If I were a GM...

After years of watching tons of GM coming and going and critizing their jobs assuming I could do better job I decided to give some ideas and thoughts for how to be a GM. This is wisdom coming from the Basketball' Gods! Use it wisely

1. Never ever draft or signed a chinese players. Your franchise would be a second priority for them no matter how much money you pay them. First priority will ALWAYS be the exultation of capturing glory for their country. If they get injured in the middle of the season they will get their surgery or whatever treatment inmediatly because they won't wait for the offseason. The offseason is their season. See Yao Ming, Yi Jialin
2. Don't even think about giving a huge contract to a player that comes from just a single good season or a good postseason run. I don't care how many rebounds he pull down or how high is his PER. Consistency is the key. The same rule applies to college kids that overachieved in a couple of tournament games. Ask yourself this, what have this guy done the entire tournament? Is just that he played really hard those games. Where's his dedication? His work ethic? See Jerome James
   
3. Draft for need not for talent. Unless the guy is really, really good or you have a pre-arranged deal with another team for that talented guy. Don't mess around with chemistry. Let me give your an example: If you have a solid point guard the last couple of years.He's a good player, hard worker, good basketball IQ ,etc. You know the entire package unless you can draft the next Magic Johnson don't threaten his work security by drafting another poing guard who may be better. Go for the next best thing.
4. Stay away from troublemakers. If you had a young team don't even look at a "problematic" player directly to the eye. If your team has some veteran leadership you can afford the gamble of bringing a talented but disturb individual. This rule doesn't apply to Ron Artest. Ignored him completely.
5. Have consistency on the bench. Select a coach, preferebly with some experience, an commit to him and his system. Give him all the tools necesary under which his system can thrive and be as sucessfull as it can be as quickest as possible. I have a "sub-rule" or corollary if your are felling fancy:
1. Know your coach. You need to keep in mind the personality and character twists of your coach. Don't sign players that they will crash with your coach and/or his system. If you have a shot at bringing an franchise player that you know eventually will have problems with your coach you need to be a very good GM and do the following:
1. Never give power to the player over the coach, don't let him feel that's he's running your franchise. See Lebron James
   
2. Prepare for the worst and make sutil trades or adquisition that complement the new player leaving that "complement your coach" as a lower priority.
3. When and if you have to fire your coach bring a new one that adapts to your star player but give him the final word about all basketball court decisions. Don't give too much power to your players. See Mike Brown
   
4. The bigger the franchise player (I'm refering here to ego, basketball IQ, leadership, brand name, etc ) the stronger the coach you need. See Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson
   
2. Hire coaches that know their limitations. Coaches know need offensive specialist, defensive specialists, etc. The era of coaches who know everything is over. See Pat Riley
6. Always, always have a strong veteran voice in your lockeroom, besides your coaching staff It doens't matter if the guy can't play no more, if he's respected and heard keep him around.
7. If you find yourself in a offseason where you have cap room and money to spend don't give it away just for the sake of signing somebody. Save for the next offseason or some in season trade where you can steal draft pick or something.
8. Know your owner. If your franchised is owned by a guy that's wont break the salary cap you have several ways to go:
1. Have a max player and pray to the basketball gods he doesn't go south on you. Have a bunch of well payed ballers but nobody of them will make the top 20 salaries.
2. Have a couple of players near the max and a bunch of hard working young guys and desperate and crafty veterans who wants to win now
3. Use the Detroit Pistons or Chicago Bulls (pre Ben Wallace) model and group a bunch of talented players and cross your fingers so they get along and develop some chemistry.