Official Tom Dundon Prediction Thread!

[noknobs]

I predict he'll probably clean house because that's usually what happens. But I personally would like to keep Cronin another year and see how this young team, with the addition of Lillard, does when they hopefully have more health throughout the year. Yang was a miss it looks like, but I like enough of his other moves that I feel another year is justified.

 

[e_blazer]

I predict he'll probably clean house because that's usually what happens. But I personally would like to keep Cronin another year and see how this young team, with the addition of Lillard, does when they hopefully have more health throughout the year. Yang was a miss it looks like, but I like enough of his other moves that I feel another year is justified.

I agree. I think if one more ping pong ball had gone Portland’s way in the 2023 draft and Cronin had still fleeced the Wizards for Deni, Cronin would be viewed as a genius.

 

[Blazinaway]

More from AI on Dundon:


"Tom Dundon, owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, generally avoids handing out the maximum length or highest-dollar contracts to hockey players, preferring to use his cap space for depth and team-friendly deals rather than massive, long-term deals for individuals. However, he is very willing to spend to the salary cap ceiling to keep the team competitive.

Contract Strategy and Observations:
"Moneyball" Approach: Dundon is known as a hands-on owner who uses analytics and a strict financial analysis to determine what a player is worth.
Hard Negotiator: He is often described as a very tough negotiator, which has led to contentious contract negotiations with agents.
Cap Management: Under his ownership, the Hurricanes have consistently been among the top-spending teams in the league, but he prefers a balanced roster over paying a few players premium salaries.
Exceptions: While he generally avoids long-term, high-value deals, he has, when necessary for the team's success, spent money on key players and retained coaching staff.

Dundon purchased the Hurricanes in 2018 and has since turned them into a perennial contender. Recently, he has been involved in purchasing the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers."

 

[blazerkor]

More from AI on Dundon:


"Tom Dundon, owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, generally avoids handing out the maximum length or highest-dollar contracts to hockey players, preferring to use his cap space for depth and team-friendly deals rather than massive, long-term deals for individuals. However, he is very willing to spend to the salary cap ceiling to keep the team competitive.

Contract Strategy and Observations:
"Moneyball" Approach: Dundon is known as a hands-on owner who uses analytics and a strict financial analysis to determine what a player is worth.
Hard Negotiator: He is often described as a very tough negotiator, which has led to contentious contract negotiations with agents.
Cap Management: Under his ownership, the Hurricanes have consistently been among the top-spending teams in the league, but he prefers a balanced roster over paying a few players premium salaries.
Exceptions: While he generally avoids long-term, high-value deals, he has, when necessary for the team's success, spent money on key players and retained coaching staff.

Dundon purchased the Hurricanes in 2018 and has since turned them into a perennial contender. Recently, he has been involved in purchasing the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers."

Just a very different league. I don't think his approach to owning an NBA team will be too informed by the way he is as an owner of an NHL club.

 

[wizenheimer]

I predict he'll probably clean house because that's usually what happens. But I personally would like to keep Cronin another year and see how this young team, with the addition of Lillard, does when they hopefully have more health throughout the year. Yang was a miss it looks like, but I like enough of his other moves that I feel another year is justified.

it's not a big deal, but Portland isn't that young anymore; at least they aren't one of the 3 youngest teams anymore:

3 Charlotte Hornets	24.0
6 Orlando Magic	24.7
8 Toronto Raptors	24.8

9 Atlanta Hawks	25.2
10 Oklahoma City Thunder*	25.2

11 Portland Trail Blazers	25.2
14 San Antonio Spurs*	25.4
16 Detroit Pistons*	26.1

all of those teams are better right now than Portland. Some of them are significantly better. 3 are younger; 3 are essentially the same age. And the best team in the East is only 0.9 older

pulling on the thread of youth=upside has kind of unraveled. All of those teams have just as much upside and most have already lapped the Blazers and opened a substantial gap

 

[1 Eye Jack]

Looks like it finally got owners approval not sure when he actually takes ownership?

I don’t think he fires Tiago or Cronin. I do think he’s aggressive with trades whether that’s for moving up in this years draft or going out and trying to get a player like Kawhi/T Murphy/Zion or some other player who could make a difference. He doesn’t seem like the type to sit back and wait for talent to develop.

By the way we keep talking about finding a new coach but can we do anything until Billups situation is resolved? Actually I could see that being his first move. Offer some sort of settlement with Billups so we can move on.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Looks like it finally got owners approval not sure when he actually takes ownership?

I think tomorrow 3/31.

 

[THE HCP]

Looks like it finally got owners approval not sure when he actually takes ownership?

I don’t think he fires Tiago or Cronin. I do think he’s aggressive with trades whether that’s for moving up in this years draft or going out and trying to get a player like Kawhi/T Murphy/Zion or some other player who could make a difference.

Am I losing my mind or can I not figure out who T Murphy is?

 

[HansenYang]

Trey Murphy (Pels)

 

[THE HCP]

Ahhh thank you. In my mental Rolodex I went here

 

[riverman]

Sale of Blazers has been approved by board of governors. Dundon is the new owner!

 

[BigGameDamian]

 

[BonesJones]

like I said, the type of responses and arguments you're making here are the same as those made by Olshey supporters, for years. Bones and HJ were two of Oshey's biggest fans and they always had excuses for why Olshey's teams weren't doing better

I detested Olshey and the 'be patient and wait till-next-year' bullshit his fans always pushed

I don't even dislike Cronin. He's not incompetent and a pompous douchebag like Olshey was. Yeah, I called Cronin competent, but that's a low bar. I think he's an average GM; a treadmill GM. And I think the Blazers need, at minimum, a good to elite GM if they want to climb off the treadmill they are on.

I had plenty of moments where I was pissed off with Olshey and never liked settling for mediocrity. Some situations the criticism wasn't justified for either Olshey or Cronin. But Olshey had team success to back him up, something Cronin still hasn't had age 51 months.

 

[crandc]

I hope he does good things for the team and doesn't act like an asshole.

 

[Hoopguru]

Tom will be a hands on owner, and whoever he has as a gm, better have thick skin and be as arrogant as him....Tom is a "if you got something to say, say it" guy.

 

[BBert]

I feel nothing but anxiety and trepidation. With so many owners, I wonder what the actual decision tree is going to look like, when he's essentially spending other investors' money and managing their investment. Won't they want a say? Too many cooks? I worry he may not have the resources or desire to spend at an NBA level to achieve the holy grail. Maybe he just wants to make money, like he did off the backs of the most economically vulnerable in our society. I'm not expecting another Donald Sterling, but I have no idea what Dundon's priorities are.

Paul Allen owned the Blazers for what seems like a lifetime. That's a lot of stability. Paul desperately wanted a championship. Does Dundon? Does Dundon know anything about basketball or player evaluation? I expect he's somewhat of an egotist. How much will he defer to experts?

Bottom line is I have no fucking clue.

 

[riverman]

I feel nothing but anxiety and trepidation. With so many owners, I wonder what the actual decision tree is going to look like, when he's essentially spending other investors' money and managing their investment. Won't they want a say? Too many cooks? I worry he may not have the resources or desire to spend at an NBA level to achieve the holy grail. Maybe he just wants to make money, like he did off the backs of the most economically vulnerable in our society. I'm not expecting another Donald Sterling, but I have no idea what Dundon's priorities are.

Paul Allen owned the Blazers for what seems like a lifetime. That's a lot of stability. Paul desperately wanted a championship. Does Dundon? Does Dundon know anything about basketball or player evaluation? I expect he's somewhat of an egotist. How much will he defer to experts?

Bottom line is I have no fucking clue.

Mark Cuban is one of his best friends and advisors so I think he knows where to fish for NBA ownership playbooks

 

[BBert]

Mark Cuban is one of his best friends and advisors so I think he knows where to fish for NBA ownership playbooks

Gotta say I like Mark Cuban. He's a big time basketball fan and he's not afraid to spend.

 

[Stevenson]

Looks like it finally got owners approval not sure when he actually takes ownership?

I don’t think he fires Tiago or Cronin. I do think he’s aggressive with trades whether that’s for moving up in this years draft or going out and trying to get a player like Kawhi/T Murphy/Zion or some other player who could make a difference. He doesn’t seem like the type to sit back and wait for talent to develop.

By the way we keep talking about finding a new coach but can we do anything until Billups situation is resolved? Actually I could see that being his first move. Offer some sort of settlement with Billups so we can move on.

I'm guessing they may wait until Chauncey is either convicted or pleads out - so they don't owe him any money under the morals clause of his contract. But that's just a guess.

 

[Strenuus]

I had plenty of moments where I was pissed off with Olshey and never liked settling for mediocrity. Some situations the criticism wasn't justified for either Olshey or Cronin. But Olshey had team success to back him up, something Cronin still hasn't had age 51 months.

No consistency since covid. Except for being inconsistent.

 

[bigbailes]

I agree. I think if one more ping pong ball had gone Portland’s way in the 2023 draft and Cronin had still fleeced the Wizards for Deni, Cronin would be viewed as a genius.

I wonder about this from time to time down here in South Texas watching the alien and the Spurs luck into another transformative player. If they land #1 that year, I really doubt Dame gets traded and Cronin probably doesn't have the assets to trade for Deni but all this if from an alternate timeline from the one we are currently on.

 

[Cugel]

I think Cronin and his cronies are gone. Splitter too. Welcome to POR coach Malone.

 

[wizenheimer]

I agree. I think if one more ping pong ball had gone Portland’s way in the 2023 draft and Cronin had still fleeced the Wizards for Deni, Cronin would be viewed as a genius.

if the Blazers had drafted Wemby instead of a PG, Dame would probably have stayed and the Blazers wouldn't have had the assets to trade for Deni

 

[<-=*PdX*=->]

Dudon's tenure in the NHL is no comparison for the NBA. I don't see any way the Blazers are nothing better than a middle of the pack team under his ownership sadly. I guess time will tell.

 

[e_blazer]

if the Blazers had drafted Wemby instead of a PG, Dame would probably have stayed and the Blazers wouldn't have had the assets to trade for Deni

Yeah, I think it's likely that Dame wouldn't have asked to be traded if Wemby had been the pick instead of Scoot. As for the Blazers not having the assets to make the trade for Deni, I'm not so sure. Obviously, the Wizards weren't that high on him and the main attraction for them in the deal were the draft picks, not Malcolm Brogdon. The Blazers would have had to use their own 2029 pick and one in 2031. They would have had to include another player than Brogdon for salary matching purposes (maybe Thybulle could have been moved there?). Would the Blazers have wanted to spend so many of their own future picks on the trade? Would the Wizards have been willing to wait until 2031 for the second pick? Who knows.

 

[THE HCP]

I feel nothing but anxiety and trepidation. With so many owners, I wonder what the actual decision tree is going to look like, when he's essentially spending other investors' money and managing their investment. Won't they want a say? Too many cooks? I worry he may not have the resources or desire to spend at an NBA level to achieve the holy grail. Maybe he just wants to make money, like he did off the backs of the most economically vulnerable in our society. I'm not expecting another Donald Sterling, but I have no idea what Dundon's priorities are.

Paul Allen owned the Blazers for what seems like a lifetime. That's a lot of stability. Paul desperately wanted a championship. Does Dundon? Does Dundon know anything about basketball or player evaluation? I expect he's somewhat of an egotist. How much will he defer to experts?

Bottom line is I have no fucking clue.

Not saying this will happen at all, but didn’t the Hawks go thru a bunch of drama a few years back……they had like an ownership by committee type situation.