I didn't really mean Whitsitt is a dunce overall, just that he seems to be panicking in these recent moves. I haven't followed his career very closely. But, from a distance he does remind me a bit of Braves' GM John Schuerholz - a cocky, self-promoting GM who has amazing resources, but can't build a championship team with them. The Blazers fell apart against the Lakers for a good reason - no leadership, no chemistry. Whitsitt brought in Pippen to lead them, even though he has never been a leader. Consequently, when Pippen disappears during the 4th quarter of Game 7 (no surprise), the GM has to take some blame. Just the fact that he rebuilt the team is not in and of itself a great credential for Whitsitt, simply because they have doubled the NBA salary cap. With that type of spending, one should expect a talented roster. And, the type of team he has built - a conglomeration of players with no rhyme or reason and no playing personality - doesn't show any particular managerial skill. In fact, I just remembered that Whisitt made a comment that it wasn't his fault that the team has bad chemistry, that it is the coach's job to get the players to play together. No, I have now convinced myself that Whisitt is a clown, that he doesn't understand what it takes to build a championship team, though I think he has a good eye for talent.
Tom |
