Blazers look into hiring new GM

[The_Lillard_King]

But regardless of how good you think KP is as a GM, this whole situation is one of the strangest, most inexplicable & idiotic things I've seen from the Blazer organization, and that's saying something. The move is a HORRIBLE business decision, and that's because it's personal. If Paul values winning more than character as you say, I still don't see the problem. We just won 50 games, again, despite over 300 games lost due to injury, and we're still young. Paul Allen is either tragically insecure, or so impotent that he's nothing more than a puppet on a string to power-hungry execs at vulcan, or both.

The Blazer franchise is once again beloved by its city, and the fanbase loves KP. But Allen wants the credit because he's got a small dick. So what does he do to the guys who took a worst-in-the-league, jailblazing laughing stock, hated by its own fanbase, and made them into a beloved playoff team? He not only fires them, he treats them like shit for months before he fires them. Talk about making the same mistake over and over again and you describe Paul Allen perfectly. He can't get out of his own way.

So from a business standpoint: He's pissing off his fanbase and losing the goodwill that KP and his boys have brought back to the franchise. He's getting rid of guys who are good at their jobs without a backup plan. He's creating totally unnecessary instability and distraction when their should be none. He's showing everyone in the league, potential GM candidates included, that he's as fucked up to work for as Donald Sterling.

He's a fucking idiot and I'm fucking pissed. I'm totally disenchanted with the whole organization right now. Everything was fine... so let's fuck it up again. Awesome. Great fucking plan.

I suspect that is true . . . but live by the sword die by the sword. The big bonus/knock on PA as a business owner for the Blazers is he treats it personal and not like a business (Steve Patterson). That means he sometimes spends much more money trying to build a championship in a small market than makes business sense. He personally wants a championship so badly that he will make bad business decisons.

Most times fans like that aspect of him as an owner. But when he makes personal decisions about management that fans don't like, then they hate the fact he takes his business personal. Although i would think on all levels of business you never want to piss of owners. I think what we had here in the end was a battle of egos with the person in control pulling the ultimate card.

 

[OddEnormous]

Knowing your musical preferences, you can call me...Ringo.

Was Ringo the bitter one?

Anyway, you're posts are insane.

I'm not sure if I hate you or if I've fallin in love with you... It probably doesn't matter. Fine line and all that.

 

[crandc]

I agree we don't know the whole story. It could be something stupid and trivial, it could be real, I don't know. And I understand that firms start checking out the talent pool before hiring a top exec. That being said, KP is in an untenable situation.

I also don't think he made bad trades or picks at all. With late picks, you take a flyer. Whether or not Kopponen ever arrives, Cunningham and Pendergrath look like at least decent role players. Bayless is a back-up but I think that's what they were looking for. Roy and Aldridge were not blind luck, we all remember Stephen A. Smith's frothing at the mouth that draft night. Clearly KP knew what he was doing. While the Blazers did not get equal talent for Randolph, they saw it as addition by subtraction, as he was reportedly being a disruption and they wanted LMA in starting lineup. Getting Sergio and Rudy for nothing were very good moves, even if they don't work out, nothing was given up. Signing Andre Miller and trading for Marcus Camby both worked out well. In other words, I can't see anything in KP's public record to justify firing him, let alone publicly humiliating him. Did he pinch Paul Allen's best girl?

As to the size of Mr. Allen's intimate body parts, I neither know nor care.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

I agree we don't know the whole story. It could be something stupid and trivial, it could be real, I don't know. And I understand that firms start checking out the talent pool before hiring a top exec. That being said, KP is in an untenable situation.

I also don't think he made bad trades or picks at all. With late picks, you take a flyer. Whether or not Kopponen ever arrives, Cunningham and Pendergrath look like at least decent role players. Bayless is a back-up but I think that's what they were looking for. Roy and Aldridge were not blind luck, we all remember Stephen A. Smith's frothing at the mouth that draft night. Clearly KP knew what he was doing. While the Blazers did not get equal talent for Randolph, they saw it as addition by subtraction, as he was reportedly being a disruption and they wanted LMA in starting lineup. Getting Sergio and Rudy for nothing were very good moves, even if they don't work out, nothing was given up. Signing Andre Miller and trading for Marcus Camby both worked out well. In other words, I can't see anything in KP's public record to justify firing him, let alone publicly humiliating him. Did he pinch Paul Allen's best girl?

As to the size of Mr. Allen's intimate body parts, I neither know nor care.

I agree. Although if KP had to pay 3 million for those flyers, you would hope it would be a little more than a flyer. Did he buy the Kopponen and Freeland picks for 3 million each? I think Even Rudy cost 3 million plus his salary.

PA must know that even buying a pick at 3 million is a risk, but you would hope some would work out.

 

[BoomChakaLaka]

Was it KP who passed on Blair - twice - in the last draft? Did Paul covet Blair...and KP talk him out of drafting him? Blair proved to be a beast...a beast that would have looked pretty good in Red & Black!

 

[Entity]

But if he's under contract, most contracts won't allow a lateral move without permission. I don't think OKC is likely to let him go, much less to us. If he's a free agent, then that's another matter.

I think there's also the possibility that Presti may question the Trail Blazers' loyalty towards GMs if he has any respect for Pritchard from their time together in San Antonio.

 

[craigehlo]

I think there's also the possibility that Presti may question the Trail Blazers' loyalty towards GMs if he has any respect for Pritchard from their time together in San Antonio.

I think prospective GMs realize that passing on Durant plus going one and done in the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive season is going to get ANY GM fired when the owner has high expectations for success.

 

[Entity]

I think prospective GMs realize that passing on Durant plus going one and done in the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive season is going to get ANY GM fired when the owner has high expectations for success.

I know none of them would have ever taken Oden...

 

[LittleAlex]

Was it KP who passed on Blair - twice - in the last draft? Did Paul covet Blair...and KP talk him out of drafting him? Blair proved to be a beast...a beast that would have looked pretty good in Red & Black!

Yes, yes he would.

I was bummed when Portland didn't draft the kid.
Portland didn't need another spanish wing player. That pick was a total mystery.

 

[craigehlo]

I know none of them would have ever taken Oden...

Yep. And they ALL would have been fired too.

 

[OddEnormous]

I think prospective GMs realize that passing on Durant plus going one and done in the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive season is going to get ANY GM fired when the owner has high expectations for success.

Not the coach though!!!!!

He's from SEATTLE!!!!! The most bestest franchise in the history of the NBA!!!

 

[jlprk]

So...from this reference to the 60s, we can deduce a few things. Am I close?

I'll give you a clue to make it 50-50. You're either 0 for 4, or 4 for 4. Gotta go. My 22 year old superhot wife is beckoning so hard she's falling out of her clothes.

Was Ringo the bitter one? Anyway, you're posts are insane. I'm not sure if I hate you or if I've fallin in love with you... It probably doesn't matter. Fine line and all that.

Love is all you need. Nothing you can say that can't be sung.

I agree. Although if KP had to pay 3 million for those flyers, you would hope it would be a little more than a flyer. Did he buy the Kopponen and Freeland picks for 3 million each? I think Even Rudy cost 3 million plus his salary. PA must know that even buying a pick at 3 million is a risk, but you would hope some would work out.

Pritchard paid millions of Paul Allen's dollars to enable each of these 8 trades, usually $3M each. Only 2 (Roy and Batum) were worth the money.

#6 Roy for #7 Foye
#27 Sergio bought for cash
#24 Rudy and James Jones bought for cash
#30 Koponen for #42 Byars
#11 Bayless for Jack and #13 Rush
#25 Batum for #33 Dorsey
Ruffin for Diogu
#31 Pendergraph for Sergio and #38 Brockman

 

[Entity]

Yep. And they ALL would have been fired too.

They all would have been fired in Portland.

 

[RR7]

Pritchard paid millions of Paul Allen's dollars to enable each of these 8 trades, usually $3M each. Only 2 (Roy and Batum) were worth the money.

#6 Roy for #7 Foye
#27 Sergio bought for cash
#24 Rudy and James Jones bought for cash
#30 Koponen for #42 Byars
#11 Bayless for Jack and #13 Rush
#25 Batum for #33 Dorsey
Ruffin for Diogu
#31 Pendergraph for Sergio and #38 Brockman

Can you show me a link to those being 3 million each.

 

[jlprk]

I specifically said they weren't all $3M. These sites don't tell the exact amount. The Oregonian has it mostly wrong. A better source follows.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/blazers/2010/05/nba_draft_will_the_blazers_loo.html

http://www.prosportstransactions.co...9-08-01&PlayerMovementChkBx=yes&submit=Search

 

[jlprk]

In almost all the trades, Pritchard keeps secret the fact that he paid cash. The secret comes out days later, and the exact amount often is never disclosed. For example, I was surprised to learn, when Sacramento traded Sergio to New York, that we were covering his salary this year. I thought our trade with Sacramento was cashless. So I look back at the articles of the time, and I see why I thought that.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/blazers/2009/06/serio_rodriguez_moved_in_draft.html

No mention of cash or paying his salary. It came out later, I don't know when. Pritchard disclosed it so quietly that I didn't notice it in articles till Sergio went to the Knicks.

Anyway, that's why I don't have an authoritative list of which cash amounts were $3M. But that's the number articles usually give, if they tell the number at all, when they announce later that cash was involved.

It's like getting the number of dead Iraqis. Bush started a new policy of keeping the body count secret to avoid bad publicity. The numbers are top secret, but most estimates start at 1 million and go up.

 

[Minstrel]

In almost all the trades, Pritchard keeps secret the fact that he paid cash. The secret comes out days later

Wow, what cover-ups! DAYS later? That's long after Pritchard has transferred the money he scammed to offshore bank accounts and gotten out of the country.

This Pritchard is an evil genius. How can he continually pull the wool over the media's eyes for full days?

 

[Ed O]

Wow, what cover-ups! DAYS later? That's long after Pritchard has transferred the money he scammed to offshore bank accounts and gotten out of the country.

This Pritchard is an evil genius. How can he continually pull the wool over the media's eyes for full days?

He's like Richard Pryor in Superman III.

Ed O.

 

[MARIS61]

As to the size of Mr. Allen's intimate body parts, I neither know nor care.

But if you had a pic of him in a leopard speedo you'd use it for your avatar, right?

 

[jlprk]

Wow, what cover-ups! DAYS later? That's long after Pritchard has transferred the money he scammed to offshore bank accounts and gotten out of the country. This Pritchard is an evil genius. How can he continually pull the wool over the media's eyes for full days?

A few days is all he needs to garner a burst of praise from his worshippers for his genius. Are you saying it requires longer than that for an intentional omission to buttress his reputation? Haven't you ever left something off your resume?

Anyway, I was just explaining why the exact cash amounts are sometimes unavailable. Sometimes I just barely find out that cash was involved at all, so I'm not picky that I can't find the exact amount. But safe to say, since Allen allows the maximum $3M, Pritchard will dispense with haggling and just pay the whole $3M. Why bother when his owner is so generous and the reporters are outside waiting to hear the announcement from his sainted voice.

 

[Minstrel]

Are you saying it requires longer than that for an intentional omission to buttress his reputation?

For a career that spans more than a few days, probably.

Haven't you ever left something off your resume?

I leave a lot off my resume...no one needs to know about the orphans I kill. That's on my own time, not company time. But I don't leave things off my resume for a few days, no.

Do you feel that if a politician hides a scandal for a few days, he's basically safe? Not that spending Paul Allen's cash for prospects is a scandal...it's a good idea. Still, if we accept your premise that it's a source of great shame for Pritchard, I think it being public record a few days later is pretty much just as devastating to his overall career.