Unhappy trails
By Steve Kerr, Yahoo! Sports
April 12, 2006
In the midst of one of the worst seasons in franchise history, Portland Trail Blazers fans received a jolt recently when owner Paul Allen made a veiled reference to the possibility of the team moving.
Allen has run into financial difficulties with the Blazers and has suggested that the team could lose as much as $100 million over the next three years. As a result, he is contemplating selling the franchise. The equation is clouded by the fact that the Rose Garden, which was originally owned and operated by an Allen-run company called the Oregon Arena Corporation, is now run by the Portland Arena Management company, which took over after OAC went bankrupt two years ago. Any sale of the team would have to include both Allen and PAM, and apparently the two sides are not cooperating with each other.
David Stern attempted to broker a deal over a six-week period with a buyer who planned to keep the team in Portland, but eventually Stern withdrew his help out of frustration with the process. An impending sale could possibly end up in a legal battle involving Allen, PAM and the city of Portland.
The question Blazers fans must be asking is, "How can one of the richest men in the world (Allen is worth a reported $22 billion) run into financial troubles running an NBA team?" The answer lies in the mismanagement of the franchise over the past decade.
On the verge of challenging for the NBA championship in the late 90s and early this decade, Allen gave then-general manager Bob Whitsitt a blank check to spend on personnel moves to take the team over the top. Whitsitt proceeded to push the Blazers' payroll well over the NBA's luxury tax threshold with bold moves like trading for maximum-salaried players Shawn Kemp and Scottie Pippen when Portland's roster already featured max players in Rasheed Wallace and Damon Stoudamire.
The 2002-03 payroll vaulted to $105 million, meaning the Blazers had to pay upwards of $50 million in luxury tax fees to the league. For Allen, losing that kind of money probably didn't seem like a big deal if it meant winning a title. Problem was, Whitsitt put together a team that not only failed to live up to expectations but also alienated its fan base as well.
A city with a storied basketball tradition, Portland has long embraced its Blazers teams and players. From the days of Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas to later clubs led by Terry Porter, Buck Williams and Clyde Drexler, community-minded players developed a great rapport with the local fans. The old Portland Coliseum was always filled to capacity, as was the Rose Garden after it was built in 1995. As the lone professional sports show in town, the Blazers were once what the San Antonio Spurs are today – a powerful team beloved by a city that took great pride in its players.
But the roster that Whitsitt put together was made up of players who weren't overly likeable. Guys like Wallace, Bonzi Wells, Rod Strickland, J.R. Rider and Gary Trent were surly and ill-tempered, and failed to connect with Portland fans. Over a period of four or five years, Blazers players constantly found themselves in legal disputes involving assaults, drug possession and sexual abuse.
The locals – so accustomed to high-character, classy teams – were offended and embarrassed by their team. But in the midst of an enormous image problem, Whitsitt neglected to listen to his customers (who wanted a club they could take pride in) and continued to acquire high-priced, gifted-but-troubled players in hopes that their talent would eventually win out.
That talent didn't blend well, and the team was unsuccessful. As a result, the fans stopped supporting the franchise. Local businesses decided not to purchase sponsorships and luxury suites. All the while, Allen and Whitsitt – both of whom lived in Seattle – would fly to and from Portland for games, forging little or no bond with the local community.
The fans saw a bad team filled with players they didn't particularly care for and a management team that didn't even live in the city. So they bailed. Meanwhile, the Blazers, who made the postseason for 21 consecutive seasons from 1984 to 2004, have slid downhill ever since they fell into lotterydom.
When Wallace and Wells were traded in '04, it appeared Portland was on the right track. The players acquired in those trades – especially Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Theo Ratliff – were well-liked and very professional. The Blazers were in good position to rebuild their roster – and their image – with respected veterans and sound decision making. But they proceeded to make some head scratching moves that pushed them backwards again.
They signed Zach Randolph to a maximum contract and inked Darius Miles to a lucrative, long-term deal. They also drafted high school players in back-to-back years (Sebastian Telfair and Martell Webster). A franchise trying to rebuild itself poured money into a young, immature, unproven roster, as if it didn't learn its lesson in the first place. It's no mystery why Portland's record is now 21-56, the worst in the NBA.
So what's next? Blazers fans worry that the team could leave – a prospect that Allen hasn't denied. The good news for the city of Portland is that Allen apparently signed a document in 1993 that would make it almost impossible for him to move the team – or sell the franchise to anyone who would subsequently move it. The bad news is that with so many different entities involved, the issue could very well end up in court and take years to resolve.
The best thing that could happen for Portland is for Allen to sell the team to an ownership that would be committed to the sound decision making and community involvement that made the franchise so successful for so long. Only then will the team be able to move forward and reestablish its fan base.
It's a shame that a wonderful city that has embraced its team for so long is in the predicament it is in now. But it just goes to show that solid management – not deep pockets - is what allows for sustainable success. Here's hoping the Blazers can find that solid management and move forward.
Steve Kerr is Yahoo! Sports' NBA analyst. Send him a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
