Who's got the link to the best organization poll? I saw a NYT article but it was behind a paywall.
"It makes perfect sense that the Warriors would win this.
Even if they didn’t have a wonderful reputation around the league among players — and they do — there’s an inevitable positivity that comes with any organization that recently had a dynastic run. Yet as one player said of his time there, it goes deeper than that.
“They were first-class,” the player said. “(Warriors coach) Steve (Kerr) came from San Antonio. He knew a lot of the principles. They do a really good job of taking care of the players and the families.”
The third-place Celtics have the results on their side, too, what with last year’s title and an eight-year stretch in which they’ve reached the conference finals six times (and the NBA Finals twice). From there, though, it’s fascinating to see which teams that haven’t reached the NBA’s mountaintop in this era still inspire great respect.
The Thunder, who were the runaway winners of our front-office rankings survey in December, are an impressive second-place finisher. Given the lack of a title and that they play in one of the league’s smallest markets, that’s no small feat. Thunder owner Clay Bennett does the simple things that far too many of his contemporaries seem to struggle with: He empowers the basketball people (chief among them executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti) while keeping a very low profile along the way.
“They’ve drafted incredibly,” one player said of the Thunder. “They let their players play with personality. I’ve talked with a lot of vets who have played for Oklahoma City, and they all have glowing reviews for how they treat vets, too.”
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is far more visible and involved, but he is also widely known to be a dream boss for executives, coaches and players alike. Not only does he cut massive checks when it comes to infrastructure, staffing and resources, but also his passion is a driving force that seems to resonate with his people and inspire good culture. Their fourth-place finish is a reflection of those truths.
“They take care of everything for players,” one player said. “Everything is just top priority for them.”"
