Gar Forman and John Paxson on the Hot Seat: Who’s Up Next?

avatar   |  
Feb 18, 2020
During the bright lights of All-Star weekend, an even brighter light was shined on the face of Bulls Management.

On popular morning sports debate show First Take, fed up Bull’s fans voiced their unrest by chanting “Fire GarPax”. This nationally broadcast show that holds over 500,000 daily viewers gave Bulls Nation a voice and it was sure heard.

Immediately following the showing, rumors began flowing that GarPax may have seen their last season in Windy City. Chicago fans across the world have let out cries of joy and excitement for the coming seasons, but what does it all mean if we cannot find an adequate replacement?

Let’s highlight some of the best candidates from around the league.

Photo: 

Bobby Webster

The youngest GM in NBA History may not sound like an enticing choice at first glance, but take a second look and you’ll find out he has done more for the Toronto Raptors at 36 than some GM’s ever will.

Webster is rumored to have been the main one pulling the strings in the Kawhi Leonard deal, a trade that brought the Toronto Raptors their first championship. His strong connection to a former fellow intern with the Orlando Magic and current VP of Basketball Operations for the Spurs, Brian Wright is said to have been the main catalyst in the blockbuster trade

Throughout his illustrious 7 year career with the Raptors, he has received high praise from everyone but none more important than the likes of Dwayne Casey. The 2017-18 Coach of the year had this to say about his beloved GM:

“He’s a breath of fresh air. He’s smart. He’s energetic. He’s always around. He knows the [salary] cap inside out so he’s a huge addition to our organization. Someday he’s going to be a general manager-president in this league. I know Masai Ujiri is going to hate to lose him, but that day is coming. He’s good at what he does. I told him I’m jealous, I don’t know why he would move to Toronto and leave this. But he’s a great addition and he’s a bright star in the NBA.”

via Jeff Borsuk of Raptors Rapture

Bobby Webster’s best quality is his salary cap knowledge. Previously, he worked in the league office and many executives point to him as one of the driving forces to end the lockout in 2011 by designing the new collective bargaining agreement. It is no secret that Mr.Webster is a Salary Cap Wizard, but what is lesser known is he often pulls the strings for Masai Ujiri, handling the trades from a number standpoint and then allowing Masai to come in and close the deal. From knowing the ins and outs of the salary cap, relationships around the league, and being young and hungry to make his mark in this league, I have no doubt he will be a great fit for our historic franchise.

Image result for Troy weaver

Photo: 

Troy Weaver

Troy Weaver, the Vice President for the Oklahoma City Thunder for the last dozen years, would be a great candidate for the Chicago Bulls to take a look at. While he has never held a GM position, he still holds a ton of experience, working for Syracuse, Utah Jazz, and of course the OKC thunder.

In his 12 year tenure, he has had a hand in drafting the likes of Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, James Harden, Steven Adams and more. Even in his time before the NBA, he was able to snag Carmelo Anthony for the Syracuse Orange Men which in turn led them to a National Championship. This type of elite level scouting is something the Bulls could use.

Not only is he great at spotting talent, he has also made great trades during this time at OKC igniting the trade of Serge Ibaka for Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis, and Ersan Ilyasova and more recently jump-starting a rebuild bringing in over 7 picks, a budding star in Shai Gilgeous Alexander, and key veterans in Chris Paul and Danillo Gallinari. With a lot of young talent and not a whole lot of direction, Troy Weaver makes perfect sense as the GM for the Chicago Bulls.

Image result for Adam Simon Miami heat

Photo: 

Adam Simon

Mr. Simon has been employed with the Miami heat for 20 years. In his time there he has been the driving factor in bringing in the likes of Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Josh Richardson and even undrafted players that were on no one’s radar such as  Duncan Robinson, Derrick Jones Jr, Kendrick Nunn, and Hassan Whiteside. I believe his ability to grade talent and find the diamonds in the ruff is something the Chicago Bulls could really benefit from.

During his time with the Heat, he spent a ton of time in the G-league, even winning himself G-league executive of the year. The G-league is producing more stars day by day and his knowledge of the inner-workings, players, and scouting could funnel a couple really good players our way. In the past we’ve had bad luck in gauging g-league players, losing the likes of Spencer Dinwiddie, Jakar Sampson, Alfonso Mckinnie, and others.

I think Simon would best be suited working in a General Manager’s role with a highly touted VP that knows the inner-workings of trade and are familiar with officials around the league. One thing is for sure with his scouting and team-building prowess he would make a great fit in the Windy City.

Featured Image: 

Discover more from Chicago Sports Nation

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.