What Makes a Good GM?

Since this website is trying to take a look at things from the perspective of a General Manager of a sports team, there is a basic question that needs to be considered. (listed above, dope)

There have to be some universal qualities that make some GM’s better than others. Some personality traits, business practices, or commonly held beliefs that make 20% of GM’s better than the other 80%.

1. Self-Awareness

I think this is the single most important quality of a successful General Manager in any sport. Being aware of your own limitations and strengths can help anyone succeed in any line of work, but especially one where you oversee an entire organization of people. Let’s look at baseball for instance. Through 4+ leagues (low A, high A, AA, AAA, MLB), a General Manager may be responsible for the contracts of 100 or more baseball players. It takes a delusional man to think he has the knowledge and skill to manage each one of these players on his own. A self-aware GM would surround himself with an excellent staff that he trusts to make good decisions with player development, and give good advice in acquiring or keeping players.

2. Friendliness/Approachability

This quality may seem unimportant to some, but I think it really can separate the two classes of GMs. A GM that can communicate well, get to know players, and draw them to his respective venue is a huge asset to a team. A GM may be softspoken like Joe Dumars, a wunderkind like Theo Epstein, or anything inbetween. Players want to feel wanted, and they want to feel like the GM cares about them individually, or desires them to come to the team genuinely. A personality that goes beyond business decisions can really help a GM build a good organization.

3. Business Savvy

Being able to talk to players is wonderful, but they do actually have to sign a contract with a dollar amount on it before they play for the team. It is important that a GM be wise enough financially to construct a team that can last. Now, that may mean overpaying for a star, or it may mean letting that star walk, if the asking price is too high. Some amount of freedom can be taken away by the stinginess or generosity of the owners checkbook, but a crafty GM can find ways to sign new talent, keep established talent, and get rid of fading talent, all while keeping a team building towards something great.

There must be many other things that make up a talented General Manager, but these three seem, in my mind, to be common traits among the best of the best.

3 Things I currently think about Baseball

1. Verlander for MVP: As much as I agree that Justin Verlander is far and away the best pitcher in baseball this year, someone who plays 35 games as opposed to someone who plays 160 is hard to reconcile as the most valuable player in the league. He is a homerun to win the Cy Young this year, and a lock to be the 1^st pitcher drafted in every fantasy league next year, but I cannot give him the MVP award.

2. I think I love players that take a walk. Mark Trumbo, the stellar rookie 1^st baseman for the Los Angeles Angels, is having a heck of a year for a 23 year old. He is leading all rookies in HR and RBI, and plays adequate defense. However, his K/BB ratio is 94/22. Jose Bautista has managed an OBP over .450 all year by taking walks and working the pitch count. Obviously, Bautista is a more feared hitter than Trumbo, but I am only trying to illustrate a point.

3. I love players who age gracefully. Jim Thome, Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas, Derek Jeter…These are players who become older and older, but still found ways to contribute to their teams overall success. Congrats to Jim Thome for his 500^th career homer last week, and for continuing his success in Cleveland.

Advanced Statistics

Well, the baseball season is officially three weeks old. I haven’t written anything for two straight months, but dry spells are a part of life. Lets get back to writing.

This week, I want to look at advanced statistics. As a General Manager, it is becoming more and more important to understand advanced statistics and how they can help your organization win games and draw fans. Advanced Statistics have a place in every major sport from golf to basketball. Baseball is completely consumed by advanced performance statistics. Basketball is rapidly turning to statistics to back up traditional analysis, but baseball is absolutely obsessed with numbers. And they work. Nerdy numbers begotten from complicated formulas are a fantastic way of evaluating player performance. In this article, I want to look at one of the more important evaluator statistics in baseball.

Like I said, baseball loves them some numbers. One of the statistics that I particularly like for pitchers is Quality Starts. A quality start is defined as a start in which a pitcher throws at least 6 innings and gives up no more than 3 runs. Many baseball analysts will tell you that wins and losses is a very misleading number to count on. A pitcher could win 15 games and still have an awful ERA, a poor WHIP, and merely have had exceptional run support when they were pitching. If you can find pitchers that throw more quality starts than non-quality, then you can be that much closer to having a team that competes every night.

Favorite batting statistic? Are you prepared to throw up?

Now, I don’t expect you to understand that equation, and I really really don’t, but it is the equation to find Runs Created. Runs Created is the measure of how many runs a player contributes to their team. Bill James, one of the masters of sabermetric stats, created this equation because he said that “With regard to an offensive player, the first key question is how many runs have resulted from what he has done with the bat and on the basepaths.” This makes sense to me. Players that score runs and drive in runs are very important to a teams overall success.

Quality Coaching

For as many teams as there are in the NBA, there is a separate and distinct head coach. Each one of these coaches does something different for his team, and has different skills and strategies that they bring to the table. But my question is: What makes a highly successful coach? As a GM, you will need to hire a coach and coaching staff that fits your players and the goals of your franchise. If you hire a complete bungler, then everyone is going to know it. Do you bank on past reputation, or do you hire new blood? Discipline, or pace of play? Player relations, or media savvy? Let us look at a few qualities of successful head coaches.

1. Past Success

This may seem like a no brainer, but in the NBA, a lot of the coaches who are available every offseason have coached in professional basketball, or at least college basketball, before. So it makes sense to look at the successes that the candidates have had in their past jobs. Of course, past success can be a pitfall, especially when recruiting coaches from the college ranks to coach in the NBA. In six seasons with the Knicks and Celtics, Rick Pitino managed to garner a record of 192-220, a less than stellar record. You all may have heard of Rick Pitino before, as he has won 589 games, while losing only 214 times. (Record as of Feb 1, 2011)

Something that is not talked about enough is the talent that a head coach gets to start out his tenure. I think Rick Carlisle is an excellent example of this point (I love a good Rick. No better way to get out of bed in the morning that to talk about a Rick) Carlisle is in his 9^th season as an NBA head coach, and he has averaged 48 wins per year in his previous 8 seasons with the Pistons, Pacers, and Mavs. Now, Rick Carlisle is an excellent head coach. He is smart, he plays to his strengths, and he seems to get the most out of the players that he has. BUT, I think he has benefitted tremendously from the rosters that he has inherited. He has the Detroit Pistons as they were rounding into championship form, he coached the Pacers when they were at the peak of their powers in 2003-2006, and he now holds the tiller of a Mavericks team that won 50 games a year even before he got there. So, past success can absolutely depend on more than just coaching ability.

2. Discipline

I think having strong discipline and running a tight ship are things better served for a young team, so you must be careful if you have this kind of coach. One team in the NBA this year that has a strong willed and controlling coach is the New Jersey Nets. Now, this may be a poor example because the Nets are so bad, but that is not Avery Johnson’s fault. He is a nit-picker, and a screamer. He controls his teams and keeps them going in the direction that he thinks is best. For the Nets, a young team who does not have an enormous amount of talent, they need a controlled system because they lack elite playmakers. However, there are pitfalls to a disciplinarian coach as well. Players may start to tune them out if they are losing too much, or if the coach is in town for too long (Avery Johnson with the Mavericks)

3. Master Manipulator

I think we all know who I am going to talk about right now…the Zen-orino, the Zen-kabob, the Zen master himself, Phil Jackson. Phil, a former NBA player himself, has developed player motivation into an art form. In contrast to a disciplinarian, a Master Manipulator is best used on a veteran team that already knows how to play, they just sometimes need to be inspired to give the effort necessary to win. The current Lakers and Phil Jackson could not illustrate this point better. As of February 1^st, the Lakers are.500 against teams with a winning record this season. They look soft on defense, and they lollygag their way through games. Phil Jackson is the remedy for what ails them. He always finds a way to poke, prod, or jab players back into playing hard and playing to win. He has done it numerous times with Kobe, motivated Pau Gasol into being a beast once in a while, and even took the job of turning Ron Artest into a human being (although some things are impossible, even for the master). If anyone can convince the Lakers that they need to play hard, and play as a team, it is Phil Jackson, The Master Manipulator.

4. Strategist

Let’s look to the other best team in the West, the San Antonio Spurs, to find a coach who has the X’s and O’s down to a science. Greg Popovich knows what is important in life, the playoffs. He also knows how to get his offense to run like a smoothly oiled machine. Unlike the Lakers, the Spurs know that they need to bring it for the important games, and half of the unimportant games, and they do so. But effort without direction is pointless. Greg Popovich is a master at giving effort a place to put itself. His offense this season is scoring, his defense is defending, and all of his players understand their place within both pieces. He is a genius, and he needs to grow his beard back!

Like all of my articles, I am sure that I left a few things out that make a good coach, like not being a jerk to your players, or having a voice that commands attention. Another good quality is not being Stan Van Gundy, so that people won’t make fun of your turtlenecks…but that is good for the NBA. Thanks for reading.

Player Salaries

I hope everyone had a fantastic week this last week. I am excited to get back on the blogosphere pony, even though mine only has one trick.

This week, I thought that I might play with NBA salaries a little bit. Hoopshype.com has a beautiful list of player and team salaries and I thought that I might just dig into them a little bit. As a GM, what players are really getting you a lot of bang for your buck, and who really is not worth the money they are making? A General Manager has got to weigh a player’s salary versus their potential value on the court. Here is a list of a few players who I think are really giving a lot of value to their team for the money they make. (Contract particulars listed in parenthesis.)

1. Amare Stoudemire, New York Knicks (5yrs, $ 99.7 M)

What? Stoudemire is one of the highest paid players in the game! How could he be a cost efficient contract? Well, Stoudemire is worth way more to the Knicks as a person and a personality than he is as a player, and he is a very valuable player. He has embraced the Big Apple and, for now, New York loves him back. Stoudemire is bringing 26 points and over 8 rebounds to the table every game. He is exciting to watch, and he plays hard every night. Amare is worth the exorbitant contract, and I can only hope that the Knicks can find more skill to help him, whether that be Carmelo Anthony, or whatever free agent rim-protector they can find this coming offseason.

2. Brandon Bass, Orlando Magic (3 yrs, $12 M, Player option 3^rd yr)

The Orlando Magic have found a gem in Brandon Bass. He has been one of the underused power forwards in the league for several years, since he was stuck behind some German guy on the Mavericks. With the Magic, Bass has finally carved out a starting position. He is a power player who can hit a jumpshot out to 18 feet, hits the offensive glass hard, and can score in the post as well. I think he helps Dwight Howard out by taking some of the post focus off of him. The Magic can dump the ball into Bass instead of Howard, or vice versa.

3. Ty Lawson, Denver Nuggets (3 yrs, $5.6 M)

The 2^nd year players out of North Carolina is steadily improving under the tutelage of George Karl and Chauncey Billups. His speed and finishing ability are stellar, and his jump shot and decision making have taken steps forward this year. He does not get enough burn to put up huge numbers, but in his rookie year, the Nuggets were +58 while he was on the floor. Lawson and JR Smith really come in and turn up the tempo for this team, in a good way. Lawson will be a quality point guard, and he is going to be making a lot more money when his rookie scale contract is up.

4. Chase Budinger, Houston Rockets (3 yrs, $2.6 M)

This fiery haired young man has proven to be a valuable 6^th man off the bench for the Houston Rockets. He comes in and provides 3 point shooting and an ability to finish above the rim. He still has a problem with aggression from time to time, but he has definitely found his role as a scorer off the bench.

5. Deandre Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers (1 yr, $854,389)

Now, this young man is about to become way more expensive. With Chris Kaman being sidelined for the better part of eternity, Deandre Jordan has become the starting center for the Clips. He has matured an enormous amount since being drafted out of Texas A&M two years ago. His shot blocking, rebounding, and finishing ability, along with his enormous size, make him a valuable commodity. On a related note, he is also really good buddies with Blake Griffin aka the Future of the Clippers. If Donald Sterling can show some brains once in his life, he will lock up Deandre long term.

People who are not worth the Money!

1. Troy Murphy, New Jersey Nets (1yr, $11.9 M)

Troy would not really be worth this much money even if he were playing. Somehow, the Nets have decided that their 12 million dollars would be better served sitting on the bench. He is making way too much money to serve as a big-nosed cheerleader for this team, but something is hindering that, whatever it may be.

2. Marco Jaric, Memphis Grizzlies/Montepaschi Siena (1 yr, $7.6M)

The Grizzlies and Marco parted ways after the 2009-2010 season, but he is still under contract for this year. My biggest problem with this scenario: Seriously, why would anyone give the career 2^nd-stringer 7 million dollars a year for any reason? He has started in a few different players, but always ended up cast away because of lack of ability. Enormous waste of money for the Grizzles. They could be paying Rudy Gay 20 million dollars this year instead of 13!

3. Brandon Haywood, Dallas Mavericks (6yrs, 52.2M 6^th yr team option)

Wow. 3.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 17.9 mpg. Wow. 52 million bucks is a lot to pay a man to average less than 20 minutes a game. Brendan Haywood also sports a free throw percentage of exactly 33.3%. Wow. He cannot get minutes on a team that plays mostly zone, and so needs large, 7 footers to guard the paint. Wow. I am going to go ahead and guess that the Mavs don’t pick up that 10 million dollar option for1015-2016. But anything is possible!

So, my fellow GM’s and aspiring sports owners, here is the lesson of the day: If you have money, give it to people who can help your team, give it to players who can have more than one good year in a row, and don’t give it to people who you aren’t going to get their butts off of the bench!

Veterans versus Youth

Veterans Vs. Youth

As a GM, or a head coach, of an NBA franchise, you have to face many troubling and difficult questions on a day to day basis. Are my players happy? Do we have the facilities necessary to be a successful franchise? How can I improve my players? How can I improve my fan experience? How can we win a championship?

All of those questions are vital to the health and wealth of a franchise. One other question that interests me is: What is more important to my roster, steady and proven veterans, or exciting and untested youth? This question is one that needs to be answered by a coach and a GM every year as they re-examine their rosters in the offseason, and it is often one that is addressed in the middle of the year via trade.

I think there are several points to be considered when deciding how to flesh out your roster:

1. Are my veterans a good locker room influence?

Take Baron Davis on the Los Angeles Clippers of 2010 versus the Baron Davis of 2011. In the 2009-2010 season, everyone agreed that Baron Davis was out of shape, uninspired, and generally a poison in the locker room. His team sucked, he didn’t want to play, and there was no reason for him to love coming to work every day. Many of us will say: “Baron, you are making crap-loads of money, just go out there and do your job!” However, it is always hard to do your best in a work environment that is unhealthy and unfulfilling.

Drastic change time. In 2011, the Clippers are an exciting and young team. They have beat the Heat and the Lakers in the last week, and have won 12 of their last 16 games. Baron Davis is a big reason behind this resurgence (as well as ROY Blake Griffin). B-Diddy is coming out and having fun on the basketball court again. He is enjoying throwing lobs to Blake and Deandre Jordan, and is generally being the kind of team leader that he was supposed to be when the Clippers signed him.

2. Are my veterans helping my youth to grow?

Very similar to the first question, but a few different nuances. For this example, let’s look at one of the oldest teams in the league, the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have a very good, if aging veteran point guard in Tony Parker. In 2008, the Spurs drafted George Hill out of IUPUI in Indianapolis to become Parkers backup and eventual replacement. Greg Popovich will attest that Tony Parker has been integral to the development of George Hill. Leading by example and teaching on the court are two things that Parker is doing as a veteran that are helping his team both in the long term and immediately on the court as Hill is quickly blossoming into a great young guard.

3. Are my veterans aware of their age?

This may be a jab at a few veterans in particular, but one vet who does understand that he is older is Shaquille O’neal of the Boston Celtics. The Big Shamrock has always been a force of nature. Slightly less powerful than an earthquake, but definitely superior to a hurricane, Shaq has carved a niche for himself in the Hall of Fame by being bigger, stronger, and often quicker, than any other center in basketball. But, as we all do, he has aged. The last 5 years have seen Shaq become less and less of a franchise player, and more of a role player. However, Shaq has been aware of this evolution. He joined the Celtics because he wanted to win a championship, not because he wanted to average 30 ppg again. He has done an admirable job by rebounding the ball, clogging the paint on defense, and periodically even getting 10+ shots in the post if needed. Shaq has aged well for someone with a personality as large as his tattooed shoulders.

Two veterans who I think had trouble realizing that they were not premier players anymore were Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady. This past summer, Tmac told the Pistons that he didn’t want to come to the team and be a sixth man. He expected that he would be a starter, and basically take over the team. He has fixed that assumption since, and has started to contribute as a solid role player and playmaker for the Detroit Pistons. Allen Iverson lost his job in the NBA because he refused to accept the fact that he was not the player that he used to be. He could still be valuable to any team, but his ego refuses to let him take a reduced role.

4. What do my youth lack?

I think this is a very important question to ask. Again looking at the Clippers, what does this young team lack? Here is a related question: Why do Ryan Gomes start at small forward over Al Farouq Aminu? Aminu is younger, bouncier, longer, and has a better future. I think the answer is this: Gomes is a steadying force in the starting lineup. He is not flashy, he doesn’t demand the ball, and he doesn’t score much. But he does defend hard, hit open jump shots, and crash the glass on both ends of the floor (although defensive boards are hard to come by with Griffin and Jordan looming). So, if your youth lack the ability to slow down, get a veteran ball-handler. If your youth hasn’t developed an inside presence, get a veteran banger like Kurt Thomas. He is doing an admirable job of filling in as a banger for the Chicago Bulls while Joakim Noah is out with injury.

Another thing that a lot of youth lack is an ability to play competent defense. Shane Battier of the Houston Rockets scores less in the NBA than I do (almost) but he still starts for the team because he can effectively defend 3 positions on the floor. The Rockets stick him on the opposing team’s best player night in and night out and he gives an enormous effort in shutting that player down.

So, we have listed some things that a GM may need to take into account when building his team. In case any GM’s are reading this article, here are a few veterans that you should consider as you are rounding out your roster. Note: these players may or may not be affordable or available

· Christ Anderson, PF: the Birdman can block shots and rebound with the best of them, and will always give serviceable minutes off the bench as a big man. Also, he is an inspiration with the way he has overcome addiction.

· Kyle Korver: do you need a three point basket? A solid defensive rotation? Someone to make funny, dodgeball themed commercials? Korver is your man.

· Luke Ridnour: This man is starting for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and some nights is their 3^rd best player. He can run the pick and roll, shoot the basketball, and he is another vet that fights every minute he is on the court.

· Linas Kleiza: He is under-producing in Toronto at the moment, but he showed over the summer in the World Championships that he can be a valuable and explosive scoring option if used correctly.

· Arron Afflalo: This UCLA grad has turned himself into quite the well-rounded player. He defends well, he shoots the three well, and is better at driving to the basket than he has been in the past. He would be a perfect shooting guard in Chicago, if they could get him.

Final note: the more I looked through rosters for this piece, the more I noticed that there aren’t a ton of people who fit the “still serviceable but not really used” veteran label. There are so many young players in this league right now. Maybe my definition of veteran is too…something.

Baseball Signings!

(sorry that it has been so long, but that's the way it goes. No one pays me for this, so it tends to take a back seat to other items on my to-do list. I wrote this post back in December when this happened)

Big news in the AL!

The Red Sox are immediately baseballs most improved team in the 2010 offseason. This morning, the 9^th of December, sources report that the Red Sox are going to give Carl Crawford a 7 year, 147 million dollar contract. He will fill in as a center or left fielder, and will provide a beautiful dual speed/power threat for the Bostonian team. Coupling this signing with the trade for Adrian Gonzales makes this entire offseason an enormous success. Lets take a look at the Red Sox potential lineup for the upcoming 2011 season

1. Jacoby Elsbury/Mike Cameron (CF)

2. Carl Crawford (LF)

3. Adrian Gonzales (1B)

4. Kevin Youkilis (3B)

5. Dustin Pedroia (2B)

6. JD Drew (RF)

7. David Ortiz (DH)

8. Jed Lowry/Marco Scutaro (SS)

9. Kevin Cash/Jarrod Saltalamacchia/Jason Varitek (C)

This lineup has a lot of pop 1-7, and the shortstop position is not terribly shabby either. Catcher is the weakest position in that lineup, but the Red Sox will take anything that Cash, or presumably Varitek, can give them.

So, with these two new additions, what are the best places to play them? From the lineup I have projected above, there are a few changes that are possible. Dustin Pedroia is a favorite in New England, and I think he could be used effectively in the leadoff spot. He hits for average, draws walks, has decent speed, and can hit for some power too. It is always an option. Obviously, the Red Sox want Elsbury to be running as much as possible if he leads off, so he may be placed in that position as well. (although wiser heads than I maintain that Pedroia should be the lead off man)

It seems to me like the Red Sox become the team to beat in the AL this year. Even the boom-sticks of the Yankees could have a hard time putting up the kind of runs that this Sox team is capable of doing. Another point in their favor is that both Gonzales and Crawford are way above average defensively. Losing Beltre at 3B does not hurt their defense since Youkilis is such a hard worker; this 2011 team can keep up with management’s idea of a defensive minded team that can still score runs.

*Boston signed former White Sox hurler Bobby Jenks to a 2 year deal. More flame-throwers in the bullpen is never a bad idea. Jenks can join fellow hard throwing righties Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard as relievers that will touch 97+ on any given pitch (Bard throws in the 100’s, and Jenks used to.)