GM watch: Who leads the next era of Rip City?

[illmatic99]

one other interesting nugget from Shams:

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Here is something from our old friend, Ben Golliver, who managed to get a piece in the Washington Post. Story includes some snipping at Jody Allen:
"The Blazers installed longtime salary cap guru Joe Cronin as interim general manager, but Jody Allen and Vice Chair Bert Kolde are flirting with a lost season if they don’t quickly find a full-time replacement and take steps to remake a badly unbalanced roster before the trade deadline. Moving McCollum is overdue given his sizable contract and overlapping skills with Lillard; center Jusuf Nurkic and forward Robert Covington are natural trade chips given their inconsistent recent play and expiring contracts. To avoid being swallowed by speculation about Lillard’s future, Portland needs to add frontcourt length and athleticism."

"For a small-market franchise, landing a quality executive isn’t nearly as difficult as drawing all-star players. Still, this executive search process will be a litmus test for the post-Paul Allen Blazers. His personal investment and financial resources were signature strengths to aspiring general managers, and the franchise looks a lot less appealing in his absence.
For the Blazers to shake free from their stasis, Jody Allen must understand that Paul Allen’s Blazers are gone for good. It’s time for her to inherit the full burden of ownership or to locate a buyer who shares her brother’s love for the game."https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/12/06/portland-trail-blazers-jody-allen/

 

[TBpup]

There are eight teams with a higher tax bill than ours this year. The owners have to realize that you have to pay to win in this league. And if this directive to cut costs came AFTER Dame made his comments public this year, then that changes all my opinions on whom exactly he was putting pressure on.

That said, signing off on the extended contracts for Billups and Powell suggest that they're not truly being cheap. So I don't think there's much truth to them handcuffing Olshey because of financial reasons.

Lux tax issues....Billups contract has nothing to do with that.

 

[HailBlazers]

Can't say Jody doesn't care as she sits through all these crappy home games.

 

[tykendo]

She cares. I think the GM move is coming soon. If she didn't, she wouldn't sit through the games. Hopefully she will be apart of the press conference when the new GM is hired, and let the fanbase know how she feels. But i have heard she does care.

 

[LayneStaley]

Do permanent GMs normally get hired mid season? Who is even out there right now?

 

[tykendo]

Do permanent GMs normally get hired mid season? Who is even out there right now?

Eversley, Barry, and Perry work under current GM's, and wouldn't be held back from pursuing promotions. Cronin has learned from intern to player personnel with the Blazers. He's also knows the workings of the cap. I'm for moving him to fulltime GM. He's seen what's works, and what has not under Olshey. I feel he's seen how staying stagnant has hurt the franchise. He understands what rip city means.

 

[wizenheimer]

She cares. I think the GM move is coming soon. If she didn't, she wouldn't sit through the games. Hopefully she will be apart of the press conference when the new GM is hired, and let the fanbase know how she feels. But i have heard she does care.

maybe she cares

for all we know, there may be a codicil in Paul Allen's will requiring that she attends 164 games before she can sell the team

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Cronin if he can pull off a Simmons trade.

 

[tykendo]

Cronin if he can pull off a Simmons trade.

He might be outside Morey's window ,with a boombox , right now. Playing Peter Gabriel until accepts the trade.

 

[blazerkor]

He might be outside Morey's window ,with a boombox , right now. Playing Peter Gabriel until accepts the trade.

I fucking loved that visual. Hilarious.

 

[illmatic99]

Anyone got ESPN+? I ain't paying for one MORE subscription service just to read Woj.

 

[wizenheimer]

Anyone got ESPN+? I ain't paying for one MORE subscription service just to read Woj.

Woj was talking about that in a podcast

I didn't believe a word he said about Dame demanding an extension of his extension. I think it was bullshit and I suspect it was Olshey infused bullshit

 

[illmatic99]

Woj was talking about that in a podcast

I didn't believe a word he said about Dame demanding an extension of his extension. I think it was bullshit and I suspect it was Olshey infused bullshit

precisely what i was thinking. olshey about to start airing dirty laundry with his mouthpiece.

 

[Scalma]

Yeah, short of an actual trade to report, take anything Woj says about Portland with a grain a salt right now. His little tweet about Portland not missing the playoffs in years after Olshey was fired was such a joke. Keep twerking dork.

 

[GDiama]

Anyone got ESPN+? I ain't paying for one MORE subscription service just to read Woj.

I don't have ESPN+ but i can see the whole article. Maybe only for US it goes?

 

[illmatic99]

I don't have ESPN+ but i can see the whole article. Maybe only for US it goes?

this is what it looks like for me.

 

[GDiama]

this is what it looks like for me.

View attachment 42736

Once Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard stopped threatening to request a trade, everyone understood his inevitable moment of truth: His future remained bound to the summer of 2022, not 2021. Extensions were always automatic for him, and that's no longer the case.

Lillard wants a two-year, $107 million extension in July, and he and his agent need the next general manager to sell ownership on the idea. As much as anything, this cuts to the core of the Blazers' search process. His desire for an extension into his advanced NBA years has turned into a battle for the franchise's future, an existential threat to reshaping and redirecting the organization in a post-playoff reality.

The prospects of Portland extending Lillard, 31, beyond his $48.8 million in 2024-2025 to pay him $51 million at 35 years old and $55 million at 36 years old threatens to turn an asset of a contract into an albatross.

As former President of Basketball Operations and GM Neil Olshey exits the Blazers, the process to hire his successor will soon be underway. Portland is deciding whether it'll hire a firm to research and recommend candidates, sources said. Bert Kolde, the long-time ownership executive and right-hand man to the late Paul Allen, will direct the search again. He's hired several GMs in his tenure.


Trail Blazers fire Olshey after workplace inquiry
4d

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The Blazers will be wise to expect every candidate to come armed with two important questions: What are owner Jody Allen's plans to keep or sell the team? And more immediately, would a new GM have autonomy to rebuild the franchise not around but without Lillard?

In the past year, Lillard and his camp have been thwarted on several leverage plays -- Jason Kidd as coach, trading CJ McCollum and four first-round picks for Ben Simmons. Most of all, they lost the confidence that the Blazers had a top basketball executive and ownership willing to make Lillard's contract the highest single-season deal in league history at $55.3 million in 2027.

With four seasons -- including an opt-out -- left on his deal, Lillard had no leverage to choose his next team over this past summer. If Lillard asked out, he would've gone where Portland could get the best package of young players, draft picks and salary-cap relief. Asking for New York and Philadelphia makes for dramatic storylines, but the multiple years on his deal would've emboldened several small and non-destination markets to engage with Portland's steep asking price.


Among several top-level GM candidates who fit the profile of Portland's applicant pool, there's no enthusiasm to grant Lillard his massive extension contract through the 2026-27 season. In fact, several executives told ESPN they would be far more interested in the Blazers job with ownership's blessing to move Lillard sooner than later.

Robert Covington and Jusuf Nurkic is one thing -- navigating offers for Lillard is another thing altogether. Do the Blazers allow Cronin to make the franchise-defining decisions in the coming months and win the job? Rival teams believe they'll have a better idea once they start talking trades in the coming weeks.

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Wednesday, Dec. 8
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Trail Blazers at Warriors, 10 p.m.

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Three teams with interest in Lillard told ESPN that they are waiting on him to make an offseason trade demand before calling Portland. If Lillard asks out, they know the Blazers will lose some leverage in the asking price -- and are waiting on it. Philadelphia made an offer, but New York never did, league sources said. Lillard's reps offered mixed messages on the star's intentions to stay or go, and rival teams say that the star's camp had real concerns about Olshey's willingness to recommend the extension to ownership in 2022.

Jody Allen isn't the typical NBA owner; her late brother Paul was a maniacal NBA fan, fully engaged on a daily basis. She is conducting the franchise's business as a caretaker of a charitable trust. If Jody decides to sell the team, the revenue goes to that trust. Unlike her late brother, she has no real history with Lillard -- and no sentimental attachment.

There's no shortage of billionaires trying to acquire NBA and NFL teams, and currently only the Denver Broncos are available. If a new owner isn't buying into a championship contender, they will likely prefer assets and roster flexibility.

For now, the Blazers are telling people that they'll take their time on the search, that they won't be moved by anyone's agenda. The battle lines are real on Damian Lillard's future and leverage is ever-evolving. As much as anything, this fight for control of the franchise's future is a cold, sober exercise of balancing assets and albatrosses.

 

[illmatic99]

Thanks for posting, @GDiama

LOL. trying to put a wedge between the team and Dame with nonsense like this: Among several top-level GM candidates who fit the profile of Portland's applicant pool, there's no enthusiasm to grant Lillard his massive extension contract through the 2026-27 season. In fact, several executives told ESPN they would be far more interested in the Blazers job with ownership's blessing to move Lillard sooner than later.

Good luck getting past a single interview if you come in and recommend trading Dame as your big idea to improve the team.

And fuck Woj for shit like this: Unlike her late brother, she has no real history with Lillard -- and no sentimental attachment.

That is straight out of Olshey's mouth.

 

[Scalma]

Thanks for posting, @GDiama

LOL. trying to put a wedge between the team and Dame with nonsense like this: Among several top-level GM candidates who fit the profile of Portland's applicant pool, there's no enthusiasm to grant Lillard his massive extension contract through the 2026-27 season. In fact, several executives told ESPN they would be far more interested in the Blazers job with ownership's blessing to move Lillard sooner than later.

Good luck getting past a single interview if you come in and recommend trading Dame as your big idea to improve the team.

And fuck Woj for shit like this: Unlike her late brother, she has no real history with Lillard -- and no sentimental attachment.

That is straight out of Olshey's mouth.

Olshey may have written the entire thing. Funny that the criticism from Woj didn't begin til Olshey was out the door. Ten years and I dont remember one critical/negative article from him about Portland. Funny how that works.

 

[illmatic99]

Olshey may have written the entire thing. Funny that the criticism from Woj didn't begin til Olshey was out the door. Ten years and I dont remember one critical/negative article from him about Portland. Funny how that works.

woj's credibility went out the door with his hit piece on Pritchard like a decade ago. He's good for breaking news. That's it. But anything that came from him about Portland was directly as a mouthpiece for Olshey-- it's so transparent, I even think Olshey was Woj's first guest ever on his podcast.

I think Connelly at Denver is his other major source. take all of this with a grain of salt.

 

[Freshtown]

It’s concerning that Portland hasn’t even hired a search firm to begin looking at candidates yet. How is that still on the to-do list?

 

[Scalma]

woj's credibility went out the door with his hit piece on Pritchard like a decade ago. He's good for breaking news. That's it. But anything that came from him about Portland was directly as a mouthpiece for Olshey-- it's so transparent, I even think Olshey was Woj's first guest ever on his podcast.

I think Connelly at Denver is his other major source. take all of this with a grain of salt.

Hopefully Woj stops breaking all of Portlands moves from now on. I know that'll eat him up.

 

[Scalma]

It’s concerning that Portland hasn’t even hired a search firm to begin looking at candidates yet. How is that still on the to-do list?

Fischer made it sound like they're gonna seriously consider Cronin. Maybe they're giving him a shot before anyone else? Idk

 

[B-Roy]

Regardless, battle lines were drawn. It's pretty clear now where Olshey stood with Lillard and where Lillard stood with Olshey. But one interesting thing in the article is that IF this were true:

Now, Lillard's group is privately selling the idea of trading his veteran teammates with value and rebuilding around him -- on that extension. Some candidates initially believed that Lillard's reps would have input with ownership on the next GM, but that has faded quickly. Rival GMs knew they had to work directly with Olshey to get deals done with the Blazers, that he had full autonomy to make decisions. Those seeking Olshey's old job believe they need to sell themselves to ownership, not to those surrounding the star player.

@GDiama noticed you left out this key piece in the article.

I would actually entertain it. Trade all the veterans and rebuild but KEEP Dame. Have the young guys grow with Dame. Previously, we never considered this as a possibility because the idea is that Lillard would just demand a trade if we went full rebuild. Rebuilding with Lillard + rookie scale contracts is something that I'd love to do if Lillard is receptive to the idea. The 55 million or whatever Lillard is owed won't matter as much if the rest of the guys are all cheap. Also 55 million in today's money is not the same as 55 mililon 4 years down the line. The salary cap will increase by then. It will increase by a lot.

 

[Scalma]

Regardless, battle lines were drawn. It's pretty clear now where Olshey stood with Lillard and where Lillard stood with Olshey. But one interesting thing in the article is that IF this were true:


@GDiama noticed you left out this key piece in the article.

I would actually entertain it. Trade all the veterans and rebuild but KEEP Dame. Have the young guys grow with Dame. Previously, we never considered this as a possibility because the idea is that Lillard would just demand a trade if we went full rebuild. Rebuilding with Lillard + rookie scale contracts is something that I'd love to do if Lillard is receptive to the idea. The 55 million or whatever Lillard is owed won't matter as much if the rest of the guys are all cheap. Also 55 million in today's money is not the same as 55 mililon 4 years down the line. The salary cap will increase by then. It will increase by a lot.

I think he's probably thinking the Chris Paul/Suns route, minus changing teams.

 

[B-Roy]

Also people called me crazy for saying Dame was disconnected with CJ. I've noticed he's been somewhat disconnected with Nurk as well. I don't think there are any hard feelings or real issues between them, but I think Dame (and to a lesser extent CJ) have realized this core has run its course, at least on a basketball court. It's like a relationship that is past its expiration date. Dame wants a breakup but he doesn't want to be the one to say it, and even if the others agree, no matter how much you try to rationalize it it's not going to make for good feelings.

 

[illmatic99]

I think he's probably thinking the Chris Paul/Suns route, minus changing teams.

they have three max/near-max/should-be max players around Paul. Not really easy to replicate.

 

[Blazinaway]

they have three max/near-max/should-be max players around Paul. Not really easy to replicate.

have not even seen much mention of Dame's health concerns and is this ab injury chronic? we are talking about an ageing ONE way player, for me I lean to trading him and gettin on with a rebuild

 

[illmatic99]

I would actually entertain it. Trade all the veterans and rebuild but KEEP Dame. Have the young guys grow with Dame. Previously, we never considered this as a possibility because the idea is that Lillard would just demand a trade if we went full rebuild. Rebuilding with Lillard + rookie scale contracts is something that I'd love to do if Lillard is receptive to the idea. The 55 million or whatever Lillard is owed won't matter as much if the rest of the guys are all cheap. Also 55 million in today's money is not the same as 55 mililon 4 years down the line. The salary cap will increase by then. It will increase by a lot.

Like trade CJ + Nurk for picks and put Dame on the shelf for the season to re-group next year? I have no idea what the draft is like next season, but that kinda move requires a lot of patience from Dame. the super duper max is an incentive perhaps, but it's also quite risky unless you're sure about prospects. even the Phoenix model was serendipitous. They fell ass backwards into Mikal Bridges, and the Ayton pick was actually a mistake.