Steve Kerr admits Kurt Thomas trade was horrible

[Mainstreet]

Steve Kerr finally admits to making one of the worst trades in NBA history. I dislike rehashing bad moments in Suns history but I had to point out that Kerr admits to making this horrible trade of sending Kurt Thomas and two first round picks to Seattle for a conditional second round pick. See link from Paul Coro at azcentral below dated 12-13-11.

"There are so many trades made these days that are lousy trades that are made for financial purposes," Kerr told KNBR. "I mean I made one of the worst trades in NBA history. I traded Kurt Thomas and two first-round picks to Seattle for nothing, to save $16 million for our organization. Where was the NBA then to veto that trade for basketball reasons? That had nothing to do with basketball reasons."

I guess this confirms Kerr was really a bad GM if there was any doubt from anyone. This trade still hurts when I think about it.

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PaulCoro/150711

 

[Superbone]

Steve Kerr finally admits to making one of the worst trades in NBA history. I dislike rehashing bad moments in Suns history but I had to point out that Kerr admits to making this horrible trade of sending Kurt Thomas and two first round picks to Seattle for a conditional second round pick. See link from Paul Coro at azcentral below dated 12-13-11.



I guess this confirms Kerr was really a bad GM if there was any doubt from anyone. This trade still hurts when I think about it.

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PaulCoro/150711

Are you kidding me? He didn't do it by choice.

 

[Griffin]

I guess this confirms Kerr was really a bad GM if there was any doubt from anyone. This trade still hurts when I think about it.

I'm sure Kerr knew that was a horrible move even before he made it. I think Sarver wanted to cut costs, and that's the best that Kerr could do to meet Sarver's demands. I can't imagine any GM, or any person with any basketball knowledge at all, making that trade voluntarily.

 

[PetryJr]

I guess this confirms Kerr was really a bad GM if there was any doubt from anyone. This trade still hurts when I think about it.

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PaulCoro/150711

Quite the opposite, actually. It just shows that Sarver basically forced him to do it. He even says that he had to do it to "save money for our organization". Translation: didn't want to do it, but had no choice.

 

[D-Dogg]

Steve Kerr finally admits to making one of the worst trades in NBA history. I dislike rehashing bad moments in Suns history but I had to point out that Kerr admits to making this horrible trade of sending Kurt Thomas and two first round picks to Seattle for a conditional second round pick. See link from Paul Coro at azcentral below dated 12-13-11.



I guess this confirms Kerr was really a bad GM if there was any doubt from anyone. This trade still hurts when I think about it.

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PaulCoro/150711

It proves he was doing what your terrible penny pinching owner told him to do, and that he didn't like it one bit.

 

[Mainstreet]

Quite the opposite, actually. It just shows that Sarver basically forced him to do it. He even says that he had to do it to "save money for our organization". Translation: didn't want to do it, but had no choice.

This was not the only bad move made by Kerr. I'm surprised there are those who defend him when he does not even mention Sarver. I'm sure there were cost cutting moves Kerr could have made without trading or selling picks and talent along the way for virtually nothing in return.

Kerr said he made one of the worst trades in NBA history. Read and believe facts.

 

[PetryJr]

This was not the only bad move made by Kerr. I'm surprised there are those who defend him when he does not even mention Sarver. I'm sure there were cost cutting moves Kerr could have made without trading or selling picks and talent along the way for virtually nothing in return.

Kerr said he made one of the worst trades in NBA history. Read and believe facts.

Facts? Ok. Fact is, when news broke that Sarver lowballed Kerr and he wasn't staying, the majority of people here were disappointed, because he had done such a nice job getting the Suns back to the WCF. Your reaction to Kerr leaving:

I guess Gentry will be the new GM/ Coach for a year to save money like DA was forced to do.

I hope I'm wrong. I thought the Suns were just starting to turn the corner in the FO."

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/f7/ktar-reporting-steve-kerr-not-returning-as-gm-153589.html

 

[Mainstreet]

Facts? Ok. Fact is, when news broke that Sarver lowballed Kerr and he wasn't staying, the majority of people here were disappointed, because he had done such a nice job getting the Suns back to the WCF.

Believe what you may. If you think Kerr was a good GM... believe it. IMO, he was definitely a "yes" man for Sarver early on.

 

[Superbone]

Kerr is being classy by not throwing Sarver under the bus.

 

[SunsTzu]

Believe what you may. If you think Kerr was a good GM... believe it. IMO, he was definitely a "yes" man for Sarver early on.

Which is what makes his being able to field a squad capable of making it to the WCF all the more impressive. Few GMs could have had the type of constraints Kerr had and been as successful.

 

[Mainstreet]

I see nothing contradictory in my quote. By the time Kerr learned the job, he moved on. I was fearful that Sarver might make Gentry a GM/coach for a year like he did with DA. I guess when Kerr left, he finally learned to say no.

 

[PetryJr]

Believe what you may. If you think Kerr was a good GM... believe it. IMO, he was definitely a "yes" man for Sarver early on.

By the time he left, even you thought so:

I thought I would never be an advocate for Steve Kerr, but he has proven to be a good GM long term.

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/f7/ktar-reporting-steve-kerr-not-returning-as-gm-153589-11.html

 

[Superbone]

Busted!

 

[Mainstreet]

Seriously I don't get all the love for Kerr. He was a terrible GM for most of his tenure here.

Nash, Stoudemire and D'Antoni also should get lots of love for getting the Suns to the WCFs as well.

 

[Mainstreet]

Busted!

Early on he was a terrible GM.

 

[SunsTzu]

Nash, Stoudemire and D'Antoni also should get lots of love for getting the Suns to the WCFs as well.

Is there a reason they shouldn't?

 

[Mainstreet]

Is there a reason they shouldn't?

No. However, there were those who criticized DA to no ends.

 

[mojorizen7]

Kerr is being classy by not throwing Sarver under the bus.

Bingo!
Kerr knew what kind of changes this franchise needed in terms of basketball and getting better. Sarver disagreed and looks at his Suns as strictly a product of fun entertainment(because thats all the majority of the Suns' fan base requires in order to stay engaged)... and now Kerr's long gone and Sarver's still here.....and so is Nash,and Hill...and soft exciting,high effort basketball....and no good young players....and no direction.
Sarver's been making all the calls since he took ownership.

EDIT: I'm not saying Kerr would've put together a championship team either,but IMO he was on the right track.
I was not happy when he quit.

 

[Mainstreet]

I'm sure Kerr knew that was a horrible move even before he made it. I think Sarver wanted to cut costs, and that's the best that Kerr could do to meet Sarver's demands. I can't imagine any GM, or any person with any basketball knowledge at all, making that trade voluntarily.

The major problem I have with Kerr, it looks like in the article, he was saying I wish the commissioner would have stepped in to keep me from making one of the worst trades in NBA history. He was either a "yes" man for Sarver at the time or a terrible GM who submitted the KT trade for approval to Sarver (seeing no other options). He go schooled by Seattle. Do the fans really know it was not Kerr's idea? This was the same Steve Kerr who was selling draft picks. I guess some would say that was Sarver too, but what does that make Kerr if he acquiesces. I do think Kerr finally grew into the GM role, but by then, he was on his way out of the door.

 

[asudevil83]

The major problem I have with Kerr, it looks like in the article, he was saying I wish the commissioner would have stepped in to keep me from making one of the worst trades in NBA history. He was either a "yes" man for Sarver at the time or a terrible GM who submitted the KT trade for approval to Sarver (seeing no other options). He go schooled by Seattle. Do the fans really know it was not Kerr's idea? This was the same Steve Kerr who was selling draft picks. I guess some would say that was Sarver too, but what does that make Kerr if he acquiesces. I do think Kerr finally grew into the GM role, but by then, he was on his way out of the door.

IMO he was a pawn for Sarver. Does that make him a bad GM. yes in a way. but he wasnt totally off.

there were MANY financially motivated moves that IMO he was forced to make. most of which i believe he didnt want to make at the time either.

Him flat out saying that he had wished the NBA had stepped in to prevent him from making the KT trade tells me that it was a Sarver move, and something he wished he had the power not to make.

But i think Kerr's GM career and the moves made during that time just prove that Sarver is a TERRIBLE owner more than anything.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I hold Steve responsible for the Thomas trade. He was the GM and if Sarver told him to make that deal he should have made it clear to Robert what the consequences would be. If Sarver insisted he make the deal anyway he should have turned in his resignation. The fact he didn't resign leaves me to believe that the deal was mostly Steve's decision. Sarver said trim the budget and Steve panicked and took the first big money saver he could find. Kerr has too much class to have just folded and made that trade under duress.

Steve

 

[Gaddabout]

Kerr never wanted the GM job. He did his friend a favor, one that cost him quite a bit in reputation around the league.

I have to tip my hat to a guy that loyal, even if it's to the wrong guy.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Kerr never wanted the GM job. He did his friend a favor, one that cost him quite a bit in reputation around the league.

I have to tip my hat to a guy that loyal, even if it's to the wrong guy.

I just don't understand why so many people are loyal to one of the least loyal/classless owners I've had to watch own one of our teams.

 

[Budden]

Steve Kerr made one colossal, horrific mistake: hiring Terry Porter. Besides that, you're just not a knowledgable basketball fan if you can really look at the moves Kerr made and come to the conclusion that Kerr was not a great GM. Let's look at the personnel moves that he made:

1. The most important impact that Kerr had on our roster was that, for the first time in as long as I can remember, he allowed the Suns' coach to field a roster where guys could play in their natural positions. A starting 5 of Steve Nash, Jason Richardson, Grant Hill, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Shaquille O'neal is the most well-rounded lineup in the last 30 years for this team.

2. Let's take a look at the trades he made:
a) Shawn Marion for Shaq: if you can honestly say that you saw the potential that Shaq still had - to be a legitimate All-Star and the best center in the Western Conference - then perhaps you are as good at evaluating talent as Steve Kerr. When was the last time the Suns had the best center in the Western Conference? I mean, besides the game against the Knicks last season when we started Josh Childress in the middle...

b) Boris Diaw and Raja Bell for Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley. I mean... seriously? If David Stern could retroactively veto trades, he'd have to take a serious look at this one without catching a scathing tweet or two from Dan Gilbert. Of course, Boris Diaw's departure probably cost hundreds of thousands of jobs in the Phoenix area for all those hard-working McDonald's, Burger King, and Jack 'N Tha Box workers.. but I guess you gotta take the good with the bad.

c) Drafting Goran Dragic and Robin Lopez/ adding Lou Admundson: many fans here will look at these two moves as blunders on Kerr's part. But, these two guys thrived as members of Kerr's roster. Dragic struggled when he was surrounded by Josh Childress, Hakeem Warrick, Hedo Turkaglu, and the rest of the D-Leaguers that were brought in after Kerr's departure, but he thrived as the point guard in what was probably the best second unit in the league. And, if you think that a basketball team with Boris Diaw and Shawn Marion could have provided the defensive intensity and intelligence that won us so many games that year, then you just don't know the game of basketball. Or, perhaps you've never seen Lamar Odom put up 25, 17 and 8 as the biggest guy in the Lakers front court (not talking about the WCF here - that Laker team had Bynum, Gasol, Artest, and Odom versus Amar'e and an injured Robin Lopez).

 

[AzStevenCal]

Steve Kerr made one colossal, horrific mistake: hiring Terry Porter. Besides that, you're just not a knowledgable basketball fan if you can really look at the moves Kerr made and come to the conclusion that Kerr was not a great GM. Let's look at the personnel moves that he made:

1. The most important impact that Kerr had on our roster was that, for the first time in as long as I can remember, he allowed the Suns' coach to field a roster where guys could play in their natural positions. A starting 5 of Steve Nash, Jason Richardson, Grant Hill, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Shaquille O'neal is the most well-rounded lineup in the last 30 years for this team.

2. Let's take a look at the trades he made:
a) Shawn Marion for Shaq: if you can honestly say that you saw the potential that Shaq still had - to be a legitimate All-Star and the best center in the Western Conference - then perhaps you are as good at evaluating talent as Steve Kerr. When was the last time the Suns had the best center in the Western Conference? I mean, besides the game against the Knicks last season when we started Josh Childress in the middle...

b) Boris Diaw and Raja Bell for Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley. I mean... seriously? If David Stern could retroactively veto trades, he'd have to take a serious look at this one without catching a scathing tweet or two from Dan Gilbert. Of course, Boris Diaw's departure probably cost hundreds of thousands of jobs in the Phoenix area for all those hard-working McDonald's, Burger King, and Jack 'N Tha Box workers.. but I guess you gotta take the good with the bad.

c) Drafting Goran Dragic and Robin Lopez/ adding Lou Admundson: many fans here will look at these two moves as blunders on Kerr's part. But, these two guys thrived as members of Kerr's roster. Dragic struggled when he was surrounded by Josh Childress, Hakeem Warrick, Hedo Turkaglu, and the rest of the D-Leaguers that were brought in after Kerr's departure, but he thrived as the point guard in what was probably the best second unit in the league. And, if you think that a basketball team with Boris Diaw and Shawn Marion could have provided the defensive intensity and intelligence that won us so many games that year, then you just don't know the game of basketball. Or, perhaps you've never seen Lamar Odom put up 25, 17 and 8 as the biggest guy in the Lakers front court (not talking about the WCF here - that Laker team had Bynum, Gasol, Artest, and Odom versus Amar'e and an injured Robin Lopez).

I don't think he was a great GM. He made a horrible hire and he made one of the worst trades in the history of the game. He improved over time and IMO he became a decent GM but he did NOTHING to warrant the "great" label you've given him. As for not being a knowledgeable fan, I can live with that.

Steve