May
31
Amick: Don't Count Buchanan Out Yet
By caseyholdahl
Yesterday, team owner Paul Allen tweeted that the general manager search was down to four candidates. If
reports are to be
believed, those four candidates are Jeff Bower, David Morway, Neil Olshey and Tony DiLeo.
But according to
SI.com's Sam Amick, don't count acting general manager Chad Buchanan out of the mix just yet.
Portland's search appears to be nearing an end, with sources
confirming reports that Bower, Indiana general manager David Morway and
Clippers general manager Neil Olshey are finalists. Blazers owner Paul
Allen, however, tweeted on Wednesday that there are four candidates,
and a source involved in the process confirmed a Comcast SportsNet
Northwest report that the fourth is Philadelphia senior vice president
Tony DiLeo.
But one source close to the situation said to
not dismiss the idea that interim GM Chad Buchanan could remain in
charge, especially if Allen loses his preferred replacement to Orlando.
Buchanan has done good work since taking over for the fired Cho more
than a year ago (aside from drafting Nolan Smith at No. 21 last year
when Denver's Kenneth Faried was still available), and appears to be in
Allen's good graces. I'm hearing this search could conclude next week,
if not sooner.
Buchanan has mentioned that he thought the team's performance this season might have hurt this chances of getting the GM job on a permanent basis. Maybe that's the case, but if it is, you have to figure maybe his candidacy was helped by the team dodging a bullet and getting Brooklyn's No. 6 pick? With the Nets pick sewn up, that trade goes from being pretty good to a slam dunk. That's got to be fresh in Mr. Allen's mind considering the lottery just happened.