Meet the Clippers' New GM
Interesting read. Olshey seems sharp and articulate. He speaks well of DTS and those unlimited resources. There's also a brief mention of analysing the new guys, to see "who we want back."
almost 2 years ago
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Hook, line and sinker...
If you believe a word of this guy, take off the rose-colored glasses. He’s just another lackey for the DTS conglomerate who does whatever Roeser asks. A workout guy as your GM – gee, wonder how that’s gonna work out? “Lebron, remember me? I shagged balls for you at ABCD!! No, really I’m the GM now. Seriously. Come to the Clips! I’ll get you on a soap opera of your choice if you sign with us. I know guys” This guy proves the Clips have no commitment to winning.
As for saying the Clips do their own statistical analysis, I guarantee that is 100% a lie, unless an unpaid intern charting 3 PT and FT % counts. Just another reason the club is so far behind the learning curve. Until the whole regime is gone, the commitment to profit at the expense of wins continues.
Go back to your soap opera, Olshey.
LOL
Yes, certainly an uninspiring choice. If the last GM was sooo bad, why promote his underling (who apparently was the guy pulling the strings all along – these Clippers are shadowy)?
Promoting the backup coach and backup GM was just Donald being cheap. They need to hire a real GM and real coach in the offseason.
Firing the last guy was fine if the plan is to replace him with someone better. Firing him to replace him with a first timer is not cool.
Do not worry. (Matthew 6:27)
Even if Olshey happens to deserve the job,
our image problem is a central issue, so DTS almost HAS to hire a bigger name.
Hey Donald, you know that perceptions are important, right?
That said, I like the way Oshley presents himself, and I’m inclined to believe him when he says that DTS has been a cooperative owner recently. Now someone just has to deliver the goods… But for that to really happen, the GM probably has to be someone other than Oshley.
"i know huh........freakin clippers man.....its like a wild ride rooting for this team....gotta love em....(sometimes) lol" In GrIfFin We TrUsT
No chance
How does he deserve he job? Other than polishing Dunleavy’s and Roeser’s apples, what has he done? The club says he was instrumental in past transactions. I beg to differ. As soon as Dunleavy got there, he made all trades. Although he stabbed Baylor in the back, he did earn him an Exec of the Year award or something like that. That year, and all years since including this one, he made ALL the trades, ALL draft picks and ALL transactions by himself. While needing Sterling’s approval, he did it all on his own, the good and the bad.
Olshey has done nothing. Go back to shagging DeAndre’s free throws in the summer. That is sure to be a good workout, one he can incorporate into the only job he should be doing for us: working players out.
And another thing. Why the hell can’t we hire someone from another organization, one that has a winning track record. Surely the Spurs, the Mavericks, etc, have people waiting in the wings that have learned how to draft well, trade well, and build a winning team. No, instead we have to hire someone from the Dodgers to help with their scouting??? I guess there’s a reason we’re so far behind the curve. We better start from scratch and hire a real GM this summer, one with experience in pro basketball. Get rid of these lackeys.
Uh, Clips don't need a "Big Name"
Elgin Baylor and Mike Dunleavy were both big names, what does having a Big Name have anything to do with being a GM? RAR, you can’t just hire someone from another org, becuase if they are successful, they probably still have a with that team. How does having a “big name” help with negotiating contracts? By your philosophy, we should have Isiah Thomas as GM. If fact, you could argue most “big names” fail as GM because they were stars. Since when did NBA stars become great at negotating contracts? When they were players, they had agents do everything for them. I’m sure Michael Jordan has been a great GM for the Wiz and the Bobcats…..
They had agents to do everything. We should keep Olshey or hire another no-name that is smarter.
This is going to be my team, and we're going to rise together.
-Clipper Darrell
Warkentien
from the Nuggets is available this summer. He makes perfect sense for us.
It’s not about big name GM, its about reputation. We bring a established GM that signals to the rest of the league the Clippers are no longer worried about picking up the loose change, if we go with the generic coach/gm model of the past then why would anyone think the franchise has changed?
FA in 2010.
by ClipperChuck on Mar 15, 2010 3:21 PM PDT up reply actions
It's not a "big name" that they need
but, rather, someone from the outside. We all agree that the culture in the front office is toxic.
Why not hire the Assistant GM from San Antonio or Dallas, rather than the Assistant GM of the already dysfunctional Clippers?
Do not worry. (Matthew 6:27)
Great point
You gotta love the wisdom behind hiring from within a perennial lottery team.
What I love is listening to the fans buy into the circular logic the Clips are selling. The Clips claim that Olshey is a “known commodity” who has already been playing a huge role in the Clips front office. And Olshey himself has talked about how much responsibility Dunleavy gave him and that allowed him to gain the trust of Roeser and DTS.
So how does it make any sense that you fire Dunleavy as GM for not doing a good job but you elevate the guy who played a huge role in the front office moves while Dun was focusing on coaching??? Answer – it doesn’t.
Sorry Clips fans, but don’t drink the kool-aid. It doesn’t make any sense to elevate Olshey. What has he done but contribute to a perennial loser?
Olshey himself said that not that much would change in terms of what he’s been doing already for the team. Yea…thanks Neal…I’m sure not that much will change in the win-loss record either.
Excellent thinking.
This “known commodity” the team espouses is nothing more than a junk bond. Other teams have to be giddy, knowing that the current lack of leadership will keep us mired in mediocrity, especially when they also know a solid GM could add pieces to this decent young talent and build a contender. Maybe not a championship under this owner, but a contender nonetheless. Right now, not even Jim Jones would drink the Clipper kool-aid.
I have a right to drink the Kool-Aid
I’m a fan, fans don’t agree on anything.
Neil sounds like a nice guy, i’m sure he’s competent. It’s the Clippers.
This is going to be my team, and we're going to rise together.
-Clipper Darrell
No disagreement there
Fans can think whatever they want. They can blindly support them wholeheartedly. Or they can demand changes. Some of us demanded they remove Dunleavy, and finally it happened. He had success, but not recently, and things needed to change. Promoting his handpicked buddy does not amount to change, only more of the same.
Plus, sounding like a nice guy when lobbed softballs does not mean he’s necessarily a nice guy. From those in the know, he’s far from it. And he’s certainly not competent.
"Neil sounds like a nice guy, i’m sure he’s competent. It’s the Clippers."
That sentence does not follow logically at all…sorry.
LOL
“You gotta love the wisdom behind hiring from within a perennial lottery team.”
"[Fans are] not technically a lot of times savvy. They don't understand and they don't weigh issues the way that [I] weigh them."
Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
Just to be clear though
I really don’t think Olshey is the new GM. If you read the press-release, that’s not at all how it reads. It simply states that he’ll take over the “duties” that are left from Dun’s firing. That doesn’t mean he’s going to be the GM going forward.
A lot of people have simply jumped to the conclusion (albeit logical) that he’s the new GM. But the wording is significant IMO.
Plus, Olshey said himself that he hasn’t discussed the details of his new role with Roeser or DTS as he’s been away scouting.
Not that it can’t happen, but I’ll be surprised (and not in a good way) if Olshey is running this team this summer.
For what it's worth
Friend with ties to Clips says he is the new GM and that they like him. I guess we’ll see how good my contacts are.
"[Fans are] not technically a lot of times savvy. They don't understand and they don't weigh issues the way that [I] weigh them."
Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
Yep
That’s what I heard. They like him because he’ll be another puppet they can control. Too bad for the fans that care.
Well
I was told they like him because they think he’s good, for what it’s worth.
"[Fans are] not technically a lot of times savvy. They don't understand and they don't weigh issues the way that [I] weigh them."
Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
More in the know
As I’ve stated earlier, how would they know that? Dunleavy made ALL decisions. Other than evaluating Olshey’s attendance at various college games, they have no measure on which to evaluate him. They like him because: A) he’s cheap, B) will lick polish their apples, and most of all, C) will do things the DTS way. To say they think he’s good is just utter PR BS from management. An utter embarrassment if you ask me (and I’m certain, the rest of the league).
Not sure that you are being accurate here
My friend with access is not someone who would just repeat PR BS. You don’t know that MDSr made ALL the recent decisions. In fact, I suspect that he wasn’t that involved in any decisions after he got demoted.
By the way, since you know so much, who actually terminated MDSr from his coaching position and why?
"[Fans are] not technically a lot of times savvy. They don't understand and they don't weigh issues the way that [I] weigh them."
Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
Sterling did.
This I’m not 100% sure but I’d surmise the PR hit from getting blown out at New Jersey was the last straw. So he let him finish the road trip, and as soon as it was over, he was done. Probably to make him earn his per diem, so to speak, and to save money from buying him a plane ticket home. Wouldn’t shock me.
How would they recognize a good GM?
Do not worry. (Matthew 6:27)
I thought the new wisdom was that the GM didn't matter...
DTS’ true position will be revealed when he chose a relevant coach… I can’t remember who agreed on that Jax and Mglove?
Not my wisdom
I would argue that GM is a pretty important role. More so even than coach.
I was ready for Dunleavy to go, but only because I figured the Clippers would make a concerted effort to replace him. Perhaps they will in the offseason.
If not, and Oleshay is the guy, color me disappointed.
Do not worry. (Matthew 6:27)
Ya I think it was Maglove and I
"[Fans are] not technically a lot of times savvy. They don't understand and they don't weigh issues the way that [I] weigh them."
Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
Give a guy a chance man
MDSr got 7 yrs, Elgin got 22. You write off a guy the first week. MDSr was not a “yes” man and did things his way. It seems Olshey haters are asking for MDSr characteristics in a GM…..
Give the guy a chance man…give him at least one offseason.
This is going to be my team, and we're going to rise together.
-Clipper Darrell
Sucks that this offseason
is probably the most important in franchise history. Either this one or the summer of 2003 when half the team were free agents.
FA in 2010.
by ClipperChuck on Mar 16, 2010 4:40 AM PDT up reply actions
I agree that they had their time had passed.
Change was needed. Hring his understudy is not change, though. Also, how did Olshey earn his chance? This is such an important summer for the future of the club, and we don’t need someone learning on the job.
This looks like a return to the old ways
Getting stuff done on the cheap. Hope not. I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up longing for the Dunleavy era.
Sure it sucked, but it was the best we ever had. (I’m sure there is a good analogy that fits).
Do not worry. (Matthew 6:27)
Not the coaching
"[Fans are] not technically a lot of times savvy. They don't understand and they don't weigh issues the way that [I] weigh them."
Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
Not the best coaching
Larry Brown was still the best coach we’ve ever had, regardless of how brief it was. If DTS returns to his old ways then he might be doing me a favor. I can break with the team and just cheer for teams that good old fashion good team-oriented basketball.
FA in 2010.
by ClipperChuck on Mar 16, 2010 4:41 AM PDT up reply actions
Good point and we will know soon enough
"[Fans are] not technically a lot of times savvy. They don't understand and they don't weigh issues the way that [I] weigh them."
Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
Ummm, did I ever mention a “big name”? Still searching? I said an experienced GM is what we need, someone that knows the league and can think for himself. The last thing we need is the continuing cycle of mediocrity to be fulfilled, a yes man who has NO experience in the world of professional basketball.
Tell me Olshey’s qualifications that makes you think he belongs? An assistant coach for a year or two? He was a workout errand boy. Director of Pro Personnel and Ass’t GM? Dunleavy made ALL the calls and made all the trades. Right or wrong, he’s the one that did it all. Olshey rode his coattails. The facts are he is simply a yes man, all the more reason why he “spoke well of DTS and his unlimited resources”. Of course he did; if not, he’d be gone too.
And yes, you can hire someone from another organization. Perhaps not in the lateral sense, but promote an asst GM or Personnel Director that is credited for his work throughout the league with a quality franchise.
Do the names John Hammonds (helped build the Pistons to a championship working with Joe Dumars and now has brought credibility to Bucks this year), Sam Presti (known up-and-comer from the Spurs who has built a fantastic nuclues in OKC), and yes, even Mark Warkentien (helped build Blazers of the 90s and Nuggets today) ring a bell? The point is, there are a number of names out there that can be brought in to build a WINNING CULTURE, which is what we so utterly and fantastically lack.
Qualifications? how about the fact that he used to be an actor
Or that he was able to outlast MDSr.
"[Fans are] not technically a lot of times savvy. They don't understand and they don't weigh issues the way that [I] weigh them."
Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
Not sure I'm buying the rhetoric RAR...
Do you know for certain that Olshey was merely an errand boy? A “yes” man? Sounds like you had inside knowledge… or you don’t and it’s all surmisal….
(BTW, I might be on your side, I don’t think MDSr should have been replaced with Olshey and Hughes and I think if Olshey’s the Clips move as GM… it was a rash and baffling hire… especially “when” it happened.
But I think you’re playing fast and loose with what Neil Olshey’s role is, was, and has been… because unless you know first hand… you don’t really know at all. And worse, to me, anyway, there’s a bit of pontification in your tone… like you know better than anyone else.
Finally, what do John Hammonds, Sam Presti, Mark Warkentian, Daryl Morey, and Kevin Pritchard (the current geniuses) all have in common before they became GM’s at their respective teams? One thing… they were never GM’s before.
Your argument is specious.
They were also all attending the genius convention
while our new wonderboy was doing….what exactly?
The Clippers really aren’t in a position to be experimenting with GMs. Firing Dunleavy for his backup is NOT progress. They need to get some new blood in here.
Do not worry. (Matthew 6:27)
Specious? More like spot on.
Yes, I know exactly what his role has been in the organization. And I also know that Dunleavy (who hired Olshey strictly as a favor to an agent) did all the work. I know lots of people in the inside and many more throughout the league, and the thinking is that this guy is a joke, aka par for the course. If they want cheap, you get what you pay for. Instead of making a league-wide search for the best available, they do the easy thing. The convenient thing. Groupthink is their mantra.
P.S. To answer your question above: These guys were assistants that had EXTENSIVE TRAINING and EXPERIENCE under top basketball minds who could not have been recommended more highly by their bosses. They hated to see them leave but were proud to see their hard work pay off. Contrast that to our guy.
+1
The argument around here seems to be that Dunleavy sucked, but his understudy (who may have even pull the strings on a few moves) is good-n’-ready.
Strange logic.
Do not worry. (Matthew 6:27)
Not sure that he totally sucked...
..but fresh blood and new ideas were sorely needed. He made plenty of sucky moves for sure, but he should be remembered also for getting us farther than we’ve ever gone. Had he not put Daniel Ewing in, who knows what could have happened. But five years later and the team as bad as ever (not including a roster with Keith Closs on it), he clearly needed to go, if not a year or two sooner.
Now instead of fresh blood and new ideas, we get the younger, cheaper, not-balding, inexperienced understudy of Dunleavy. Exactly what we don’t need.
Funny
I can’t go with the “if he hadn’t put Daniel Ewing in” argument because he did. It’s one of the things that make him a questionable coach.
But he was not all bad, and those who suggest he was have both short memories and unreasonable expectations.
Do not worry. (Matthew 6:27)
Agreed.
Best move: Trading for Cassell (no, it was not an Elgin special).
Worst: So hard to pick but other than picking out his clothes, you have to go with his infatuation with the Russian YMCA dominator, Yaroslav Korolev.
Minnesota trade was indeed excellent
The Korolev over Granger pick was disastrous. Livingston, too (in hindsight).
Credit to Elgin, he did pull the Tyson Chandler for Elton Brand trade. That was a fine one.
Do not worry. (Matthew 6:27)
I don't think we can put Livingston as a failed pick
you can’t predict injuries especially crazy catastrophic injuries like Livingston’s. Livingston played very well for us when he was healthy and I think he would have been a great pro if it wasn’t for the knee implosion.
LeBron or Bust !!!!
by bestclipfan on Mar 15, 2010 11:16 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh come on
He is a poor coach in terms of his play calling, reactive nature, failure to make adjustments, substitution patters and last but not least record.
I don’t have a short memory or unreasonable expectations.
"[Fans are] not technically a lot of times savvy. They don't understand and they don't weigh issues the way that [I] weigh them."
Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
Poor coach yet
we’ve had far worse.
FA in 2010.
by ClipperChuck on Mar 16, 2010 4:44 AM PDT up reply actions
This is a discussion about GM
We’re not talking about coaching. Dunleavy is a below average coach in terms of his regular season winning %. When he did reach the playoffs his style fared better, but in the end, he never won anything.
Do not worry. (Matthew 6:27)
I was responding to the "put Ewing in" comment - which is coaching
"[Fans are] not technically a lot of times savvy. They don't understand and they don't weigh issues the way that [I] weigh them."
Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
"I know exactly what role..."
Why? How? I’m willing to listen. You’re an insider? Why should I believe you? Because you talk a lot… and loud?
MD hired a guy as a favor to his agent? Then promoted him to assistant GM? And he didn’t learn anything on the job for the last five years? He didn’t talk to other GM’s. He didn’t have anything to do with any of the recent trades. He stinks, and you know all this for a fact.
Sources, genius.
Read more carefully.
Why would I tell you my sources, genius. I don’t care if you believe me, but everything I say is fact. Tell me where I’m wrong. Keep looking.
And did I say he was hired as a favor to HIS agent??? No, as a favor to AN agent, in hopes that his relationship would net us free agents in the future. Which it, of course, did not.
No, Olshey did not have a thing to do with any of the recent trades. To say otherwise would be a fabrication, a PR move to try to make him look good after the fact. I would hope he learned something on the job over the last five years. It’s not hard to learn new things. Heck, a two-month-old baby can learn by staring out a window. The point I was making is that there were so many alternatives to him, and we made the easy hire. This hire stinks, and the status quo continues.
But you're citing your "sources"...
Arguing that Neil Olshey is a bad choice is completely legitimate. You might be right. As I said, I thought the choice was suspiciously abrupt and possibly wrong. And I probably agree that “this hire stinks, etc…”
Mocking the guy by calling him unqualified, an “apple-polisher” and “lackey”… might be in poor taste (as is mocking anyone tempted to listen to his positions) but it’s completely within the liines… as long as you’re just making argument. But once you say, “believe me, I know, I have inside info…” then the one thing you HAVE to do is tell us what you know and how you came by it.
So, why WOULDN’T you tell us your sources? Because you’re protecting them… or you don’t actually have them. How am I supposed to know which it is?
The point is, your info from “inside sources” isn’t valid as an argument for why Neil Olshey might be a bad GM. This is pretty basic high school debate team stuff. Along the way you’ve indulged in some pretty heavy rhetoric… but it’s rhetoric, it’s noise… don’t confuse it with fact.
Whatever.
I have had talks with a number of people within the organization and many from other teams (both Eastern and Western conferences), as well as knowledge of how club management works. Since I value their input and opinions and like to keep their contacts, I will not divulge who. You can believe me or not, but all the facts I’ve stated are 100% true. Yes, I added my own opinion and analysis as well, as is the purpose of this forum. I mock him because I think the choice was a complete embarrassment to fans, not to mention other qualified candidates.
My argument on why he is a poor choice is based on many people’s opinion as well as my own inner knowledge of the NBA, as well as the legitimacy of his candidacy. Take it or leave it. To engage in your namecalling and sarcasm (genius, high school debate team, etc), I really couldn’t care less.
In hindsight, the best point you’ve made was calling me genius.
I'm trying to stay out of this one
But I just want to point out that you just joined this forum 2 days ago, and have only commented on this thread. If you really don’t care if people believe you, then okay, but that seems strange considering the amount of effort you are pointing into this one topic in particular. I understand that some people do have connections in the organization, but many of those people have been around here long enough so that we already have a rapport with them, and can understand the position by which they are delivering their information. You just showed up, blasted Olshey, cited “sources”, and refused to name them. I understand why you wouldn’t, but it is hard to just take the information you are sharing at face value. Simply put, we don’t know you. You have no track record here.
But none of that matters if you really don’t care if we believe you or not.
by Michael White on Mar 16, 2010 11:51 AM PDT up reply actions
Does it matter?
This hiring was made just the other day, hence I decided to post. I was astounded by its absurdity, so I decided to post. I’ve followed the team for a long time. Whether I’ve posted in the past I think is irrelelevant. If I had quoted someone, I would need to cite sources. Rather I used the consensus of their opinion, as well as my own.
You can question the credibility all you want, disagree with the opinions, etc. But the facts I state are facts, in regards to his past duties and the total authority Dunleavy wielded.
I'll apologize for the "genius" thing...
It was sarcastic and inappropriate. The “high school debate team” thing wasn’t really in reference to you in particular… but to your tactics.
It’s hard to separate fact from fiction here sometimes. Nobody uses their names except for Steve and I guess Michael White (though I guess it might not be his real name either). The propriety of naming sources is a difficult subject on a blog and in journalism. But we know that a newspaper reporter DOES have sources that most of us don’t have access to… and he or she has to protect them, but a guy writing comments on a blog… you could be a precocious ten-year-old typing in school computer lab. You’re sources could be your best friend’s dad’s friend of a friend. How am I supposed to know?
That’s not to say that it’s not interesting information. It is. But the rest of us have to take it with a grain of salt.
Swami.
If you’d like, provide me a way to contact you and I’ll let you know. It would be inappropriate to put their names out there here.
The whole gist of the original post was to provide insight that Dunleavy did all the work/trades from the day he was hired, as well as vent that the promotion of Olshey was wholly undeserved and basically an F-U to fans who think things will change.
I get it...
I don’t at all buy the idea that Olshey was the genius behind Dunleavy-era trades. And I admit that I hate the idea that DTS and Roeser took the cheap way out. It is terrifying to me that we might be seeing a return to the bad old days. If the Clippers pick a retread or unproven coach willing to work for food I guess we’ll really know where we are.
You should stick around, RAR, and, as mwhite suggests, expand your contributions beyond this one little thread.
The Denver GM...
Is the reigning NBA Executive of the Year, has been in the NBA for 19-years, never had a losing record, taken 17 teams to the NBA Playoffs. Why would you want to hire him?
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