They went for the guy they know and won’t run the franchise like a dictator. Good news for the Rockets.
Im curious, why do people hate on Brand for being GM? He was a great player with good basketball IQ. No one hated on Sean Marks. No one knows how Brand will do as GM
Super underrated player in his prime. He gave teams problems on both ends. I remember watching Brand and Yao have some EPIC battles.
Jordan hasn't been a good owner and Wayne Gretzky wasn't a good coach; those are two iconic examples. Then there's Kevin McHale, Vlade Divac, Isiah Thomas. There is not always a correlation between playing ability and an office job. No one does know how Brand will do as GM; but history primes us to chuckle when an a former athlete is given an executive position without some interim education, business, or leadership experience, even though there are good cases like Ainge and Jerry West (and a lot more in coaching). Maybe Brand has some of that experience, but people just don't realize it. (I don't). What's his background off the court? I wish him success, but it's still a surprise. [Edit: I see that he has worked as a 'player development consultant' and GM of the 76ers G-League team. Hey, that's something. Obviously Philly sees something in him.]
It's fine for Brand and he seems like a guy many people have trusted at multiple points in his life, but the truth is you don't want the coach to have had such a heavy hand in making you GM. That will be a problem.