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+---- Thread: *Rolling Stone Interview with Outlaws GM Part 3 (/showthread.php?tid=6832)
*Rolling Stone Interview with Outlaws GM Part 3 - AdamS - 12-26-2017
Me: So you had to replace a lot of starters and coaches and most of the executive team as well, judging by a recent tweet.
AE: Pretty much. I even flirted with leaving Arizona. A lot. In the end we didn't do it. We went the Jefferson route instead. And yes, before you ask that clearly bit me square in the ass. I screwed up. I put my trust in an untrustworthy coward. In the process I angered a number of people, including at least one player.
Me: There is speculation of that occurring and being behind some of the trades.
AE: Well, I'm going to dodge that question a bit because it's not my place to out someone's personal feelings. What I will say is this. I took a gamble. When someone who has the trust and respect of the team tells you that it's not a good idea to bring this person in and you do it anyway, you had damn well better get it right. Because you are putting any trust or respect that person has in you on the line. You're telling them you know better than they do. When you get it wrong like I did, the consequences are severe. It's just that simple. It's by far my worst mistake in any professional capacity I've had.
Me: This doesn't seem to have made you any less prone to taking risks.
AE: No, it hasn’t. And it won’t, either. The way to judge risks isn't success and failure. It's whether you made a good decision or not when you took it. I made a terrible decision with the Jefferson trade. It was bad risk because I ignored the right information. Whereas a different risk, such as drafting Dean Jackson at five, is going to end up as a good decision.Firstly he's a great person. A factor which has become the most important factor I work from. Secondly, the man is automatic when the ball hits his foot. Third, he's a handsome, charismatic guy and a hometown hero.
Me: After the recent past how can you be sure?
AE: We vetted him harder than most cities vet their police force. Incidentally that probably should change but that's another interview altogether. Lord knows football and politics probably shouldn’t mix.
Before he can say anything else, his phone buzzes and he smiles sheepishly before picking it up and typing furiously. I wait patiently for a moment before he glances in my direction.[i/]
AE: You can keep going. I'm just negotiating a trade.
Me: Going back to the relocation scenario, can you give any more details about where you might've moved? You hinted Seattle was an option.
AE: It was. It's also basically the only city I spoke to extensively that is willing to let people know they wanted to shop for a football team. I get it. You don't want the PR of trying and coming up short. You certainly don't want your next opponent's campaign to be about it. Yeah, we got fairly close with Seattle. They had some land and some availability. Turns out their only big venue taking up space is a basketball arena and that's on a little island in the bay. Terrible location by the way.
Me: Would I be right in guessing that your unwillingness to speak means you were far along enough in the process to sign non-disclosure agreements?
AE: In some cases yes, in others no. I'm just not out to do anyone dirty that way. It's not how I try to operate. And before you ask, yes, that means the matter is not 1005 closed. Relocation may still be a part of this team's future. This season will be a big determining factor for that. There's still a lot of balls in the air when it comes to this franchise.
Me: Including ownership apparently.
[i]He sets down his phone and nods.
AE: Yeah. In fact it's kind of an open secret that the ownership situation is changing. Will Tatham has been taking little bits here and there and letting them go. After the 10% he sold me I know he sold another 10% to an investment firm from Vancouver, who really wants to talk about that relocation thing, and 5% to both of his daughters. I've got a contract stipulating I can choose to buy an additional 10% at the conclusion of each the next four seasons. Which I'll most likely do. Some of what's left is going to go public and I think he's still going to end up retaining part of it in the end. It's all in motion right now. That said, the buck stops with me on all decisions, so that part will be rock solid for as long as I’m alive as far as I’m concerned.
Me: Many will find it questionable that you chose to just drop this information into an interview like this and then expect them to believe things are so well in hand. I had already been told that you play things too openly to succeed long term in business. What do you say to those detractors?
AE: Come put me out of business then. I don't know what else to tell you. I have a distinct dislike for pretending I don't know things that I know damn well you're going to find out soon anyway. Sometimes I don't have a choice. Sometimes I do. I make the choice to be honest whenever I can. That clearly doesn't always work. I lied to a lot of GM's during the leadup to the draft and they lied to me. It's the nature of the game, much like poker. Yes we're lying, but everyone's in on it from the start. Even when we're honest it's sometimes with ulterior motives. I really enjoy my working relationships with more than one GM around the league but I understand the need for them to not tell me the whole truth about their plans, their rosters, their worries, their weaknesses, et cetera.
Code:
1010GRADED
*Rolling Stone Interview with Outlaws GM Part 3 - DeathOnReddit - 12-26-2017
More Asipi needed. Whether it be SR or JR idc. Also talk about the greatest co gm Ryan pace!
Loving the interviews though.