Do you really think it's the GM who gets to decide how to spend $3 million of the owners' money? Pritchard definitely makes deals, but Paul Allen is the only one who is willing to spend $3 million on the uncertain return of a late draft pick. Period.
call me crazy but I'd say it quite literally IS the GMs job to decide how to spend $3 million of the owners' money. Maybe I've misunderstood the whole concept of the NBA GM all these years though and they're more media relations guys than decision makers.
The fact is neither of us know for sure why the Kings aren't buying picks. My argument is:
- the maloofs have never been cheap before, spending money on risks to improve their team and extending proven stars at high prices. Even building a practice facility from their own pockets.
- throughout the summer the Maloofs have reiterated their faith in GP and pretty much said it's his show to run.
seeing those two facts, I choose to beleive if GP wanted to buy the pick they would say yes. You simply think they are either too cheap, or too poor to do so.
To me, knowing what I know about the maloofs, I choose to beleive it's more likely Petrie won't risk his reputation and job security by asking the owners to buy a pick he might miss on than to beleive that the owners would tell the GM they didnt have the money to buy another pick. To you, the former is more likely, as you beleive no one in the NBA except the Blazers can afford to buy picks.
Anyways it's clear we see things differently on this point so the argument will end here on my side of things. I could definitely be wrong, all i can go on is the facts as I see them, and what I think looks to be the more likely reason.