How to be a Celtics GM

[Bob McChesney <rwmcches@xxxxxxxx>]

Criteria for being a Celtics GM when making a trade, 1997-2002

1.  Locate a vastly overpaid player that nobody else in the league wants, 
preferably with a long term contract that makes them untradeable for 
several years. See Anderson, Baker. If they do not have such a contract, 
give them one that no other team in the league would consider. See Potapenko.

2.  Enter trade negotiations acting as if you are on the verge of making 
the steal of the century. Therefore give the other team everything it 
wants. Do not negotiate a hard deal. Do not question whether you might be 
able to receive more for your assets. See Rogers deal, in which two no. one 
picks were torched for virtually nothing; Anderson deal in which Billups 
was torched; Potapenko deal in which Andre Miller was torched.

3. Defend deal as justified because it makes the team immediately better. 
Never mention that within three years (if not shorter) the deal will make 
the team significantly weaker. Never mention that even after the deal that 
the team does not have a snowball's chance in hell of winning an NBA title.

4. Schmooze with lazy local sportswriters so they will praise your moves as 
shrewd and necessary.

5.  Trade future no. 1 draft choices. These picks have no value in the 
short term, and in the long term we will all be dead. Especially brilliant 
to trade two no. 1 picks for players like Tony Delk, so you can dump a 
player already on your roster like Erick Strickland, then who becomes 
redundant, despite being less expensive and arguably superior to Delk.







Robert W. McChesney
Your Man in Urbana
Institute of Communications Research
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
www.robertmcchesney.com