Orion Bailey
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John Canzano recently wrote an article that @SlyPokerDog posted up and it brought so many thoughts to my head, that I felt I needed to start a new thread centered around what Portland has to offer and how we can efficiently and aggressively market these positives.
"It's difficult for people who chose Portland as a place live to wrap their heads around it, isn't it? You love Portland. I love Portland. We live here. Now Turner lives here, too. Why wouldn't everyone else want to be here?"
...It's this that I come back to...
Those that live or have lived here know how beautiful this place is. We all know how players who have been here rave about the place. The organization. The culture.
How do we get this message out with enough clarity to shine a light into the top tiers of FA?
I have spent some time in several places in the United States. I lived for 3½ years in Pueblo/Colo Springs. I spent 3 years in upstate NY. I have lived in various places in the Puget Sound as well as a year in Chicago and LA. About the only place I have not spent any time in is the southwestern/South Central states like Florida, Georgia, LA, Texas, AZ, etc. Furthest south I've made it was Kansas City, Washington DC., Vegas, Pueblo.
When taking a look at all the positives and negatives of the places I have lived and spent time in, it is Portland that wins the Prize. It's just big enough to give you that big city feeling when you want it, but just small enough to live in the country and still be within an hour commute, and often within a half hour, depending on where you are and time of day.
We have a high property tax, but houses aren't the only thing these millionaires are buying. I have heard that players can spend twice as much on the decorations of furniture and automobiles in their garages, as they do on their house. Well hello... No sales tax???
The summers are beautiful and the winters are tolerable. NBA players are on the road half the time anyhow and if they have families, well Portland is a great place for families.
IF you want Hollywood, its a quick hop south of us. We have Nike in our backyard for players to try to get deals with. We have Dame who can provide an inside to adidas, so we have connections to the top two shoe companies in the world.
I/We are not privy to the conversations and meetings that take place among players on the court, locker rooms or during FA period, but I have to believe that IF we are to ever crack the top tier bracket, we have got to market our positives in an incredibly aggressive manner.
This can start subliminally during the season even. With a long term vision I have to believe NO is watching players to see who could be the next target to be our next upgrade. IF he finds him, converse with Dame and potentially CJ. Start the courting during the season in a very under the radar way.
I am not saying this is the key and that the Blazers are not already doing this. With how closet NO likes to be, odds are we will never know the details of the conversations with Parsons or Howard or Turner or Gasol or anyone else he is courting for that matter. I just hope they are using every angle possible and I believe Portland has a lot of secondary angles that, if explained or proposed in the correct manner, can add up to becoming a sizable thought in a FA's head.
Other than not having a huge party scene, having an excess of rain (some places have an excess of snow, like Boston, NY, Cleveland, etc.!!!), and having high property taxes (which I explained can be shown how it is offset with our no sales tax) we have a lot to offer.
People say we are a white city and don't cater to a young black man, but that isn't true. We have a sizable and mixed percentage of Blacks and other races as well. The diversity is just mostly on the east side.
The argument can be said that the players have the money and will not be on the East side, so they will live in white communities. I am sorry, but show me any city with a major sports franchise. Go to the nicest neighborhoods and they will all have a majority of white people. So I do not buy this, "Portland is a white town and a young black man doesn't fit in here". I have lived all over. We aren't much different than most cities our size when it comes to diversity in race and culture. In fact, we probably have a bit more diverse race and cultural environment here than many places. Denver is mostly White and Espanic. Indy is mostly white with a segregated ghetto, etc.
Portland has a decent Asian community, a growing Arabic community a decent Black community, a growing Euro/Russian Community. Yes, we have a growing liberal hipster community, but no city is perfect!!!
My point is we are actually quite diverse and not as isolated as some may think.
We also tend to have less segregation within the races in our region than most places back east, making it easier for the minorities to fit in with he majority, without feeling singled out or segregated, etc.
Having traveled a decent amount, I would have to conclude that a young black man with money would probably feel more comfortable here than most other NBA cities with the exception of a few of the major markets like NY, LA, Boston, ETC. Their population alone makes for a diverse environment that Portland cant compete with due to lack of capita.
However, comparable city teams to us, like SA, Sacramento, Utah, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Orlando, Denver, NO, Phoenix should not have a leg up on us. Yes they have things we don't have to offer, but we have things they cant offer. We need to sell this in a Coke/Pepsi taste test style. Not just show what we have to offer but actually compare it to whatever else the FA is looking at and explain why we are so much better.
I still want to put my trust in Neil Olshey, but it would be a hell of alot easier if he would be candid and tell me he did these very things. Then I would know he is doing everything possible. But as long as he keeps things close to the chest, then he will continue to have doubters and growing concerns among his loyalist fans as time goes by and money is spent in glorious fashion for less than glorious players.
The money has to be spent, but if we are going to over spend, I would at least like to know we tried to overspent for the best first before we give it to second and third tier players.
If NO is doing this, then how can we, as a community... a rip city culture!... help this cause to spread the word to the farthest reaches of the sports world????
"It's difficult for people who chose Portland as a place live to wrap their heads around it, isn't it? You love Portland. I love Portland. We live here. Now Turner lives here, too. Why wouldn't everyone else want to be here?"
...It's this that I come back to...
Those that live or have lived here know how beautiful this place is. We all know how players who have been here rave about the place. The organization. The culture.
How do we get this message out with enough clarity to shine a light into the top tiers of FA?
I have spent some time in several places in the United States. I lived for 3½ years in Pueblo/Colo Springs. I spent 3 years in upstate NY. I have lived in various places in the Puget Sound as well as a year in Chicago and LA. About the only place I have not spent any time in is the southwestern/South Central states like Florida, Georgia, LA, Texas, AZ, etc. Furthest south I've made it was Kansas City, Washington DC., Vegas, Pueblo.
When taking a look at all the positives and negatives of the places I have lived and spent time in, it is Portland that wins the Prize. It's just big enough to give you that big city feeling when you want it, but just small enough to live in the country and still be within an hour commute, and often within a half hour, depending on where you are and time of day.
We have a high property tax, but houses aren't the only thing these millionaires are buying. I have heard that players can spend twice as much on the decorations of furniture and automobiles in their garages, as they do on their house. Well hello... No sales tax???
The summers are beautiful and the winters are tolerable. NBA players are on the road half the time anyhow and if they have families, well Portland is a great place for families.
IF you want Hollywood, its a quick hop south of us. We have Nike in our backyard for players to try to get deals with. We have Dame who can provide an inside to adidas, so we have connections to the top two shoe companies in the world.
I/We are not privy to the conversations and meetings that take place among players on the court, locker rooms or during FA period, but I have to believe that IF we are to ever crack the top tier bracket, we have got to market our positives in an incredibly aggressive manner.
This can start subliminally during the season even. With a long term vision I have to believe NO is watching players to see who could be the next target to be our next upgrade. IF he finds him, converse with Dame and potentially CJ. Start the courting during the season in a very under the radar way.
I am not saying this is the key and that the Blazers are not already doing this. With how closet NO likes to be, odds are we will never know the details of the conversations with Parsons or Howard or Turner or Gasol or anyone else he is courting for that matter. I just hope they are using every angle possible and I believe Portland has a lot of secondary angles that, if explained or proposed in the correct manner, can add up to becoming a sizable thought in a FA's head.
Other than not having a huge party scene, having an excess of rain (some places have an excess of snow, like Boston, NY, Cleveland, etc.!!!), and having high property taxes (which I explained can be shown how it is offset with our no sales tax) we have a lot to offer.
People say we are a white city and don't cater to a young black man, but that isn't true. We have a sizable and mixed percentage of Blacks and other races as well. The diversity is just mostly on the east side.
The argument can be said that the players have the money and will not be on the East side, so they will live in white communities. I am sorry, but show me any city with a major sports franchise. Go to the nicest neighborhoods and they will all have a majority of white people. So I do not buy this, "Portland is a white town and a young black man doesn't fit in here". I have lived all over. We aren't much different than most cities our size when it comes to diversity in race and culture. In fact, we probably have a bit more diverse race and cultural environment here than many places. Denver is mostly White and Espanic. Indy is mostly white with a segregated ghetto, etc.
Portland has a decent Asian community, a growing Arabic community a decent Black community, a growing Euro/Russian Community. Yes, we have a growing liberal hipster community, but no city is perfect!!!
My point is we are actually quite diverse and not as isolated as some may think.We also tend to have less segregation within the races in our region than most places back east, making it easier for the minorities to fit in with he majority, without feeling singled out or segregated, etc.
Having traveled a decent amount, I would have to conclude that a young black man with money would probably feel more comfortable here than most other NBA cities with the exception of a few of the major markets like NY, LA, Boston, ETC. Their population alone makes for a diverse environment that Portland cant compete with due to lack of capita.
However, comparable city teams to us, like SA, Sacramento, Utah, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Orlando, Denver, NO, Phoenix should not have a leg up on us. Yes they have things we don't have to offer, but we have things they cant offer. We need to sell this in a Coke/Pepsi taste test style. Not just show what we have to offer but actually compare it to whatever else the FA is looking at and explain why we are so much better.
I still want to put my trust in Neil Olshey, but it would be a hell of alot easier if he would be candid and tell me he did these very things. Then I would know he is doing everything possible. But as long as he keeps things close to the chest, then he will continue to have doubters and growing concerns among his loyalist fans as time goes by and money is spent in glorious fashion for less than glorious players.
The money has to be spent, but if we are going to over spend, I would at least like to know we tried to overspent for the best first before we give it to second and third tier players.
If NO is doing this, then how can we, as a community... a rip city culture!... help this cause to spread the word to the farthest reaches of the sports world????
