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Paul Allen - Is he or is he not the real issue? Article makes great points why he is!
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  1. BlazerManiac
    BlazerManiac
    Posts: 680

    Posted 04/20/2012 8:38 AM

    I have sat back for years and watched the owner of the Portland Trailblazers meddle in the front office affairs of the Blazers, and the only conclusion I can make is that yes he has the money, but as the article points out below, He need to do in Portland what he did with the Seahawks and bring in someone like Pete Carroll and give him full autonomy on Basketball Issues and stay behind the scenes and let the people who know the league, players, and salary cap issues do their job.

    My question to Paul Allen is; are you really committed to putting a Championship team on the floor?

    Then actions speak louder than words.

    Biggest mistake in last 24 months, letting Rich Cho leave because he was not a yes man!

    Blazers Owner Paul Allen Fires Back at Newspaper Columnist

    If you haven't been paying attention to the sinking ship that is the Portland Trail Blazers, then all you need to know is this:

     

    The team owner has taken to attacking a columnist via Twitter.

     

    Paul Allen is not naming a general manager -- a position the team has been without far too long -- and he's not doing much of anything, publicly, to keep the team's fanbase from turning on him. Indeed, many in Rip City have long since found disdain for the Blazers' billionaire owner.

     

    But he is tweeting about how much Oregonian newspaper columnist John Canzano sucks at his job.

     

    First off, I'm all for this kind of stuff; Allen showing a personal side, hitting Canzano with a barb -- readers know that the columnist has thrown his share of barbs at Allen over the years -- using a little humor to make his point.

     

    Allen tweeted a link to a page on his website, paulallen.com, that featured four images of a Dumbo octopus with the headline "The Four Stages of reading a John Canzano column about the Portland Trail Blazers." According to Allen, those stages, written as captions under each of the four photographs, are:

     

    Stage 1: Uh oh, another Canzano column!

     

    Stage 2: Wow, even more bombastic and grandiose than usual!

     

    Stage 3: He's frolicking again with unnamed sources and their murky agendas.

     

    Stage 4: Movin' on … (Does his editor even bother to read these?)

     

    It was funny, and well-played by the owner. And it might have been even funnier, and might have endeared Allen to Blazers fans a little more, if not for all the issues with the team that they're currently blaming on him.

     

    There's a history there that you can't fully understand if you're not a Blazers fan. Allen owns the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, and there's a fairly long-standing belief among the Blazers faithful that the owner would love nothing more than to relocate Portland's team to Seattle, where the SuperSonics once made up half of a fairly bitter rivalry.

     

    Add to that Allen's oftentimes distant approach to ownership, and the fact that he's left the team without a GM -- or much real leadership -- and that he was one of the few hardliners during the NBA lockout who was in favor of cancelling the whole season rather than budge on revenue sharing, and you've got a guy who many fans love to hate.

     

    As is his way, Canzano hasn't exactly pulled punches in calling out Allen for many of the team's current issues. The column that most likely drew the owner's recent ire was written in early March, with a headline that read "Trail Blazers face a time of darkness without leadership."

     

    It was really well done, and to the point, and it questioned Allen's commitment to the team, asking "So, Paul? You in or what?"

     

    Time will tell. Allen's first move will be to hire a GM, of course, and there have been rumblings that he's close. His next move might be the most difficult, however; letting that GM do his job, and letting him stay on board long enough to make a real difference. Allen has had a bit of a quick trigger finger when it comes to firing GM's, and that's part of why the team is currently without sufficient leadership.

     

    As far as his little war with Canzano goes, I like that Allen cares enough about what's going on to bother striking back at a newspaper columnist. It's far better than the apathy I typically assume he feels for the mess that his team has become.

     

    Now it's time for him to show a similar passion for fixing the Trail Blazers. And if he manages to do that, here's hoping he tweets all about it.

    I am a fan of JJ the Double Double Beast.
  1. barnettfan
    barnettfan
    Posts: 370

    Posted 04/20/2012 9:22 AM

    I think he is serious if he is going after Kupchak.
    I am a fan of
  1. Tobyus Sanchezo
    Tobyus Sanchezo
    Posts: 1600

    Posted 04/23/2012 12:08 AM

    He needs help, he needs someone that can watch these games and make adjustments throughout this summer and into next season.
    I am a fan of playoffs in two zero one three
  1. Tobyus Sanchezo
    Tobyus Sanchezo
    Posts: 1600

    Posted 04/23/2012 12:12 AM

    Cho just sat there playing on his i-phone during the games. He payed no attention to what the team was dealing with. He hired Oberto and his bad ticker to take over 2 Center responsibilities, due to the season ending injuries of Oden and Pendergraph. Cho had to go, now the Bobcats have to fire him soon.
    I am a fan of playoffs in two zero one three
  1. cmeese47
    cmeese47
    Posts: 2256

    Posted 04/23/2012 11:46 AM

    Paul Allen reminds me a bit too much of old Steinbrener when he gets super involved the team struggles but when he sits back and allows his personal to make decisions the team does better. I am not sure Kevin Pritchard was our Brian Cashman but I would have liked to see him get a longer tenure.
    I am a fan of Getting Defensive Players This Summer.
  1. schwabbii
    schwabbii
    Posts: 178

    Posted 04/23/2012 1:35 PM

    I'm hoping that some of you are not in charge of the firing of employees cause some of you guys are power hungry! Cho had to go? He was here for a whole season and got canned! The man was a GM, which means that he has a job to do continually. It's not like the man has regular office/work hours. If he isn't on his phone making sure that the team is running smoothly throughout then he isn't fulfilling his assignment. If the Bobcats fired him today then I would be baffled. 
    I am a fan of
  1. Tobyus Sanchezo
    Tobyus Sanchezo
    Posts: 1600

    Posted 04/25/2012 12:34 AM

    Posted By schwabbii on 04/23/2012 1:35 PM

    " If the Bobcats fired him today then I would be baffled. 




    Bobcats have lost 21 straight games, it shouldn't be all that confusing.
    I am a fan of playoffs in two zero one three
  1. schwabbii
    schwabbii
    Posts: 178

    Posted 04/25/2012 5:08 PM

    And how long has he been there? The NBA isn't a video game that you can manipulate in a couple of hours. The Bobcats might be horrible but he hasn't had anywhere near enough time to turn it around.
    I am a fan of
  1. Tobyus Sanchezo
    Tobyus Sanchezo
    Posts: 1600

    Posted 04/25/2012 6:20 PM

    We should just make a seperate  -why Cho stinks thread

    Ha HAAAA!! He's got some good rookies and another one comin'. He'll do fine, but they need fans in that stadium. I'd bust out with 1 dollar Bobcat dogs, cheap food always brings out the best in fans!!
    I am a fan of playoffs in two zero one three
  1. Tobyus Sanchezo
    Tobyus Sanchezo
    Posts: 1600

    Posted 04/25/2012 6:24 PM

    How 'bout this.... Coach Nate on the Bobcats? He got Seattle then us turned around in the right direction. I think it'd be a smart move for Charlotte.
    I am a fan of playoffs in two zero one three
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