Post by Ian Noble on Nov 3, 2012 15:43:26 GMT
WALT FRAZIER
Minnesota Timberwolves
Walt Frazier's masterful orchestration of the Timberwolves roster this season has won him Executive of the Year honours!
Walt's 2011/12 campaign has been characterised by trades that the committee thought were so beneficial to his team that they ended up causing quite heated discussions. Minnesota's trade with Dallas that saw the arrival of the expiring Jason Terry, Spencer Hawes and Dallas's first rounder in exchange for the aging Stephen Jackson, overrated Jerryd Bayless and Kevin Seraphin is one example of a trade that was discussed for three pages. Walt's trade with Sacramento brought the league to a standstill, lasting five pages, when the non-entities of Matt Barnes, Jordan Hill and JJ Barea, along with the enigma that is Derrick Williams were shipped in exchange for exciting playmaker Isaiah Thomas, former rookie of the year Tyreke Evans as well as Jason Maxiell.
Frazier also pulled off trades which, in retrospect, perhaps should have received much, much more attention like when he straight up moved Nicola Pekovic for Nicolas Batum!
Walt is rewarded not entirely for his record of sound trading but also his all round restraint as a GM to not simply pull the trigger on the bundles of different trades that must have come his way, choosing to police his trading much in the same way he does his work on the trade committee - with exceptional levels of detail and consideration. The Timberwolves went from strength to strength throughout the season as a result of Walt's wise trading and qualified as a sixth seed in the playoffs, losing in 7 games in a closely fought series with the LA Clippers.
Walt did it all whilst building around crowd favourites Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, the tandem at the heart of the real-life Minnesota Timberwolves, which certainly keeps the identity of his team intact despite improving it elsewhere, the soul of the team has remained whilst the entity has grown stronger!
Not only that but Frazier has pulled it off in tandem with the impressive feats of maintaining an extremely low salary cap level, which sees him with $20m of space this off season, and without having moved a single draft pick! Indeed, the Timberwolves actually acquired a pick from Dallas whilst bolstering their team overall this season.
All in all, a solid and massively impressive job by Walt Frazier who is certainly building what will become a terrifying dynasty to reckon with if his reign continues!
Original Team
Nikola Pekovic
Kevin Love
Michael Beasley
Wesley Johnson
Ricky Rubio
Current Team
JJ Hickson
Kevin Love
Nicolas Batum
Tyreke Evans
Ricky Rubio
[/center]Nikola Pekovic
Kevin Love
Michael Beasley
Wesley Johnson
Ricky Rubio
Current Team
JJ Hickson
Kevin Love
Nicolas Batum
Tyreke Evans
Ricky Rubio
Runner-Up
Lucas Lutkus, Charlotte
Lucas Lutkus is named runner-up in the race for Executive of the Year honours for his frenzied and relentless metamorphosis of the dire Charlotte team that finished dead last in the NBA in real life.
The truly inspiring thing is that Lutkus has managed to do it whilst maintaining Charlotte's promising young duo of Bismack Biyombo and Kemba Walker, which has lent a certain familiarity and soul to the now completely revamped roster. Secondly Lucas's brilliant habit of valuing his draft picks, to the extent that none of his first rounders were moved during the 2011/12 campaign which is mindblowing considering the improvements that have been made both in Charlotte's starting lineup and on their bench. Lucas's trade thread is testament to his dedication and strenuous levels of activity as a GM with 18 trades made throughout the 11/12 season.
The Bobcats event went on a 7 game win streak at the end of the season which seriously jeopardised their draft lottery standing, much to Lucas's despair, but nevertheless as a result of excellent GMing.
Lucas Lutkus's enduring talent that shines above all the others is his steadfast determination to reap massive rewards in the intriguing 2014 rookie draft. Charlotte have acquired three extra first rounders as well as three second rounders, whilst keeping their own picks intact, for a 2014 draft that is set to feature wonder kids Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins. Maybe once the draft pans out his name will be top of the list here in the Executive of the Year standings come season's end.
Original Team
Byron Mullens
Bismack Biyombo
Corey Maggette
Gerald Henderson
Kemba Walker
Current Team
Bismack Biyombo
Kenyon Martin
Metta World Peace
Randy Foye
Kemba Walker
Other Contenders
Otis Smith, Houston
Otis Smith's outstanding transformation of the Houston Rockets is a signal to all that communism is alive and well in the fascist plutocracy of America!
For much of the season the Rockets were lifted when Smith brought together the Gasol brothers, acquiring Pau Gasol from the Lakers in exchange for Scola, Lowry and Houston's 2012 1st Rounder and picking up Marc Gasol for the beleaguered Samuel Dalembert and overrated swingman Kevin Martin. The tandem would end all too soon when the older Gasol was shipped to Philadelphia, but in the process Houston acquired Elton Brand, Danilo Gallinari, Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner, bringing in a promising youthful core that would be shipped for yet more pieces. Trades such as the rookie draft deal with Sacramento and Portland which shipped Rudy Gay, the 10th pick and Gallinari but brought in real-life Spurs prodigy Kawhi Leonard and picks that would eventually become Bradley Beal.
Otis Smith's plethora of trades become almost impossible to review. At times, some of Otis Smith's trades left the Trade Committee scratching their head, and it can't be forgotten that Houston has had to ship all their future draft picks to secure their current standing. However it cannot be denied that Smith transformed a sub-par Rockets squad, struggling after the TMac-Yao era ended, into a promising young team we expect to see in the playoffs next season.
Original Team
Marcus Camby
Luis Scola
Chandler Parsons
Kevin Martin
Goran Dragic
Current Team
Marc Gasol
Elton Brand
Kawhi Leonard
Bradley Beal
Jrue Holiday
Larry Bird, Indiana Pacers
Larry Bird's 2011/12 tenure will be remembered for the masterful coup de'tat of trades that brought together a new big 3 of Monta Ellis, Danny Granger and Amare Stoudemire in Indianapolis.
Larry began with a trade that was essentially just lucking out when the Trade Committee finally broke under the strain of so many Amare Stoudemire trades from mercurial Magic GM, Blake Bowman. Larry also managed to acquire underrated 2011/12 NBA DPOY Tyson Chandler in the trade. Bird pounced a month later when the Milwaukee Bucks decided to clear shop and go into full rebuilding mode, snapping up Monta Ellis in exchange for two first rounders and some expirings!
The Pacers followed up with a disappointing loss in the first round to the Brooklyn Nets after a very strong finish to the regular season. The legacy of Larry Bird's expertise will be felt for many years to come in Indianapolis, however only time will tell whether it would have been felt for longer had he kept his original promising core of talented youth that included Roy Hibbert and Paul George.
Original Team
Roy Hibbert
David West
Danny Granger
Paul George
Darren Collison
Current Team
Tyson Chandler
Amare Stoudemire
Danny Granger
Monta Ellis
Darren Collison