Official Tom Dundon Prediction Thread! (2 Viewers)

[LayneStaley]

I predict he’s gonna shit can everyone in that front office in about 5-7 days. He will have his guys there.

 

[BigGameDamian]

 

[sheed30]

Was just gonna post that

 

[Hoopguru]

I agree and the only two things that make sense are that he either is injured and fighting through it or the Spurs are just that good at doing what our team said it would do this season and that is make opponents very uncomfortable with a lot of aggressive defensive looks.

Yep, and the pressure of playoff basketball affects players differently.

 

[GrandpaBlaze]

For those of us (me) not willing to invest in listening, care to post a brief summary?

 

[Hoopguru]

Wild card - ownership
He would have signed Splitter to long term deal
Thinks owner wants to win - consistent winner in carolina since taken over with one cship
Good shape cap wise
have assets
Offense is bad
Should be interesting off season

 

[inconceivable]

For those of us (me) not willing to invest in listening, care to post a brief summary?

I got you:

Big picture:

The Portland Trail Blazers had a solid, ahead-of-schedule season (42–40, made playoffs), but now face a pivotal offseason driven by new ownership, coaching uncertainty, and deciding whether to push for winning now or stay patient.

---

Key Points​

Team Status​

• Finished 42–40, lost in first round.
• Clear year-over-year improvement.
• No picks in this draft (owed to Chicago), but strong future draft assets.

---

Roster Outlook​

• Strong core:
  • Young players: Henderson, Sharpe, Kamara, Clingan, Murray
  • Veterans: Holiday, Grant
  • Dame returns from injury
• Team structure is solid (“good bones”)
• Needs: shooting (28th in 3PT%)

---

Financial Situation​

• $171M salary, **$30M below luxury tax**
• Plenty of flexibility (exceptions, tradable contracts)
• Well-positioned compared to many teams

---

Assets​

• 6 tradable first-round picks + swaps
• Strong long-term flexibility despite no 2026 pick

---

Biggest Questions​

1.​

• Seen as aggressive and impatient
• Publicly said focus is shifting from development → winning now
• Could push for major moves

2.​

• Interim coach Thiago Splitter led team to playoffs under chaotic circumstances
• Players support him
• Still unclear if he’ll be retained

3.​

• Core dilemma:
  • Go all-in using assets?
  • Or continue developing young players?

---

Contract Situations​

• Deni Avdija
  
  • On a bargain deal
  • Likely won’t extend early (underpaid vs market)
  • Expected to wait for bigger payday later
• Robert Williams
  
  • Extension candidate
  • Talent is there, but durability is a concern
  • Could get incentive-heavy deal

---

Bottom Line​

• Portland is in better shape than the past 1–2 years
• They have:
  • A solid roster
  • Financial flexibility
  • Valuable draft assets
• But the offseason hinges on:
  • Owner aggressiveness
  • Coaching decision
  • Whether they accelerate into win-now mode

---

Hope this helps

 

[Ripcity4life77]

I agree with his ( Marks ) take -- we have no idea on Tom atm -- only rumors etc

well maybe not as much Tiago but I could live with keeping him IF we fire Nate B -- he is supposed to be this tactical guru but nothing about this team's offense gives me that vibe at all. I think Tiago needs to find a lead assistant that fits what HE wants to do and of course personal but I do not think that is Nate as his lead assistant.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I got you:

Big picture:

The Portland Trail Blazers had a solid, ahead-of-schedule season (42–40, made playoffs), but now face a pivotal offseason driven by new ownership, coaching uncertainty, and deciding whether to push for winning now or stay patient.

---

Key Points​

Team Status​

• Finished 42–40, lost in first round.
• Clear year-over-year improvement.
• No picks in this draft (owed to Chicago), but strong future draft assets.

---

Roster Outlook​

• Strong core:
  • Young players: Henderson, Sharpe, Kamara, Clingan, Murray
  • Veterans: Holiday, Grant
  • Dame returns from injury
• Team structure is solid (“good bones”)
• Needs: shooting (28th in 3PT%)

---

Financial Situation​

• $171M salary, **$30M below luxury tax**
• Plenty of flexibility (exceptions, tradable contracts)
• Well-positioned compared to many teams

---

Assets​

• 6 tradable first-round picks + swaps
• Strong long-term flexibility despite no 2026 pick

---

Biggest Questions​

1.​

• Seen as aggressive and impatient
• Publicly said focus is shifting from development → winning now
• Could push for major moves

2.​

• Interim coach Thiago Splitter led team to playoffs under chaotic circumstances
• Players support him
• Still unclear if he’ll be retained

3.​

• Core dilemma:
  • Go all-in using assets?
  • Or continue developing young players?

---

Contract Situations​

• Deni Avdija
  • On a bargain deal
  • Likely won’t extend early (underpaid vs market)
  • Expected to wait for bigger payday later
• Robert Williams
  • Extension candidate
  • Talent is there, but durability is a concern
  • Could get incentive-heavy deal

---

Bottom Line​

• Portland is in better shape than the past 1–2 years
• They have:
  • A solid roster
  • Financial flexibility
  • Valuable draft assets
• But the offseason hinges on:
  • Owner aggressiveness
  • Coaching decision
  • Whether they accelerate into win-now mode

---

Hope this helps

That was awesome. Nice job!

 

[Blazinaway]

I predict he’s gonna shit can everyone in that front office in about 5-7 days. He will have his guys there.

I am hoping that is what happens - time for a full blown spring cleaning!

 

[julius]

So....for the people who are convinced that Dundon just wants to move the team "because he doesn't care" about Portland, why then, didn't he move the Hurricanes?

They were *significantly* cheaper to buy, and would be much easier tho justify moving than the Blazers. They didn't have the history there to the degree Portland has here, and it's not like Raleigh is one huge metropolitan area (it's smaller both as a city and a metro area to Portland) nor was the Hurricanes a huge money maker.

Where exactly would the Blazers move to, that makes sense?

Seattle? They have billionaires that want to join the NBA fraternity. The NBA won't solve their Seattle situation by fucking over Portland.

KC? You mean the city that is smaller in population, TV market size and metro size?

Nashville? Why the hell wouldn't the Grizzlies move there, and since when can the league justify keeping Memphis in Memphis AND giving Nashville a team?

St Louis? Laughable.

Vegas (again, why would the NBA let a team move there when they can take in BILLIONS from expansion rights??)

Raleigh? Yeah, they're going to move *another* team to North Carolina, when the one that is there struggles a bit, but they're getting better. So the way to improve that is to...move another team to the same state!??

Where is this team going to move to that would make sense??

The next time Canzano, Quick or Dwrong are correct about something, will be the first time.

 

[wizenheimer]

I have a sizable quibble with that. It's generally true but I reject using the 21 win season in 2023-24 as a baseline. Portland has tried to win every game over the last 2 seasons. But they were shamelessly tanking in the 21 win season. If they had tried to win every game that year how many could they have won? 30? 32?

the 6 game improvement this season was mostly due to Deni's expanded game and Clingan's dominance in the paint. Having Donovan as the starter instead of Ayton was significant. And having Jrue instead of Simons helped a lot too. Simons and Ayton gone was addition by subtraction. Also, Timelord being mostly healthy was significant

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Apologize if someone already said this I wonder if he will keep Cronin because he won't want to keep paying him. We apparently don't even know how much guaranteed years he has left but I saw one guy says at least through 2028. Will he instead keep him as a cap expert, an initial negotiator etc, However he will be closely supervised and will have no independence. He will follow up on every idea Dundon has and any objections will be dismissed. Dundon will fire many on the staff and tell Cronin to do their jobs. Dundon might find somebody to consult with, either on the payroll or in the shadows.