Buillding The Next Dynasty

Q:If you could be the GM for any franchise, which would it be and why?

A:I would be the GM for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are on the most storied franchises in the NBA and you are top dog in the #2 market in the country.  I also think basketball is the easiest of the sports to judge talent and the easiest to turn around a bad team if you have to (see Boston this year vs last year).  I am not a Lakers fan by any means, but combine their popularity with the California lifestyle and it doesn't seem like a bad job to have.

Q:In which sport does the general manager matter most / least?

A:I think the general manager matters the most in the NFL because of the salary cap and the number of good players needed to be a good football team.  The teams regarded as having the best GMs are usually the teams in the playoffs.  The NBA has a salary cap of sorts as well, but if you have one or two really good players it can carry your whole squad.  A general manager is least important in baseball because it is no coinkydink that the teams with the highest payrolls are usually the most sucessful and the clubs with the lowest payrolls are the least successful.  This is not always true, but more times than not it is.  A team with a very low payroll can be good, but they will not win the World Series. 

Q:What would be your draft strategy? Take the best available player? Draft to fill a need? Trade up? Trade down?

A:I would almost always draft to fill a need or else you turn into a team with 4 small forwards..oh wait that is the Atlanta Hawks.  I would not be opposed to trading up to get a player we absolutely wanted and the talent dropoff to the next guy on your list at that position.  Everyone wants to be in the position of being able to trade down to get your #1 priority, but those opportunities are rare.  I only take the best player available if I feel I have addressed my biggest needs with other picks/trades. 

Q:How much input would you take from the head coach or owner(s)? Would you focus on filling the seats with a popular player or be willing to take the not as glamorous pick who can help the team the most?

A:I would take a lot of input from the head coach because they are the one who is with these players day in and day out observing their work ethic, reponse to criticism, and interactions with teammate.  The owner being your boss you would have to listen to them.  I would want an owner who is the marketing type and can fill seats and give me the resources to put together a great team.  I would not want an owner wanting to make all the basketball decisions.  Why I am there when they think they can do my job?  I would always take a player who can help win the most games over a superstar - winning puts people in the stands permanently.  I don't know a consistently title winning franchise with attendance problems. 

Q:Which sport is easiest to project how the talent will develop? Which is the toughest and has the most bust potential?

A:None of the sports are easy to project talent wise; they all have their pitfalls.  That being said I would say basketball is the easiest to project future talent.  Basketball players in high school play in so many AAU tournaments and such that you get many chances to see them go against the peers in talent level.  Also, with basketball you don't get too many guys who are not good fits for a certain style of play.  If a player can score, they will score; if they can defend, they will defend.

I think baseball is the hardest to project talent because so many kids are taken right out of high school.  High school baseball to the major leagues is an astronomical jump in talent.  What may look good against other 17 year olds doesn't play against Johan Santana and Manny Ramirez.  The differences in the style of play are also so different between high school and college baseball than the pros.  In HS and college, a metal bat is used which props up batting statistics and lower pitching stats.  Plus, kids who go through the minors could get lost in the layers of minor league ball of Rookie ball, A, AA, AAA, etc.  If a player is not totally into playing baseball then the single A bus trips to Podunk, USA can wear on a 19 year old. 

Q:Which sport is easiest to find a talented player in a late round and which one has the most dramatic fall-off in talent?

A:I think football is the easiest to find a late round talent.  Athletes develop physically at different stages of their life.  A guy who was lightly recruited in HS may have finally fully developed physically in college and be ready to burst on the scene.  Also, a player's talents may be much better showcased better or worse in a particular offensive or defensive scheme.  A WR on a running team does not have nearly the opportunity to showcase their talents as the RB would.

I think basketball has the biggest dropoff in talent and this is due to the individual nature of the game.  Stars separate themselves in basketball and others become role players on teams to facilitate that star.