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Masai Ujiri Hired As Raptors GM (post #780)

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  • I wanted to read more about Mike Zarren, and I came across this presentation here:



    This was a panel talking about NBA analytics at the 2013 Sloan Conference. The panel included Zarren, but also Buford, SVG, Pritchard, and Zach Lowe. If you have a spare hour I recommend watching the whole thing.. I found it enjoyable.

    I am so happy that Colangelo is gone.. this conference proves to me how bad Colangelo was at building the right team. Getting him out of there was the best news I heard all year. Now we need a GM that properly understands analytics and knows how to hire a coach that understands analytics as well. I'm actually impressed by Zarren by listening to this conference. He might be a bit green when it comes to fielding a team, but I actually think he'd be a good fit going forward.

    So going through Sportsnet's list of candidates (thanks Matt for posting them), my list would be:

    1) Weaver
    2) Zarren
    3) Pritchard
    4) Ujiri

    And if any of these guys can get SVG that would be a major coup. Also if we need a cap expert they should hire Larry Coon.

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    • Links to Tim Leiweke conference call:

      Video 1:
      http://www.nba.com/raptors/video/201...3/Anon-2486039

      Video 2:
      http://www.nba.com/raptors/video/201...3/Anon-2486042

      Video 3:
      http://www.nba.com/raptors/video/201...3/Anon-2486056



      This was the first chance I had to listen to the conference call with Leiweke. All I can say is C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-C-E! I had read a lot of the comments made by Leiweke but I had not had an opportunity to listen. Colangelo had a lot of confidence too but with him he was always trying to sell something. Leiweke is just laying it out and telling you like it is and is going to be. There is no messing around here - if you take him at face value. Any reservation I have of a GM being influenced by Colangelo is out. The only way that GM is influenced is if he is weak and I don't think any one who gets hired is going to be weak minded. Also the explanation Leiweke gives is reasonable on the dual leadership reporting directly to him. He made reference to the set up with the LA Kings with Robitaille in charge of the business side and Lombardi running the hockey side of the franchise with both reporting to himself.

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      • Leiweke is the man! I heard his interview on Prime Time Sports earlier this week. He doesn't seem to be a bullsh!tter... just tells it as it is. Love that about him. He actually reminds me of a former boss I had, and I loved working for him.

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        • To reply to the title of this thread.

          A basketball Identity would be nice...

          Comment


          • I think it will be and want Ujiri. He seems like the guy Leiweke wants, and we have the money to go out and get him. Offer something Denver can't match.

            If not Ujiri, I also like Weaver. I'm just partial to Ujiri due to his ridiculous success in trades and excellent drafting. Not sure how much credit you can give to Weaver for the success of OKC.

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            • Primer wrote: View Post
              I think it will be and want Ujiri. He seems like the guy Leiweke wants, and we have the money to go out and get him. Offer something Denver can't match.

              If not Ujiri, I also like Weaver. I'm just partial to Ujiri due to his ridiculous success in trades and excellent drafting. Not sure how much credit you can give to Weaver for the success of OKC.

              I am not either but from the sounds of things he is involved in OKC and he is the 2nd in command behind Presti:

              Weaver joined the Thunder in May of 2008 and assists General Manager Sam Presti with roster development and day-to-day basketball operations. In addition, he coordinates the team’s player personnel matters including NBA Draft preparation, player free agency and summer league roster.

              Weaver held the position of director of player personnel for the Utah Jazz in 2007-08. He spent three seasons (2004-07) as head scout for the Jazz before his promotion to Director of Player Personnel.

              Prior to joining the Jazz, Weaver was an assistant coach at Syracuse University for four seasons (2000-04). The Orangemen won the 2003 NCAA National Championship led by Weaver recruit Carmelo Anthony.

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              • Matt52 wrote: View Post
                I am not either but from the sounds of things he is involved in OKC and he is the 2nd in command behind Presti:
                Yeah, I tend to lean towards him ending up being pretty damn good GM. I just think Ujiri is a sure thing. I once thought Marc Iavaroni would end up being a fantastic head coach due to his success as an assistant in Phoenix. I couldn't have been more wrong. Sometimes it's hard to pinpoint who you should be giving the credit to, and it's really easy to extend credit to an assistant when it may not be warranted.

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                • I am on the Stan Van Gundy bandwagon for Raptors coach. He has a good grasp on the importance of analytics but stresses upon on the importance of creating a system that fits organizational goals. He has enough experience and a good track record for winning but most importantly, he lives the motto of SYSTEM BEFORE ANYTHING -- as highlighted by the fallout from Orlando where management and ownership put Dwight Howard's priorities over everything.
                  “I don’t create controversies. They’re there long before I open my mouth. I just bring them to your attention.”

                  -- Charles Barkley

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                  • Primer wrote: View Post
                    Yeah, I tend to lean towards him ending up being pretty damn good GM. I just think Ujiri is a sure thing. I once thought Marc Iavaroni would end up being a fantastic head coach due to his success as an assistant in Phoenix. I couldn't have been more wrong. Sometimes it's hard to pinpoint who you should be giving the credit to, and it's really easy to extend credit to an assistant when it may not be warranted.
                    I agree. Situation often times is just as important for an exec as it is for a player. Just to be clear, I am not being confrontational in the follwing. Just finding more information and sharing:

                    Weaver replaced Cho as assistant GM in 2010. So Weaver has been the right hand man of Presti since then. Weaver was even more senior than Rob Hennigan (now Magic GM) within Thunder organization.

                    Weaver interviewed for Portland job in 2011 - it opened after firing Cho within 10 months.

                    Weaver turned down the Jazz job last summer and the 76ers were reportedly keen for him last year.

                    This is interesting from SLAM:

                    Weaver has progressed rapidly as an executive, rising from a personnel director with the Utah Jazz to the No. 2 spot in Oklahoma City. Weaver is considered an excellent evaluator of talent, and is well-connected on every level of the game. He pushed hard for the Thunder to draft point guard Russell Westbrook(notes) out of the UCLA with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft, higher than any NBA executive had projected Westbrook to go.”

                    Sources:
                    http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/in...interview.html

                    http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympic...placement.html

                    http://www.slamonline.com/online/new...or-gm-vacancy/



                    I hope Toronto goes hard for Weaver and I hope Weaver is ready to take the reigns of a team. A lot of love for Ujiri in this thread but I still can't think of him without thoughts of Alabi.

                    Comment


                    • torch19 wrote: View Post
                      I am on the Stan Van Gundy bandwagon for Raptors coach. He has a good grasp on the importance of analytics but stresses upon on the importance of creating a system that fits organizational goals. He has enough experience and a good track record for winning but most importantly, he lives the motto of SYSTEM BEFORE ANYTHING -- as highlighted by the fallout from Orlando where management and ownership put Dwight Howard's priorities over everything.
                      I agree. I would love to see SVG in Toronto. This is not promising for next season or beyond though:

                      Former Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy says he doesn't plan to coach in the NBA next season and says there's the possibility he may never coach again.

                      With two kids about to enter high school in Seminole County, Van Gundy says he has turned down the opportunity in recent weeks to interview for NBA head-coaching jobs. With some decent jobs available (see Clippers, Nets and Hawks) -- this news is a shocking revelation coming from one of the premier coaching candidates in the league.

                      "We love where we're living and quite honestly it would be hard for us to leave Central Florida. ... As much as I would like to be back in coaching, we're all real happy here. I don't know what will happen in the future, but for right now we've decided not to pursue anything."

                      Asked what if there's a chance he will never coach again, Van Gundy replied: "I guess there's a chance. ... The reason I say that is because I don't know when it will be a good time (to return). If I'm going to wait until everyone is out of high school, we're talking another four years. By then, I'd still be young enough, but I don't know if there would be any interest (from NBA teams). Every year, you're out of it, it gets harder and harder to get back in."

                      However, Van Gundy was quick to add that the prospects of never coaching again is hard for him to fathom.

                      "It is possible and that scares me," he said. "Coaching is all I've ever done and all I know."

                      http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sport...0,5249329.post

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                      • Eternal joy.

                        Comment


                        • http://www.nba.com/raptors/video/201...3/Anon-2486056
                          For still frame photograph of me reading the DeRozan thread please refer to my avatar

                          Comment


                          • http://www.nba.com/raptors/video/201...3/Anon-2486056

                            Fuck I love this guy
                            For still frame photograph of me reading the DeRozan thread please refer to my avatar

                            Comment


                            • Wow. Great find Planetmars. That video should be required viewing on these boards. Numbers shouldn't be used in a vacuum. Team philosophy needs to be an important part of the equation. Speaking of which, what was Colangelo's team philosophy? According to Sam Mitchell, it was different from the coach. How much of an impact would that have with Casey? Is it even fair to judge Casey's performance with BC?

                              BC opened the doors to Toronto's analytics team earlier in the year. They're well respected. Colangelo's failings must have been linked to the idea that he put his team philosophy (ditch his best coach, keep a poor player) ahead of particular evidenced numbers. But that philosophy makes little sense when you include Bargnani.

                              I think the most important thing of the video may be the beginning where SVG talks about a large amount of the league not playing to win a championship. That resonated with my opinion of BC. Instead of creating a solid foundation, and then making a free agent move, or a big trade he was always trying to make quick fixes. If the team had a real philosophy the coaches, players, and office should have reflected it. That way, their wouldn't have been so much questionable turnover.

                              Colangelo never put together teams that were meant to do anything more than make the playoffs. For all the praise he gives the current starting 5, none of the bench players could get regular minutes on a second round playoff team. Landry is a solid defender, and if he finds his shot maybe he can get back to that level. Ross is too green. Acy could PROBABLY get spot minutes, but the rest would be glued to the bench. Where are all the specialist three point shooters to support a starting lineup of penetrating players? Where is the long/tall point guard defensive specialist to give the team a different look defensively?

                              What makes the starting lineup exciting is that as the video explained size trumps small ball on defense, and the speed of those 5 guys is a great equalizer offensively. But look at the other bench players. Kleiza -- a solid small ball 4 but a slower sf. Gray-- too slow to fit the system (solid player, but doesn't fit the philosophy of the starters). Andrea -- too slow laterally to fit the philosophy (on a team that plays a slower pace, that plays strict man (no switches in the interior) if he's willing to rebound maybe he can find a home-- no he's not a specialist those numbers are tied to high usage). JL3-- has the speed, too small, only has 1 hand, but maybe he could be a 3 point specialist? AA-- if he was a point guard, and didn't shoot so early in shot clocks I would like him. But he isn't. He may fit philosophically but he does a lot wrong on the court.

                              All that to say, the next GM will have to decide if he likes the direction that the players in the starting lineup inspire as far as basketball philosophy, and then figure out where to populate a bench that has one decent bench player who is recovering from injury and nothing else but a couple morsels of potential. Colangelo thinks they're a player away? Really? The team has 5 players (six pending injury rehab results)! And this board constantly argues if all of those five/6 should be starters on a quality team or come off the bench! Seriously, thank god he has no more say.

                              Who should they pick? Someone who's not sexy, who puts winning a title first, who finds a coach with a strong offensive and defensive philosophy, and then gets the players needed for that coach without stepping on the coach. Someone who will be a conduit between the analytic team and coaching staff so that everyone knows what they need to do to create a champion, and someone who will gut the scouting staff and rebuild it so that every crevice of the earth (including CIS) is part of the database of players being tracked while looking for particular players that fit the philosophy.

                              I think how Massai changed Denver could potentially put him on that list.

                              Pritchard appears to be open to this type of thinking.

                              Weaver's coaching background makes you think he would fit...

                              I think Mike Zarren would worth interviewing for sure.

                              Morway, is too old school for me (Pritchard essentially replaced him in the heiarchy in Indiana).

                              Funny, I had Stefanski top of my list, but writing this opus has me questioning if he fits:
                              In Philly he created a philosophy, and brought in a coach that fit that philosophy. In NJ he did the same thing. But I can't think of any creative trades that worked except the VC trade. Not the guy who would scour the earth for players either. I guess that's why the Bucks guy Weltman is rumored to be on the list. I'll give Stefanski a tentative yes.

                              Sorry for the long diatribe...

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                              • Thank you for posting the Sloan video. I just watched the entire hour and found it quite eye opening
                                For still frame photograph of me reading the DeRozan thread please refer to my avatar

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