Re: Re:Post West coast trip notes

["hironaka@xxxxxxxxx"<hironaka@xxxxxxxxx>]

> ---------- Initial message -----------
> 
> From    : owner-celtics@igtc.com
> To      : hironaka@nomade.fr, Celtics@igtc.com
> Cc      : 
> Date    : Fri, 21 Feb 2003 14:38:30 EST
> Subject : Re: Re:Post West coast trip notes
> 
> << We could have had Keon Clark, Jim and Bobby Jackson 
etc. 
> too under different ownership. We can STILL add those 
> type of guys over the coming years. It wasn't about GM 
> smarts, it was about the availability of money over 
> there.  >> - Joe H.
> 
> I'm afraid this series of bizarre trades and signings 
is all 
> about our GM's  "smarts."   
>  
> The money was available for us to sign four minimum 
players 
> who would each count at the most, $637,435 against the 
cap.  
> 
> It was Wallace, not Gaston, who chose McCarty, Bremer,
> Sundov, and Wolko over Jimmy Jackson, Kendall Gill, 
Gary Trent,  
> Voshon Lenard, Skinner, Vaughn, Walt Williams, Damon 
Jones,  
> E. Strickland, Blount, and Grant Long.  All of the 
above 
> subsequently signed with other teams for the vet. 
minimum 
> except for Long (who we ironically then had to add as a 
13th 
> player due to the dismal failure of 11th and 12th 
players, 
> Sundov and Wolko).  
> 
> Wallace is dancing on a volcano, Joe, and the time has 
come 
> to stop blaming Gaston or Pitino or Red or even the Les 
Coyotes 
> for his abject stupidity.
> 
> Eggy
> 

That's fine because I don't dispute your conclusion, but 
Egg we are playing around a bit with numbers here. 

The only three names I mentioned (Bobby and Jim Jackson 
plus Keon Clark) are as you realize on Sacramento's books 
for over 8 million dollars this season, while the four 
you name in return (Wolko, Sundov, Bremer, Waltah etc) 
make around 1/4 of that combined and drew zero interest 
from other teams. Not fair, Egg!

If you like, all of this still might well be a matter of  
Chris Wallace's "abject stupidity", but budget was a 
factor as well.

You can take the one-size-fits-all approach to the NBA 
minimum, but the richest of the four contracts Boston 
paid this summer (Waltah) was actually 100k less than 
what Jim Jackson got, hence around 1/6th of Sacramento's 
other critical summer signing (Keon Clark) or "Mini Me" 
for that matter. 

Jim Jackson was a steal, but there may be other reasons 
why he joined the Maloofs. 

WHat seems more germane is that Jim Jackson is only a 
small part of the Sacramento picture. Petrie did not 
build his bench by outsmarting the likes of Wallace on 
who to offer $800,000 contracts to. 

Sacramento has 8 guys signed at over 4 million each, plus 
another 6 million more split between Bobby Jackson and 
Funderburke. That's one reason why they win.

And what I'd add to that is that this is not outrageous 
money (they have roughly 22 million spread fairly evenly 
on their 7  bench guys), yet its still a far different 
league from what our Celtics had when Chris Wallace 
filled out the last four empty roster spots with two 
million to spend. 

You should not imply that Chris Wallace had roughly the 
same pool of money as everyone else, and somehow chose 
Wolko over Keon Clark. This is a GM who felt compelled to 
salary dump their summer star Joe Forte just because he 
made all of 1 million dollars. He's a guy who reportedly 
offered Rodney Rogers only one million dollars.

Most GMs would just let a Forte contract hang around a 
little longer. Geoff Petrie has a guy named Brent Price 
on his roster making over 4 million dollars.

I think the best thing to do is fire Chris Wallace. The 
substitution patterns on Vin and Kedrick, plus Obie 
support for the Blount do-over trade, suggest that the 
coaching staff is working at odds with the GM. 

The new owners should look for a replacement for Wallace. 
They should sound a few candidates out ("tweet, tweet"). 
Firing the GM is only half the trick. Finding someone 
clearly better is critical at this stage. Most of the 29 
NBA GMs seem equally mediocre in terms of track record.

I'm not defending Chris Wallace. I also found him smug 
and simplistic, in the one time I met him. He didn't 
sound to me like the type who could easily win over most 
B-School types, or Ivy League frat boys in general, like 
Wyc and the gang. 

But I do think Chris Wallace has as much of a leg to 
stand on as most GMs. I can imagine the bullet points on 
his c.v. and its really not that bad. We're talking maybe 
top five for GM of the year last year, and ECF in his 
first full year as GM.

If you want to dwell on negatives, GMs are all a pretty 
sorry bunch. I hope we can come up with someone better. I 
really think the sky's the limit on this team, once the 
owners change their mindset on the luxury tax.

Joe H.



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