GM Rules - The Dos and Don'ts of Running a Sports Franchise

I propose we make a list of "Unbreakable Sports Truths" (USTs) or some other variation. The premise is this: if you or I (or anyone we know who is an ally) ever becomes a GM of an NBA team (maybe NFL or college rules can be added as well), these are rules we will abide by. With that said I'll propose two rules to be added in this e-mail, but I really think it's worth keeping a list. This will be something we can verify in 5, 10, 20 years.

So, two rules (and a corollary):

1. The PJ Carlesimo Rule. You don't ever hire a coach who was fired from a middling team that failed to ever reach the conference finals. The history with this is solid. Look at every coach in the NBA, go down the list. Many of them fall into this category. The majority of them are middling to poor teams. And the good teams will be dragged down quickly--for example, Michael Curry will kill the Pistons by mid-next season, and trades will be a-coming, including Rip Hamilton.

1a. (Corollary, though maybe we split it out into its own rule.) The Phil Jackson Rule. You only hire coaches that are a) proven championship winners who left their prior teams on their terms or b) are completely unproven, genius assistants/other coaches with no prior NBA head coaching experience with a specific philosophy (offense or defense). I know this is complex but hear me out. First, championship winnerS is the emphasis. Do not hire Larry Brown or Doc Rivers to build up your franchise. You will regret it, they are anomalies, products of imploding Lakers' teams. Second, as to b), why hire Rick Carlisle or Rick Adelman and doom yourself to years of second-round or conference final elimination? Why not swing for the fences and pick a genius assistant that will be the next Phil Jackson? I know you're going to say, there are countless bodies of dead former assistants-turned-head coaches. But the only ones that are successful are ones with a philosophy. I don't mean the Porter/Skiles "tough guy" philosophy but guys who are offensive geniuses (D'Antoni who I think should have won with the Suns had Amare not been suspended) or defensive geniuses (dare I say it, Mike Brown or Tom Thibodeau). Why is this essential? "Tough guy" philosophies inevitably wear out, players tune out. But cultures stick for a long time, and are hard to wear off. Spurs and Lakers will be competitive for a long time because especially with the young guys, they totally buy into the system and unless a new coach comes along and screws it up, won't soon forget.

2. The Jack Haley Rule. If you're going to bring a certifiably psychologically unpredictable talent to your team, you need a Jack Haley personality. Rodman defines the rule. The kind of folksy guy who's harmless (and otherwise ineffective in pretty much anyway) but somehow catches the ear of the charismatic superstar. That's what Jack Haley was to Rodman--a guy who never played, who probably would faint if he ever went in for a tattoo, but somehow, Rodman trusted. Rodman was an effusive personality, but Haley "got him", admired him, respected him. We see that with Rick Adelman and Ron Artest for the Rockets. For a couple months we had that with TO and Romo in Dallas. You need these guys or the star will inevitably turn on you worse than Randy Orton turned on Triple H (WWE reference, but give me a break--Wrestlemania's coming up).

Keep it going.