Worst front offices

Fistpout Trebuchet wrote:
> In alt.sports.basketball.nba.mn-wolves on 21 Sep 2006 05:29:51 -0700 levi
> wrote:
>
> >Jim Welters wrote:
> >> Slam magazine takes a look at the worst NBA front offices:
> >>
> >> http://slamonline.com/online/2006/09/the-10-worst-front-offices/
> >>
> >> Yep, our man McHale's number one.
> >>
> >> Jim Welters
> >
> >Woo! Woo!
> >
> >And McHale hires such great people to help him too:
> >
> >http://raptors.fan.ca/index.php/archives/2006/01/27/the-dismissal-of-rob-babcock-a-study-in-incompetence/
>
> Babcock got a bad rap for two things: drafting Araujo and trading Vince.
> Grating that both of those things were major blunders -- and not necessarily
> only in retrospect -- his overall record in Toronto was about .500: Raps
> fans tend to forget that Babcock was the guy who cleared the ton of cap
> space that allowed Colangelo to do his thing this off-season, that Babcock
> was the guy who engineered the Jalen Rose trade, and that Babcock was the
> one who drafted Villanueva with the 7th pick. He had a two-year plan to
> clear salaries, and he did that perfectly, even including the horrible
> Alonzo Mourning situation. Babcock is not as big an idiot as he is often
> portrayed.
>
> (Oddly, no one seems to blame Babcock for hiring, and keeping, Sam Mitchell
> as coach, something I think is his biggest mistake by far.)

Here in Minnesota, we all think Sam's a pretty good guy.
I'm not sure if he's NBA head coach material, so, yes,
making Sam HC (with no previous experience) is most
likely a mistake, but Babcock's biggest? Wow.

Here's a link to a little indepth on Rob:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Babcock

Not a guy I would look to hire. But hey, the Wolves
are probably going to be in on the bad end of a few
more lopsided trades. Who better than Babcock,
loser in the "most lopsided trade in NBA history"
to have on board as designated patsy?
 >> Stay informed about: Worst front offices 

In alt.sports.basketball.nba.mn-wolves on 21 Sep 2006 05:29:51 -0700 levi
wrote:

>Jim Welters wrote:
>> Slam magazine takes a look at the worst NBA front offices:
>>
>> http://slamonline.com/online/2006/09/the-10-worst-front-offices/
>>
>> Yep, our man McHale's number one.
>>
>> Jim Welters
>
>Woo! Woo!
>
>And McHale hires such great people to help him too:
>
>http://raptors.fan.ca/index.php/archives/2006/01/27/the-dismissal-of-rob-babcock-a-study-in-incompetence/

Babcock got a bad rap for two things: drafting Araujo and trading Vince.
Grating that both of those things were major blunders -- and not necessarily
only in retrospect -- his overall record in Toronto was about .500: Raps
fans tend to forget that Babcock was the guy who cleared the ton of cap
space that allowed Colangelo to do his thing this off-season, that Babcock
was the guy who engineered the Jalen Rose trade, and that Babcock was the
one who drafted Villanueva with the 7th pick. He had a two-year plan to
clear salaries, and he did that perfectly, even including the horrible
Alonzo Mourning situation. Babcock is not as big an idiot as he is often
portrayed.

(Oddly, no one seems to blame Babcock for hiring, and keeping, Sam Mitchell
as coach, something I think is his biggest mistake by far.)
 >> Stay informed about: Worst front offices 

>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Babcock
>

luke witte has a wiki entry, but corky "the knee" taylor doesn't.
wierd.
 >> Stay informed about: Worst front offices 

Jim Welters wrote:
> Slam magazine takes a look at the worst NBA front offices:
>
> http://slamonline.com/online/2006/09/the-10-worst-front-offices/
>
> Yep, our man McHale's number one.

Remember the good old days when I would say McHale sucks and everyone
would bash me for it? I wish there was some satisfaction in watching
everyone eat crow, but there just isn't.

Matt
 >> Stay informed about: Worst front offices 

Matt wrote:
> Jim Welters wrote:
> > Slam magazine takes a look at the worst NBA front offices:
> >
> > http://slamonline.com/online/2006/09/the-10-worst-front-offices/
> >
> > Yep, our man McHale's number one.
>
> Remember the good old days when I would say McHale sucks and everyone
> would bash me for it? I wish there was some satisfaction in watching
> everyone eat crow, but there just isn't.
>
> Matt

Good on ya, Matt. I reviewed some of your invective
from years past and it still sticks to the wall.
 >> Stay informed about: Worst front offices 

levi wrote:
> Matt wrote:
> > Jim Welters wrote:
> > > Slam magazine takes a look at the worst NBA front offices:
> > >
> > > http://slamonline.com/online/2006/09/the-10-worst-front-offices/
> > >
> > > Yep, our man McHale's number one.
> >
> > Remember the good old days when I would say McHale sucks and everyone
> > would bash me for it? I wish there was some satisfaction in watching
> > everyone eat crow, but there just isn't.
> >
> > Matt
>
> Good on ya, Matt. I reviewed some of your invective
> from years past and it still sticks to the wall.

The thing that puzzles me is Glen Taylor's loyalty to McHale. If McHale
performed like this managing any of Taylors other businesses, it's hard
to believe he'd leave him in place. I'm sure Glen wouldn't fire him,
he'd find a lesser position for him, and ease him into an area of
competence that couldn't hurt Glen's business, or his other employees.
Surely Taylor, an intelligent man, has read or heard of the Peter
principle? Enough is enough. If McHale doesn't step asside willingly,
he needs to be shoved.
 >> Stay informed about: Worst front offices 

Andy H wrote:
> levi wrote:
> > Matt wrote:
> > > Jim Welters wrote:
> > > > Slam magazine takes a look at the worst NBA front offices:
> > > >
> > > > http://slamonline.com/online/2006/09/the-10-worst-front-offices/
> > > >
> > > > Yep, our man McHale's number one.
> > >
> > > Remember the good old days when I would say McHale sucks and everyone
> > > would bash me for it? I wish there was some satisfaction in watching
> > > everyone eat crow, but there just isn't.
> > >
> > > Matt
> >
> > Good on ya, Matt. I reviewed some of your invective
> > from years past and it still sticks to the wall.
>
> The thing that puzzles me is Glen Taylor's loyalty to McHale. If McHale
> performed like this managing any of Taylors other businesses, it's hard
> to believe he'd leave him in place. I'm sure Glen wouldn't fire him,
> he'd find a lesser position for him, and ease him into an area of
> competence that couldn't hurt Glen's business, or his other employees.
> Surely Taylor, an intelligent man, has read or heard of the Peter
> principle? Enough is enough. If McHale doesn't step asside willingly,
> he needs to be shoved.

That KG turned out to be such a great player has IMO,
the main thing that has kept McHale employed for so
long.

What Taylor's "loyalty" strongly suggests to me is that the
Wolves ownership is not passionately interested in vying
for a championship, it is really just trying to achieve a profit.
Just keep the salaries in line, get enough sheeple coming in
to support the team, along with advertising revenues, etc.

KG is the lynchpin of this "strategy". He is why people
are interested in watching the Wolves.

Sure, Taylor spent some $7M on a scoreboard, seats, and
a restaurant (while us taxpayers ponied up a matching $7M
to get-r-done), but that's peanuts, really.

I believe that the "big" payoff for Taylor comes from the
increasing value of the team. There are other ways to profit,
as in tax writeoffs, even if the team "loses" money. Even so,
Taylor and his partners get to live the high life as VIPs
within the NBA - there is an ego thing too.

If it wasn't for the fabulous money that KG takes home,
I'd feel very sad, perhaps even angered at the exploitation
of his talent. As it stands, I can only shrug that such a
great player (and person, IMO) has been "wasted" and
not given the support necessary to compete for a
championship.

All things considered, the NBA is simply entertainment.
And the Wolves are really just a soap opera.
 >> Stay informed about: Worst front offices 

One of the ESPN.com writers made the same point about McHale that you did.
The only way McHale keeps his job is that he's doing the boss's will. As I
told the Wolves ticket guy who called to find out why I cancelled my season
tickets after 10 seasons, "I just don't get the feeling that the team
management knows how to build a winning team, or they don't really care to."
The Wolves are much more valuable with Garnett than without. Is it any
coincidence that there were rumors this year about somebody buying 30% of
the team, displacing some of the minority owners?

Jim Welters


in article 1159274637.003771.266420 RemoveThis @m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com, levi at
levi RemoveThis @visi.com wrote on 9/26/06 7:43 AM:

> Andy H wrote:
>> levi wrote:
>>> Matt wrote:
>>>> Jim Welters wrote:
>>>>> Slam magazine takes a look at the worst NBA front offices:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://slamonline.com/online/2006/09/the-10-worst-front-offices/
>>>>>
>>>>> Yep, our man McHale's number one.
>>>>
>>>> Remember the good old days when I would say McHale sucks and everyone
>>>> would bash me for it? I wish there was some satisfaction in watching
>>>> everyone eat crow, but there just isn't.
>>>>
>>>> Matt
>>>
>>> Good on ya, Matt. I reviewed some of your invective
>>> from years past and it still sticks to the wall.
>>
>> The thing that puzzles me is Glen Taylor's loyalty to McHale. If McHale
>> performed like this managing any of Taylors other businesses, it's hard
>> to believe he'd leave him in place. I'm sure Glen wouldn't fire him,
>> he'd find a lesser position for him, and ease him into an area of
>> competence that couldn't hurt Glen's business, or his other employees.
>> Surely Taylor, an intelligent man, has read or heard of the Peter
>> principle? Enough is enough. If McHale doesn't step asside willingly,
>> he needs to be shoved.
>
> That KG turned out to be such a great player has IMO,
> the main thing that has kept McHale employed for so
> long.
>
> What Taylor's "loyalty" strongly suggests to me is that the
> Wolves ownership is not passionately interested in vying
> for a championship, it is really just trying to achieve a profit.
> Just keep the salaries in line, get enough sheeple coming in
> to support the team, along with advertising revenues, etc.
>
> KG is the lynchpin of this "strategy". He is why people
> are interested in watching the Wolves.
>
> Sure, Taylor spent some $7M on a scoreboard, seats, and
> a restaurant (while us taxpayers ponied up a matching $7M
> to get-r-done), but that's peanuts, really.
>
> I believe that the "big" payoff for Taylor comes from the
> increasing value of the team. There are other ways to profit,
> as in tax writeoffs, even if the team "loses" money. Even so,
> Taylor and his partners get to live the high life as VIPs
> within the NBA - there is an ego thing too.
>
> If it wasn't for the fabulous money that KG takes home,
> I'd feel very sad, perhaps even angered at the exploitation
> of his talent. As it stands, I can only shrug that such a
> great player (and person, IMO) has been "wasted" and
> not given the support necessary to compete for a
> championship.
>
> All things considered, the NBA is simply entertainment.
> And the Wolves are really just a soap opera.
>
 >> Stay informed about: Worst front offices 

Jim Welters wrote:
> One of the ESPN.com writers made the same point about McHale that you did.
> The only way McHale keeps his job is that he's doing the boss's will. As I
> told the Wolves ticket guy who called to find out why I cancelled my season
> tickets after 10 seasons, "I just don't get the feeling that the team
> management knows how to build a winning team, or they don't really care to."
> The Wolves are much more valuable with Garnett than without. Is it any
> coincidence that there were rumors this year about somebody buying 30% of
> the team, displacing some of the minority owners?
>
> Jim Welters

I didn't see the rumors, but it seems to me that this
"someone" is trying to buy into the gravy train,
cashing out the minority holders who may be tired
of waiting for the big payoff. As part of the 1994 deal
that Taylor got for the Metropolitan Sports Facilities
Commission (MSFC) buying the Target Center
from the Wolves, "local ownership" was a crucial
point.

http://www.leg.state.mn.us/lrl/issues/target.asp

So one wonders if this person was "local" or if
it was someone hoping to also get a foot in the
door in hopes of eventually taking the franchise
elsewhere.

I'm not sure when Taylor's deal runs out, but it's got
to be getting long in the tooth. As the TC ages,
and Garnett moves on, perhaps you're looking at
the Wolves being sold "downriver" - and us good
taxpaying burghers left with an empty building that
is non-competitive in the entertainment market.
 >> Stay informed about: Worst front offices 

There was an item a few days ago about Taylor buying part of the Wild and
moving the Wolves to Xcel Energy Center. As much as I love the X, that would
seem to make little sense, as the Wolves would be the junior tenant in the
building and my guess is most Wolves fans come from the west side of the
river. But it does at least suggest some restiveness on the part of Taylor
or other owners. (Next GT will demand a new arena, saying there's a need for
more luxury boxes.)

Jim Welters


in article 1159359977.067390.263300.TakeThisOut@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com, levi at
levi.TakeThisOut@visi.com wrote on 9/27/06 7:26 AM:

> Jim Welters wrote:
>> One of the ESPN.com writers made the same point about McHale that you did.
>> The only way McHale keeps his job is that he's doing the boss's will. As I
>> told the Wolves ticket guy who called to find out why I cancelled my season
>> tickets after 10 seasons, "I just don't get the feeling that the team
>> management knows how to build a winning team, or they don't really care to."
>> The Wolves are much more valuable with Garnett than without. Is it any
>> coincidence that there were rumors this year about somebody buying 30% of
>> the team, displacing some of the minority owners?
>>
>> Jim Welters
>
> I didn't see the rumors, but it seems to me that this
> "someone" is trying to buy into the gravy train,
> cashing out the minority holders who may be tired
> of waiting for the big payoff. As part of the 1994 deal
> that Taylor got for the Metropolitan Sports Facilities
> Commission (MSFC) buying the Target Center
> from the Wolves, "local ownership" was a crucial
> point.
>
> http://www.leg.state.mn.us/lrl/issues/target.asp
>
> So one wonders if this person was "local" or if
> it was someone hoping to also get a foot in the
> door in hopes of eventually taking the franchise
> elsewhere.
>
> I'm not sure when Taylor's deal runs out, but it's got
> to be getting long in the tooth. As the TC ages,
> and Garnett moves on, perhaps you're looking at
> the Wolves being sold "downriver" - and us good
> taxpaying burghers left with an empty building that
> is non-competitive in the entertainment market.
>
 >> Stay informed about: Worst front offices 

Bleak, Bleaker, Bleakest.
 >> Stay informed about: Worst front offices 

levi wrote:

> If it wasn't for the fabulous money that KG takes home,
> I'd feel very sad, perhaps even angered at the exploitation
> of his talent.

LOL!
 >> Stay informed about: Worst front offices 

Andy H wrote:
> Bleak, Bleaker, Bleakest.

Mebbe so, Kemo Sabe.

But look on the bright side...
NBATV is cheaper than a season ticket!
 >> Stay informed about: Worst front offices