not the Melo trade. I also think the league overrated a 57-win team that was clearly not built for the playoffs.

                  MU has been very solid here but the almost universal adulation he gets is a little premature. Two of our assets entering the season, Lowry and our pick, have severely decreased in value. We have salary relief, which is great, but the jury is out on how we use it.

                  Masai's reputation and vision will be built this offseason. I am just nervous that a guy who cut his teeth under BC may end up playing out the same annual rearranging of the deck chairs BC did. Retool is a word thst causes me nightmares, lol.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Masai left a 57-win team in good shape, with youth, cap flexibility and draft picks. That's about all a GM can do after a couple years of work. And please don't forget that the new management chose not to keep George Karl and go with an unknown quantity, Brian Shaw. But the real story is the injuries, so I guess Masai was pretty lucky then - just like he is now. I like having lucky people on our side.

                    And honestly, who really cares about Denver's woes. That's their problem.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      The article is pretty awful.

                      Masai may be getting the rose coloured glasses by Raps fans, but he is also widely respected across the NBA and within NBA circles (media). He has yet to have made a signature move to improve this team other than ridding the team of burden's from the previous regime. He has amassed a collection of good players on movable deals without sacrificing anything. He has taken/acquired a collection of "cast-offs" (Lowry, Patterson, Vasquez, Salmons, Hayes, Hansbrough) and incorporated them with an existing group of players (Amir, DD, Ross, JV) and created a well-balanced team.
                      Heir, Prince of Cambridge

                      If you see KeonClark in the wasteland, please share your food and water with him.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Nilanka wrote: View Post
                        However, BC was initially rated highly because of how bad Babcock was
                        If that is not a statement to how crappy Babcock was, I don't know what is ...

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I think Masai is a draft and trade genious

                          However I do question his FA ability...that has usually been where his skeletons lie

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Denver needs to look at their ownership instead of masai, I can't find it now, but now lawson & Iguadola had strong reactions to masai leaving and george karl firing. Iggy's feed said something about giving him stuff to think about. He probably would have stayed, hell he even wanted to stay but Denver wouldn't match the contract offers he was getting elsewhere.
                            Gallinari is injured.
                            I don't care which team you are, it doesn't matter if its the great Pat Riley or the godly Mitch Kupchack, when you loose 2 out of your 3 best players : YOU'RE TEAM WILL REGRESS. PERIOD. NOTHING TO DISCUSS. Plus its the first year of a rookie head coach, whose trying to implement a completly different system and change their style of play. If you expected Denver to perform as well as last year then .............(lets keep it civil). Those writers are just grasping at anything to try and justify their paychecks.

                            as for Masai in Toronto, he's off to a great start, but that's all it is, a start, the team hasn't accomplished anything yet, but since he says so himself, I'm glad he's not gonna give that dumb statement at the end of every season that we're 1 piece away & blame a free agent he let walk out 3 years ago for nothing for the teams struggles today.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Masai is building his championship push for 2016-17 and beyond. Four firsts in the next 3 years, 2016 we have what should be a top 10 pick. JV will be 24. That is year one of title push. This year is just unexpected icing on the cake.
                              9 time first team all-RR, First Ballot Hall of Forum

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