5 Best NBA GMs

R.C. Buford - San Antonio Spurs

Nobody doubts the genius of R.C Buford, Gregg Popovich and the Spurs management. Even Sam Presti, the GM of the Oklahoma City Thunder and also on this list, was mentored by Buford and the Spurs before leaving to create the powerhouse Thunder. He was the guy that convinced the organization to draft Tony Parker late in the first round, who was the 2007 Finals MVP. Buford has made this organization the closest to a dynasty in decades, winning four championships since 1999. Though landing the first pick in the draft to get Tim Duncan, and pairing him with Dream Team member David Robinson, the real genius of Buford has been his ability to find excellent role players that fit Pop's style and finding diamonds in the rough through drafts or in trades. Stealing Manu Ginobili in the second round is arguably the best draft steal in NBA history, and better yet Ginobili was content with coming off the bench, though an all star, and even taking less money so this team could win championships (think of James Harden). Ginobili is a tough, playmaking scorer and checked his ego every day, while usually making the big play down the stretch. There are countless other role players that were vital in order to win those four championships. Players like Bruce Bowen, Robert Horry,  and Fabricio Oberto made so many plays down the stretch and usually guarded the other team's best players. Others like Brent Barry, Steve Kerr, Avery Johnson, and Matt Bonner always either drained the open three or made the extra pass to get the offense flowing. But the success of the big three set the bar for winning championships. Following the trio's success, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce joined forces to match up with teams like the Spurs; and Gasol joining Kobe and Odom. One could argue that the Spurs were the first modern "super-team" in the post-Michael Jordan era, though it was through drafting and genius moves by Buford, leading to stars to team up like the Miami Heat or New York Knicks. Now that Duncan and Ginobili are close to retiring yet still playing hard, the team has slowly rebuilt itself with Tony Parker, 30, leading the team. Also in the process, Buford has grabbed young, athletic players with high upside like Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter, and Danny Green. This mix of talented veterans and young athletes has kept the Spurs continually relevant in the championship race, though the team has transitioned into a younger, uptempo team.

Mitch Kupchak - Los Angeles Lakers

How can you not be on this list when you have an owner who not only wants to win, but will spend what it takes to do so, with the already built-in attraction of being in Los Angeles, in addition to an outstanding Laker history. After luring Steve Nash and Dwight Howard to Lakerland, I had to put Kupchak on this list. Chris Bosh has said that the Lakers are the "best team on paper." Even before now, Kupchak acquired players to compliment Kobe and Shaq while also thriving under Phil Jackson' triangle offense. Kupchak has five rings to boast this decade, though I have to question what the hell was going on when the starting line up consisted of Smush Parker, Kobe, Luke Walton, Chris Mihm, and DJ Mbenga. Then somehow the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol for absolutely nothing at the time (later Marc Gasol) and with Bynum and Odom, won two more championships. Kupchak, like the Spurs, have surround their stars with team first winners, like none other than Derek Fisher, who was at one point a co-captain, an emotional leader and one of the leagues most clutch shooters. 

Sam Presti - Oklahoma City Thunder 

Maybe you have to be in a two worded city to have a good GM. Following in the footsteps of Buford, Presti left the Spurs and took the Seattle Supersonics to the two-worded Oklahoma City Thunder and turned the team into the championship contender it is today. Just like Buford and his centerpiece, Presti got the luck of the draft and won Kevin Durant, who is now a three time scoring champ. Only 24 years old and arguably the second best player in the league, Durant is only going to get better (especially when he develops a post game with that 6'10, long body). Paired with fellow superstar Russell Westbrook, the Thunder will be able to compete for championships every season even without James Harden. Sam Presti chose Serge Ibaka over James Harden, which seems like the smart decision, but time will only tell how James Harden turns out. Already having lighting scorers in Westbrook and Durant, the Thunder need a low post presence with shot blocking ability to patrol the paint. Westbrook and Ibaka are younger than Durant. The move that really put the Thunder over the top was their trade for Kendrick Perkins. He brings that toughness, championship experience, and just makes them an overall scarier team. Not only that but he is known has the Dwight Howard stopper, who he'll probably see in the Western Conference Finals. Though Perk's contract might be a bit inflated, with he and Ibaka coming from the weak side, it's will be tough for an opposing player to get an uncontested shot at the rim. Ibaka, similar to Parker and Ginobili, was a draft steal and has transformed into one of the leagues best shot blockers. Eric Maynor is an interesting piece because it seems the Thunder trust him enough to run the second unit like James Harden did, and obviously trusted him enough to let Harden walk. We will see how much they end up missing Harden, and I think they will, but I also think this team might end up right back where it was last year: the NBA Finals. 

Masai Ujiri – Denver Nuggets

A true up-and-comer in the league, Ujiri has pulled off many moves that have allowed his roster to stay flexible. He didn’t panicon the Carmelo Anthony saga and got the most he could out of losing asuperstar. And though Gallinari is a shell of himself, the trade has still keptthem in playoff contention. Another dazzling move the Nuggets made thisoffseason was acquiring Andre Iguodola, a freak athlete that fits perfectlyinto George Karl’s system. He likes to get out an run, and is one of the bestperimeter defenders in the game because of his length and quickness. It also brings in a much needed veteran leadership to help Ty Lawson, Javale McGee, Kenneth Fariedgrow as a core. Ty Lawson just signed a four year, 48 million dollar contract and will most likely play up to expectations. He has been a borderline all-star and should break out this year, especially after a year learning from old school veteran Andre Miller, who just might have the ugliest shot in the league (sorry, Shawn Marion). Even if Ty Lawson doesn't work out, Ujiri signed Nene to a similar contract and easily moved him when it appeared he wasn't going to live up to his contract. In exchange he got the young, dumb Javale McGee, who has more upside and talent than people talk about, and is currently living up to his new contract this season. 

Darryl Morey - Houston Rockets

This is pretty debatable. Morey should still be on the hotseat for his job, but you can’t deny the genius he puts behind his work. A true original Moneyball-type guy, he has used stats to find great players at a low cost keeping him very flexible to make a big move. Though he hasn’t been ableto reel in a superstar, you can’t say that he hasn’t tried his damnedest. He did snag Jeremy Lin from the Knicks, laying out a massive “poison pill”backloaded contract that not even James Dolan dared to match. Another poison pill backloaded contract was Omer Asik, who will be making around 15 million in the third year of his contract, and there is no way he can live up to that. The Rockets have been desperate, but have always maintained young talent and the acquirement ofJames Harden finally puts them seriously in the conversation of playoff teams. Harden might have superstar talent, and certainly eases the pressure Jeremy Lin faces. Chandler Parsons, a second round draft pick, has been sensational this season. Things just haven’t worked out for Morey, whether it be Yao’s deterioration, or TracyMcGrady giving up, the man has been faced with many challenges this decade.Amnestying Luis Scola and trading away Kyle Lowry and their amazing contracts have been questionable moves, but the Rockets did need to change things up and we’ll see if we’ll be watching them come playoff time.

Others: Kevin O'Connor - Utah Jazz, Larry Bird - Indiana Pacers, Pat Riley - Miami Heat