Bill Simmons And The Bucks
Monday, March 03, 2008
Last week was a monumental one for Bill Simmons in regards to the NBA. Not only did Simmons completely depress me with a great look into how the NBA can save the Sonics (they can't), but he openly campaigned to be the new GM for the Milwaukee Bucks....
Finally, unlike nearly every other GM, I wouldn't be afraid to take chances because I could always go back to ESPN if I got canned. Don't kid yourself: TNT's security blanket enabled Steve Kerr to take a chance on Shaq. Throw in my inevitable behind-the-scenes book about being an NBA GM, and really, there's no way you can lose. I'll run the Bucks; you'll live vicariously through me. And if I have to gain 40 pounds to fit in, so be it. I'll start eating sausages and drinking dark beer right now.I think the best part about the NBA is how most owners still think that ex-players and basketball guys will do the best to rebuild their teams. This couldn't be further from the truth. Guys like Bryan Colangelo and Sam Presti are thriving while the Isiah Thomases of the world are slowly ruining franchises. I can't think of anyone that would try harder at a job, and knows more about the NBA, but do you think any GM would even try a trade with Simmons? You know the Clippers, Knicks (not that you'd want a player from that team), and Timberwolves wouldn't trade with him.
Besides, do you really think someone can save the Bucks in any conventional way? Puh-leeeze. It's time for a change, Milwaukee. Your hoops team hasn't mattered in 20 years. You haven't cared this entire decade. You need a fresh voice. You need passion. You need me. So vote Simmons in 2008.
Could this work? Milwaukeeans seem to think so....
Dale in Milwaukee joked, "The last media guy to get a GM job in the Midwest was Matt Millen. What's the worst that could happen?"I don't think that was a joke Bill.
Me as GM of the Bucks? A good—no, a GREAT—idea. (ESPN)
12 Comments:
I've got two words for Seattle: eminent domain. Force Clat Bennett to sell.
Bill Simmons just discovered George Plimpton. Congratulations
Considering Simmons has been wrong about as much as he's been right about anything related to basketball, I'd say he has as much credibility as any other die-hard NBA fan. Why not hire Marc Stein, or Marv Albert, or hell even Bill Walton? A guy like Kupchack went from being universally destroyed to Executive of the Year in 1 freaking year, all because he didn't trade Bynum. I'd say 95% of people would have made that trade. So, relax Bill and make more podcasts.
Bill's first trade: Michael Redd to the Celtics for P.J. Brown and a second round pick in 2013.
any 1st rounder in their rookie year would be traded halfway through his rookie season
/Pitino-ed
"while the Isiah Thomases of the world are slowly ruining franchises."
There is nothing slow about the way Thomas is ruining the Knicks.
This being the Bill Simmons who said Dwight Howard over Emeka Okefor was a horrible choice, that Rudy Gay would never excel in the league, that Yi Jianlian was a complete joke?
Umm, Yi has sucked for about 2 straight months now.
And I must have missed it when Sam Presti was doing a great job in Seattle.
Ha, yeah bad example. I didn't realize his numbers had tanked so badly since January.
Presti has the Sonics 3 1st round draft picks in one year. Add that to Durant and Green, and voila.
Bill Simmons also said that Jay Williams would be the MJ to Yao Ming's Sam Bowie.
Yeah its easy to second guess a decision of a gm/owner after the fact and it maybe true that a guy who never played the sport can be a good of gm as an ex player, but give me a break, Bill Simmons can claim to do what he's going to do if he was the Bucks gm, please, yes in general some of these jobs do require some basic common sense, but what will happen when things don't go as plan, what kind of plan does he have to fix that mess besides getting fired and falling back to being on tv.
you know if any owner/gm ever listened to their fans every week someone would be traded.
Bynum would be gone for Kidd
and then the week Kidd does bad he'd be traded for someone
Pau wouldn't be traded obviously
any 1st rounder in their rookie year would be traded to all teams by his second year
what a crazy league that would be