Interim GM Chad Buchanan no longer a candidate

to become Blazers GM permanently.

Per the Twitters.

http://twitter.com/#!/BlazerFreeman

 

I was definitely not a fan of the draft. It's interesting, though, that this news would emerge during the lockout.

Ed O.

 

After nearly three months of uncertainty, the Trail Blazers have finally settled on one thing regarding their lingering search for a new general manager:

Interim GM Chad Buchanan is no longer a candidate for the job.

In a meeting Friday, Blazers president Larry Miller told Buchanan he is out of the running because Miller and team owner Paul Allen have decided they want to hire someone with GM experience or with extended service time as a “No. 2.” Buchanan, who has been with the Blazers for seven years, has never held a permanent NBA position higher than director of college scouting, a job he has maintained the past four seasons.

“They’d like someone with more experience — I totally understand that,” Buchanan said. “I wasn’t shocked.”

Buchanan will remain the Blazers’ interim GM indefinitely and he and Miller said they want the burgeoning 38-year old executive to remain with the organization no matter who is hired as GM. And although he won’t be Portland’s next GM, Buchanan will have an active role in the search.

During their meeting Friday, Buchanan recommended “a couple” candidates to Miller who he thought would make good hires. In turn, Miller picked Buchanan’s brain about a list of potential targets he has put together.

“The reality is that Chad has a bright future in the NBA and I think he will be a GM at some point,” Miller said. “We want Chad to have an active part in the search with us and be a part of helping us pick the right person for the job.”

The Blazers have been tight lipped and guarded about their pursuit of a new general manager since Rich Cho was unexpectedly fired May 23, and in a brief interview Wednesday night Miller remained vague. He refused to reveal whether any targets had been contacted and he would not say when interviews will begin — though he did acknowledge that no candidate has been interviewed to date.

Miller and Allen have deliberated about what they are looking for in a GM, but outside of saying they covet experience, Miller would not identify those characteristics.

Regardless, this much is clear: Buchanan did not meet the criteria, although Miller did tout his work. Buchanan led the Blazers through an active NBA draft in which they traded away guards Andre Miller and Rudy Fernandez, acquired point guard Raymond Felton and selected Duke guard Nolan Smith with their first-round pick. Buchanan also guided the management team’s decision to extend an $8.8 million qualifying offer to oft-injured center Greg Oden.

But — once the current NBA work stoppage ends — the Blazers will be faced with several franchise-defining decisions in the next couple of years, including what to do with the restricted free agent Oden and how to navigate looming free agent contracts with players like Felton, Gerald Wallace and Nicolas Batum. It’s a critical time for both the short-and long-term future of the Blazers and even Buchanan agrees the organization might be better suited with a more experienced guide.

“I didn’t go into this with the intention of trying to be the next GM,” Buchanan said. “I was asked to fill the role and I was more than willing to do it. It was a great experience for me and I’m honored they gave me the opportunity. I’ve been around this business long enough to know what teams are looking for at different stages of development. Where we’re at ... we’re trying to win a championship sooner rather than later and to hire someone with my experience is a risk. I understand that.”

And he says he will do whatever he can to help the Blazers find the right fit for a position that has seen controversial changeover the last two summers with the firings of Cho and Kevin Pritchard.

“I’m around these guys that will be candidates for the job,” Buchanan said. “I talk with them at games, sit next to them on planes when we’re traveling. I have a good feel for the organization and the team and I think I know what type of person can come in here and help us succeed. There are a couple individuals out there who I think would do a fantastic job.”

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2011/08/trail_blazers_gm_search_contin.html

 

I'd rather bring Trader Bob back.