Whether through playing the game or making the off court decisions, Rod Thorn has lived basketball for more than 50+ years going from a High School All-American to a NBA Executive of the Year.
GM Tenure
1979-1985 Chicago Bulls
2000-2010 New Jersey Nets
2010-Present Philadelphia Sixers
Notable Moves
Good – Thorn traded team killer Stephon Marbury for future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd in 2001. This move turned into 2 trips to the NBA Finals for the New Jersey Nets. How many times as Marbury been in the Finals? Is he still in the League? Where did all the Vaseline go?
Note: He also drafted a skinny kid from North Carolina but that would be too obvious of a choice for good move.
Another Note: He drafted Carl Lewis. Yup…this Carl Lewis.
Bad – Drafted Brian Scalabrine. This is no way helped the franchise. They could have gotten Mehmet Okur at that point in the draft. Wasted draft pick that could have been used as a trade piece to help bolster the front court with a player that could actually contribute.
Ugly – Summer of 2010 Free Agency – No LeBron. No Wade. No Bosh. Oh well, Johan Petro, Travis Outlaw, and Jordan Farmar are good alternatives….yikes. Good thing he left the ship as it was hitting the iceberg.
Coming into to the NBA as the Bulls GM, Thorn jumped at the chance given to him by the Portland Trailblazers’ pick of Sam Bowie and drafted Michael Jordan who wound up having an OK career. After his time with the Bulls, Thorn became a VP of Operations for the NBA and stepped away from the GM game. He decided to come back in 2000 and the Nets finally found some postseason success and made it to the Finals for the first time in their history. Thorn proved that you don’t have to be satisfied with what you are given and should make moves when the opportunities present themselves. He also showed you can either hit or miss with that kind of thinking. Hello Vince Carter…
January 31, 2011 at 5:07 am · written by HoopSmack
Heat 108 @ Thunder 103
The Big Three are back in action and ready to take on Kevin Durant and the Thunder. Although they accounted for 70% of the Heat’s points it was a 3 from Eddie House that sealed the deal. ”Any time Eddie raises and shoots, you think it’s going in,” Dwyane Wade said. “He’s one of those guys that look for the moment.”
Wade scored 32 points, Lebron James added 23 points and 13 assists and Chris Bosh had 20 points in his return from an ankle injury. Durant scored 33 points but missed a contested jumper along the left baseline with 15 seconds left that would’ve tied it. Jeff Green had 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Russell Westbrook added 21 points and 10 assists.
Cavaliers 87 @ Magic 103
20, 20, and 20…20 points and 20 rebounds for Dwight Howard. 20th straight losses for the Cavs. Keep it going? Ok. Cavs had 20 fast break points and Orlando had 20 fouls. Ok. I’ll stop…Manny Harris had 20 points…Ok for real I’ll stop.
Howard had 20 points and 20 rebounds in three quarters of work while Ryan Anderson added 23 points and 16 rebounds. Harris led the Cavs with 20 points, but was the only starter in double figures. Samardo Samuels had 16 points and Ryan Hollins 11 points for the Cavs off the bench.
Is it “Make A Wish Foundation” time for the Cavs?
Nuggets 99 @ Sixers 110
Although the Sixers were the Nuggets’ opponent tonight, Carmelo Anthony and company were probably thinking about their next game…which happens to be against the Nets…awkward.
Andre Iguodala scored 24 points, Thaddeus Young had 21 and Elton Brand 15. The Sixers had six players in double figures and swept the season series against the Nuggets. Chauncey Billups led the Nuggets with 27 points and 5 assists. Melo clearly distracted by whats to come, shot 3 of 12 shooting for 12 points.
Celtics 109 @ Lakers 96
The tone has been set. The Celtics feel the pain from the Game 7 loss in last year’s Finals and they are going to run over anybody and everybody to get what they think was rightfully theres last year…a championship. The Lakers continue their trend of sucking against top teams and it doesn’t look like this team will be 3-peating anytime soon. When push came to shove, the Lakers reverted to Kobe ball and it failed in spectacular fashion.
Kobe Bryant passed the 27,000 point mark with a 41 point performance but the most important stat this game…0 assists. Pau Gasol had 12 points, Ron Artest went 1 for 10, Andrew Bynum had 11 points while struggling with soreness in his left knee, and Lamar Odom had 15 points and five rebounds.
The Celtics were ready for the Lakers and showed the multi-dimensional game that many teams would love to have in their arsenal. Paul Pierce scored 32 points, Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 13 rebounds with a large bandage over a five-stitch cut on his head, and Ray Allen finally hit some shots in the Staples Center finishing with 21 points.
Pistons 106 @ Knicks 124
Timofey Mozgov has finally come out of the Witness Protection Program after The Incident and recorded season highs in a home win over the Pistons who just off a close loss to the Miami Heat.
Mozgov scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds while All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire added 33 points while playing with a sprained right knee. Danilo Gallinari scored 29 points. Ben Gordon made seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 35 points for the Pistons. Rookie Greg Monroe had 15 points and 17 rebounds.
Hornets 102 @ Suns 104
A controversial end to a close, intense game between Western Conference foes. A missed goaltending call and contact fouls resulted in a wild sequence of events that ended with a Suns victory.
Backup center Marcin Gortat had a career high with 25 points (including a play of the night dunk) while Steve Nash had 15 assists and 10 points for his 26th double-double of the season. Chris Paul led New Orleans with 26 points and 12 assists.
Jazz 81 @ Warriors 96
Without All-Star guard Deron Williams and center Mehmet Okur it was pretty much a guaranteed loss for the Jazz. It was a great night to for Monta Ellis to have his worst shooting nights.
Going 1-for-9 from the field including 0-for-2 from 3 point land, Ellis finished with 2 points. Consider all he does is score, this is not a good thing. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 27 points and 7 assists while Andris Biedrins added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
January 30, 2011 at 4:31 pm · written by HoopSmack
Team president Larry Bird didn’t gain the insight he was looking for so Jim O’Brien’s time as the Pacers’ head coach is up. Bird fired O’Brien on Sunday afternoon.
Bird had discussed the team’s coaching options with owner Herb Simon, saying he wanted to see how the team performed on a Western swing against the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State, Portland and Denver. “We were in three of the games and the Denver game we didn’t really have a chance,” Bird said.
Under O’Brien’s watch, the Pacers went 121-169 in 3 seasons and were 17-27 this season. Bird was upset with the amount of playing time that O’Brien was giving his younger players stating that Paul George and Tyler Hansborough should be getting more playing time. Bird also didn’t like the way O’Brien was handling young 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert stating that “public humiliation” was hurting Hibbert’s confidence and sabotaging his development. To take it even further Bird even wants to see Lance Stephenson on the court.
O’Brien’s constant lineup changes was a sore point for many of his critics, and now their critiques of his coaching style have now been validated by this firing. Assistant coach Frank Vogel will take over for the rest of the season. He has been a scout for the Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards, and served as an assistant coach for O’Brien in Philadelphia and Boston.
January 30, 2011 at 5:13 am · written by HoopSmack
Pacers 89 @ Bulls 110
Even with two stomach ulcers Derrick Rose didn’t call off sick from work. The Bulls were in control for most of the game and it seemed like destiny that the Pacers were headed to their 7th straight loss.
Carlos Boozer had 24 points and 10 rebounds while Rose scored 20 points and dished out 7 assists. Josh McRoberts led a struggling Pacers team with 20 points while Darren Collison had 8 assists. Unfortunately for the Pacers Ronnie Brewer showed no mercy with monster dunk that led to a Jim O’Brien ejection.
Raptors 87 @ Timberwolves 103
Its rare but the Timberwolves played defense tonight. The Raptors were held to 33 % shooting while Kevin Love got his 42nd double double of the season which leads the league. All-Star anyone?
Love had 21 points and 12 rebounds while Johnny Flynn had 8 assists. Martell Webster scored 15 points off the bench. Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan struggled all night shooting a combined 7 for 35 from the field.
Wizards 93 @ Grizzlies 107
Same old story. Wizards unable to get a road win. Their road record is now 0-23. When do they play the Cavs?…
Zach Randolph had 24 points and 20 rebounds and Darrell Arthur added 22 points. Mike Conley and Tony Allen added 15 points each, Conley also had 12 assists. John Wall led the Wizards with 14 points and eight assists. Al Thornton, Trevor Booker and Cartier Martin each finished with 12 points.
Hawks 91 @ Mavericks 102
“The 11 assists were huge, but don’t forget, this guy was a point guard,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s a clutch scorer and a terrific playmaker. Looks like Jason Terry wanted to be like Jason Kidd and play the part of point guard for the Mavericks.
Terry scored 18 points in addition to his 11 assists while Kidd had 12 points and eight rebounds, and Tyson Chandler also had 12 points. Joe Johnson led Atlanta with 27 points while Josh Smith added 17 points before fouling out. Atlanta was without starting forward Marvin Williams, who began serving a two-game suspension handed down by the NBA earlier Saturday for throwing punches in Friday night’s game.
Nets 81 @ Bucks 91
Former dunk contestant Brandon Jennings returned for the Bucks tonight from a broken foot. While he was getting back into game shape, Andrew Bogut took care of business for the Bucks.
Bogut had 17 points and 18 rebounds while Carlos Delfino led Milwaukee in scoring with 21 points and Keyon Dooling had 14 points and nine assists. Brook Lopez scored 26 points and Anthony Morrow had 16 for New Jersey. Devin Harris had 10 points and 16 assists.
Rockets 95 @ Spurs 108
The Spurs became the first team to 40 wins this season with their win against the Rockets.
Manu Ginobili scored 22 points, Dejuan Blair had 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Richard Jefferson added 18 points. Luis Scola led the Rockets with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Hornets 96 @ Kings 102
First the Lakers, now the Hornets? Who is this Kings team? Is this the same team thats coming to Seattle? Hell yeah! Lets get it! DeMarcus Cousins followed up a huge effort against the Lakers on Friday with another big game, finishing with 25 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists to help the Kings snap the Hornets’ winning streak at 10 games.
Tyreke Evans had nine of his 18 points in the fourth quarter for the Kings while Samuel Dalembert had 16 points and Beno Udrih added 14. David West scored 21 points for the Hornets, who were looking to set a franchise record with 11 straight victories. Chris Paul had 19 points and seven assists, Marcus Thornton had 16 points and Emeka Okafor 15.
Bobcats 88 @ Clippers 103
With Eric Gordon out, super rookie Blake Griffin will have to take even more of the scoring responsibilities. No problem.
Griffin had 24 points and 10 rebounds, Randy Foye added 21 points in his third straight start for Gordon. Baron Davis scored 12 points. Stephen Jackson and reserve Gerald Henderson each scored 14 points for Charlotte. Former first draft pick Kwame Brown pulled down 12 rebounds.
Good- Exercised the option through 2011-12 on JJ Hickson.
Bad- The roster he inherited.
Ugly- Having to sign off on trading LeBron James to the Heat for a bunch of picks and a trade exception.
Chris Grant is a rookie GM in possibly the best predicament for anyone in the role. Yeah, I said best not worst (for worst please reference Masai Ujiri). Grant has an absolute clean slate on his record as the Cavs GM. Although happening on Grant’s watch, all the turmoil of the horrid team personnel and abysmal Cavaliers’ record (currently 8-38) isn’t Grant’s fault. Chris Grant has made virtually no personnel changes to the roster since trading Delonte West & Sebastian Telfair for Ryan Hollins, Ramon Sessions & a future 2nd Rd pick (a small win for Cleveland). Sitting back and “seeing what they have” is the move Grant is making this season.
This may be the most patient GM I’ve ever see! There’s no team more popular for being less popular in the league yet Grant is buying his time. I expect a lot of changes coming… Sooner or later still remains to be seen. But don’t be surprised if Grant’s first real deal is either of blockbuster caliber or a snowball effect of more moves to come. Will patience truly be a virtue? JJ Hickson sure does hope so! He’s gotta get back in shape!
January 28, 2011 at 10:36 am · written by HoopSmack
With injuries to CWill and Knowledge, the other members of Team HoopSmack step and deliver a great episode for you guys. Join Tae, Tay P, and China as they discuss what’s going on with the Hornets and Jazz, BYU’s James “Jimmer” Fredette, why the new Jordan shoe is an epic fail, and who the worst team in the NBA is (hint: look up).
Download Episode 12 on iTunes or right-click here to save to your machine. Leave us feedback on the iTunes store, send us an email at feedback@hoopsmack.com or hit us on Twitter.
The All-Star Starters for the 2010-2011 All-Star game in Los Angeles, CA have been announced. The fans largly didn’t go wrong. The majority of picks they nailed right on the head with little debate………except for one exceptionally horrendous pick:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
LeBron James (Miami) F
A no brainer; leads the Heat in scoring and assists and has them sitting at 2nd in the Eastern Conference. He’s still putting up 25+ points, 7+ assists, and 7+ rebounds per game in South Beach, and still leads the league in John Hollinger’s PER.
Amar’e Stoudemire (New York) F
Everyone is talking about the Knicks coming back to relevancy and the MVP candidate is the reason why. He’s 2nd in the league in scoring (26.1 ppg), set the franchise record for consecutive 30 point games with 9, and he is the first All-Star for the Knicks in 15 years.
Dwyane Wade (Miami) G
May not be his team anymore, but along with LeBron is proving that they can be dominating. He’s adjusting his game to suit LeBron (http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/24159/pie-chart-to-the-stars) and is playing phenomenal defense along with standing at number 3 in the PER rankings.
Derrick Rose (Chicago) G
The leading MVP candidate in my book, Rose has the Bulls within 3.5 games of the number 1 spot in the East and that’s with Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah missing significant time. Rose is legitimately placing his name amongst the top players, not just point guards, in the league. He is averaging career highs in a whopping 8 categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, free throw %, 3 point %, and minutes).
Dwight Howard (Orlando) C
Is there any other center that comes close? He’s utilizing his summer lessons with NBA HOFer Hakeem Olajuwon to great effect as the Magic’s only true big man. He’s averaging a career high in scoring (22 ppg), is 2nd in the league in rebounds, and as the single anchor maintaining the Magic’s defense at 7th in the league.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City) F
After a bumpy start Kevin Durant has taken back charge of the Thunder (4th in the Western Conference) and the league scoring lead. Well deserved invite.
Carmelo Anthony (Denver) F
Even amidst the trade rumors; Melo is averaging a career high in rebounds (8.0 per game), leading the Nuggets in scoring at 24ppg, and still has Denver (presently 6th) in the thick of the playoff race. He may have been the most debatable pick among the West starters especially with Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, and even Pau Gasol having good years.
Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers) G
No, Kobe doesn’t seem to be dominating like he used to. Yes, he has had quite a few “20+ shot-attempt-but-the-Lakers-still-lose” games, but with Brandon Roy nowhere near healthy, the Lakers in 2nd place in the West (along with a solid stat line of 25 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.8 apg), Kobe still can hang.
Chris Paul (New Orleans) G
If Paul would shoot the ball more, you would have nothing negative to say about the job he and Coach Monty Williams have done this year with an over-achieving Hornets squad. He’s a MVP candidate and still the best in the West (sorry Deron Williams). He has a True Shooting % (basketball-reference.com) of .608, and is close to posting a ridiculously efficient 50-50-90 (FG, FT, 3PT)% line for the year.
Yao Ming (Houston) C
Last night on the HoopSmack podcast there was a listener that posed the question of should the NBA adopt a Write-In only ballot. Yao Ming’s selection as an All-Star this year is exactly why that scenario should take on greater precedent after this year. In what amounts to the single worst All-Star selection of all time, there is no way there can be any sane argument for his inclusion. My hope is that Stern wises up, notes what a debacle voting-in All-Stars by the fans has become, and make the necessary changes this offseason. For those that say “Well if the fans voted him in, he should stay;” allow me to direct you to the information below:
5 games, 18.2 mpg, 5.4 rpg, 1.6 bpg, and 10.2 ppg
I rest my case. If Yao doesn’t formally rescind his All-Star selection he should have it stripped from him. Is it harsh? Yes. If David Stern doesn’t, what a disgrace to every NBA player that has ever had “All-Star” associated with their name.
Check back after the reserves are announced for an in-depth analysis of this years NBA All-Star game.
After the firing of tyrant Mike Dunleavy (his own son doesn’t want to play for him), The Clippers organization hired Neil Olshey on March 9, 2010 to take over the reins and guide the Clippers to the promise land. Having Blake Griffin on the roster should help with that.
GM Tenure
Clippers (2010-present)
Assistant GM from 2008-2010
Notable Moves
Although he hasn’t been a GM for a long time, Olshey has made some noise via trades and the 2010 NBA Draft.
Good – Traded a protected future first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the draft rights to guard Eric Bledsoe.
Bledsoe is a nice piece at the point guard position and will eventually take over once Baron Davis has one donut too many. (on the real though, Baron is playing some good basketball at the moment. It appears the Eric Gordon/Blake Griffin combo has inspired him to actually play up to his potential.)
Bad – Signed Ike Diogu.
I’m not sure what Ike Diogu brings to the table other than 6 fouls. Hopefully Olshey can sucker some team to take him in a trade.
Ugly – Signed Jarron Collins.
Yes. Jarron of the famous Collins brothers is in the NBA. I don’t know if you can legally change your name to just ‘The Body’ but Jarron should look into it. But then again we can look forward to the classic clash of the titans when the Hawks come into town. Jason vs. Jarron is now a reality thanks to Olshey.
It’s an interesting time for the Clippers and Olshey now that they have some pieces they can build around with Gordon and Griffin. With a couple good moves the Clippers can find themselves in the spotlight rather than in the rear view mirror of their roommates the Los Angeles Lakers. On the flip side of that the Clippers are known for wasting opportunities like this and staying in the NBA’s basement. Will Olshey finally be the GM to take the Clippers to the next step?
January 28, 2011 at 5:47 am · written by HoopSmack
Heat 88 @ Knicks 93
Dwyane Wade was perfect for most of the game. Lebron James was terrible for all of it. The Knicks capitalized on this situation and was finally able to overcome the dominance that has plagued them for the last 7 games of the rivalry. ”It’s important for us mentally,” Danilo Gallinari said. “We lost two times against them and we wanted to get this win. Now we know we can beat them. It was an important win.”
Amare Stoudemire scored 24 points for the Knicks while Gallinari finished with 20 points and Landry Fields added 19 points and 13 rebounds to help the Knicks win their second straight after a six-game skid. Wade, fighting migraines that forced him to wear goggles, had 34 points and 16 rebounds, but missed all seven shots in the fourth quarter. James was 7-of-24 for his 24 points. None of the other Heat players played tonight so there are no stats…at least it seemed like that anyway.
Rockets 106 @ Mavericks 111
While Dirk Nowitzki continues to get back into Superman form, the other Maverick players will need to step in and help with the scoring load. Tonight’s lucky winners were Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea.
Chandler matched his season high with 21 points and had 15 rebounds while Barea added 19 points. “Barea has been a difference-maker for us and Tyson’s getting more involved offensively, which is good,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. Nowitzki had 18 points and Jason Terry added 15 for the Mavericks, who have won four of five following a six-game losing streak. Luis Scola led Houston with 30 points, and Kevin Martin had 27 in the losting effort.
Celtics 88 @ Blazers 78
“Once we took the lead and built it, we knew it was over,” Kevin Garnett said. The Celtics are starting to get healthy again and are crushing everything that moves. Tonight’s victim…The Portland Trailblazers.
Ray Allen led all scorers with 18 points while Garnett almost had a triple-double with 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. MVP candidate Paul Pierce added 17 points of his own. LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Trail Blazers, and Andre Miller added 14 points and seven assists. Wesley Matthews had 12 points but shot just 4-of-15 from the field.
January 28, 2011 at 12:07 am · written by BiG CHiNA
The current toast of the college basketball scene goes by the name of one Jimmer Fredette. After dropping 43 points in a win over No. 4 San Diego State, Jimmer was all anybody could talk about. Kevin Durant even tweeted that Jimmer was the “best scorer in the world.” It’s hard to believe that of all the games ESPN broadcasts that they failed to pick up the 9 BYU v. 4 San Diego State game, perhaps the biggest game in Mountain West Conference and even the season so far. After a stellar March Madness run, there was the possibility of Fredette declaring for the draft. But he wasn’t likely to get drafted in the 1st-round, so he decided to come back to school. Coming into the season, Chad Ford of ESPN, had him at no. 28 on his Top 100. But after his scoring outburst with dozens of NBA scouts watching, he moved him all the way up to no. 12. Watching his performance against San Diego State, I am a firm believer that Jimmer can not only get drafted in the 1st-round, but will have a productive career in the NBA. Read the rest of this entry »
