Where is it hardest to be a successful GM

[reeveta]

This is not a hockey question but a sports question.

In which of the biggest professional sports (NHL, MLB, NBA, NFL) is it the hardest to turn around a poor team? I was thinking about this with all the recent talk in Toronto about the Leafs GM situation.

Basically if you were a GM (real GM not fantasy GM) taking over a league bottom feeder where would it be the hardest to make a contender?

[kovalchuk17]

NHL - Toronto. Montreal. New York Rangers.
NFL - Not too sure. Dallas Cowboys? New York Jets. Probably the New York Giants as well
MLB - New York Yankees.
NBA - New York Knicks.

Mostly new york =X

[enfuego]

i think you were asking which league it would be the toughest to turn around a franchise, not which team in each league, if i\'m not mistaken.

i\'ve got to say it\'s probably a mlb franchise and that\'s mainly due to the fact that there\'s no cap. teams like the yankees and bosox can spend as much money as they want to get the best talent that money can assemble, making it extremely difficult for franchises without as much money to be competitive, never mind compete for the world series.

a lot of times this means that their farm systems aren\'t quite as strong, as the yankees can tell you with their aging pitching staff, but in most cases help can be brought in for the right price to cover up that fact.

to compare, i think that the raptors and flyers are prime examples of nba and nhl teams that can turn things around in the matter of a season with some savvy trades, signings and overall team management.

the nfl has a great deal of parody as well due to the fact that they have a firm cap and no guaranteed contracts, which results in a lot of player movement.

my .02.

[reeveta]

Yeah I was talking about which league in general although the which teams argument is also an interesting one.

My opinion follows your. MLB is hard because of the wilder spending by a few teams and the fact that baseball prospects take fowever.

NBA has to be the easiest because it only take one to two good players to make-over a team. As well in basketball players can make an impact right after they are drafted.

[19 Straight]

I agree that it is baseball if you are not GM of one of the high revenue teams. Without money to spend on free agents and with a draft that requires you to predict 3-4 years into the future before a prospect even plays in the majors, it is the hardest.

The easiest is the NBA. One good player can turn an entire frachise around.

Football is the next hardest after MLB, only because the game is so complicated, there are so many different factors and players that lead to success and teams and rosters are so large. One or two players can\'t turn a team around - you need to build an entire team.

[Sin Bin]

MLB. With what they call a salary cap there is still the haves and have-nots. The hardest place to be a GM in the MLB has to be Kansas City or Pittsburgh. Both places get talent but as soon as they come into their own they trade them off so as to have to pay them. The owners in Pittsburgh take their luxury tax money and just stuff it in their pockets and use it for their other business ventures.

[The Comish]

My thoughts are NHL and MLB.

Drafting players into the NHL at 18 years old means that scouts and GM\'s have to project the players they are taking, meaning crapshoots.

MLB has many professional developmental leagues, A, AA and AAA with affiliation to major league teams, meaning that they know players can take some time before playing at the top level.

At least NFL and NBA draft older college aged kids (plus the opt in guys). I think that the extra years make a huge difference in getting a major league ready prospect or a cross your fingers hope they pan out in two or three years guy. I think you get less busts at the top of the draft this way.

[Crazynuck]

MLB is definately the toughest.
I would have to go with the blue jays as they have to compete with the yankees and red sox. While the jays are not the poorest team in the league they can not afford $20M players. Blue jays are basically finishing 3rd in the division and out of the playoffs year in and year out.

[repenttokyo]

completely disagree that it is hardest to turn a team around in montreal, look at what they have done with the team in the last 10 years, NO superstars, and look at the young talent they have developed.