| Is The NBA Ready For A European GM? Authored by Tommy Dee - December 13, 2007 - 11:49 am
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There have been rumors circulating and the names that have been mentioned are the usual cast of characters namely, Kiki Vandeweghe, Rick Sund, or Jerry Colangelo. While, from a public relations standpoint, it makes sense for the team to bring in Allan Houston in some capacity, I’d offer adding Greg Anthony to that list as well, which would give starving Knick fans a taste of the successes of yesteryear.
Yet neither have the experience, but would appear to have the wits to become great executives at some point down the road. Colangelo, who has been named NBA Executive of the Year four times with the Suns, seems the logical pick, there is little reason to believe the nearly 70-year-old has the inner patience to put up with an overbearing, knowledge-lacking boss in Dolan.
However, if you dig a little deeper in that direction you may find the perfect fit for a team desperate for a change. There’s no question the elder Colangelo has passed along significant wisdom to son Bryan, who has quickly turned an afterthought sport in a hockey-crazy town into a seemingly overnight success.
The other night I was watching the Nets play and commentator extraordinaire Mark Jackson said something interesting. He felt when Vince Carter weaseled his way out of Canada that basketball would go with him. And why not? Several years ago the team had two budding superstars in Carter and Tracy McGrady, but could not manage to keep both, as McGrady bolted for Orlando in the summer of 2000.
Basketball is different now in Toronto, however, thanks in most part to Colangelo, who has twice been named NBA executive of the year himself, in 2005 and most recently, last season after leading the Raptors to nearly 50 wins. Perhaps Colangelo’s best move over the last few years, aside from trading Charlie Villanueva for T.J. Ford, was to hire Maurizio Gherardini.
For those in the basketball know, Gherardini is the most influential voice in European basketball. Upon returning to his native Italy following a visit to the United States as an exchange student, Gherardini began the organization of basketball camps as well as clinics and also prepared the first ever coaches clinic in Europe. That coaches clinic brought such NBA legends as Bob McAdoo, Hubie Brown and Bill Walton to Italy. Gherardini turned Benetton Treviso into a European superpower, captaining them to four league championships (1997, 2002, 2003 and 2006), three Italian “Supercups” (1997, 2001 and 2002), made four appearances in the Euroleague's final four.
His knowledge of the game ranks among the world’s best, and as one NBA executive put it, to have Gherardini, means to have Europe. The question now becomes, is the NBA ready for a European executive. Well, it almost was in 2003 when Gherardini was interview for the GM position with the Charlotte Bobcats, finishing second to Bernie Bickerstaff.
All you have to do is open your eyes to see that around the world the game has changed. United States-born players have their hands full during International competitions and the production of European talent is just getting started. Let’s face it, if a European player can be taken first overall in the NBA draft, European executives are soon to follow and the Knicks can’t pass up an opportunity on one. And judging from the success that the Spurs have had since adding Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, in addition to the successes of Dirk Nowitzki, Yao and Pao Gasol, it’s easy to see that there is talent around the world- not just in the inner city of Chicago.
Isiah said it himself the other night when answering questions one how fans don’t understand that this isn’t the 1990’s hard-nose, defensive-minded, lunch pail NBA. There is a focus on offense and skill. Ironically for Zeke, he’s right, and it’s this notion that makes his NBA experience, as one of the NBA’s greats during that time period with the bruising Bad Boy Pistons, completely obsolete, and the main reason for his struggles in the Big Apple. He just doesn’t understand the “new” NBA. It’s time to get someone here who does, on a global level.
It won’t be the popular pick, but, again, teaming Gherardini with younger former Knicks with executive futures, and maybe a Vandeweghe, would bring the proper knowledge of today’s NBA back to the Mecca where it belongs.
The next General Manager of the Knicks should be Maurizio Gherardini.
Tommy Dee covers the Knicks for RealGM.com |
