Pat Riley was named the NBA's top GM this year for his "great" work with constructing the Miami Heat.
Um, why?
Riley is being rewarded for adding Chris Bosh and LeBron James and resigning Dwyane Wade. Three outstanding additions, I assure you, but it really wasn't much from Riley's design. If anyone should get the honor in Miami, it should be Wade from *cough* colluding *cough* with James and Bosh to create this team.
Oh, but Riley did convince guys like Z Ilgauskas, Mike Bibby and Mike Miller to take smaller contracts to come aboard. Again, getting some used-to-bes to take less money for a great look at a championship isn't really that skillful. Just ask Mitch Kupchak about that in 2004 when he added Gary Payton and Karl Malone to a team that already had three championships and two Hall of Famers on the roster.
To me, a top GM is one who pulls off a blockbuster deal or a series of deals to improve his team. I mean, I'm more impressed with what John Paxson was able to do in Chicago to contruct that team and hiring the man that was just named Coach of the Year.
I'm not saying that Riley didn't do a masterful job setting up this team or that it was easy to pull this off ... but I think it had more to do with the fact that Wade, James and Bosh all agreed to hook up together long before they were free agents than anything Riley was selling.
Um, why?
Riley is being rewarded for adding Chris Bosh and LeBron James and resigning Dwyane Wade. Three outstanding additions, I assure you, but it really wasn't much from Riley's design. If anyone should get the honor in Miami, it should be Wade from *cough* colluding *cough* with James and Bosh to create this team.
Oh, but Riley did convince guys like Z Ilgauskas, Mike Bibby and Mike Miller to take smaller contracts to come aboard. Again, getting some used-to-bes to take less money for a great look at a championship isn't really that skillful. Just ask Mitch Kupchak about that in 2004 when he added Gary Payton and Karl Malone to a team that already had three championships and two Hall of Famers on the roster.
To me, a top GM is one who pulls off a blockbuster deal or a series of deals to improve his team. I mean, I'm more impressed with what John Paxson was able to do in Chicago to contruct that team and hiring the man that was just named Coach of the Year.
I'm not saying that Riley didn't do a masterful job setting up this team or that it was easy to pull this off ... but I think it had more to do with the fact that Wade, James and Bosh all agreed to hook up together long before they were free agents than anything Riley was selling.
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