When I gripe about Lucas not spending enough money I do not refer to him spending money on sets and other things of that Nature. While I would have preferred live sets and props compared to CGI my main complaint is money not being spent in behind the scenes talent. Such as is mentioned in that Entertainment weekly article. Lucas not spending money on some great screenwriters, hiring directors for episodes 2 and 3.
The core problem of the PT films has been and always will be the screenplays and the directing.