Bill Simmons for Warriors GM

by gregk170 on Mar 31, 2009 6:17 PM PDT

The title if self-explanatory. But we as fans need to unite and bombard every local writer with emails to start campaigning for Simmons. Here is an example of the email I wrote to the Sports Guy himself:

Bill,
Just read the mailbag. As a lifelong and die-hard Warriors fan, I'm so glad to see you talking about the amazingness that is Anthony Randolph. Anyways, I've been wanting to write to you for awhile now about the Warriors MAJOR issues (you hit the main one right on the dot with the fact that Randolph ISN'T PLAYING), but to be honest, haven't because, well, I was just to lazy to type out all the madness that is that organization right now. But now that I know you've been following, I don't need to get into it. As you know, Chris Mullin is going to lose his job this summer. This is where you and I come in. Mainly you. There is no ones' basketball opinion I respect more than yours and I would love to see you become the Warriors’ next general manager. I know a lot of fans would too. We talk about the possibility all the time. I know you tried this with Milwaukee, but there is a difference here: There are no fans in basketball like the fans of the Golden State Warriors. As you witnessed in the '07 playoffs, we can unite into one awesome force. I wan't you to start a campaign, and I promise you will have our support. We need to get all the local writers involved to help spread the word (Tim Kawakami, make yourself useful) as well as popular fan sites such as www.goldenstateofmind.com and www.fearthebeard.com. Robert Rowell is looking for an easy way to get fans energized and this could be it, and if all of us fans unite some how, we can get you that job. Please Bill. For the sake of the Golden State nation, make this happen. No fans in the NBA have had their hearts ripped out so many times. We suffer. Be our savior Bill. Be our savior. I don’t know how to stress this anymore, but I really hope you take this seriously.
Sincerely,
Greg Kalin

And this is what I wrote to Kawakami at the Merc:

Tim,
I know you probably won’t email me back, for whatever reason, but this is for the good of the Warriors franchise. Some one needs to start a campaign to bring in Bill Simmons as the Warriors GM. Think about it. Rowell could earn points with the fans and perhaps rejuvenate season ticket holders without having to spend much money, Bill Simmons is a very logical basketball mind (probably one of the few) and he loves the Warriors and their fans, and Warriors fans love big time people who love the Warriors. And no group of people can unite quite like Warriors fans can. If people start getting on board, this could be great. I know Simmons has no experience, but at this point I’d trust him way more than any other hire, and honestly, what is there to lose? The franchise is in such shambles anyways. Come on Tim, you know it’s a good idea. Be a savior Tim. Be a savior.
Sincerely, Greg Kalin

LETS MAKE THIS HAPPEN

This FanPost is a submission from a member of the mighty Golden State of Mind community. While we're all here to throw up that W, these words do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSoM Crew. Still, chances are the preceding post is Unstoppable Baby!

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Comments

Whohe?

Never heard of him before.

by gabezgsw on Mar 31, 2009 6:32 PM PDT reply actions

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index

by gregk170 on Mar 31, 2009 6:36 PM PDT up reply actions

LOL

sure why not? We’re the Warriors, the dumbest franchise in the league(actually maybe the clippers. And we have the best fans

JRich 23

by warriorsalltheway on Mar 31, 2009 6:35 PM PDT reply actions

You can’t tell me Bill Simmons doesn’t know what he is talking about when it comes to basketball

by gregk170 on Mar 31, 2009 6:37 PM PDT up reply actions

theres a lot more to the GM job than simply understanding basketball.

Thing A

by sam23 on Apr 1, 2009 10:38 AM PDT up reply actions

Steve Kerr thanks you for rubbing it in.

Reduce your carbon footprint, commit suicide.

by bloodsweatndonuts on Apr 1, 2009 4:02 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

ya he does

I would definitely take him over Rowell and Cohan in a second

JRich 23

by warriorsalltheway on Mar 31, 2009 6:40 PM PDT reply actions

hey give this thing reccomendations so it stays up longer and more people can see and catch on

by gregk170 on Mar 31, 2009 6:54 PM PDT up reply actions

I hope you

are not serious…. if you want to give him the job why not give Rick Barry, Jim Barnett, Bob Fitzgerald, Matt Steimetz, Tim Kawakami the job..

in fact why not just give the job to Jaymee Sire.

The guy is a basketball critic. Being a critic is easy. Being a GM is not.

by saintdee on Mar 31, 2009 7:41 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

lol i know what you sayin but bob fitz? hah

we’d have every Notre Dame guy in the league on our team

by 123707THIZZ on Mar 31, 2009 7:56 PM PDT up reply actions

ok

everone except fitz

by saintdee on Mar 31, 2009 8:28 PM PDT up reply actions

Tim Kawakami????!

I just threw up in my mouth. You think we have front office drama now?

Thing A

by sam23 on Apr 1, 2009 10:34 AM PDT up reply actions

+1

Thing B

by warriorsscore110 on Apr 1, 2009 11:44 AM PDT up reply actions

I’m guessing he’s not on Rowell’s “short list”.

Reduce your carbon footprint, commit suicide.

by bloodsweatndonuts on Apr 1, 2009 4:04 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

jaymee sire YES. Kawakami NO

i’d rather rehire brian winters and having the starting 5 of speedy claxton, larry hughes, billy owens, todd fuller and adonal foyle than kawakami s coach

by tafkasam on Apr 1, 2009 11:46 AM PDT up reply actions

The Lindsey Hunter All Stars
In his August 10, 2007 mailbag, Simmons, with a reader’s help, added a new category “The Lindsey Hunter All Stars”, a list of male athletes with names that make them sound like a hot girl.

by yocballer on Mar 31, 2009 7:43 PM PDT reply actions

Yah, like Dirk or Manute!

Reduce your carbon footprint, commit suicide.

by bloodsweatndonuts on Apr 1, 2009 4:19 PM PDT up reply actions

I love Bill Simmons

but this would be franchise suicide.

I want him to get a GM job, because it would be super entertaining, as long as it’s not OUR GM job.

by markdash on Mar 31, 2009 10:58 PM PDT reply actions

so the extension of jackson, signing of maggette, trade for crawford,drafting of POB, giving Foyle 40 million doesnt count as franchise suicide?

JRich 23

by warriorsalltheway on Mar 31, 2009 11:23 PM PDT up reply actions

Your an idiot

This team has been in the crapper for over a decade, and when they finally evolve into a good team, you get rid of all the guys (J-Rich, Baron, Barnes, and most importantly Foyle). Simmons wont overpay for trash like Mullin and other GM’s have done. He also wont draft trash (too many names to list) like the Warriors have for years.

by Aluminum Foyle on Apr 3, 2009 2:17 PM PDT up reply actions

It’s no longer ironic that those most inclined to rapidly call someone an idiot don’t seem to be able to distinguish between the possessive “your” and the contraction of ‘you are’. Seriously, become competent with elementary school grammar before calling someone an idiot.

by jae on Apr 3, 2009 2:42 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

Your an idiot

Hey, that would make a really good bumper sticker.

Thing 2

by olympicmike on Apr 3, 2009 4:26 PM PDT up reply actions

+1

Reduce your carbon footprint, commit suicide.

by bloodsweatndonuts on Apr 3, 2009 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions

by antihero on Apr 3, 2009 8:42 PM PDT up reply actions

+1

Thing A

by sam23 on Apr 3, 2009 11:18 PM PDT up reply actions

M.C. Grammar

Reduce your carbon footprint, commit suicide.

by bloodsweatndonuts on Apr 3, 2009 4:27 PM PDT up reply actions

Good grammar is free.

by jae on Apr 3, 2009 8:05 PM PDT up reply actions

good point

let’s compound the mistake! Yee-haw!!!

by markdash on Mar 31, 2009 11:37 PM PDT reply actions

Simmons is a Celtic

I think you ought to nominate Adam Lauridson if you think a writer can manage. At least he knows the team.

Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.

by fotd on Apr 1, 2009 8:34 AM PDT reply actions

"Q: YES! YES, YES, YES!!! Please write about Anthony Randolph! I’ve been telling people about him all year long. There’s never been an NBA player with his size and skill set. Ever. He’s a looong 6-foot-10, runs like a gazelle, has great hops, and can handle the ball. Love it. As an added bonus, he looks like he’s constantly crying or really getting his feelings hurt. He’s fascinating. I get genuinely giddy any time the Warriors are on, for him alone. Can you please let America know about Anthony Randolph?
— Aaron, Chicago

SG: He’s one of the most breathtaking rookies I’ve seen in person — ever — for all the reasons you just described. There has never been anyone quite like him. He’s like a cross between Josh Smith and Lamar Odom, only if you fed him 10 Red Bulls and told him right before the game, “If you can make 10 things happen during the 10 minutes you play tonight, we will quadruple your salary and you will start for the rest of the season” … and then he does just that, but the coach reneges on the promise so Anthony has a near-crying meltdown on the bench. That’s every Anthony Randolph game. I caught him once and, in the span of two hours, he made three “MY GOD!” plays and broke down on the Warriors’ bench because Nellie wouldn’t put him back in, followed by an assistant consoling him through an entire timeout like Randolph was a third grader who got in trouble for something he didn’t do, then had a meltdown and got kicked out of class. It was riveting. The odds of me missing another Clips-Warriors game for the next five years are 10,000-to-1.

One other thing: There hasn’t been nearly enough made of how screwed up the Warriors are right now. Their front office and ownership situation is a world-class mess. Their coach has been in “I’m Keith Hernandez” Mode since the 2007 Dallas upset and looks like he’s actively trying to get fired. They have two young players everyone loves — Randolph and Monta Ellis — only they’ve been antagonized to the degree that it might affect them long-term. In Randolph’s case, how can a lottery team not play a talent like Randolph 35 minutes a game? What the hell is going on here??? For some reason, the only media member who seems to care is Tim Kawakami. I don’t get it. If I were a Warriors fan, I would be organizing protests outside the arena complaining about Randolph’s playing time. It’s insane. Imagine if Chicago was 16-50 and played Derrick Rose 10 minutes a game. Would you think that was weird? You would, right? Welcome to Anthony Randolph’s world. This is the single weirdest subplot of the 2008-09 season, narrowly edging Zaza Pachulia’s bacne. "

by bushido on Apr 1, 2009 9:44 AM PDT reply actions

whoops Bill Simmons wrote that answer

by bushido on Apr 1, 2009 9:45 AM PDT up reply actions

dont compare rose to randolph simmons

rose is 10 times as developed. I personally like nellie’s approach. Keep him from becoming tyrus thomas/stomile swift

by tafkasam on Apr 1, 2009 11:45 AM PDT up reply actions

if I were a Warriors fan, I would be organizing protests outside the arena

hmm, that’s not a bad idea, vote on an issue and have gsom protest night? Or maybe not make it gsom officially, because ab1 and the crew would lose out on sweet deals for gsom night.

by amhd388 on Apr 1, 2009 1:18 PM PDT up reply actions

Proof Simmons would be a horrible GM

In Randolph’s case, how can a lottery team not play a talent like Randolph 35 minutes a game?

Anyone who watched Randolph before he was forced to get under control and do what the team wanted knows the answer to that question.

Reduce your carbon footprint, commit suicide.

by bloodsweatndonuts on Apr 1, 2009 4:26 PM PDT up reply actions

+1

Nellie doesn’t always handle rookies well, but I thinks he’s done an outstanding job with AR

Thing A

by sam23 on Apr 1, 2009 4:40 PM PDT up reply actions

Nobody always handles everything well.

Reduce your carbon footprint, commit suicide.

by bloodsweatndonuts on Apr 1, 2009 4:49 PM PDT up reply actions

I DO AND I RESENT THAT YOUR COMMENT WAS DIRECTED DIRECTLY AT ME

AAAHAHAHAHHHHHHH!!!!

"No no Nene!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB5DxNl4EB0

by Dubs fan in Boston on Apr 2, 2009 6:32 AM PDT up reply actions

AR

finds a way.

If the Warriors were a winning team AR would get 0 minutes the next 2 years.

by saintdee on Apr 2, 2009 3:15 PM PDT up reply actions

Just like he did with C-Webb

SIMPLY OUTSTANDING!

by Aluminum Foyle on Apr 3, 2009 2:20 PM PDT up reply actions

Good arguement. That was like 15 years ago.

How many other good rookies has he mishandled? 1? 2? 25?

Guy has been coaching for like 30 years, so it must be a whole bunch. Or, you could actually have no idea what you’re talking about.

It would truly awesome if someone kept discrediting every good thing I did because I kind of made a miscalculation on something 15 years ago. Do you even know what happened in the Webber situation?

So far he’s doing a great job with Morrow, Bellinelli, Wright and Randolph. He’s also refused to play Diagou, POB and Kosta. I’m going to go ahead and say that he does a great job with rookies.

So what does C-Webb have to do with anything as it pertains to anything remotely relevant to this team?

Reduce your carbon footprint, commit suicide.

by bloodsweatndonuts on Apr 3, 2009 4:45 PM PDT up reply actions

gregk im with you bro

my next move would be to start a petition—

http://www.petitiononline.com/

check out the link below for the bucksgm petition as reference.
http://www.petitiononline.com/bs4gm/petition.html

by cuse7284 on Apr 1, 2009 10:10 AM PDT reply actions

Here is the official petition

http://www.petitiononline.com/GSW123/petition.html

by gregk170 on Apr 1, 2009 2:33 PM PDT reply actions

nice work

Now you should create a facebook group so we can have people join. You could also write an article on bleacherreport.com. i bet you could get some traffic to your article. I was able to blast out the petition and details via facebook so lets see how it goes…

All I have to say is, hey why not? Cant get any worse right?

by cuse7284 on Apr 1, 2009 5:53 PM PDT up reply actions

wow

Lets try to also not become the most retarded fan base. Right now were slightly edging out LA Faker fans.

by sjboy on Apr 1, 2009 3:41 PM PDT reply actions

Why Not?

At least we would get some attention. If he sucks at it, then we can make fun of him and continue to suck. As far as I know, nothing like this has ever been done like this, maybe it works, he normally is dead on with his predictions and opinions (minus the dwight howard/emeka okafor debate).

by 3xdubble on Apr 1, 2009 4:03 PM PDT reply actions

I think we’d be better off nominating someone here from GSOM to be the next GM. We’d run a poll and debate thread and everything. It’s time to take back our team!

"We Deserve"

by YaHeard on Apr 2, 2009 12:19 AM PDT reply actions

no thanks

love simmons, but not as our gm.

he has the front office part right, but he is underestimating nellie. nellie is doing a fantastic job with AR, and if randolph tried to play 32-35 minutes he would last for half of that because he would foul out.

simmons is correct in his thinking that AR is going to be great someday, but letting him play starter minutes now is ridiculous. nellie knows the way!

btw, why is simmons hyping TK? bromance?

I love Todd Fuller

by Yayo87 on Apr 2, 2009 1:45 PM PDT reply actions

I support this and I'm totally serious

I LOVE the Warriors. I watch every game and I’m borderline obsessed. I think Bill Simmons would be an awesome GM on the condition you paired him with an experience assistant who understands the intricacies of the salary cap. The guy obviously understands basketball at a deep level – he had the inkling to say that Kevin Durant would be far superior to Oden and that’s looking pretty good right now – and he cares about the fans.

While this clearly sounds stupid, it really isn’t. He’d be inspired and would want to do a great job.

by Neon on Apr 3, 2009 3:45 PM PDT reply actions

He says a lot of things. He’s a sportswriter. He also said that DJ Augustin would be a career backup.

by belilaugh on Apr 3, 2009 11:38 PM PDT up reply actions

and

that Okafor would be better than Dwight Howard. I know the author of this post referred to that, but thats probably Simmons’ biggest error of the last 5 years.

Thing A

by sam23 on Apr 4, 2009 12:10 AM PDT up reply actions

only mis

thats Simmons’ only mistake

by gregk170 on Apr 4, 2009 12:59 AM PDT reply actions

About Nelly abusing Randolph...

Consider that Randolph is only 19, and it has been proven that a lot of young players, in any major sport, get caught up in the emotions and ego parts of the game that is put into them from their days of being high-school superstars.

“…and broke down on the Warriors’ bench because Nellie wouldn’t put him back in, followed by an assistant consoling him through an entire timeout like Randolph”

Sure, I love the heart of the guy, I think we absolutely must play him extended minutes every night. But he needs to be emotionally primed like the best pro athletes are(except T.O). Nelson is doing him a favor by not playing him when Randolph is visibly upset about it. The vets handle their business behind the scenes, and Randolph is slowly learning that. NBA players don’t cry on the court for being took out.

Plus come on, he’s 19. Randolph plays at such a high speed right now, I think it’d be foolish to have him playing major starter minutes right now. Wait for a freak leg injury to happen, how much does that happen with jumpers? Coming down on someone’s foot the wrong way?

Slowly progress him, let him have his bursts of madness, but understand that his best is yet to come, and keep him physically ready for when it arrives.

What’s so wrong with Nelly in this situation?

by DubsDominate on Apr 4, 2009 2:11 AM PDT reply actions

BS and the fan who sent him the letter just want to see AR bouncing around out there for 35 minutes a night for their amusement. They don’t care about AR’s development or the team’s future. It’s cool that he pimps AR on a national platform, but I’d rather see him at ESPN writing hilarious pieces than bumbling around in Oakland.

As for AR, he certainly sees himself as a future star. The coaches have done a fine job with his minutes this season. We don’t need him to pull a Melo and refuse to come out because he thinks he’s on fire.

by antihero on Apr 4, 2009 2:33 AM PDT up reply actions

Nellie's done a good job with Randolph

I think Simmons was wrong about how he characterized Nellie’s approach to Randolph. Nellie’s work with Randolph has actually, I think, been one of the few bright spots this season.

by Neon on Apr 4, 2009 12:59 PM PDT up reply actions

+1

Thing A

by sam23 on Apr 5, 2009 11:22 AM PDT up reply actions

Nellie and Randolph...

In my mind Nelson has been saying all the wrong things but doing all the right things with AR.

He’s been saying things like “He’s a future SF”, but he’s been playing him at the 4/5.

He’s said things like “he has a jump shot” but rewarding him with playing time now that he is displaying more careful shot selection.

I’ve learned to pay less attention to what Nelson says and more attention to what he does. I’m not sure what Nelson’s “plan” for AR is but so far his tough love approach seems to have been very effective.

One interesting factor that I forget sometimes is that the only reason AR started to get minutes again after a long stretch on the bench was injuries. I wonder if that was good motivation for Randolph. He may have seen it as his last chance to earn playing time this season. Again, whatever it was it seemed to have worked.

Thing 2

by olympicmike on Apr 5, 2009 10:54 PM PDT up reply actions