What’s in a Title?
A General Manager in the NBA is a subtly complex title, with an array of duties that are much deeper than they appear at first glance. Although the job requires a serious level of basketball acumen, there is also a human element that is important to take into consideration as well. Both factors are needed, but are not mutually exclusive.
Unfortunately, being a great human is not necessarily a recipe for long-term success in a cutthroat, competitive league unless you can tie it in to the game played on the court. Conversely, merely knowing the game of basketball but not understanding the people aspect of it is also not a game plan for victory. To further explore this particular balance let’s analyze the GM tenure of Bob Whitsitt, who was at the helm of the Portland Trail Blazers from 1994-2003.
Let’s Talk About Bob
Bob Whitsitt was an executive with extensive experience in the NBA, having worked his way up to the position of assistant general manager of the Indiana Pacers before joining the Kansas City (later Sacramento) Kings as their vice president of marketing. However, it was in Seattle where Whitsitt would truly build a name for himself as President of the Supersonics from the late eighties through the early nineties. Over his eight years at the helm, Whitsitt earned an Executive of the Year award and built the Sonics up to Finals contention. He received the nickname of “Trade Bob” by making *23 trades* along the way.
He also burned various bridges with the Sonics, ultimately culminating in a messy breakup that had the organization physically remove his television, computer, and fax machine from his office, and necessitating a breakup that was finally negotiated by various lawyers.
Whitsitt sought greener pastures and found them with the Blazers, a team that had been in the NBA Finals just two short years ago and they were a franchise that had an owner in Paul Allen who was willing to spend.
The roster, however, was on the downside. Clyde Drexler’s numbers were in decline due to a combination of aging and injury. Other key members of the team were also showing a steep drop-off in production across the board, making a return to the Finals unlikely. Faced with a team in transition, Whitsitt immediately went to work with a dizzying array of moves.
The Many Moves of Trader Bob
February 14th, 1995: Traded Clyde Drexler and Tracy Murray to the Houston Rockets for Otis Thorpe, Marcelo Nicola, and a 1995 1st round draft pick (Randolph Childress was later selected).
Whitsitt moved on from the Blazers’ old guard with almost callous efficiency, trading Drexler to the Rockets while leaving Jerome Kersey unprotected in the expansion draft for the Toronto Raptors to pick up. In yet another bold move geared towards starting over, Whitsitt outright released long-time point guard Terry Porter.
June 28, 1995: Traded a 1995 1st round draft pick (Randolph Childress was later selected), a 1995 1st round draft pick (Theo Ratliff was later selected), and a 1995 2nd round draft pick (Don Reid was later selected) to the Detroit Pistons for a 1995 1st round draft pick (Shawn Respert was later selected).
June 28, 1995: Selected Shawn Respert (1st round, 8th pick) in the 1995 NBA Draft.
June 28, 1995: Traded Shawn Respert to the Milwaukee Bucks for Gary Trent and a 1997 1st round draft pick (Paul Grant was later selected).
September 20, 1995: Traded Otis Thorpe to the Detroit Pistons for Randolph Childress and Bill Curley.
In the span of four months, Whitsitt selected Childress (the first-round pick he received for Drexler) traded him to the Pistons for a 1st rounder that became Shawn Respert, traded Respert on the same night, and then finally shipped Otis Thorpe to Detroit for…..Childress again. I wish I were kidding.
Content with the initial influx of transactions, Whitsitt laid back as the Blazers, led by Clifford Robinson, Harvey Grant, and Rod Strickland, had a competitive season, finishing 6th in the Western Conference and taking the Utah Jazz to a deciding fifth and final game in the first round before bowing out. That offseason, Whitsitt would begin reconfiguring the roster anew.
June 26, 1996: Selected Jermaine O’Neal (1st round, 17th pick) and Marcus Brown (2nd round, 46th pick) in the 1996 NBA Draft.
In the talent-laden 1996 NBA Draft, Whitsitt made a solid pick with the selection of O’Neal, an athletic, bouncy young South Carolina native straight out of high school, at a time when the drafting of players without college experience was still considered to be mostly taboo.
Brown was a decent pick given where he was selected. However, he had a very short NBA career, lasting only 27 games, while swingman Shandon Anderson, picked eight spots after Brown, would go on to play 10 years in the NBA as a valuable contributor for various playoff teams.
July 15, 1996: Traded Harvey Grant and Rod Strickland to the Washington Bullets for Mitchell Butler and Rasheed Wallace.
Shortly after the draft, Whitsitt acquired the foundational piece for the next era of Blazers basketball, sending Grant and Strickland to Washington for the Bullets’ 22-year-old 6 ’10 Rasheed Wallace.
Wallace was a force, a skilled offensive player who could operate from in the post out to the three-point line, yet was also a capable defender and rebounder.
Unfortunately, his….temperamental personality knew no bounds, affecting coaches, teammates, and most notably refs alike. Whitsitt was undeterred. All that mattered to him was the talent. He would continue to seek out more of just that.
July 23, 1996: Signed Kenny Anderson as a free agent.
July 23, 1996: Traded Bill Curley, James Robinson, and a 1997 1st round draft pick (Paul Grant was later selected) to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Isaiah Rider.
January 24, 1997: Traded Randolph Childress, Reggie Jordan, and Aaron McKie to the Detroit Pistons for Stacey Augmon.
July brought the arrival of both solid point guard Anderson as well as the talented yet troubled Rider. Rider was a slam dunk champion and former all-rookie team member who had averaged 18 points per game and shot over 35% from three over his first three years with Minnesota. However, he also had earned the label of a selfish malcontent with plenty of ink spent on his issues off of the court.
Later in the season, the Blazers acquired Augmon, a 6’6” lengthy wing who didn’t bring a ton to the offensive end but was a destructive defensive terror.
The biggest addition (both figuratively and literally) was the arrival of the 31 year old 7-3, 260 lb center Arvydas Sabonis. Drafted by the Blazers in 1985, Sabonis was not allowed to play in the US by the Soviet authorities for nearly a decade. Despite being in his early 30’s and nowhere near the marvel he was in his prime, Sabonis was still one of the best European players of all time, and brought a deft outside touch, solid rebounding, and most importantly a preternatural passing vision, and he would be a key factor in the Blazers offense for years to come.
The impact of this most recent batch of acquisitions was felt immediately in Rose City, as Portland vaulted to a 49-33 record, finishing in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating. This Blazers squad was a balanced unit, with six players averaging double-digit scoring, paced by Anderson’s 17 a contest. Portland would eventually go down in the first round to a superior Lakers team led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant (this would become a theme) yet the season ended with the renewed sense of hope often experienced by a team on the rise
Rather than sit tight with the current unit, Whitsitt continued to be aggressive. He parted ways with P.J. Carlesimo (who had clashed with some members of the Blazers) and brought in Mike Dunleavy as the new head coach. In the 1997 NBA Draft he selected Chris Anstey with the 18th pick and Alvin Williams with the 47th. He also made a three-team trade, one that cleared the contract of noted stiff Chris Dudley off of the Blazers books. In early 1998, Whitsitt would make a move for another piece to grow alongside Wallace.
Turning a Corner
February 13, 1998: Traded Kenny Anderson, Gary Trent, Alvin Williams, a 1998 1st round draft pick (Bryce Drew was later selected), a 1998 1st round draft pick (Mirsad Türkcan was later selected), and a 1998 2nd round draft pick (Tyson Wheeler was later selected) to the Toronto Raptors for Carlos Rogers, Damon Stoudamire, and Walt Williams.
Stoudamire was a major addition to Portland, and well worth the price. The former 1996 Rookie of the Year was a lightning-quick guard with the ability to penetrate to the lane at will, yet also bomb away from outside with regularity. He averaged 19 points and over eight assists per game with the Raptors and was an early fan favorite, but he quickly became disillusioned with the front office and soon was on the outs with Toronto.
Stoudamire wasn’t the only productive player picked up in the trade. Walt Williams was a steady wing who shot the three-ball well, coming off of a 38% season from beyond the arc, while Rogers was a young big who had flashed hints of potential.
In one move, Whitsitt acquired a great point guard who was just 24 in exchange for one starter, one rotation player, a recent 2nd round selection, and a set of picks that would ultimately yield little in way of a return. Out of all of his trades up to this point, this latest one would set the table for continued success for the Blazers.
The 1998-1999 season was a transcendent one. The Blazers finished the season first in the Pacific Division at 35-15 and were a top 10 team in the league. In the playoffs, the Blazers swept past the Suns and dispatched the Jazz, but fell to the Spurs in a sweep, including a heartbreaking loss in game two where Sean Elliot hit his iconic “memorial day miracle” to win the game for San Antonio.
A devastating playoff exit to be sure, but one that built hope in the young future foundation cooking in Portland. After all, the Blazers were a team on the rise, with a burgeoning young core, a great coaching mind, and a front office that wasn’t afraid to make moves.
And they were about to get even better.
August 2, 1999: Traded Jim Jackson and Isaiah Rider to the Atlanta Hawks for Ed Gray and Steve Smith.
August 2, 1999: Signed Detlef Schrempf as a free agent.
October 2, 1999: Traded Stacey Augmon, Kelvin Cato, Ed Gray, Carlos Rogers, Brian Shaw and Walt Williams to the Houston Rockets for Scottie Pippen.
In a three month span, Whitsitt solidified the core of a championship contender. One-dimensional scorers Jackson and Rider were out; versatile veterans Steve Smith and Detlef Schrempf were in. At 6’7 and 6’10 respectively, Smith and Schrempf brought size, savvy, and multi-positional flexibility to the Blazers, with each man able to shoot from distance, facilitate offense, and rebound adequately.
The biggest move of course, was the addition of 7 time All-Star Scottie Pippen.
Pippen had just finished a lost season in Houston, where he struggled to play as an off-ball player in the post-heavy offense the Rockets employed with Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley. Additional tension with Barkley behind the scenes made the situation untenable, and Whitsitt truly made a steal of a move acquiring the future hall of famer for pieces that no longer fit Portland’s timeline.
Pippen’s ability to operate as a point forward gave the Blazers an additional wrinkle in their offensive attack, allowing for further diversification of playmaking across different positions. Defensively, the 35 year old had lost a step, but could still read offensive coverages and play passing lanes better than almost anyone. Most importantly, his arrival allowed Rasheed Wallace to move from small forward (the position he played the entire 1998-1999 season) to power forward, where he became one of the most dominant players at that position.
In summary, this team was stacked. In five short seasons, Bob Whitsitt had done a masterclass in roster construction, taking a team that was in the early stages of decline and rebuilding it into a revamped roster with a rotation made up of the following players:
Scottie Pippen (7 All-Star appearances)
Rasheed Wallace (4 All-Star appearances)
Detlef Schrempf (3 All-Star appearances)
Steve Smith (1 All-Star appearance)
Jermaine O’Neal (future 6X All-Star)
Damon Stoudamire
Arvydas Sabonis
Greg Anthony
Briant Grant
Bonzi Wells
Quite the abundance of riches, no? The starting lineup was made up of Pippen and Wallace at forward, Sabonis at center, and Stoudamire and Smith at guard. The bench included solid players Briant Grant, Schrempf, Greg Anthony, Bonzi Wells, and young Jermaine O’Neal.
This Blazers team had it all: scoring, defense, playmaking, shooting, instant offense, and depth. Not many other teams could match it, and Portland rolled through the western conference.
The Blazers finished the 1999-2000 season 59-23, which was good for the 2nd best record in the NBA. They also had the 3rd best offensive rating, the 5th best defensive rating, and the 2nd best net rating in the Association. In the playoffs, the Blazers rolled past the Timberwolves, plowed through the Jazz, and found themselves in the western conference finals against…the Shaq/Kobe Lakers, the only team with a better record than themselves.
The 2000 Western Conference Finals was an absolute classic. The Blazers would take the series to a series-deciding seventh game and even built up a 15 point lead in the 4th quarter. Unfortunately, they would lose not only the lead, but also the series, in a game that effectively served as the coronation of a dynasty..one that would not reside in Beavertown, unfortunately, but in the city of Angels.
Despite this painful loss, the Blazers were in decent shape. Talented, 10 deep, with room for growth from players like Wallace, Stoudamire, Wells, and O’ Neal, as well as optimism of sustained greatness from Pippen, Sabonis, Smith, and Schrempf. Surely there was no need to make additional moves and potentially upset the balance of the roster, right?
Right?
The Bottom Falls Out
August 30, 2000: As part of a 3-team trade, the Portland Trail Blazers traded Brian Grant to the Miami Heat and traded Gary Grant to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Shawn Kemp
August 31, 2000: Traded Joe Kleine and Jermaine O’Neal to the Indiana Pacers for Dale Davis.
On paper, Whittsitt’s August moves added more talent to the roster, with Kemp being a multiple time All-Star and Davis being a steady presence on a series of solid Indiana Pacers squads throughout the nineties. The reasoning, according to Whitsitt, was that the two big men would be able to be deployed alongside Sabonis to keep Shaq in check should the Blazers and Lakers meet again in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, the reality of the situation was that Shawn Kemp was more “big, man” than “big man” and had suffered with both weight and attitude issues in Cleveland, which would carry over to Portland. Also, while Davis’ play was still solid, the Kemp/Davis platoon would most certainly not be “Shaq Stoppers”, as the 2001 Blazers would soon find out.
Portland finished the 2000-2001 campaign with a record of 52-30 where they would, inevitably, meet the Lakers again. There would be no prolonged battle here; these Lakers were a well oiled machine and were met with as much resistance from the Blazers as someone would be ripping a sheet of wet paper. The Blazers were swept by L.A, with Shaq averaging 27 points and 15 rebounds, in case you were wondering. Whitsitt and the Blazers were left with another lost season.
Shortly after the season, coach Mike Dunleavy was fired and replaced with future hall of famer Maurice Cheeks. Dunleavy had taken the Blazers to the playoffs all four seasons that he was at the helm, but Whitsitt wanted to move in a different direction, and this was the first step in what looked to be a very important offseason for the Blazers.
Unfortunately, the moves made in the offseason didn’t help. The end of Bob Whitsitt’s Blazers era was near.
June 27, 2001: Selected Zach Randolph (1st round, 19th pick) and Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (2nd round, 50th pick) in the 2001 NBA Draft.
July 25, 2001: Traded Steve Smith to the San Antonio Spurs for Derek Anderson, Steve Kerr and a 2003 2nd round draft pick (Andreas Glyniadakis was later selected).
July 30, 2001: Signed Ruben Patterson as a free agent.
Smith had taken a small step back the previous season, but was also their 2nd leading scorer in the playoff loss to the Lakers. Anderson was solid, if unspectacular, while Glyniadakis would never wear a Blazers jersey. After one season, Kerr would soon find himself back with Smith in San Antonio, where they would win a championship.
There were other, bigger losses too. Both Sabonis and Schrempf retired in the offseason. Both players brought a steady veteran presence and a stabilizing quality on the floor that would be sorely missed, especially with the now 37 year old Pippen rapidly beginning to decline. The young Randolph could bring scoring and rebounding, but was still learning the game and wasn’t a perfect fit with the veteran core, and while Patterson brought defense on the floor, off of if he was a… destructive presence, to put it mildly.
The 2001-2002 Blazers still won, finishing 49-33, but they were no longer the force they once looked to be. They once more ran into the Lakers, and once more they were easily dispatched in a sweep. Sabonis actually returned to the Blazers in the 2002-2003 season, and Portland bounced back, crossing the 50 win threshold and finishing amongst the league’s best for the fourth year in a row.
They also didn’t face the Lakers in the postseason, instead matching up with Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, and the young Dallas Mavericks. The Blazers went down 3-0 before staging a furious rally, winning the next three games behind dominant post play from Zach Randolph and inspired performances from Wallace, Wells, and Stoudamire. Unfortunately by game seven, the Blazers were out of gas, and the Mavericks, led by Dirk and super sub Nick Van Exel, sent Portland packing.
That was the final gasp for the Whitsitt era. He was fired on June 30th, 2003, with a whopping 75 transactions over the course of nine years. Bob Whitsitt took a team whose championship window was closed and reopened it with a flurry of moves and roster changes. Unfortunately he couldn’t help but prying at the window, and ultimately ended up breaking the glass as the team spiraled out of control, not meshing on the court and drawing attention for all the wrong reasons off of it.
Lessons From Bob
Looking back on Bob Whitsitt’s tenure, although the mistakes were notable, it is important not to lose sight of what he did accomplish. Whitsitt fast-tracked a rebuild, taking a team in steep decline and building it back up to championship contention in a series of 5 years, all the while keeping them in the playoffs annually. He assembled a roster comprised of at least five former or future all-stars that contributed, in addition to one of the greatest European players ever. Additionally, those late 90’s/early 2000’s Blazers teams were incredibly deep, with pieces that complemented each other, and that isn’t necessarily an easy roster to construct. There is something to be said for that, and Whitsitt deserves his flowers for doing so.
Team building is a delicate process, more akin to making a cake than, say, NBA 2K. There is room for improvisation to be sure, but a championship recipe usually has a set list of ingredients. Bob Whitsitt assembled a team that could have won a title, and that isn’t an easy feat and should be respected. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get out of his own way, and that is why the Blazers couldn’t find theirs.
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