Read Online The Draft by Wil Mara - Free Book Online Page B

rather than dictatorship.
    He unzipped his folder and removed his printout of the team’s roster, which he kept on a spreadsheet on his PC, plus that of upcoming draft picks.
    After handing copies around, he said, “OK, let’s figure out what we can give up in order to get our man. We gotta go from last to first in the draft. No problem right?” The others grumbled.
    â€œAs you know, the first overall pick is currently the property of the San Diego Chargers. Let’s face it, Skip has a lot of work to do over there.”

    Skip Henderson started with the Colts in the 1950s as a gofer, and through the years was also an equipment manager, scout, film analyst, assistant coach, head coach, and, ultimately, general manager. He retired in 2001 but was lured back by the Chargers largely because he was close with the family that owned the team, and because they needed nothing short of a wizard to bring the organization back to glory.
    â€œHe’s rebuilding almost from scratch. They’ve been struggling for a long time—seven straight losing seasons. It was no surprise to anyone when they booted their GM, director of player personnel, and their head coach halfway through last season. They have every right to the first pick, but it will only provide them with one player. If they trade it, however, they can get considerably more. I’m guessing this is Skip’s plan. He’s been given carte blanche to do whatever needs to be done. In fact, if what the media is reporting is true—about other teams bidding for that pick—then that’s exactly what Skip is doing. He’s trying to parlay the guarantee of acquiring Christian McKinley into a huge payoff. So let’s try to determine which of his needs are most urgent, and how we can satisfy them.”
    â€œSo we’ll definitely be using players in this deal rather than picks?” Tanner asked.
    â€œYeah, we’ll have to use both. I don’t see where we have much of a choice. Established players will be more valuable to Skip than picks. I’m not talking about giving up a lot. Just a few will make all the difference. We’ve got great depth here, so I think we can sacrifice a handful of guys. Of course we’ll use draft picks as the bulk of our currency, but I don’t see how we can pull off this miracle without throwing in some established talent. To that end, I’ve asked Cary to sort through the roster to determine, if I may be blunt for a minute here, who can go. And from you, Kevin, I’ll need some quick cap assessment.”
    â€œNo problem.”
    Blanchard handed around his own copies of the roster, organized per Jon’s criteria—

    Everyone studied it for a few moments. Blanchard poured himself a glass of ice water and took a long sip. Jon leaned back in his chair and twirled his pencil. Tanner’s eyes moved through the list with an almost computer-like fervor as he did some quick calculations. Mendel, predictably, showed no reaction.
    â€œOkay,” Jon said finally. “This looks like about what I expected. Alan, would you like to start? Any comments?”
    The doctor ran a hand over his carefully combed hair. “Well, I see you’ve got Montgomery as a possible trade. I don’t know if he’s going to be particularly attractive with that ACL tear he suffered two years back. The resulting bad knee doesn’t allow him to make quick, pivoting movements like he used to. Since the anterior cruciate ligament aids in limiting the joint’s mobility, that tear was the equivalent of ten years’ movement in a matter of seconds. And he’s lost a step from age, too. The combination of that and the tear, I imagine, would hinder his trade value.”
    Jon nodded. “I understand. His main value to Skip, I figured, was as a veteran. Almost like having an extra coach around. It’s no secret that Scotty wants to go into coaching after his playing days