The crap that existed before he got there(Wright, Gasol, Battier, Jason Williams) is primarily what made it a 50 win team. He came in with that and the #4 pick to use(drafted Gooden). Losing that #2 pick hurt, but doing nothing with the picks he had didn't help any.
But if he's under contract, most contracts won't allow a lateral move without permission. I don't think OKC is likely to let him go, much less to us. If he's a free agent, then that's another matter.
I'm not the biggest KP fan around these parts - but this situation is absurd. If they fire the guy, who are they going to find who will do a better job? Why would any top-notch candidate *want* the job with all this extraneous BS going on? It's no wonder people are kicking around conspiracy theories....the lack of rational explanation for events is maddening!
I actually buy that the Blazers are trying to get Jerry West. PA just went to California and spent a bunch of money on Carroll, and now will look to do the same with Jerry West.
So...from this reference to the 60s, we can deduce a few things. A) You are very old. B) You used to work for Trader Bob, but were hired as an afterthought. C) After the band broke up, everybody forgot about you. D) By some twist of fate/karma, you wound up with a smoking hot wife. Am I close?
My fast take: As some know, I have been predicting that all is not well with KP and the Blazers for a while now (for me it was when I noticed KP stop sitting by PA during games). I don't think KP is as good as a GM as many do here. He hit a homerun with Roy and Aldridge and has been riding that (and I think somehow got some credit or more love when the Blazers got the #1 pick). After "the draft" he has been spending a lot of money and taking a lots swings and misses on players. (For every Batum there are at least two wasted picks). Throw in contract negotiations and KP love for the spotlight and I can see why Allen is thinking of a move. And was KP really complaining to other GMs about his salary? Having said all that, what I most like about KP is that he puts a lot of work into gettting the right character guys to build around. And while in the past I was a "I don't care about jailblazer just win baby win" kind of fan . . . I got to say that these days I enjoy going to games and rooting for the good guys. I love rooting for Roy, Aldridge, Webster, Camby, Joel, Outlaw, Blake and the rest of the gang. They just seem like good well balanced people. I have a feeling PA is more about winning than about character and he has grown impatient with all the money KP is spending and the slow progress of the team. I personally get what KP is doing and wish he would stay. But if I was an owner of a basketball team looking for a championship, I might be getting a little impatient too.
You know just as much about this as we do. We have no idea why Allen is unhappy with KP. It could be the whole Tom Penn fiasco. It could be something completely unknown to the fanbase and the media. We have no idea. You're just assuming it's Allen's ego.
I suspect that is true . . . but live by the sword die by the sword. The big bonus/knock on PA as a business owner for the Blazers is he treats it personal and not like a business (Steve Patterson). That means he sometimes spends much more money trying to build a championship in a small market than makes business sense. He personally wants a championship so badly that he will make bad business decisons. Most times fans like that aspect of him as an owner. But when he makes personal decisions about management that fans don't like, then they hate the fact he takes his business personal. Although i would think on all levels of business you never want to piss of owners. I think what we had here in the end was a battle of egos with the person in control pulling the ultimate card.
Was Ringo the bitter one? Anyway, you're posts are insane. I'm not sure if I hate you or if I've fallin in love with you... It probably doesn't matter. Fine line and all that.
I agree we don't know the whole story. It could be something stupid and trivial, it could be real, I don't know. And I understand that firms start checking out the talent pool before hiring a top exec. That being said, KP is in an untenable situation. I also don't think he made bad trades or picks at all. With late picks, you take a flyer. Whether or not Kopponen ever arrives, Cunningham and Pendergrath look like at least decent role players. Bayless is a back-up but I think that's what they were looking for. Roy and Aldridge were not blind luck, we all remember Stephen A. Smith's frothing at the mouth that draft night. Clearly KP knew what he was doing. While the Blazers did not get equal talent for Randolph, they saw it as addition by subtraction, as he was reportedly being a disruption and they wanted LMA in starting lineup. Getting Sergio and Rudy for nothing were very good moves, even if they don't work out, nothing was given up. Signing Andre Miller and trading for Marcus Camby both worked out well. In other words, I can't see anything in KP's public record to justify firing him, let alone publicly humiliating him. Did he pinch Paul Allen's best girl? As to the size of Mr. Allen's intimate body parts, I neither know nor care.
I agree. Although if KP had to pay 3 million for those flyers, you would hope it would be a little more than a flyer. Did he buy the Kopponen and Freeland picks for 3 million each? I think Even Rudy cost 3 million plus his salary. PA must know that even buying a pick at 3 million is a risk, but you would hope some would work out.
Was it KP who passed on Blair - twice - in the last draft? Did Paul covet Blair...and KP talk him out of drafting him? Blair proved to be a beast...a beast that would have looked pretty good in Red & Black!
I think there's also the possibility that Presti may question the Trail Blazers' loyalty towards GMs if he has any respect for Pritchard from their time together in San Antonio.
I think prospective GMs realize that passing on Durant plus going one and done in the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive season is going to get ANY GM fired when the owner has high expectations for success.
Yes, yes he would. I was bummed when Portland didn't draft the kid. Portland didn't need another spanish wing player. That pick was a total mystery.
