Canzano interviews Trader Bob

[SlyPokerDog]

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Can Jlprk listen to this and summarize; I don't have the energy.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Best part about free agents coming or really not coming to Portland.

No excuses, just have to get it done.

Love the shade

 

[jlprk]

Ha ha. You think I have more energy that you.

I'm just seeing a blank for Sly's post. It's either that last acid trip 45 years ago, the wounds and scars from staying out of the Vietnam War, or my ad-blocker. Can't be my eyes, I already took that pill today. Hmmm. Why is Sly's writing look like a blank to me. Hmmm.

 

[jlprk]

My adblocker is blocking Facebook Connect, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google+ Platform, Omniture (Adobe Analytics), SoundCloud, and SlySellsAnalyticstotheNSA. Nothing suspicious so far. Hmmm.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Ha ha. You think I have more energy that you.

I'm just seeing a blank for Sly's post. It's either that last acid trip 45 years ago, the wounds and scars from staying out of the Vietnam War, or my ad-blocker. Can't be my eyes, I already took that pill today. Hmmm. Why is Sly's writing look like a blank to me. Hmmm.

Link to Trader Bob interview.

 

[jlprk]

Whitsitt sounds confident, unlike last time I know of Canzano interviewing him, in his last months as GM when Canzano acted like a prosecutor and Whitsitt acted quiet and a little scared of him.

How did you meet Allen? 1-2 years before he became Blazer GM, Sonic GM Whitsitt was in first class and Allen was in coach (not a typo, not the reverse), both returning from a league meeting in NY. The stewardess told Whitsitt that Allen wanted him to sit next to him. Allen picked his brain for an hour (edit: it was 1-2 hours).

How did Allen make your job easier? Whitsitt knew that Allen would be owner long-term. Unlike some owners, Allen didn't hold people on a string. Never a doubt that he might sell team, fire people because of 4 straight losses, etc. His questions were on parallel tracks, long-term and today. He was in on every decision.

Whitsitt ran all the Sonic owner's companies. He was torn about the startup Vancouver GM offer but went for the existing team, took Portland job on condition he wouldn't run anything non-basketball. 1 year later Allen fired the business manager and made Whitsitt take it all. Whitsitt refused, then said only for 3 months, but Allen wouldn't let him off, Whitsitt always kept trying to get out of it. Canzano says he ran 15 companies (I used to read 21 or more) including a hotel, Rose City Radio (Canzano's employer). Allen didn't like having a lot of bosses under him, wanted centralized one-stop-shop for his questions.

Seahawks were moving to California, Whitsitt was given (by whom?) the job of persuading Allen to buy team, Allen didn't want to, eventually did, put Whitsitt in charge for one-stop reason above.

He is certain the Blazers will stay in Portland.

In today's star-oriented league, is it impossible to get FAs to come to Portland? No, that's an excuse, I heard that too when hired, it's the same as before, just hard work and thick skin, you must take risks, some will fail. A championship can be done here.

Any last remark? Of his businesses and nonbusiness interests, Allen's no. 1 passion of all was the Blazers. (Whitsitt emphatically sounds like he genuinely sincerely believes that, not just saying it.) Allen's constant passionate theme in all discussions was that he really wanted a championship.

Post-interview: Canzano says that Jody Allen is not an NBA fan and will sell in 1-2 years. But the team won't move. Even if new owner wants to, League wouldn't allow it because the team owns arena unlike many teams, and fanbase is strong.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Whitsitt sounds confident, unlike last time I know of Canzano interviewing him, in his last months as GM when Canzano acted like a prosecutor and Whitsitt acted quiet and a little scared of him.

How did you meet Allen? 1-2 years before he became Blazer GM, Sonic GM Whitsitt was in first class and Allen was in coach (not a typo, not the reverse), both returning from a league meeting in NY. The stewardess told Whitsitt that Allen wanted him to sit next to him. Allen picked his brain for an hour (edit: it was 1-2 hours).

How did Allen make your job easier? Whitsitt knew that Allen would be owner long-term. Unlike some owners, Allen didn't hold people on a string. Never a doubt that he might sell team, fire people because of 4 straight losses, etc. His questions were on parallel tracks, long-term and today. He was in on every decision.

Whitsitt ran all the Sonic owner's companies. He was torn about the startup Vancouver GM offer but went for the existing team, took Portland job on condition he wouldn't run anything non-basketball. 1 year later Allen fired the business manager and made Whitsitt take it all. Whitsitt refused, then said only for 3 months, but Allen wouldn't let him off, Whitsitt always kept trying to get out of it. Canzano says he ran 15 companies (I used to read 21 or more) including a hotel, Rose City Radio (Canzano's employer). Allen didn't like having a lot of bosses under him, wanted centralized one-stop-shop for his questions.

Seahawks were moving to California, Whitsitt was given (by whom?) the job of persuading Allen to buy team, Allen didn't want to, eventually did, put Whitsitt in charge for one-stop reason above.

He is certain the Blazers will stay in Portland.

In today's star-oriented league, is it impossible to get FAs to come to Portland? No, that's an excuse, I heard that too when hired, it's the same as before, just hard work and thick skin, you must take risks, some will fail. A championship can be done here.

Any last remark? Of his businesses and nonbusiness interests, Allen's no. 1 passion of all was the Blazers. (Whitsitt emphatically sounds like he genuinely sincerely believes that, not just saying it.) Allen's constant passionate theme in all discussions was that he really wanted a championship.

Post-interview: Canzano says that Jody Allen is not an NBA fan and will sell in 1-2 years. But the team won't move. Even if new owner wants to, League wouldn't allow it because the team owns arena unlike many teams, and fanbase is strong.

Nice job!

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

Whitsitt sounds confident, unlike last time I know of Canzano interviewing him, in his last months as GM when Canzano acted like a prosecutor and Whitsitt acted quiet and a little scared of him.

How did you meet Allen? 1-2 years before he became Blazer GM, Sonic GM Whitsitt was in first class and Allen was in coach (not a typo, not the reverse), both returning from a league meeting in NY. The stewardess told Whitsitt that Allen wanted him to sit next to him. Allen picked his brain for an hour (edit: it was 1-2 hours).

How did Allen make your job easier? Whitsitt knew that Allen would be owner long-term. Unlike some owners, Allen didn't hold people on a string. Never a doubt that he might sell team, fire people because of 4 straight losses, etc. His questions were on parallel tracks, long-term and today. He was in on every decision.

Whitsitt ran all the Sonic owner's companies. He was torn about the startup Vancouver GM offer but went for the existing team, took Portland job on condition he wouldn't run anything non-basketball. 1 year later Allen fired the business manager and made Whitsitt take it all. Whitsitt refused, then said only for 3 months, but Allen wouldn't let him off, Whitsitt always kept trying to get out of it. Canzano says he ran 15 companies (I used to read 21 or more) including a hotel, Rose City Radio (Canzano's employer). Allen didn't like having a lot of bosses under him, wanted centralized one-stop-shop for his questions.

Seahawks were moving to California, Whitsitt was given (by whom?) the job of persuading Allen to buy team, Allen didn't want to, eventually did, put Whitsitt in charge for one-stop reason above.

He is certain the Blazers will stay in Portland.

In today's star-oriented league, is it impossible to get FAs to come to Portland? No, that's an excuse, I heard that too when hired, it's the same as before, just hard work and thick skin, you must take risks, some will fail. A championship can be done here.

Any last remark? Of his businesses and nonbusiness interests, Allen's no. 1 passion of all was the Blazers. (Whitsitt emphatically sounds like he genuinely sincerely believes that, not just saying it.) Allen's constant passionate theme in all discussions was that he really wanted a championship.

Post-interview: Canzano says that Jody Allen is not an NBA fan and will sell in 1-2 years. But the team won't move. Even if new owner wants to, League wouldn't allow it because the team owns arena unlike many teams, and fanbase is strong.

I wish this interview wasnt by Canzano...
Whitsitt was a lot of things as a GM some good, some bad but he went for it, took risks, made moves, and it was exciting and at times frustrating but the way the local media treated that era of the Blazers was just whack, it was a bunch if hypocrits, and guys who hid behind mics and keyboards calling all those players criminals and judging them for doing things those same media personalities did.

 

[jlprk]

How did you meet Allen? 1-2 years before he became Blazer GM, Sonic GM Whitsitt was in first class and Allen was in coach (not a typo, not the reverse), both returning from a league meeting in NY. The stewardess told Whitsitt that Allen wanted him to sit next to him. Allen picked his brain for an hour (edit: it was 1-2 hours).

Whitsitt said "one or two" about one of the two boldfaces. I think it was the number of hours, not the number of years. That would make it 1 year, and 1-2 hours. I don't know.

 

[julius]

Post-interview: Canzano says that Jody Allen is not an NBA fan and will sell in 1-2 years. But the team won't move. Even if new owner wants to, League wouldn't allow it because the team owns arena unlike many teams, and fanbase is strong.

thanks jlprk.

This is the biggest part that people seem to forget. Moving to a city where you don't own the arena vs staying in one where you do, is a tough sell for a new owner to do. Well then, AEG could just buy the team!

Well, AEG owns part of the Lakers (and part of the Staples center), so they'd have to sell their interests in the Lakers. Owning multiple arenas probably isn't an issue but owning multiple NBA teams is. They also run the Target center, but don't own it so that's not an issue. But the owning of multiple NBA franchises is, and honestly, if you're a company/person who wants to own and NBA team, wouldn't you rather have partial ownership of the Lakers than your own team? Especially considering that L.A. is, and will always be, a bigger market/draw than Vegas? A lot of why Vegas Knights might have made money this year was the simple fact it's a new team and it's not like their fans already have stuff.

So give it a few years, and their profitability and fan interest might stagnate. So that looming billion and a half cost (just for the team, not including moving, etc) has to factor into whether or not it makes sense to move a team. The Knights are in a honeymoon phase right now, what happens if they don't keep winning/being competitive?

I'm just not sure that AEG is interested in buying the Blazers, moving them to Vegas, selling their share of the Lakers and on top of that owning and running an arena in a city without a pro team using it let alone trying to sell it (the Arena itself isn't worth much without the Blazers attached). They/he doesn't strike me as someone who wants to be the sole owner of an NBA team, where he has to be the one who is in charge/deciding everything.

It just seems to be a lot of poor business choices. Especially considering the cost to just buy the team (alone).

I'm not saying an NBA team wouldn't work in Vegas, but it seems that to start it off at 1.5 b + in the hole, seems to be counter productive. Expansion seems to be a much more likely way for Vegas to enter into the NBA family.