Bob Whitsitt
Encyclopedia
Bob Whitsitt is a former sports executive in both the National Basketball Association
and the National Football League
. He has served as the general manager (or in an equivalent role) for three teams: the Seattle SuperSonics
and Portland Trail Blazers
of the NBA, and the Seattle Seahawks
of the NFL. Whitsitt, commonly known as "Trader Bob" for his penchant for making blockbuster deals, has met with mixed success in both leagues.
(and lost to the Chicago Bulls
); several years before that Whitsitt shocked many observers by drafting Shawn Kemp
, a promising player who had never played a game of college ball (prior to Kevin Garnett
's entrance to the league, which launched an era of high school
athletes being drafted directly into the NBA). However, after a falling-out with then Sonics owner Barry Ackerly, Whitsitt resigned his position with the Sonics in 1994 and took an equivalent job with the Portland Trail Blazers
, owned by Paul Allen
.
In the 1996 off-season, Whitsitt began to make his mark with several moves. He traded for guard Isaiah Rider and forward Rasheed Wallace
, and signed guard Kenny Anderson
to a free agent contract. He also drafted high-school player Jermaine O'Neal
in the draft. These moves made the Blazers a better team in the short run (in 1999 and 2000 the Blazers advanced to the Western Conference finals), but criminal activity of some players Whitsitt acquired began to grate on the Portland fan base; many started to refer to the team as the "Jail Blazers".
Whitsitt's reputation started to turn sour after the 2000 season, when the team executed several controversial moves. Popular player Brian Grant
opted out of the final three years of his contract and was traded away in exchange for Shawn Kemp
; and center-forward Jermaine O'Neal
was traded for Dale Davis
. Both players were unhappy with their roles and asked to be traded. These moves were made to push the team "over the hump" (the Blazers went to the Western Conference finals), but they backfired spectacularly—Kemp was a bust, and O'Neal went on to become an All-Star for the Indiana Pacers
. In addition, Whitsitt further alienated the Portland fan base by acquiring Seattle forward Ruben Patterson
, a convicted sex offender
, via free agency.
Even before the disastrous 2000 off-season, many questioned Whitsitt's evaluation of basketball talent. For one thing, Whitsitt never shied away from players with checkered pasts; this often upset fans; it was also alleged that such players—while talented—lacked the emotional maturity necessary to be a "winner". For another thing, Whitsitt was accused of not paying attention to team "chemistry", or how the various players might interact on the floor (or in the locker room). Whitsitt himself was famously quoted as saying that he "never studied chemistry in college". The result of this, it is claimed, are teams that make inefficient use of the talents available; or which are "less than the sum of their parts". Whitsitt has also been criticized for attempting to stock teams with "All-Star" caliber players (including for bench roles), leading to conflicts over playing time and reduced team camaraderie.
Many other players acquired by Whitsitt have had significant off-court or legal issues (either with the Blazers or elsewhere); these include:
After the 2003 season, Whitsitt resigned his position with the Trail Blazers and was replaced with Steve Patterson
as the team president and John Nash as the general manager.
in 1997. Whitsitt is a self-proclaimed "basketball guy", being more knowledgeable about basketball
than about football
; for this reason his role with the Seahawks was primarily involved with business management; decisions on players were generally left to others, that is until after his resignation in 2003 as GM of the Trailblazers, he installed himself as the ultimate decision maker of personnel in the Seahawks organization, causing much friction due to his poor decision making and basketball background making him poorly suited as an NFL GM. The powerplay is generally viewed as the catalyst that ultimately lead to his firing after the 2004 season.
While president of the Seahawks, Whitsitt oversaw two major changes to the team. First, he helped negotiate the development of Qwest Field
, the stadium the team plays its home games in (this facility replaced the aging Kingdome
). Second, Whitsitt hired Mike Holmgren
(formerly of the Green Bay Packers
as coach of the Seahawks (and later as general manager).
In 2004, Whitsitt was diagnosed with a growth on his colon
(which was surgically removed); according to media reports he has an excellent prognosis for recovery.
After the 2004-2005 season, in a move which has been widely praised by both the Portland and Seattle sports media, Whitsitt was suddenly (and unexpectedly) fired as president of the Seahawks after losing a power struggle with Holmgren. The move paid dividends, as the following year the Seahawks won the NFC
championship, advancing to Super Bowl XL
.
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
and the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He has served as the general manager (or in an equivalent role) for three teams: the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
and Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
of the NBA, and the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
of the NFL. Whitsitt, commonly known as "Trader Bob" for his penchant for making blockbuster deals, has met with mixed success in both leagues.
Seattle SuperSonics
He was hailed as the architect of the 1995-1996 Sonics team that went to the NBA FinalsNBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
(and lost to the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
); several years before that Whitsitt shocked many observers by drafting Shawn Kemp
Shawn Kemp
Shawn T. Kemp is a former American professional basketball player, who played in the National Basketball Association for 14 seasons. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA Second Team member.-Early years:...
, a promising player who had never played a game of college ball (prior to Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett
Kevin Maurice Garnett is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association . After a high school basketball career at Farragut Career Academy which included winning a national player of the year award, he...
's entrance to the league, which launched an era of high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
athletes being drafted directly into the NBA). However, after a falling-out with then Sonics owner Barry Ackerly, Whitsitt resigned his position with the Sonics in 1994 and took an equivalent job with the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
, owned by Paul Allen
Paul Allen
Paul Gardner Allen is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates...
.
Portland Trail Blazers
During the first two years of his tenure, Whitsitt oversaw an aging roster that had been to the Finals earlier in the decade, but needed serious retooling.In the 1996 off-season, Whitsitt began to make his mark with several moves. He traded for guard Isaiah Rider and forward Rasheed Wallace
Rasheed Wallace
Rasheed Abdul Wallace is a retired American professional basketball power forward and center who played from 1995 to 2010 in the National Basketball Association...
, and signed guard Kenny Anderson
Kenny Anderson
Kenneth "Kenny" Anderson is a retired American basketball player. After a college career at Georgia Institute of Technology, he played point guard professionally from 1991 to 2006, mostly in the National Basketball Association....
to a free agent contract. He also drafted high-school player Jermaine O'Neal
Jermaine O'Neal
Jermaine Lee O'Neal is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics. The 6 ft 11 in , 255 lb forward-center had a successful high school career and declared his eligibility for the 1996 NBA Draft straight out of high school...
in the draft. These moves made the Blazers a better team in the short run (in 1999 and 2000 the Blazers advanced to the Western Conference finals), but criminal activity of some players Whitsitt acquired began to grate on the Portland fan base; many started to refer to the team as the "Jail Blazers".
Whitsitt's reputation started to turn sour after the 2000 season, when the team executed several controversial moves. Popular player Brian Grant
Brian Grant
Brian Wade Grant is a retired American basketball player. He played the power forward and center positions for five teams during 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He was known for his tenacious rebounding and blue-collar defense...
opted out of the final three years of his contract and was traded away in exchange for Shawn Kemp
Shawn Kemp
Shawn T. Kemp is a former American professional basketball player, who played in the National Basketball Association for 14 seasons. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA Second Team member.-Early years:...
; and center-forward Jermaine O'Neal
Jermaine O'Neal
Jermaine Lee O'Neal is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics. The 6 ft 11 in , 255 lb forward-center had a successful high school career and declared his eligibility for the 1996 NBA Draft straight out of high school...
was traded for Dale Davis
Dale Davis (basketball)
Elliott Lydell Davis is a former American professional basketball player who played center and power forward. He is 6'11" and weighs 252 pounds....
. Both players were unhappy with their roles and asked to be traded. These moves were made to push the team "over the hump" (the Blazers went to the Western Conference finals), but they backfired spectacularly—Kemp was a bust, and O'Neal went on to become an All-Star for the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
. In addition, Whitsitt further alienated the Portland fan base by acquiring Seattle forward Ruben Patterson
Ruben Patterson
Ruben Nathaniel Patterson is a former American professional basketball player. During his career, he played as a small forward and shooting guard. During his college career at the University of Cincinnati, Patterson earned third-team All-American honors and helped lead the Bearcats to Conference...
, a convicted sex offender
Sex offender
A sex offender is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and by legal jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions compile their laws into sections such as traffic, assault, sexual, etc. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crimes of a...
, via free agency.
Even before the disastrous 2000 off-season, many questioned Whitsitt's evaluation of basketball talent. For one thing, Whitsitt never shied away from players with checkered pasts; this often upset fans; it was also alleged that such players—while talented—lacked the emotional maturity necessary to be a "winner". For another thing, Whitsitt was accused of not paying attention to team "chemistry", or how the various players might interact on the floor (or in the locker room). Whitsitt himself was famously quoted as saying that he "never studied chemistry in college". The result of this, it is claimed, are teams that make inefficient use of the talents available; or which are "less than the sum of their parts". Whitsitt has also been criticized for attempting to stock teams with "All-Star" caliber players (including for bench roles), leading to conflicts over playing time and reduced team camaraderie.
Many other players acquired by Whitsitt have had significant off-court or legal issues (either with the Blazers or elsewhere); these include:
- Gary TrentGary TrentGary Dajaun Trent is an American retired professional basketball player.Trent played his high school basketball at Hamilton Township High School in Columbus, Ohio...
(drafted in 1995) - Jermaine O'NealJermaine O'NealJermaine Lee O'Neal is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics. The 6 ft 11 in , 255 lb forward-center had a successful high school career and declared his eligibility for the 1996 NBA Draft straight out of high school...
(drafted in 1996) - Rasheed WallaceRasheed WallaceRasheed Abdul Wallace is a retired American professional basketball power forward and center who played from 1995 to 2010 in the National Basketball Association...
(acquired by trade in 1996) - Isaiah Rider (acquired by trade in 1996)
- Damon StoudamireDamon StoudamireDamon Lamon Stoudamire is a retired American professional basketball player who is currently an assistant coach for the Memphis Tigers men's basketball team. The , point guard was selected with the 7th overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 1995 NBA Draft and won the 1995–96 NBA Rookie of the...
(acquired by trade in 1998) - Bonzi WellsBonzi WellsGawen DeAngelo "Bonzi" Wells is an American professional basketball player. A 6' 5" shooting guard, he last played for Capitanes de Arecibo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional, the main Puerto Rican basketball league. He played college basketball at Ball State University and was drafted in the...
(drafted in 1999) - Shawn KempShawn KempShawn T. Kemp is a former American professional basketball player, who played in the National Basketball Association for 14 seasons. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA Second Team member.-Early years:...
(acquired by trade in 2000) - Rod StricklandRod StricklandRodney "Rod" Strickland is a retired American professional basketball player and currently in an administrative role for the University of Kentucky basketball team under head coach John Calipari. Strickland was formerly the director of basketball operations at the University of Memphis...
(signed as free agent in 2001) - Zach RandolphZach RandolphZachary Randolph , nicknamed Z-Bo, is an American professional basketball player currently with the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA...
(drafted in 2001) - Ruben PattersonRuben PattersonRuben Nathaniel Patterson is a former American professional basketball player. During his career, he played as a small forward and shooting guard. During his college career at the University of Cincinnati, Patterson earned third-team All-American honors and helped lead the Bearcats to Conference...
(signed as free agent in 2001) - Qyntel WoodsQyntel WoodsQyntel Deon Woods is an American professional basketball player who plays for Maccabi Haifa B.C. in Israel...
(drafted in 2002) - Jeff McInnisJeff McInnisJeff Lemans McInnis is a basketball player. He has played in the NBA, in Greece and in the CBA .-Career:...
(signed as free agent in 2002)
After the 2003 season, Whitsitt resigned his position with the Trail Blazers and was replaced with Steve Patterson
Steve Patterson (sports executive)
Steve Patterson is an American sports executive and the former president and general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers National Basketball Association franchise.Patterson joined the Trail Blazers as the team president in June 2003...
as the team president and John Nash as the general manager.
Seattle Seahawks
Several years after hiring Whitsitt to run the Trail Blazers; Paul Allen gave him a second role as president of the Seattle SeahawksSeattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
in 1997. Whitsitt is a self-proclaimed "basketball guy", being more knowledgeable about basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
than about football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
; for this reason his role with the Seahawks was primarily involved with business management; decisions on players were generally left to others, that is until after his resignation in 2003 as GM of the Trailblazers, he installed himself as the ultimate decision maker of personnel in the Seahawks organization, causing much friction due to his poor decision making and basketball background making him poorly suited as an NFL GM. The powerplay is generally viewed as the catalyst that ultimately lead to his firing after the 2004 season.
While president of the Seahawks, Whitsitt oversaw two major changes to the team. First, he helped negotiate the development of Qwest Field
Qwest Field
CenturyLink Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It serves as the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer...
, the stadium the team plays its home games in (this facility replaced the aging Kingdome
Kingdome
The Kingdome was a multi-purpose stadium located in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. Owned and operated by King County, the Kingdome opened in 1976 and was best known as the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League , the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball , and the...
). Second, Whitsitt hired Mike Holmgren
Mike Holmgren
Michael George Holmgren is a former professional football coach and current President of the Cleveland Browns. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008...
(formerly of the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
as coach of the Seahawks (and later as general manager).
In 2004, Whitsitt was diagnosed with a growth on his colon
Colon (anatomy)
The colon is the last part of the digestive system in most vertebrates; it extracts water and salt from solid wastes before they are eliminated from the body, and is the site in which flora-aided fermentation of unabsorbed material occurs. Unlike the small intestine, the colon does not play a...
(which was surgically removed); according to media reports he has an excellent prognosis for recovery.
After the 2004-2005 season, in a move which has been widely praised by both the Portland and Seattle sports media, Whitsitt was suddenly (and unexpectedly) fired as president of the Seahawks after losing a power struggle with Holmgren. The move paid dividends, as the following year the Seahawks won the NFC
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
championship, advancing to Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
.