IZTOK DIAGNOSES DECLINE OF MAVS OFFENSE

[fifteenth]

I don't see how someone could regard him as qualified in the usual sense of the word -- having a successful track record as a GM, or maybe an assistant GM, at another NBA franchise. Or even having substantial experience working in the front office of another NBA franchise, or possibly even as a successful agent. 

Say I am an executive at a company that sells medical equipment to physicians. I know the physicians, the practice managers, I'm familiar with each of their medical equipment needs, and their preferences in that regard, and I have a lot of product knowledge. Everyone respects and likes me. That's great. But it doesn't mean I'm qualified to start practicing medicine. To be qualified usually requires training/experience in the actual job or something very similar -- not just doing business in a related field.  

I think Nico has certain experience and qualities that may indicate promise that he could become a qualified GM in time -- maybe even a great one. He might be able to hit the ground running on some aspects of the job now. But I don't know how anyone would think he is there at this point. It's a job he's never done before. In the summer, he came out and admitted that there were many areas of the job with which he was unfamiliar. I expect that Cuban wasn't too worried about it, possibly because that particular hire was more about establishing a cultural reset than in-house training of an expert on roster construction and other technical aspects of the position. And maybe he is able to accomplish that task -- I hope so.

And if culture-setting and organizational management are really his jobs, with the broader titles being largely window dressing, then maybe he is pretty close to qualified now. Could be.

I don't think of qualification as a 0% or 100% proposition. I haven't tried to make an argument that Nico is 100% qualified. I doubt you think he's 0% qualified.

I pointed out that he was a CEO/GM level professional who has experience judging and recruiting NBA talent and building great relationships with NBA players and execs. That seems like at least a jumping off point to me. Other NBA teams have shown interest in Nico before. I see enough there that I like, that makes me want to withhold judgement and assumption, and see what actually happens. 

You compared him to someone who hasn't gone to school to be a doctor attempting to be a doctor. I get your point, but think it's over the top. Don't you? 

I would predict failure for the medical equipment exec that transferred to the operating room. I'd call the board or the police and tell patients to stay away.

For a standout CEO type with Nico's reported chops whose prior success depended upon judging NBA talent and building great NBA relationships,  I'd give him more of a chance to succeed than the medical equipment exec in the operating room. 

The next page in your story is that, "because of this shoe salesman's experience level, of course Cuban is still really the GM and Nico's title is just window dressing."

My response is "maybe, but maybe not." I at least think enough of what Nico brings to the table, of his "experience", to wait and see and not assume that he's just "staff manager" with a glorified title. 

I'll give him a chance. And I'm gonna think of him as the GM until I see evidence, other than assumption,  that he's the staff manager with a grand title for window dressing.