Posted by Andrew:
Why doesn't it qualify?
Special Assistsant does not qualitatively give Chris Mullin any advantage to be a GM any more than Mark Jackson's job as a television analyst. As an analyst who must study the intimate details of every team in the NBA, I would submit that Mark Jackson has an edge due to the access to resources that include the daily assistance of a full time-paid research staff, electronic support, statistical evidence prepared on a daily basis, the best production support for the editing of that data, and volumes of information gleaned from conversations in the van with Jeff Van Gundy.
There is a reason some people can make the transition from the booth to the sideline. The resources of the electronic media are incredible. What we see on television is only the tip of the iceberg based on the research of dozens of people.
"You don't think a big man can sell?"
I'm a chameleon.