I'm hesitant to broach this topic because it seems ludicrous on its face, but I'm bringing it up anyway because I think there is value in a variety of perspectives, and I'm curious if anyone else has considered this. Take this with a grain of salt, but I've heard third-hand that part of the motivation for the Blazers' front office to drafting Collins was that since he is white, he would be less likely to be unhappy in Portland, ergo more likely to stay long term. Looking back over Olshey's tenure here, it's arguable that a disproportionately large volume of his draft/trade/free agency targets (Leonard, Hawes, Kaman, Plumlee, Connaughton, Layman, Parsons, Nurkic) have been light-skinned. Obviously there have been several other acquisitions that don't fit that description, but looking at his track record, is it crazy to question whether Olshey is allowing skin color to influence his personnel decisions?
I could go as far as saying it could be used as a "tie breaker" for the man but if Olshey was so into white guys he would have drafted Steven Adams over CJ and Austin Rivers over Dame (we laugh now but at the time they were close in value). And yes I know you addressed that there are outlighers....
I hear you. Obviously nothing in the OP is factual--all rumor and speculation. Mostly curious if this is one of those "things we think and do not say", or if it's something that should simply be dismissed as a ridiculous theory. I take it you would say it's the latter, and I respect that.
Considering that PA signs off on all draft picks, I would have to call BS on that. Also if that rumor ever got out it would kill any chance he had at ever landing another GM job.
You don't think that Neil would be able to sell PA on any pick he wanted without including ethnicity in his pitch?
Drafting white playets is not a thing. HOWEVER, and other guys with the dreaded inside sources, can probably back me up on this, after the Jail Blazer era Paul Allen has mandated character over almost anything. People may not believe it, but PA gets the love affair the fans have with the players. It's not a black vs white thing, it's an articulate relatable guy vs thug mentality guy.
Can we shut this thread down... it’s so rediculous and insulting. Basically calling Olshey a racist because we happen to have a couple more white guys than other teams. Neil is all about value... I don’t see any draft pick that was a reach at the time... Collins actually probably went lower than expected.
Those four don't count as they were obviously targeted for the sole purpose of killing @Mediocre Man .
This is silly. He drafted Aminu when he could've drafted Gordon. He targets players he thinks can help us. /thread.
That was in LA. We're talking about in Portland. Again, the premise/question isn't even whether it's a primary factor, simply whether the data suggests that it might be a contributory consideration. Like "positional need" when evaluating players on the same talent sphere.
