Bert's got this

[Nikolokolus]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...5/05/trail.blazers.gm/index.html?xid=sbnation

Sam Amick of SI.com writes that the Portland Trail Blazers' search for a new GM is starting to pick up and that owner Paul Allen's longtime friend, Bert Kolde, is running the show, rather than Blazers president Larry Miller.
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While team president Larry Miller is the front man for owner Paul Allen, league sources say Allen's long-time confidant and member of the team's board of directors, Bert Kolde, is the Wizard of Oz in this process -- one of the most influential voices around who joined Allen and Miller in interviews the last time they tried to fill this job a year ago.
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Amick also writes that it doesn't appear as if Milwaukee Bucks GM John Hammond will be in the picture.
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But numerous front-office sources said the Bucks, who were a disappointing 31-35 this season, refused Portland permission to speak with Hammond recently. A Bucks official could not clarify whether that was the case and Miller declined to comment on the matter when reached Friday, but indications are that Hammond will remain in Milwaukee at least one more season with coach Scott Skiles (both have one season left on their contracts).
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He also writes about the potential candidacies of Sacramento Kings GM Geoff Petrie, Los Angeles Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, Indiana Pacers GM David Morway and others.

Have no fear we're in good hands ...

 

[RedHotRollin]

lol.

I'm sure he does. Petrie won't be seriously looked at even though I think he would be good.

 

[Drttimmy]

Miller

I'm not sure what I think of Miller, but if this report is true (big if), it would certainly undermine Miller's place in the chain of command and further indict Allen as a MadHatter. I'm not sure I buy that the Allen runs that dysfunctional a ship.

 

[HomerLovesKoolAid]

Oh wow, I feel SO MUCH BETTER.

For awhile there I thought we had someone with no basketball experience making the big decisions.......

 

[BBert]

This is just confirmation of what most of us thought/knew has been going on over the past few years. Depressing.

Paul Allen is this generation's Howard Hughes.

 

[RedHotRollin]

Re: Miller

I'm not sure what I think of Miller, but if this report is true (big if), it would certainly undermine Miller's place in the chain of command and further indict Allen as a MadHatter. I'm not sure I buy that the Allen runs that dysfunctional a ship.

It's been run this way for a couple of years. How much more do you need to see before you're sold?

 

[handiman]

Paul Allen is this generation's Howard Hughes.

Does that make Oden the Spruce Goose?

 

[oldmangrouch]

 

[HailBlazers]

:MARIS61::MARIS61::MARIS61:

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

How much did Bert influence the draft?"

It wouldn't at all surprise me if this is how last years draft went:

"Nolan Smith, 20/5/5 at Duke, those are B-Roy numbers! we have to take him."

And now we are stuck with a poor-mans Juan Dixon.

 

[MickZagger]

How much did Bert influence the draft?"

It wouldn't at all surprise me if this is how last years draft went:

"Nolan Smith, 20/5/5 at Duke, those are B-Roy numbers! we have to take him."

And now we are stuck with a poor-mans Juan Dixon.

Don't slight Juan like that. Atleast he could hit a jumpshot.

 

[PapaG]

Bert can't find his ass with both hands, but he's going to find the people to put the Blazers in the title mix.

I wonder how much of an influence Kolde was in getting rid of KP, who clearly made the team better, or Cho, who seemingly is the guy you want if you want to orchestrate the Greatest Tank Job of All Time.

 

[KingSpeed]

How much did Bert influence the draft?"

It wouldn't at all surprise me if this is how last years draft went:

"Nolan Smith, 20/5/5 at Duke, those are B-Roy numbers! we have to take him."

And now we are stuck with a poor-mans Juan Dixon.

Juan Dixon was way better.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

I wonder if Wheels could shed some light on this Smith pick. We needed talent but we ended up with more roster fodder.

 

[Sinobas]

Smith is pretty much a Juan Dixon type guard. I pegged him with that comparison awhile back. A tweener with mild athletisism. He can score some like Dixon, but he's borderline nba talent at best. I think Portland's thinking was that they wanted to get a PG on the roster other than Armon Johnson or Patty Mills to backup Felton, and to be an insurance policy if we couldn't resign Felton.

Anyway, non-lotto picks often don't amount to anything. Hickson is better overall than Faried, so that move made up for it somewhat.

 

[Nikolokolus]

FWIW, I've had the same tagline under my avatar since about half-way through last year ... I feel good about that.

 

[jlprk]

This is Blair all over again. Why did the other teams pass on Faried? Because he was raised by 2 Muslim lesbians?

The Blazers weren't the only team putting up their nose at him.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

This is Blair all over again. Why did the other teams pass on Faried? Because he was raised by 2 Muslim lesbians?

The Blazers weren't the only team putting up their nose at him.

This is more about picking a fringe NBA player in the first round.

It was obvious to most people that Nolan Smith should have been taken in the second round. You can't defend taking him this high.

 

[Blaze01]

POR is screwed if Bert Kolde is anwhere near the decision making process...the guy is frickin idiot....

 

[HomerLovesKoolAid]

Because he was raised by 2 Muslim lesbians?

Holy....hell..... that's hotter than Blaze01's avatar!
(but not as hot as Fez's)

 

[jlprk]

Faried was NCAA rebounding champ and Defensive Player of the Year. It's unusual for one player to win both awards, I think.

Why did all those GMs pass him up? Even if he lacks quickness or something, I'd still have taken a gander on him so I wouldn't get goosed.

 

[PapaG]

Bert Kolde will one day win NBA Exec of the Year.

 

[RedHotRollin]

But he doesn't lack quickness or speed. The dude is pretty fast.

 

[jlprk]

So why did they all pass up Faried? At least with Blair there was a valid reason (which turned out to be wrong so far).

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

So why did they all pass up Faried? At least with Blair there was a valid reason (which turned out to be wrong so far).

He was overlooked because he's 6'7"

But if you did your homework on him you'd know he makes up for his lack of height:

9'0" standing reach -- On par with a 6'10"-6'11" player
11'11" max reach -- On par with a 6'11" player

He also plays with a Joakim Noah-like motor.

He was there and they whiffed bigtime by taking such an inferior prospect/fringe NBA player in Nolan Smith.

 

[jlprk]

There are 2 issues, 1) Faried and 2) Nolan Smith.

1) In the main draft day thread, I was critical that we didn't take Faried because we had lost games in 2010-11 due to going with 7 guards and 5 forwards (because the idiots undervalued Juwan Howard and dumped him for being old even though he had started half of 2009-10 and prevented a meltdown like 2011-12).

We needed a PF so much (now we have Hickson). 2) But given the insane fact that the boneheads snubbed Faried and any other forward, then if it had to be a guard (and that low, guards are better than forwards), I didn't think Nolan Smith was a terrible choice. He was expected to go near the end of the 1st, but Nate's friendship with Coach K pushed him to 21, up about 6 spots. Not an unusual move up.

 

[PapaG]

There are 2 issues, 1) Faried and 2) Nolan Smith.

1) In the main draft day thread, I was critical that we didn't take Faried because we had lost games in 2010-11 due to going with 7 guards and 5 forwards (because the idiots undervalued Juwan Howard and dumped him for being old even though he had started half of 2009-10 and prevented a meltdown like 2011-12).

We needed a PF so much (now we have Hickson). 2) But given the insane fact that the boneheads snubbed Faried and any other forward, then if it had to be a guard (and that low, guards are better than forwards), I didn't think Nolan Smith was a terrible choice. He was expected to go near the end of the 1st, but Nate's friendship with Coach K pushed him to 21, up about 6 spots. Not an unusual move up.

Plenty of teams passed on Faried before he was drafted. What's your point, other than some unknown blame for Nate for drafting Smith?

Seems to me had Nate loved Smith so much, he might have actually played him?

 

[jlprk]

Plenty of teams passed on Faried before he was drafted. U What's your point, other than some unknown blame for Nate for drafting Smith?

Actually it's the opposite. Everyone acts like this mistake was our team's alone, and I'm the only one wanting to spread the blame, asking for a reason why other teams passed on him, too.

Glad to see you want to join my team. You're wising up.

 

[Blaze01]

I don't care what other teams did\did not do.....

POR missed out on Faried...bottom line....they had a need at b\u PF...Faried was pegged as a POR pick, he pegged as a legit 1st round pick....Nolan Smith was pegged as a 2nd round pick....Not to mention Nolan Smith was a SHOOTING GUARD....still is....So we chose a 3rd string SG over a b\u PF....who was clearly the better player.....

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

I don't care what other teams did\did not do.....

POR missed out on Faried...bottom line....they had a need at b\u PF...Faried was pegged as a POR pick, he pegged as a legit 1st round pick....Nolan Smith was pegged as a 2nd round pick....Not to mention Nolan Smith was a SHOOTING GUARD....still is....So we chose a 3rd string SG over a b\u PF....who was clearly the better player.....

This.

I'd like to hear some "insider" information on whom was the most responsible for this pick.

Not only is he a undersized SG but he doesn't do anything well. Once he stepped outside that Duke box he's totally lost. The NBA caliber talent just isn't there. Thanks, Chad!