Colangelo's Job Safe Long Term? (New article referenced in post #115)

[Joey]

"He will team with last season's rookie of the year, Brandon Roy. These two could be on their way to becoming a formidable inside-outside combination to rival Yao and T-Mac of Houston"

It eerie, how BANG ON they were with this comparison, eh? haha Couldn't have asked for a better one.

Regardless, my point was not to bash Pritchard (this time anyway); it was to simply state, that the people that are calling for BC's head and to hire Pritchard, are blaming Colangelo for moves that wouldn't even compare to this blunder. Whether or not Oden was the 'logical pick' or the 'safe pick' doesn't save Pritchard from the Fact that he screwed up.
You don't think Sam Bowie was seen as Consensus #1 overall, as well?

[Apollo]

Pritchard didn't screw up on that one.There was no way to know that would happen. If you did then by all means please private message me the lotto numbers for the rest of the year. The Blazers were victims of circumstance. Just like when the Magic paired Grant Hill with T-Mac only to see Grant Hill succumb to devastating injuries. There was no way to know and it was the right move at the time.

[Joey]

Pritchard didn't screw up on that one.There was no way to know that would happen. If you did then by all means please private message me the lotto numbers for the rest of the year. The Blazers were victims of circumstance. Just like when the Magic paired Grant Hill with T-Mac only to see Grant Hill succumb to devastating injuries. There was no way to know and it was the right move at the time.

Or EXACTLY like Sam Bowie being drafted by Portland over MJ.
No way of knowing he would be injured his whole life, and he absolutely was VERY solid for spurts; and YET, in 2005 ESPN "citing Bowie's injury-laden college career, named the Blazers' choice of Bowie as the worst draft pick in North American professional sports history."
Sounds similar to another injury-laden Portland Big Man with history of Injuries in College... fascinating.

[Raptor4Ever]

Nice analogy.

However, allow me a couple of changes to it, if you will.

It's not "I just redesigned the whole project, and am starting from scratch"; its "Our Star designer, who's been here for years, even before the Project Manager, just up and left and everything that we were working toward was based on him finishing the project with us. Obviously there was a chance he could have been offered another, more lucrative job at another firm, but to assume that, and too work based on that assumption, is not doing the firm a service. He left, so now using the remaining mediocre designers, the PM must now find a new path forward that the CURRENT team can work within. When your next best designer on a Project is a 7 year old girl, well, it might take some more time to get results. But we understand the need for a change in scope to the project, and support the new path which produce a tighter, more efficient building that will last alot longer."

NOTE: I'm an architect, so the analogy naturally went in that direction. :P haha

Hahaha, You know what, I like it But I can tell you that this will not fly in our company and many major cooperation in North America, Why :

1) Risk Analysis and Back Up Plan: Any Project that you do as a team lead, you have to have risk analysis before hand. Requirement might change, new projects might come in, Staff might leave the team ... You have to be ready and be able to bounce back and not fell too far off your schedule ( not the last 4 team in NBA is falling off too badly). My Boss cares about result and as a team lead or project manager, my job is to reduce the risk surrounding it specially, when I saw or hear from everyone around me that my " Lead Architect" has been looking for another job or is being shopped for last year ( almost 80% of NBA knew he will leave for a year). What makes it worst is that, if I tried to secure my lead architect with a longer contract and ... he refuses during that year but I act like I am not getting what is going on.

2) Team Balance: Why is your 2nd designer is a 7 year old. Why is your team so dependent on One guy that you have to throw the project into the garbage and start from zero and " rebuild" it again !!

I worked in a company that for every little fix that you put into the design, someone else has to sign on it, saying that he/she 100% understand the rational behind it.

If a person leaves your team, it is expected that you fell behind and ... ( which goes into your risk management) but that should not be an excuse for you to start from zero

[Raptor4Ever]

This hindsight thing on Oden over Durant is pure B.S. in my opinion. Oden was the consensus number one and people heralded Pritchard for making the pick. Oden was supposed to be a franchise changer on the level of Dwight Howard. You can't come back to this four years later and slam him for it when you didn't criticize it from the get go. It's like an overweight guy standing outside a DQ hounding people for downing Blizzards when he was only in there an hour ago downing two himself. There is no credibility and it's kind of ridiculous.

Nicely Said. As I remember the knock on Durant was that his thin body is not going to handle the punishment of NBA and he will be injury prone. It is interesting how things turn out but as I remember as well, Oden was the number 1 across the board for everyone.

[Tim W.]

Pritchard didn't screw up on that one.There was no way to know that would happen. If you did then by all means please private message me the lotto numbers for the rest of the year. The Blazers were victims of circumstance. Just like when the Magic paired Grant Hill with T-Mac only to see Grant Hill succumb to devastating injuries. There was no way to know and it was the right move at the time.

I have to completely disagree with you there. There were plenty of people who cautioned against taking Oden and ample evidence that he would constantly struggle with injuries. Oden was the clear favourite, but there certainly was plenty of debate over who you should take. Most mock drafts thought Oden would be selected based on Portland's need and the fact that they were leaning towards selecting him. It doesn't mean everyone thought that was the best choice.

Keep in mind, I remember discussing this subject with a friend right before the draft and both of us said we would take Oden. Of course, we didn't know what Portland apparently knew at the time. Had I known what they knew, I wouldn't have chosen Oden.

[Joey]

Hahaha, You know what, I like it But I can tell you that this will not fly in our company and many major cooperation in North America, Why :

1) Risk Analysis and Back Up Plan: Any Project that you do as a team lead, you have to have risk analysis before hand. Requirement might change, new projects might come in, Staff might leave the team ... You have to be ready and be able to bounce back and not fell too far off your schedule ( not the last 4 team in NBA is falling off too badly). My Boss cares about result and as a team lead or project manager, my job is to reduce the risk surrounding it specially, when I saw or hear from everyone around me that my " Lead Architect" has been looking for another job or is being shopped for last year ( almost 80% of NBA knew he will leave for a year). What makes it worst is that, if I tried to secure my lead architect with a longer contract and ... he refuses during that year but I act like I am not getting what is going on.

2) Team Balance: Why is your 2nd designer is a 7 year old. Why is your team so dependent on One guy that you have to throw the project into the garbage and start from zero and " rebuild" it again !!

I worked in a company that for every little fix that you put into the design, someone else has to sign on it, saying that he/she 100% understand the rational behind it.

If a person leaves your team, it is expected that you fell behind and ... ( which goes into your risk management) but that should not be an excuse for you to start from zero

Fair enough. I can't disagree with any of that.
I'm not saying he's done the best of jobs here in Toronto.
But when the best course of action IS to reboot everything and start from Zero, the guy can't be blamed.
And to that extent, what has Danny Ferry done for Cleveland except make the obvious draft choice and coast for 7 years?
Dude didn't future-proof that club one bit. They will LITERALLY have to start from Scratch, and that won't be for another two years down the road when their books are cleared of all the 'Help' they brought in for Lebron, to help 'Balance'.

At least here we have young, promising talent, trade pieces, draft picks, etc. as well a Young, Explosive wing player to 'Build Around'.
ie At least we have the 'foundation' and 'Structure' of a solid building design. Now we just need to find a better 'Center Piece' to hold it up.

[Raptor4Ever]

ie At least we have the 'foundation' and 'Structure' of a solid building design. Now we just need to find a better 'Center Piece' to hold it up.

I guess this is where you and I disagree.

If you do really belive that we have the foundation and a solid young core for future and all we need is another center piece, then you are right in wanting to keep BC. I give you that.

However, I don't think we do have the foundation even. I don't think any of our young guys ( except maybe DD) are and will be a SOLID NBA starter for a good , competitive team now or future. They are being sold to us under that name but I , personally do not see the talent, nor the coaching that is able to take them to next level.

[Joey]

I guess this is where you and I disagree.

If you do really belive that we have the foundation and a solid young core for future and all we need is another center piece, then you are right in wanting to keep BC. I give you that.

However, I don't think we do have the foundation even. I don't think any of our young guys ( except maybe DD) are and will be a SOLID NBA starter for a good , competitive team now or future. They are being sold to us under that name but I , personally do not see the talent, nor the coaching that is able to take them to next level.

You can't see Bayless, Ed Davis or Amir Johnson starting for a good team? I could understand you leaving Bargs out, as he tends to be lazy. But common.
I'd say Amir is exactly in the mold of Brandon Bass, who is starting for Orlando, or even Tyson Chandler. Doesn't have the height of Chandler, but his energy, scoring and rebounding could be seen to be just as valuable.
I'd say Bayless is EXACTLY in the mold of a young, inexperienced Monta Ellis. I'd even say Bayless has better PG skills than him at this point.
Ed Davis' IQ and Defensive abilities would be seen as HUGE assetts to any team vying for a Ring.
All of whom are under 23 years old.