Yeah. Here you go. ——— A new figure has emerged to lead the Trail Blazers in the wake of owner Paul Allen’s passing: his sister, Jody Allen. The Athletic has learned that Ms. Allen has been decisive in ruling on a variety of major decisions for the team, which as of now, she has no intention of selling. “Nothing is for sale right now,” said Chris McGowan, the Blazers president and CEO of Vulcan Sports and Entertainment, which also includes the Seattle Seahawks. “We are operating business as usual and Neil and I are collaborating regularly with her on all major organizational decisions.” The Blazers were presented with a minor trade earlier this season, during which Ms. Allen gave the go-ahead, but the deal never materialized. That exercise sheds light on what some are calling a seamless and fluid hierarchy within the Blazers, which was in doubt when Allen passed away on Oct. 15 from complications from non-Hodgkins lymphoma. On Oct. 16, two days before the season opened, Olshey was asked what would happen if the Blazers were presented with a trade. “We will figure that out,” Olshey said. “Right now, our roster is set. We don’t have anything in the hopper. Obviously, before it was just an email to Paul and he kind of either ‘Yea or nayed’ things. Right now, we are just really trying to reconcile the loss of Paul. Whatever safeguards or whatever procedures are put into place, I mean, they will happen. “But if the phone rang today and it was a huge deal, believe me there is enough advocates for the Trail Blazers who want to see us do well, that it would get done.” The established line of power — which also includes Olshey and McGowan working with Bert Kolde, Allen’s right-hand man and director of the Blazers’ board — becomes even more important as Saturday marks the first red-letter date in the NBA season: the first day players who were signed in the summer can be traded. “Jody has empowered me and Neil to do our jobs,” McGowan said. “She makes the final decisions, but there has been no handcuffs … she has been a quick decision maker.” Both Olshey and Kolde declined to be interviewed for this story. Ms. Allen on Oct. 25 was named the executor and trustee of Allen’s estate, which includes the Blazers and Seahawks. McGowan said he has read reports and heard rumblings that Ms. Allen is not in favor of keeping the Blazers, but he said that is “crazy talk and speculation.” He said he shared with Ms. Allen a three-year business plan for the Blazers — a standard-operating practice — and added that the business of the Blazers is flourishing. “We have a three-year plan, and I work with Jody on all business related decisions and Neil on the basketball side,” McGowan said. When asked about trades, McGowan said it is business as usual. “Neil has a good process for that,” McGowan said. “Everything is moving forward positively.”
Olshey has a three year plan like a mechanic who keeps saying he "hasn't received the part for your car yet" and that he's "working on it."
And the people on this board are like auto enthusiasts who complain about new cars they could never afford.
Funny, just had an auto dealer call me up and ask to buy the car I just got. Apparently, they didn't make many and he wanted to upsell it some enthusiast. So
I know. They just said they were given permission to investigate the trade. Didn't say anything about the trade being completed by now. Its not unrealistic that they talked about it 2-3 weeks ago when the Melo news broke.
I wouldn’t consider a Melo trade “minor.” It’s much more likely it was a deal to open up a roster spot and included someone like Baldwin.
The key takeaway is that ownership won't be a hurdle (to an extent) to making moves. And this was a legitimate fear that I had. It goes back to Neil and his inability to get things done.
