I'd find that argument much more compelling if they hadn't penned the Ratliff, Miles and Randolph contracts. They burned it all down, then went out and bought a shitload of new expensive dead wood. I guess you could argue they were hired to burn it all down, and Paul Allen made the mistake of not firing them soon enough after the scorching was complete. They were competent "burners", and lousy "builders".
What's done is done. At this point there's no reason to flame the Vulcans or try to figure out who is responsible for one move or another. I just hope they bring in someone who has some vision of how to get this team to a championship.
Ouch Paul's Sister is a in the "circle". That could be a major problem if Paul dies. Patterson obviously thinks Bert Kolde is a bafoon.
I agree, but I think at some point along the line the "& CO." part got dropped. KP's been riding on a lot of fan sentiment that everything he touched had turned to gold and that he was this massive wheeler dealer because of all the trades he'd orchestrated on draft day in 2006, well maybe he wasn't so much of a wheeler dealer after all, and maybe Chad Buchanan and Mike Born didn't get enough credit for the scouting they did. I liked KP, I thought he was a pretty good GM, but I'm glad the halo is maybe going to get knocked off of his head a little bit ... KP the fallible human being is whole lot more appealing to me than Saint Kev.
Patterson: - Stability leads to long-term success. But when you have other folks who weigh in on the decisions like people in Vulcan who don't live in the community and don't know sports business, it causes a lot of dysfunction in the organization. You need the GM and president to have a direct line to PA, which KP and Penn didn't at the end, which caused all this mess. - Warkentein has always lobbied to get back into Portland - In the loop in PA's circle are PA's sister, Hat man, Tod Leiweke, Warkentein and then it filters down to his accountants, etc. - PA isn't somebody who is uninvolved. His instincts are good and he does know a lot about players in the draft. But it's guys who aren't informed like Bert Kolde who have a big influence on PA, and try to make their own personnel decisions. - Patterson would've drafted Durant.
LOL, what a joke. "I would have favored Durant." Sure, your draft record of Telfair in 2004 and Webster in 2005 speaks for yourself, Steve.
Patterson: - Doctors tagged Miles' knees as having 18 months tops. - He was told to get the Miles' long-term deal done, even though he didn't want to.
Nash wanted Telfair and won out, and Webster was pure Allen who fell in love with him after a workout ... you keep forgetting that this is an organizational decision; there are factions that favor certain guys over others.
Steve Patterson..... "Its not my managements style to talk behind the Presidents back" Game Over TP and KP
I do tend to think he should have skipped over saying he'd take Durant (even if it was true) it's too easy to say that now.
Saying he would take Durant when 29 other BASKETBALL PEOPLE around the league would have taken Oden makes him look like a joke who loves playing the victim role.
Great interview. Hopefully they put it up on the 95.5 site soon. Tons of good stuff that Patterson just said. I don't know if all of it he said were true, but it sure makes for one hell of a conversation piece.
Possibly ... but there is no denying at the time that there was a certain sentiment that Oden had injury issues (his knees did get flagged in the predraft physical) and it's not like Oden was the slam dunk consensus pick amongst everyone, Simmons and Jonathan Givony were both on Durant over Oden. http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Durant-Eclipses-Oden-on-DraftExpress-Mock-Draft-1815/
