Narrowing down which anonymous GM admitted to tanking...interesting

[chambers]

I don't think Ainge would agree to do something like this interview. I think he holds his cards too close to his chest and this probably wasn't him.

These two articles are interesting though, and they give a break down that narrows down who it could have been to only a few GM's.
We seem to fit the criteria, and the writer who did the article is a Boston writer for ESPN- yet they don't conclude that Ainge is one of them...
Anyway it's an interesting read and also shows the insight of an NBA GM with approval from the ownership.

Here's a narrowed down portion from
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/nba-gm-admits-he-created-a-plan-for-his-team-to-tank-2013-10

"
What we know:

*It is not a big market team: “You need superstars to compete in this league, and the playing field for those guys is tilted toward a few big-market teams…It’s tough for us to compete with that.”
*This team traded away older players: “We obviously traded away some of our veteran guys who gave us a better chance of winning right now for future draft picks and young players.”
*The team may have more than one owner: “The owners didn’t want to tread water any more than I did. They’d rather go down to the bottom with the hope of coming up, so they signed off on it.”
*It is not the 76ers: “Look at the 76ers. Since the draft in June, I don’t think they’ve signed a player or made a trade to add a legitimate player.” "

This guy in the 2nd article
here:     

http://thebiglead.com/2013/10/29/which-nba-gm-admitted-anonymously-to-espn-his-plan-for-tanking/

concludes that it was either:
"
* John Hammond, Milwaukee – Gave OJ Mayo 3-years, $24 million, but might have the least amount of talent (young or old) in the NBA.
* Ryan McDonough, Phoenix – Have potentially 4 1st round picks in 2014. Added no free agents in the offseason.
* Rob Hennigan, Orlando – Coming off a 20-win season, probably headed for another. Didn’t clean house enough, though. "

Follow up on ESPN by Smith...

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:9897593

[LooseCannon]

When the article first came out, my main suspects were Ryan McDonough and Masai Ujiri.

[PhoSita]

I really think it was McDonough.

Which is funny, because the Suns have been pretty good.

[ManUp]

I think it was Hammond. I've never seen a teams management tank so hard. They barely put together a full roster to start the season. Also being Milwaukee it's not hard to see why they'd have trouble attracting free agents. I'd tank if I was Milwaukee they've got nothing to attract legit star players.

[PhoSita]

I think it was Hammond. I've never seen a teams management tank so hard. They barely put together a full roster to start the season. Also being Milwaukee it's not hard to see why they'd have trouble attracting free agents. I'd tank if I was Milwaukee they've got nothing to attract legit star players.

They went into the season with Ridnour, Mayo, Butler, Delfino, Ilyasova, and Larry Sanders.

It would have been very difficult to tank if those guys were playing.  Most of them, however, have been out, for one reason or another, the vast majority of the season.

[jyyzzoel]

i have always thought it was utah. jefferson left,so did mo williams.  milsap got let go as a result of a trade with golden state to take richard jefferson and others that acquired draft picks. not a draft pick, but picks.

i think the GMs for orlando and phoenix are too classy for this, let alone the fact that theres a rumour out now where the suns want to acquire a big name player for a pick, which doesnt really help tanking.

it could be phoenix, but i just think mcdonoughs too classy for it. plus the team would have to be a playoff team or borderline. win now he said? jazz were 9th in the west just missing the playoffs, suns were 15th - far off.

Orlando didnt really trade away any players who were veterans this past off season that could help them win, so it couldnt be them.  i dont think milwaukee did either so it couldnt be them.

he used the term tread water which is what the jazz have been doing for a number of years. so has phoenix, but u font think its phoenix.

and the jazz are tanking spectacularly.

[pearljammer10]

i have always thought it was utah. jefferson left,so did mo williams.  milsap got let go as a result of a trade with golden state to take richard jefferson and others that acquired draft picks. not a draft pick, but picks.

i think the GMs for orlando and phoenix are too classy for this, let alone the fact that theres a rumour out now where the suns want to acquire a big name player for a pick, which doesnt really help tanking.

it could be phoenix, but i just think mcdonoughs too classy for it. plus the team would have to be a playoff team or borderline. win now he said? jazz were 9th in the west just missing the playoffs, suns were 15th - far off.

Orlando didnt really trade away any players who were veterans this past off season that could help them win, so it couldnt be them.  i dont think milwaukee did either so it couldnt be them.

he used the term tread water which is what the jazz have been doing for a number of years. so has phoenix, but u font think its phoenix.

and the jazz are tanking spectacularly.

The Jazz immediately come to mind for me too with Jefferson, Milsap, and Williams all leaving.

[Donoghus]

Ujiri immediately came to my mind.

[Chris]

I think it was Hammond. I've never seen a teams management tank so hard. They barely put together a full roster to start the season. Also being Milwaukee it's not hard to see why they'd have trouble attracting free agents. I'd tank if I was Milwaukee they've got nothing to attract legit star players.

I looked at Milwaukee in the exact opposite way.  They tried hard to make a playoff team this offseason.  Bringing in guys like Mayo and Zaza. 

[Donoghus]

I think it was Hammond. I've never seen a teams management tank so hard. They barely put together a full roster to start the season. Also being Milwaukee it's not hard to see why they'd have trouble attracting free agents. I'd tank if I was Milwaukee they've got nothing to attract legit star players.

I looked at Milwaukee in the exact opposite way.  They tried hard to make a playoff team this offseason.  Bringing in guys like Mayo and Zaza.

Yeah, one of the reasons they seem to be mired in that no-man's land is because they have tended to actually try and go out and be a playoff team.  They just always seem to be hanging out on that fringe there. 

Their owner Kohl is pushing 80 years old  and the thought is that he's trying to nab a title hence closer to a win-now mentality than a full on blow up.   

[D.o.s.]

Kohl wants to put the best team he can on the floor and doesn't get down with tanking.

Anyway, I think it's Ainge. People throw the term "smokescreen" around pretty liberally on here, but I can't think of a better smokescreen than saying "I don't believe anonymous comments."