Nine Early Candidates for NBA GM of the Year

An NBA GM is the creator, manager and overseer of each team’s progress.  They have to pull the strings to put together a roster that will eventually challenge for an NBA title.

Smart GMs have to be able to spot the young talent, make the correct trade and be financially savvy.  The great GMs can take a team that is need of rebuilding and make them a powerhouse within one to two seasons.

On the other hand, there are GMs that remain on top by reloading top talent year-after-year because of previous success and know what it takes to stay there.

During this early season, there have been a few surprise teams and teams that have reaffirmed their position on top.  Some of those GMs have placed themselves in the running for NBA GM of the Year.

Stats used in this article were accurate as of January 22, 2013.

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Pat Riley, Miami Heat

Pat Riley is Pat Riley and he has continued his success in Miami by adding former Celtic Ray Allen to the fold.  The Miami Heat are currently on top of the Eastern Conference and should return to the NBA Finals if everything goes as planned.

They earned their first last season of the “not one, not two….” total championships that this up-and-coming dynasty projects that they will win.

The Heat are primed and positioned for the playoffs with a rotation that relies heavily on the starting five and sixth man Shane Battier.

Bob Myers, Golden State Warriors

Bob Myers is a first-year GM who has completely transformed the Golden State Warriors with a little help from the supposed NBA logo, Jerry West.  Myers went out and signed key free agents, make a great trade and drafted well.

As a result, the Warriors acquired much-needed guard Jarrett Jack, signed underrated power forward Carl Landry and drafted three strong rookies (Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green).

The Warriors have gone from the loveable loser to a team that is competing for the fourth spot in the Western Conference and might have their first All-Star since the last century.

Did I mention that he also extended guard Stephen Curry on the cheap for four years and $44 million?

The Warriors should be a perennial playoff contender under Myers’ watch.

Masai Ujiri, Denver Nuggets

Masai Ujiri has turned the page from Carmelo Anthony and built himself an up-and-coming team with the Denver Nuggets. 

Ujiri has built a very deep team, led in part by Andre Iguodala, who the Nuggets acquired in the Dwight Howard to the Lakers trade.  In order to land Iguodala, he dealt the two longer-term contracts of Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington. 

The deal gave them someone who fits the Nuggets style and also provided them with a solid perimeter defender.  On top of that, Ujiri created some room financially to re-sign point guard Ty Lawson for four years and $48 million.

The backcourt is flanked by Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee, with some former NBA starters as reserves.

The Nuggets are a ferocious rebounding team that currently ranks second in rebounds per game and is comfortably in sixth place in the Western Conference.  This looks like a team that will be competitive for years to come thanks to their youth and depth provided by Ujiri.

Sam Presti, Oklahoma City Thunder

Sam Presti has the Oklahoma City Thunder right back where they were last year, at the top.  He famously made news during the offseason with the trade of sixth man James Harden to the Houston Rockets.

James Harden has succeeded in his new surroundings, but the Thunder acquired depth and a few building blocks for the future.  The Thunder have the same record after 41 games that they did last season (32-9).

Martin has contributed as their sixth man and put up a line of 15.0 PPG, 1.3 APG and 2.5 RPG.  He is also a free agent next season, so Presti will free up $12.4 million for next season.  Presti also now has two first-round draft picks and one second-round pick to play with next year.

Presti also inked rising star Serge Ibaka to a multi-year extension which paved the way for the Harden deal.

Presti’s goal is to win the NBA Championship and should have a chance for a rematch with the Miami Heat.  The Thunder look poised to win their first NBA title in the next few years.

Danny Ferry, Atlanta Hawks

Danny Ferry took the GM job in Atlanta after leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers and spending two years with the San Antonio Spurs.  He got to work quickly and transformed an underperforming team into a playoff contender.

Ferry traded All-Star guard Joe Johnson to the Brooklyn Nets and then sent forward Marvin Williams to the Utah Jazz for point guard Devin Harris.  He also signed Lou Williams, who was having a solid season until he suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Ferry also stocked his reserve full of sharpshooters by acquiring Kyle Korver and drafting John Jenkins.

He has at least seven contracts that will expire at season’s end and is positioning the Hawks as a go-to spot for key free agents, including their own Josh Smith.

Ferry wants to create a buzz where he can possibly recruit Dwight Howard, who was one of Smith’s childhood friends.

Whether or not the Hawks succeed at season’s end, Ferry has put the franchise in a very positive position going forward.  The Hawks are currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference after going through a recent rough patch.

Billy King, Brooklyn Nets

With the prospect of moving  into a new arena and city to start the 2012-13 season, Nets GM Billy King had to make a splash.  He succeeded by overhauling the team and making them competitive with the crosstown rival Knickerbockers.

King’s busy offseason included chasing down and re-signing monster free-agent point guard Deron Williams and trading for All-Star guard Joe Johnson from the Atlanta Hawks.

The Johnson trade actually helped secure the services of D-Will.  On top of that, King re-signed center Brook Lopez in addition to forwards Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries.

His biggest gain was probably staying out of the Dwight Howard sweepstakes.  The Nets are currently right in the tightly contest battle for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, where they currently sit in fourth place.

Oh, and King had to fire a coach along the way.  P.J. Carlesimo now holds the reigns to the team.

Glen Grunwald, New York Knicks

Glen Grunwald is a low-profile GM who does his talking with his record.  Grunwald has masterfully put together a squad that has beaten the defending champion Heat twice by more than 20 points and has a win in San Antonio.

Grunwald chose Raymond Felton over "Linsanity" and the gamble has paid off. Jeremy Lin is struggling in his new surroundings in Houston, while Felton has taken over command of the ship at Madison Square Garden.  Felton will be returning from a broken pinkie finger possibly on Jan. 26.

Jason Kidd, who the Knicks literally stole from the Dallas Mavericks, has filled in admirably and has provided better production compared to his last two seasons in the big D.

Grunwald also took a chance on J.R. Smith and he is having a career year for the Knicks.  Smith is a front runner for the sixth man award and has the team focus that has led to his uptick in performance.  He is they go-to guy when the Knicks need to shut down a defender.

Grunwald has also acquired the necessary depth to put this team on top of the Atlantic Division.  He acquired Marcus Camby in a sign-and-trade and brought Rasheed Wallace out of retirement to contribute until he suffered a left foot injury.

Oh, did I mention they also have Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler? 

Gary Sacks, Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers former Player Personnel Director was upgraded to the GM spot last summer after they thought that they had a deal with former GM, Neil Olshey, who left for Portland.  Sacks came to the rescue quickly and re-signed their superstar, Blake Griffin to a five-year extension.

Sacks also attacked the Clippers depth by going out and getting Lamar Odom, Grant Hill and Matt Barnes to add to their bench and find time playing behind Caron Butler.

Sacks also made sure that his squad didn’t suffer in case they were hit by the injury bug like they were in years past.  They acquired Willie Green from the Atlanta Hawks to backup Chauncey Billups, who they also re-signed.

Finally, Sacks signed former sixth man award winner, Jamal Crawford to a contract by using their mid-level exception.  Crawford has been brilliant so far this season by putting up a line of 16.7 PPG, 2.4 APG and 1.7 RPG.

The Clippers are obviously the better tenant in the Staples Center this season with the help of Gary Sacks.

R. C. Buford, San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are the San Antonio Spurs.  Many people consider them to be a less-than-exciting team to watch, but every year they get the job done and are a huge factor in the NBA Playoffs.

Yes, they have coach Gregg Popovich on the sideline, but without GM R.C. Buford, Pop wouldn’t have the talent on the floor. 

The core is getting older, but Buford has discovered players again like when he plucked Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.  His current findings have produced point guard Gary Neal, power forward Tiago Splitter and small forward Kawhi Leonard.

The Spurs are right there with the Oklahoma City Thunder in challenging for the top spot in the Western Conference.  The Spurs still have a couple of games left versus their biggest rival.

Buford is currently part of rumors to be coaxed into taking the soon-to-be Seattle Supersonics job, but the Spurs look like they will be keeping their man.