Wojnarowski: Blazers GM Cho Wants to Blow It Up, Needs To Convince PA

Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Register Log in
Ed O said:
Open, leaning towards probably should.

I don't think that the team is good enough to matter right now. If it's not good enough to matter, we should be getting assets that will help us down the road.

I don't think we should get rid of them just to do it or to clear up playing time for anyone...
Click to expand...
would it matter to their core younger talent if they were to win a playoff series? I definitely think so. Pulling the plug on a season with some promise is a little dicey as to how it will affect guy's mentality unless you're getting back really obvious assets

obviously a stud young PG or another solid starting talent level young Big player would be great for their future, but I'd also point out that Camby and Miller should have about as much value next offseason as this midseason trade deadline

STOMP
 
Ed O said:
He was talking about KP being in trouble WELL before it seemed at all likely that was the case.

Ed O.
Click to expand...

Tom Penn was fired on Mar 16th, 2010. Didn't take major brains to figure out that KPs job was in jeopardy after that point. I've searched and scoured and haven't found anything to suggest that Woj was on top of either the Penn firing or Pritchard's job security before Mar 16th, 2010. Heck here's Canzano speculating the very next day(Mar 17th) that KP could be next. Woj took until Mar 22nd to create this article, where he sources from Canzano.

Unless someone can produce evidence to the otherwise, I stand by my earlier statement on Woj's integrity/connections.
 
Last edited:
Klinky said:
Tom Penn was fired on Mar 16th, 2010. Didn't take major brains to figure out that KPs job was in jeopardy after that point. I've searched and scoured and haven't found anything to suggest that Woj was on top of either the Penn firing or Pritchard's job security before Mar 16th, 2010. Heck here's Canzano speculating the very next day(Mar 17th) that KP could be next. Woj took until Mar 22nd to create this article, where he sources from Canzano.

Unless someone can produce evidence to the otherwise, I stand by my earlier statement on Woj's integrity/connections.
Click to expand...

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-milespritchard011709

Ed O.
 
STOMP said:
would it matter to their core younger talent if they were to win a playoff series? I definitely think so. Pulling the plug on a season with some promise is a little dicey as to how it will affect guy's mentality unless you're getting back really obvious assets
Click to expand...

I don't think that winning a playoff series matters at all since at least 40% of the starting lineup would not be around the next time we won a playoff series... and I think it's a stretch to think this team can win a series at this point.

obviously a stud young PG or another solid starting talent level young Big player would be great for their future, but I'd also point out that Camby and Miller should have about as much value next offseason as this midseason trade deadline
Click to expand...

They might even have MORE value next year, that's for sure. Or Camby might get hurt again and be worthless except as an expiring contract.

We'll also muddle along in mediocrity for another year, rather than trying to get better for the future.

I don't think that it's a situation where we have to get a player along the magnitude you describe... at least not that's at that level now. If that player can get there in two or three years, that would be enough for me.

Ed O.
 
I think that article shows that Wojo's talking out of his ass about the Blazers. At least three pieces were factually incorrect, and the assertion (less than 400 days ago) that Miles wasn't completely finished is so far off that it's hard not to LOL.
 
BrianFromWA said:
I think that article shows that Wojo's talking out of his ass about the Blazers. At least three pieces were factually incorrect, and the assertion (less than 400 days ago) that Miles wasn't completely finished is so far off that it's hard not to LOL.
Click to expand...

He WASN'T completely finished. He was able to make it onto an NBA roster and play a fair bit. He wasn't good enough to stay in the NBA, but that's not the same as being physically finished.

I am interested, though, to see people have the same reaction to the column that they did at the time it came out... of course, now we know that KP was fired and maybe wasn't the golden boy almost everyone (including me, for most of his tenure) gave him credit for.

Ed O.
 
Ed O said:
He WASN'T completely finished. He was able to make it onto an NBA roster and play a fair bit. He wasn't good enough to stay in the NBA, but that's not the same as being physically finished.
Click to expand...

I think you're playing semantic games. Wojnarowski wasn't talking about "physically finished," he was talking about Miles still being a viable NBA player, as evidenced by this:

Memphis is expected to offer Miles a second 10-day contract, but there could be better opportunities for him.
Click to expand...

Wojnarkowski is clearly implying that Miles is still a legitimate NBA player who should garner interest around the league. The fact that he reported that several NBA executives claimed that they were going to contact his agent about signing him, followed by Miles dropping out of the league for good, isn't exactly a ringing endorsement of his sources.

The fact that he "made it onto an NBA roster" isn't evidence of much, as it seems pretty clear to me that it was simply an attempt to ensure that Portland couldn't take him off their salary structure. Note that this isn't a claim that Memphis did anything wrong...they found a legal loophole and exploited it. Teams will do that any time they have a chance. But it's certainly not de facto evidence that Miles was not finished as a legitimate NBA player.
 
Klinky said:
That link is from Jan 17th, 2009 & is in regards to the Darius Miles Threat Letter. You could also highlight this one: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-winnerslosers071109. Woj didn't like KP. I am not sure critiquing the GM is the same as saying his job is in jeopardy one and a half years before it happens.
Click to expand...

I am sorry you're not sure about it.

I think he makes a clear link to KP being in trouble with the front office.

Ed O.
 
Minstrel said:
I think you're playing semantic games. Wojnarowski wasn't talking about "physically finished," he was talking about Miles still being a viable NBA player, as evidenced by this:



Wojnarkowski is clearly implying that Miles is still a legitimate NBA player who should garner interest around the league. The fact that he reported that several NBA executives claimed that they were going to contact his agent about signing him, followed by Miles dropping out of the league for good, isn't exactly a ringing endorsement of his sources.

The fact that he "made it onto an NBA roster" isn't evidence of much, as it seems pretty clear to me that it was simply an attempt to ensure that Portland couldn't take him off their salary structure. Note that this isn't a claim that Memphis did anything wrong...they found a legal loophole and exploited it. Teams will do that any time they have a chance. But it's certainly not de facto evidence that Miles was not finished as a legitimate NBA player.
Click to expand...

Whether he was good enough or not to make it in the NBA is not what he was writing about. He's writing about whether he was, as the Blazers claimed, physically unable to compete.

I don't blame the Blazers for going through the process that they did. I don't think it made KP or anyone else bad people or even dishonest. But the evidence of Miles making it through half an NBA season indicates to me that the diagnosis was wrong and if the Blazers were still pitching the idea that it was not possible for him to play on his knee, then they were wrong.

Ed O.
 
Ed O said:
I think he makes a clear link to KP being in trouble with the front office.
Click to expand...

Where? Can you quote the part where he makes the link? Because I didn't see it.

It mostly reads as "Pritchard is arrogant and thinks he's great, but he's totally NOT. Portland may think he's special, and maybe he has an eye for talent, but he's not cool. Not cool at all. By the way: Jail Blazers. Remember that? I'm using it again, for no particular reason, because Pritchard is arrogant."
 
Minstrel said:
Where? Can you quote the part where he makes the link? Because I didn't see it.
Click to expand...

"It’s strange, but every transaction in Portland has been treated like a validation of Pritchard’s genius. Now, his apologists are blaming Paul Allen and president Larry Miller for the Miles mess, only it doesn’t work like that. Pritchard is the face of the franchise because he made it that way."

KP was not going to be able to claim the successes of the team's improvement and then avoid the blame when things went wrong.

Ed O.
 
Ed O said:
Whether he was good enough or not to make it in the NBA is not what he was writing about. He's writing about whether he was, as the Blazers claimed, physically unable to compete.
Click to expand...

If you can't make it in the NBA, in what sense are you physically able to compete? Is the test being on the floor during an NBA game without dying? You or I are physically able to compete in the NBA by that standard. He wasn't able to compete at an NBA level, as evidenced by the fact that Memphis barely played him and he was out of the NBA once Memphis was done with its dog-and-pony show.

Memphis exploited the loophole and that's fine. It never outraged me. The idea that Portland improperly deemed Miles physically unable to compete is wrong, IMO. He was physically unable to compete. Bill Russell is currently physically unable to compete. I am currently physically unable to compete. But both Russell and I could be placed on the floor during an NBA game. We wouldn't be, because there's no gain to an NBA team putting us there. There was an indirect gain to Memphis putting Miles there, even though he was physically unable to compete.
 
Ed O said:
"It’s strange, but every transaction in Portland has been treated like a validation of Pritchard’s genius. Now, his apologists are blaming Paul Allen and president Larry Miller for the Miles mess, only it doesn’t work like that. Pritchard is the face of the franchise because he made it that way."

KP was not going to be able to claim the successes of the team's improvement and then avoid the blame when things went wrong.

Ed O.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's true. Where does he say Pritchard's job was in jeopardy or even might be? Saying that Pritchard would have to own failures as well as successes isn't even remotely suggesting that.

Right now, I am going to state this: every current NBA GM will have to own responsibility for their failures (as well as their successes). Now, have I correctly prophecied any NBA GM that gets fired/let go? Do I deserve credit for reporting before everyone else the next NBA GM who is fired? (Saying that I didn't name the GM in question isn't a good objection. I could quite easily grab the names of every GM in the league and one by one type "X will have to own responsibility for his failures in addition to his successes." I won't do that to save bandwidth and it's unnecessary to make the point.)

Klinky's point is perfectly valid. A reporter criticizing a GM is not a report that said GM's job is in trouble. It's just the reporter disagreeing with the GM.
 
Ed O said:
I am sorry you're not sure about it.

I think he makes a clear link to KP being in trouble with the front office.

Ed O.
Click to expand...

There really isn't any link. The article is Woj blowing up the Darius Miles issue into some sort of diabolical conspiracy theory to paint Kevin Pritchard as an evil villain. I think it was pretty obvious that we were going to do our best to get Darius Miles medically retired, given his failure to rehab. The Blazers took the non-risk because the alternative to not pursuing it was to just let Miles' contract linger. There was nothing to lose by trying to get Miles medically retired and there weren't evil intentions. The Darius Miles Threat Letter was signed by Larry Miller, but who knows who was really behind it. Many assumed it was probably from Paul Allen's camp / The Vulcans rather than from Miller or Pritchard. The letter was a bad idea, but there isn't a whole lot of proof linking it to Pritchard, since Woj can't directly link the letter to Pritchard, he weaves a tale of how Pritchard is evil and tried to ruin the career of Darius Miles.

The whole article could probably be summed up as "Durr, Kevin Pritchard is so dumb because he messed up on Darius Miles". Darius Miles was an inherited problem & medical retirement was really the only viable option to dump Miles' contract off the books. He wasn't going to see playing time in a Blazers' jersey and as has now been played out, he really was not in NBA game shape.
 
Last edited:
Minstrel said:
Yes, that's true. Where does he say Pritchard's job was in jeopardy or even might be? Saying that Pritchard would have to own failures as well as successes isn't even remotely suggesting that.
Click to expand...

Sure it does. It says that if the team struggles, KP would be held accountable.

Right now, I am going to state this: every current NBA GM will have to own responsibility for their failures (as well as their successes). Now, have I correctly prophecied any NBA GM that gets fired/let go? Do I deserve credit for reporting before everyone else the next NBA GM who is fired? (Saying that I didn't name the GM in question isn't a good objection. I could quite easily grab the names of every GM in the league and one by one type "X will have to own responsibility for his failures in addition to his successes." I won't do that to save bandwidth and it's unnecessary to make the point.)
Click to expand...

Why do YOU think KP was fired?

Do you think that most GMs would be fired for taking a slight step back (primarily due to injuries) like KP was?

I think that it's very unlikely, and this is why I think KP was fired: because he was a difficult guy, and because he earned blame (more than most GMs) because of his attitude when things were going well.

Klinky's point is perfectly valid. A reporter criticizing a GM is not a report that said GM's job is in trouble. It's just the reporter disagreeing with the GM.
Click to expand...

He was not just criticizing KP. He was criticizing KP's apologists. He was pointing out that KP's ass was on the line, and ... he was right.

Ed O.
 
Klinky said:
The whole article could probably be summed up as "Durr, Kevin Pritchard is so dumb because he messed up on Darius Miles". Darius Miles was an inherited problem & medical retirement was really the only viable option to dump Miles' contract off the books. He wasn't going to see playing time in a Blazers' jersey and as has now been played out, he really was not in NBA game shape.
Click to expand...

Wrong. I mean... it COULD be summed up that way, but that would be oversimplistic IMO.

Ed O.
 
Ed O said:
Sure it does. It says that if the team struggles, KP would be held accountable.
Click to expand...

True of every NBA GM. It's neither an insight nor a report that he beat anyone else to.

Why do YOU think KP was fired?

Do you think that most GMs would be fired for taking a slight step back (primarily due to injuries) like KP was?

I think that it's very unlikely, and this is why I think KP was fired: because he was a difficult guy, and because he earned blame (more than most GMs) because of his attitude when things were going well.
Click to expand...

I have no idea why KP was fired. Your speculation could be true, but it's not really any better substantiated than those who say he was fired for selecting Oden over Durant or for backing Tom Penn or for various other reasons.

He was not just criticizing KP. He was criticizing KP's apologists. He was pointing out that KP's ass was on the line, and ... he was right.
Click to expand...

Again, he was right on a point that was trivially obvious. Every GM's ass is on the line for their failures. Saying so doesn't mean he correctly called Pritchard's loss of a job ahead of time.

Again, I can say for every GM that their ass is on the line. And I'll be right. If any of them are fired, that doesn't make me ahead of everyone else on the story. Wojnarowski saying that Pritchard was not immune from fall-out when things went wrong is right, obvious and doesn't make him ahead of everyone else on the story when Pritchard was let go well over a year later.
 
Ed O said:
He was not just criticizing KP. He was criticizing KP's apologists. He was pointing out that KP's ass was on the line, and ... he was right.
Ed O.
Click to expand...

His ass was so on the line it took one and a half years to fire him & the warning bells were sounding so loudly that Woj didn't discuss KP's impending doom until after Tom Penn was fired. When he did write about it, he made no mention of "calling it" 1.5 years earlier.
 
Last edited:
KP was fired for two words..."Warren" and "LeGarie".
 
We blew it up already when we dumped Sergio, Steve, Travis and Martell and Jerryd.

To call it that again we'd have to jettison Brandon and Greg.

Nate's using a 6 man rotation. Pretty obvious we're in need of more talent before the playoffs.
 
Bump.

This is very relevant to the LMA fiasco.

Any other GM would have been fired on the spot if they lost a prime franchise pillar for nothing.

The Vulcans are back.
 
Fez Hammersticks said:
Any other GM would have been fired on the spot if they lost a prime franchise pillar for nothing.
Click to expand...

False. Mitch Kupchak, Pat Riley, Stan Van Gundy, and Doc Rivers all had this happen in the last 3 years. None of them were fired.

In fact I can't think of one GM who lost a franchise player under the current CBA and was fired.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

MIXUM
2 new reports Cho "might blow up" blazers
Replies
20
Views
1K
hasoos
hasoos
OSUBlazerfan
Chad Ford says Cho doesnt want to Completely blow the team up
Replies
18
Views
1K
Ed O
Ed O
MIXUM
Steve Kerr thinks we should blow it up
Replies
26
Views
2K
Rodolfo
Rodolfo
ABM
Cho: “You Always Have To Communicate With The Owner...”
Replies
16
Views
951
crandc
crandc
MIXUM
Wow cho really screwed this up big time
2
Replies
44
Views
2K
andalusian
andalusian

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top