I loved the job done by David Griffin, not only to build his team, but also to maintain his standing among other GMs around the league as a potential trading partner.

Even though he decisively won the trades with the Lakers and Hawks, he gave them enough in return so the GMs of those teams won’t be fired. AND, he was smart enough to not deal with Danny Ainge.

It remains to be seen if Alvin Gentry will ever coach a top 5 defensive team. His winningest team ever, the 2009–2010 Suns, were rated 25th on defense and 1st on offense. His 2017–2018 Pelicans team with DPOY candidate Anthony Davis was ranked 14th on defense.

If New Orleans had been able to hire Luke Walton as their defensive coordinator, they could become a fearsome team in a very short time.