Breaking News!!!!!!!!!

[THE HCP]

TRAIL BLAZERS EXTEND CONTRACTS OF BORN, BUCHANAN
Directors of NBA, College Scouting signed to two-year extensions


PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Trail Blazers have extended the contracts of Michael Born, Director of NBA Scouting, and Chad Buchanan, Director of College Scouting, it was announced today by General Manager Kevin Pritchard.

The two-year extensions will keep Born and Buchanan under contract through June of 2012.

“Both Mike and Chad have done a tremendous job for us in their six years here,” said Pritchard. “They’re tireless workers who sleep, eat and drink basketball and have played a huge role in our success.”

The team’s Director of NBA Scouting for the past three seasons, Born attends games on the NBA, minor league and international levels to evaluate talent for trades and free agency, along with prospective draft picks. Born, 44, joined the Trail Blazers in 2004 as a domestic scout, a position he held until promoted to his current role in 2007.

Buchanan also spent three years as a domestic scout for the Trail Blazers from 2004-07 before becoming the team’s Director of College Scouting in 2007. In his current position, Buchanan, 37, oversees all college, international and high school scouting in addition to managing the continued development of database content, organizing all pre-draft workouts and assisting in NBA player evaluation.

 

[Sug]

Well well well, very interesting. Nay sayers and dooms dayers beware things are looking up!

Thanks HCP for passing along some good news!

 

[BGrantFan]

This was known last week. Odd that the scouts have a longer contract than the GM.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

I was seriously expecting something about HCP's Nike Air 95 collection.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Well well well, very interesting. Nay sayers and dooms dayers beware things are looking up!

Thanks HCP for passing along some good news!

Actually you know what ... this does nothing to convince me that KP's job just got safer. By all accounts the scouting department has done a helluva job identifying talent, what it makes me wonder is if KP has maybe been given too much credit for the work that his scouts have put in? It also makes me wonder if Nate is about to pull a Popovich and assume some of the personnel decisions that KP oversaw, perhaps backed up by a new GM to handle the more day-to-day stuff (like RC Buford has done in San Antonio).

ps. I say this in light of Nate's "GM-ish" comments about shooters and some of the team's needs.

 

[Minstrel]

Actually you know what ... this does nothing to convince me that KP's job just got safer. By all accounts the scouting department has done a helluva job identifying talent, what it makes me wonder is if KP has maybe been given too much credit for the work that his scouts have put in?

In fact, you have to wonder if all the mistakes were KP's fault and all the good things were perhaps due to other people?

 

[Nikolokolus]

In fact, you have to wonder if all the mistakes were KP's fault and all the good things were perhaps due to other people?

No, I'm just still wrestling with why on earth KP's job would be in jeopardy. In a logical world it's either personal or it's performance related. If it was personal it seems like Allen would have sacked him a long time ago (when he shit canned Penn), that leaves 'job performance' ... I don't personally think KP has done a bad job, but I also don't see the day to day stuff that happens behind the scenes.

Of course there's the other possibility; Allen is just batshit crazy and he's committing a colossal mistake with KP's imminent firing (something I wouldn't rule out either).

 

[THE HCP]

I was seriously expecting something about HCP's Nike Air 95 collection.

I am actually wearing my Mexico World Cup edition 95's today fams!

 

[Sug]

Actually you know what ... this does nothing to convince me that KP's job just got safer. By all accounts the scouting department has done a helluva job identifying talent, what it makes me wonder is if KP has maybe been given too much credit for the work that his scouts have put in? It also makes me wonder if Nate is about to pull a Popovich and assume some of the personnel decisions that KP oversaw, perhaps backed up by a new GM to handle the more day-to-day stuff (like RC Buford has done in San Antonio).

ps. I say this in light of Nate's "GM-ish" comments about shooters and some of the team's needs.

Well I was more in favor of simply locking these guys up for the reasons you pointed out in regards to their scouting ability. I don't think this helps/hurts the KP situation per se, other than maybe taking away the leverage that those guys would be going with KP. I still hate KPs agent from back in the day, and honestly getting a new one might help.

 

[Minstrel]

No, I'm just still wrestling with why on earth KP's job would be in jeopardy. In a logical world it's either personal or it's performance related. If it was personal it seems like Allen would have sacked him a long time ago (when he shit canned Penn), that leaves 'job performance' ... I don't personally think KP has done a bad job, but I also don't see the day to day stuff that happens behind the scenes.

Personally, I still think "personal" is the reason. That he would have fired him long ago if it were about personal issues, I think that can be applied and more to if it were performance related. I don't think Allen would keep him around through the draft if he felt Pritchard was a poor GM. If it truly is the scouts who are responsible for draft success, there'd be no reason to keep Pritchard...let him go, let the scouts run the draft and hire someone as soon as possible for everything after the draft.

I think something has piqued him and he's looking for a "graceful" time to end the relationship. There will never be a time when the GM isn't needed, but right at the start of an off-season where you have no cap space and other teams will be bidding on the big prizes, and safely after the draft, is probably the best time to switch GMs.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Personally, I still think "personal" is the reason. That he would have fired him long ago if it were about personal issues, I think that can be applied and more to if it were performance related. I don't think Allen would keep him around through the draft if he felt Pritchard was a poor GM. If it truly is the scouts who are responsible for draft success, there'd be no reason to keep Pritchard...let him go, let the scouts run the draft and hire someone as soon as possible for everything after the draft.

I think something has piqued him and he's looking for a "graceful" time to end the relationship. There will never be a time when the GM isn't needed, but right at the start of an off-season where you have no cap space and other teams will be bidding on the big prizes, and safely after the draft, is probably the best time to switch GMs.

That's possible (it being personal), but my guess is that Allen thinks KP is really good at this part of being a GM (the draft), while he's not so hot at the other bits. And really I'm not so sure the most anticipated free agency period in years (even without capspace) is a great time to can your personnel guy when there are sign and trades that might be pursued, and a whole lot of potential volatility and moving parts around the league -- seems like it could be a golden opportunity to get better.

 

[barfo]

It's possible that KP isn't actually going to be making the decisions for this draft. He's still on the payroll, and perhaps acting as a scout, but it might be that Allen or someone else will decide who to draft.

It's possible that there is a financial reason to not fire him until July 1.

barfo

 

[hasoos]

I thought about this a lot, and one angle that actually seems more plausible to me, is that this is possibly due to the way KP's agent has done business. Think about it. Say that he pulled some on the edge of being illegal bullshit to get Tom Penn a bigger contract. Then say that is the same guy you are forced to deal with because he is KP's agent. That might not go over so well. Top it all off with the fact that we know all agents are pretty much just bottom feeders skimming off the players who don't know any better. This has to be some fucked up thing with his agent. Agents only think about money. So his agent is thinking he has done a good job, he can make more money elsewhere, and that means the agent gets a bigger chunk of pie. Only an agent, could fuck up a situation like this.

 

[barfo]

I thought about this a lot, and one angle that actually seems more plausible to me, is that this is possibly due to the way KP's agent has done business. Think about it. Say that he pulled some on the edge of being illegal bullshit to get Tom Penn a bigger contract. Then say that is the same guy you are forced to deal with because he is KP's agent. That might not go over so well. Top it all off with the fact that we know all agents are pretty much just bottom feeders skimming off the players who don't know any better. This has to be some fucked up thing with his agent. Agents only think about money. So his agent is thinking he has done a good job, he can make more money elsewhere, and that means the agent gets a bigger chunk of pie. Only an agent, could fuck up a situation like this.

One wonders why KP needs an agent in the first place. I can see why players need agents, desperately. But a big part of KPs job is negotiation - why does he need someone to negotiate his contract for him?

barfo

 

[jlprk]

Yes, I think most of us were surprised to find he has an agent at all. What does an agent know that a good GM doesn't?

Some posters said that if Pritchard were to go to another team, he'd take Born and Buchanan with him. That would explain why management told Pritchard to re-sign them before the draft, to free up their flexibility as to what to do with Pritchard.

 

[handiman]

One wonders why KP needs an agent in the first place. I can see why players need agents, desperately. But a big part of KPs job is negotiation - why does he need someone to negotiate his contract for him?

Well, if the Aldridge/Roy negotiations are any indication, he's quite poor at that part of his job.

 

[jlprk]

I think one reason for management's resentment of Pritchard is that he acts like an employee, instead of buying into his role in a management identity. 1) He has an agent to put an arms-length firewall between himself and his superiors. 2) He complains to other GMs and scouts about his pay and shows jealousy of Nate. 3) When he negotiates with Roy, he sides with Roy and tells him he's underpaid and complains about his own pay. 4) He gossips with Quick, and there's a thread right now about Quick saying that Pritchard confided in him about a big trade coming, and Quick almost disclosed the secret details.

Having an agent is just one more way of appearing immature instead of unifying himself with the top leaders. He's supposed to have the skill to out-negotiate agents; instead, he needs one himself.