McHale sets the standard

[Pistons < Spurs]

By this formula, McHale sets the standard


Forbes, a magazine known for touting business acumen, shines a most positive light on the Timberwolves' beleaguered VP.


Red Auerbach wasn't around to congratulate Kevin McHale when the Timberwolves played Sunday at Boston, but he would have been proud. What Auerbach undeniably was during the heyday of the Celtics dynasty in the 1950s and '60s, McHale apparently is now.

You might want to sit down for this one ...

Forbes, that highly regarded, globally savvy business magazine, did an evaluation of the general managers in the four major professional sports and ranked them, No. 1 through No. 98 (GMs with three years service or more). The name at the top of a list on the publication's website (forbes.com) and presumably in its current print edition was (ta-dah!):

Kevin McHale.

"No. 1 best or No. 1 worst?" a surprised Timberwolves player said before tipoff Sunday. :lol

Said Cedric Maxwell, a former Celtics teammate of McHale and one of Boston's broadcasters: "This was national? This wasn't 'Forbes-Duluth?' A guy who signed Kevin Garnett to a $100-plus-million contract? Well, I am slightly surprised. But God bless him."

As Forbes explained it, writers Jack Gage and Peter J. Schwartz used rather limited criteria for their analysis: First, they measured each GM according to his team's performance (regular season and postseason) compared to its winning percentage before his arrival -- and then weighted that double. Second, they looked at the team's payroll on the GM's watch, relative to the league, compared to his predecessors' payroll control.

"The Timberwolves' McHale has been harshly criticized in the press for not giving superstar Kevin Garnett the supporting cast to win a championship," they wrote. "But McHale has guided the Timberwolves to eight playoff births [sic] and a .539 regular season winning percentage -- more than double his predecessor's .244. Winning improvement under McHale has been so great that it offset a 19 percent rise in salary against the NBA's median payroll during his 11 years as GM."

Something about that typo on what should be "berth" might make a reader question Forbes' sports acumen. Also, at one point, even Gage and Schwartz seem to hint that something is unusual about their list, because one subhead in the article reads: "Our rankings surely will raise some eyebrows."

McHale, who attended the funeral of former Celtics guard Dennis Johnson on Friday, could not be reached for comment. He still was on the West Coast scouting college games, Wolves spokesman Mike Cristaldi said.

Among McHale's fellow NBA general managers, Detroit's Joe Dumars is No. 15 :), Memphis' widely respected Jerry West is 33, Indiana's Larry Bird is 36 and Dallas' Donnie Nelson is 40. Boston's Danny Ainge, another former Celtic, is ranked 92nd, six spots from the bottom.

McHale's ranking also dwarfs that of the Twin Cities' other sports executives. Twins General Manager Terry Ryan is at 53, the Vikings' Rob Brzezinski at 72 and Wild boss Doug Risebrough at 88.

http://www.startribune.com/511/story/1032931.html

[Marklar MM]

Lol.

[sickdsm]

Lol.

McHale should rank last among the TC 4 sport franchises.


:lol

[Winnipeg_Spur]

Where's Matt Millen on the list?

[mabber]

Where's Matt Millen on the list?

Should be dead last!

[VaSpursFan]

mchale is the worst gm ever...he sucks, don't care how you spin it

[Pistons < Spurs]

1 Kevin McHale NBA Minnesota Timberwolves
2 Jay Feaster NHL Tampa Bay Lightning
3 Billy King NBA Philadelphia 76ers
4 A.J. Smith NFL San Diego Chargers
5 Lou Lamoriello NHL New Jersey Devils
6 Don Waddell NHL Atlanta Thrashers
7 Marty Hurney NFL Carolina Panthers
8 Jerry Angelo NFL Chicago Bears
9 Bill Polian NFL Indianapolis Colts
10 John Paxson NBA Chicago Bulls
11 Geoff Petrie NBA Sacramento Kings
12 Glen Sather NHL New York Rangers
13 Jerry Jones NFL Dallas Cowboys
14 Pierre LaCroix NHL Colorado Avalanche
15 Joe Dumars NBA Detroit Pistons
16 Carl Peterson NFL Kansas City Chiefs
17 Jim Rutherford NHL Carolina Hurricanes
18 Dave Taylor NHL Los Angeles Kings
19 Rich McKay NFL Atlanta Falcons
20 Scott Pioli NFL New England Patriots
21 David Poile NHL Nashville Predators
22 Randy Mueller NFL Miami Dolphins
23 Randy Pfund NBA Miami Heat
24 Kevin Colbert NFL Pittsburgh Steelers
25 Ernie Grunfeld NBA Washington Wizards
26 Billy Beane MLB Oakland Athletics
27 Bobby Clarke NHL Philadelphia Flyers
28 James Harris NFL Jacksonville Jaguars
29 Omar Minaya MLB New York Mets
30 Theo Epstein MLB Boston Red Sox
31 Brian Sabean MLB San Francisco Giants
32 R.C. Buford NBA San Antonio Spurs
33 Jerry West NBA Memphis Grizzlies
34 Ernie Accorsi NFL New York Giants
35 Rick Sund NBA Seattle Supersonics
36 Larry Bird NBA Indiana Pacers
37 Brian Burke NHL Anaheim Ducks
38 Ted Sundquist NFL Denver Broncos
39 Pat Gillick MLB Philadelphia Phillies
40 Donnie Nelson NBA Dallas Mavericks
41 Rod Thorn NBA New Jersey Nets
42 John Schuerholz MLB Atlanta Braves
43 Larry Beinfest MLB Florida Marlins
44 Bob Gainey NHL Montreal Canadiens
45 Kevin Lowe NHL Edmonton Oilers
46 Elgin Baylor NBA Los Angeles Clippers
47 Walt Jocketty MLB St. Louis Cardinals
48 Dave Dombrowski MLB Detroit Tigers
49 Kiki Vandeweghe NBA Denver Nuggets
50 Mike Flanagan MLB Baltimore Orioles
51 Bill Stoneman MLB Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
52 Doug MacLean NHL Columbus Blue Jackets
53 Terry Ryan MLB Minnesota Twins
54 Charley Armey NFL St. Louis Rams
55 Larry Pleau NHL St. Louis Blues
56 Mike Keenan NHL Florida Panthers
57 Kevin Towers MLB San Diego Padres
58 Jim Hendry MLB Chicago Cubs
59 Mickey Loomis NFL New Orleans Saints
60 Mark Shapiro MLB Cleveland Indians
61 Brian Cashman MLB New York Yankees
62 Craig Patrick NHL Pittsburgh Penguins
63 Darcy Regier NHL Buffalo Sabres
64 John Muckler NHL Ottawa Senators
65 Daniel J. O'Dowd MLB Colorado Rockies
66 J.P. Ricciardi MLB Toronto Blue Jays
67 Ken Williams MLB Chicago White Sox
68 John Nash NBA Portland Trail Blazers
69 Rod Graves NFL Arizona Cardinals
70 Doug Melvin MLB Milwaukee Brewers
71 George McPhee NHL Washington Capitals
72 Rob Brzezinski NFL Minnesota Vikings
73 Mike O'Connell NHL Boston Bruins
74 Kevin O'Connor NBA Utah Jazz
75 Billy Knight NBA Atlanta Hawks
76 Mike Milbury NHL New York Islanders
77 Jim Bowden MLB Washington Nationals
78 Mitch Kupchak NBA Los Angeles Lakers
79 Vinny Cerrato NFL Washington Redskins
80 Doug Armstrong NHL Dallas Stars
81 Mike Barnett NHL Phoenix Coyotes
82 Isiah Thomas NBA New York Knicks
83 Floyd Reese NFL Tennessee Titans
84 Dave Littlefield MLB Pittsburgh Pirates
85 Bernie Bickerstaff NBA Charlotte Bobcats
86 Bruce Allen NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers
87 Bill Bavasi MLB Seattle Mariners
88 Doug Risebrough NHL Minnesota Wild
89 Ozzie Newsome NFL Baltimore Ravens
90 Ken Holland NHL Detroit Red Wings
91 Larry Harris NBA Milwaukee Bucks
92 Danny Ainge NBA Boston Celtics
93 Allan Bristow NBA New Orleans Hornets
94 Bryan Colangelo NBA Toronto Raptors
95 Carroll Dawson NBA Houston Rockets
96 Matt Millen NFL Detroit Lions
97 Mike Brown NFL Cincinnati Bengals
98 Michael Lombardi NFL Oakland Raiders

[boutons_]

"playoff births" :lol

Where teams lay eggs, maybe?

[baseline bum]

So McHale and Billy King are the two best GMS in the NBA? :lmao

[monosylab1k]

Billy King at 3rd is almost more ridiculous than Mchale at 1st

Meanwhile, the Patriots' GM is 20th, the Spurs' GM is 32nd, and the GM that finally got the Red Sox a WS win after nearly 100 years of futility is ranked 30.

This is the worst list in the history of lists.

[Spurminator]

Next up is the "100 Greatest Rock Albums Ever" list by Better Homes & Gardens.

[monosylab1k]

Next up is the "100 Greatest Rock Albums Ever" list by Better Homes & Gardens.

:lol very funny

1. Evanescence
2. Nickelback
...
...
100. The Beatles

[timvp]

Forbes just made Hollinger look like the smartest man alive.

I can understand coming up with a formula that accidentally lists the two worst GMs in the NBA as the two best GMs in sports ... but then you go ahead and publish it?!?!?

[ChumpDumper]

This will certainly make arguments about team valuation and income more interesting.

[timvp]

Carroll Dawson and Bryan Colangelo the two worst NBA GMs?

:rollin

[ChumpDumper]

Why are Kiki and Bristow on that list?

[ChumpDumper]

Only the 98 current GMs with at least three years of service were reviewed.Neither Kiki nor Bristow are current and Bristow was GM for a little over one year.

[mabber]

Neither Kiki nor Bristow are current and Bristow was GM for a little over one year.

I'm guessing that Forbes put a jr. staff guy on this story and he f..ked up. Obviously, no one took the time to seriously look at it before it was put in the issue since it was only about sports.

[ChumpDumper]

The byline says different.

[CubanMustGo]

Coming soon: ESPN-F, The Financial Leader.

[Spurminator]

Coming soon: ESPN-F, The Financial Leader.


Not completely out of the realm of possibility. They did have that "E!"SPN show with Mario Lopez for a while...

[bigdog]

that is the most horrible list ive ever seen. mchale is byfar the worst in the league

[Obstructed_View]

Considering that the Timberwolves won an average of 21 games a year before his arrival...

I suppose they should dub McHale, "The One-eyed Man"

[samikeyp]

There are two people worse than Millen?

Nahh...I call shenanigans!

[JamStone]

That's a good list.

[MrChug]

I heard them talking about this on NBA radio on Sirius, Kenny Smith thought "that GM from the Spurs" should be first. :clap

[mabber]

I heard them talking about this on NBA radio on Sirius, Kenny Smith thought "that GM from the Spurs" should be first. :clap

He should definitely be up there toward the top. The Spurs are always good and they manage to do that w/o getting any top free agents...as the top free agents are just not interested in playing in San Antonio.

[Samr]

Yep. This one isn't going in the portfolios. Sounds like someone put in a lot of work, and when it didn't work right, they were too proud to scrap it.

See this is why NBA players have financial advisers. Unless your name is Mark Cuban, a sports mind and a money mind are rarely on and the same. Stick to what you know, and get paid to do.

[Obstructed_View]

Unless your name is Mark Cuban, a sports mind and a money mind are rarely on and the same.
:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

What would make you think Mark Cuban is either of those?

[mabber]

Yep. This one isn't going in the portfolios. Sounds like someone put in a lot of work, and when it didn't work right, they were too proud to scrap it.

See this is why NBA players have financial advisers. Unless your name is Mark Cuban, a sports mind and a money mind are rarely on and the same. Stick to what you know, and get paid to do.

Obviously, Cuban knows how to make money but not so sure about having the sport's mind.

[Obstructed_View]

Obviously, Cuban knows how to make money but not so sure about having the sport's mind.
Thank you. :)

To be completely truthful, he made one decision, and it made so much money that he probably doesn't have to make any more good financial decisions as long as he lives. It was a hell of a good decision, though. He did buy the Mavs at the best possible time, too. Look at all the credit he gets that he completely doesn't deserve. I think Steve Kerr was going on and on the other night on TNT about how Mark Cuban turned the Mavs around.

[ShoogarBear]

If there's any justice, Forbes goes out of business next month.

This is quite possibly the most ridiculous piece of shit written by any serious magazine on any topic in modern history.

The next time you see Forbes rank anything, keep this in mind.

[ShoogarBear]

On the other hand, Peter Holt will have this handy for the next contract negotiations with Buford.

[ShoogarBear]

Here are some classic quotes from the Forbes page:


Basketball's Best

Kevin McHale (Overall Rank: No. 1)

Current Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Winning Improvement: 235
Payroll Containment: 81

Under McHale, the Timberwolves have improved their performance by a 135%--a feat unmatched by any other GM in our survey--by combining franchise player (and his first-ever draft pick) Kevin Garnett with a cast of mediocre players.



Basketball's Worst

Carroll Dawson (Overall Rank: No. 95)

Current Team: Houston Rockets
Winning Improvement: 64
Payroll Containment: 92

Over the course of his 10 years as Houston Rockets general manager, Carroll Dawson has never been able to duplicate the team's past success, even after raising Houston's payroll to secure stars like Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and Yao Ming. Dawson will step down and be replaced by his assistant, Daryl Morley, at season's end.


The Timberwolves' McHale has been harshly criticized in the press for not giving superstar Kevin Garnett the supporting cast to win a championship. But McHale has guided the Timberwolves to eight playoff berths and a .539 regular season winning percentage--more than double his predecessor’s .244. Winning improvement under McHale has been so great that it offset a 19% rise in salary against the NBA's median payroll during his 11 years as GM. Here is the list of NBA GMs only:



Rank GM YearsAsGM WinningImprovement PayrollContainment
1 Kevin McHale 11 235 81 NBA Minnesota Timberwolves
3 Billy King 8 215 89 NBA Philadelphia 76ers
10 John Paxson 3 179 76 NBA Chicago Bulls
11 Geoff Petrie 11 171 85 NBA Sacramento Kings
15 Joe Dumars 6 155 104 NBA Detroit Pistons
23 Randy Pfund 10 144 87 NBA Miami Heat
25 Ernie Grunfeld 15 143 88 NBA Washington Wizards
32 R.C. Buford 4 124 109 NBA San Antonio Spurs
33 Jerry West 22 134 79 NBA Memphis Grizzlies
35 Rick Sund 10 124 101 NBA Seattle Supersonics
36 Larry Bird 3 126 88 NBA Indiana Pacers
40 Donnie Nelson 4 129 67 NBA Dallas Mavericks
41 Rod Thorn 14 120 91 NBA New Jersey Nets
46 Elgin Baylor 21 103 139 NBA Los Angeles Clippers
49 Kiki Vandeweghe 5 109 117 NBA Denver Nuggets
68 John Nash 24 91 127 NBA Portland Trail Blazers
74 Kevin O'Connor 9 90 102 NBA Utah Jazz
75 Billy Knight 5 89 102 NBA Atlanta Hawks
78 Mitch Kupchak 6 85 108 NBA Los Angeles Lakers
82 Isiah Thomas 5 87 94 NBA New York Knicks
85 Bernie Bickerstaff 10 96 63 NBA Charlotte Bobcats
91 Larry Harris 3 73 110 NBA Milwaukee Bucks
92 Danny Ainge 3 78 93 NBA Boston Celtics
93 Allan Bristow 4 73 107 NBA New Orleans Hornets
94 Bryan Colangelo 11 69 99 NBA Toronto Raptors
95 Carroll Dawson 10 64 92 NBA Houston Rockets
Isiah's "PayrollContainment Index" is 94, indicating he's better than league average. Meanwhile Elgin Baylor has a horrible payroll index because the Clippers finally decide to pay competitive salaries. :lmao

[Obstructed_View]

Forbes must be using the same formula that the MVP voters use to give the award to Nash every year.