Masai and Executive of the Year

[LJ2]

I wonder if hosting a successful All Star game weighs in on the result?

[Apollo]

Why isn't Masai a shoe-in for executive of the year this year? Haven't heard any real talk about the award, but...

-Bringing in the new assistant coaches.
-JV and Ross contracts, which are both looking like steals.
-Drafting Powell and Wright, who have both shown the ability to give us key minutes.
-JT signing off waivers.
-Bismack and CoJo's great contracts.

Masai has built a hell of a team this year.

Well said Barolt. The thing going against him is that sometimes the decision of this award gets too caught up in the numbers. The Raptors are on pace to win eight more games this year than last. Meanwhile the Spurs are on track to win 15 more than last year. The Hornets? 13 games more than last year. The Thunder and Heat both are on pace to win 11 more games than last year. These are all teams going to the playoffs.

I'm with you but I could see many ways that Ujiri gets snubbed.

[iblastoff]

What exactly did he do? Bring in Mason Plumlee? I'm legit asking what their off-seasons moves were to mitigate a complete gutting of the starting line up. I don't follow Portland that closely.

Yes, they are exceeding expectations by a long shot, but is that at the hand of the executive? I'm more inclined to think it's just an accident other pieces decided to step up and make the team competitive.

i agree. i actually think blazers did a TERRIBLE job and are just exceeding expectations, which is on the coach and players, not their GM.

[Apollo]

You could argue that everything comes back to the GM because he's the guy who decides who coaches tomorrow's game, who starts the season on the roster and who ends the season on the roster.

[JWash]

What exactly did he do? Bring in Mason Plumlee? I'm legit asking what their off-seasons moves were to mitigate a complete gutting of the starting line up. I don't follow Portland that closely.

Yes, they are exceeding expectations by a long shot, but is that at the hand of the executive? I'm more inclined to think it's just an accident other pieces decided to step up and make the team competitive.

Aminu, Ed Davis and Plumlee have all been huge for that team.

[KeonClark]

You could argue that everything comes back to the GM because he's the guy who decides who coaches tomorrow's game, who starts the season on the roster and who ends the season on the roster.

But then the owner decides who's gonna gm the next game. And the nba commissioner can throw out an owner, with enough votes from the board of governors.

The winner will be Adam silver

[rightsideup]

I wonder if hosting a successful All Star game weighs in on the result?

Was it not cold as he'll???? Just kidding Masai is building a relevant franchise the right way.

[iblastoff]

Aminu, Ed Davis and Plumlee have all been huge for that team.

ehh not really. and they certainly don't fill the void of losing aldridge/matthews/batum/lopez.

[Apollo]

But then the owner decides who's gonna gm the next game. And the nba commissioner can throw out an owner, with enough votes from the board of governors.

The winner will be Adam silver

But we're not talking about the "Owner of the Year Award" or the "NBA Commissioner of The Year Award" or the "Board of Governors of The Year Award". That's where this argument stalls...

[007]

Definitely at the top of the list

[Scraptor]

ehh not really. and they certainly don't fill the void of losing aldridge/matthews/batum/lopez.

Ed Davis is 2nd and Mason Plumlee is 4th on the team in win shares. But that's kind of the point. They're still a playoff seed despite losing four starters.

It's always an expectations thing with EOY/COY. If we get the 1st seed in the east it'll help, but I think Olshey is the frontrunner. In fact, if we don't get the 1st seed, I'd be surprised if Masai places in the top 3 in voting.

[Barolt]

Ed Davis is 2nd and Mason Plumlee is 4th on the team in win shares. But that's kind of the point. They're still a playoff seed despite losing four starters.

It's always an expectations thing with EOY/COY. If we get the 1st seed in the east it'll help, but I think Olshey is the frontrunner. In fact, if we don't get the 1st seed, I'd be surprised if Masai places in the top 3 in voting.

I can see this, because it tends to be a shortsighted award. From a long-term perspective, I think what Masai did is more impressive than what Olshey did.

It's weird that a job that requires a long-term outlook has an award that rewards short-term perspective.

[white men can't jump]

I don't know about Portland. I hate giving it to an exec who's clearly been accidentally successful. What the Blazers did was very much a mediocre patch job, but McCollum exploded and Lillard is playing amazing while the West got a bit weaker. If I had to guess what their strategy was, it was preparing for a semi-tank. Sign mediocre players who you won't be attached to, so if the season is going badly you trade them for even worse players and tank. And I'm not saying Olshey is necessarily a bad exec. A lot of their moves have been decent in the last few years. This year though, I think it's a lot more luck than anything. (*Like even a semi-tank strategy was kind of a good plan going into the summer, but yeah, can't imagine their season is aligning with expectations they had back then)

It's like when people wanted McDonough to get it when PHX had that good year...that was also clearly accidental. They traded away vets for picks and threw together a random roster...and it completely overachieved. There was no real planning or foresight, it was a total fluke, and they've been flailing around ever since and have fallen hard to the bottom of the league.

I have to give points for intent, and on that count, Masai and Buford vastly outclass whatever Olshey's fallen back-asswards into in Portland this year. If I were giving this award, it would only be between those 2 this year, and as I said before, I think I'd have to give it to Buford by just a bit.

[Cody73]

People underrated Portland's moves last offseason.

They chose guys with sneaky analytic numbers to replace an aging starting 5. This whole team is the perfect definition of retool.

[DogeLover1234]

Aminu, Ed Davis and Plumlee have all been huge for that team.

Yeah they lost 4 of 5 starters and have rebounded well. Not only do you reward the guy for David, Aminu, Plumee, Vonleh transactions, but also I have to think its also about knowing your roster. I mean the guy bet on McCollum to become a great starter, as well as Crabbe and Leonard to be serviceable rotation players. I definitely think that Olshay should be in the conversation. I like all of Masai's moves in the past year in a vacuum, but the rookies don't play, Carroll has barely played and JV and Ross still are on rookie deals so that is largely irrelevant until next year. I think he is in the conversation, but not sure about a lock.