Kevin Pritchard Doesn't Have Many Friends

I already suggested that Portland GM Kevin Pritchard's handling of the Darius Miles saga could compromise his standing around the league. Since he was supposedly more advanced in his goals and thinking than most everyone else with front office security clearance. I thought even that was a little harsh.

But according to The Oregonian, I totally underestimated the sheer rawness, enmity, and reputational collapse this episode has brought upon the Pritchard regime. Take this quote, for example:

Said one Western Conference GM of Pritchard on Saturday: "(Bleep) that guy, he's walking around rubbing everyone's nose in the deals he's made and even with all those lottery players his team is still not in the playoffs.

"There was a line of guys in the league waiting to sign D. Miles if Memphis didn't."

Apparently I grossly underestimated just how grudging respect for KP had been, how much he was seen as equal parts brilliant and smug. This Miles stuff was the last straw, the culmination of several seasons worth of ambivalence toward Pritchard. For any other general manager, it would have been awkward. In this case, it was not only embarrassing -- it was just the misstep others had been waiting for.

In The Oregonian, John Canzano speculates that now, Pritchard will have trouble doing business. This supposedly happens whenever any GM (like Joe Dumars) is thought to be too shrewd. But outright dislike, that's another level. It could be an even deeper freeze. On the other hand, taking the focus off of Pritchard's superiority at playing the game, and clouding business with personal, might be just the kind of wrinkle that a real boy wonder could exploit. The kind of thing Pritchard's going to have to pull off, now that among us observers he's looking a little silly right about now.

And that's what it all comes down to. The honeymoon is over for Kevin Pritchard. But if he can continue to fine-tune his up-and-coming roster, pull of slick deals, and accurately judge talent, who cares if anyone likes him?

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.