I haven't seen it mentioned yet so sorry if it has been: "Through conversations with NBA personnel, it was clear that Portland staffers were working under the assumption they would have two lottery picks at their disposal. The Blazers' interest in trading at least one of those picks to acquire Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant has been one of the worst-kept secrets in NBA circles. “That was a big deal to them,” said a Western Conference official. “The expectation was certainly, 'Once we get this pick, we'll turn it into someone. We'll overpay to get someone.'” "Without that Pelicans pick, it's uncertain if the Blazers have enough draft capital that they're willing to part with to appease Detroit. Early indications are that the Blazers have no desire to sacrifice their own selection, currently slated as the No. 6 pick, in trade conversations for Grant. Sacrificing the No. 11 pick would have been a much easier pill to swallow." (I sure hope that is true) and, talk of the Blazers being up for sale: "Who spearheads the Blazers' decision-making this summer is still of great interest around the NBA. Interim general manager Joe Cronin seems likely to hold the title on a full-time basis, according to multiple league sources with knowledge of the situation. He has been granted autonomy to hire assistant general managers and swing major deals, including parting with a franchise mainstay in McCollum. Some league figures believe Portland will eventually search for a president above Cronin on the organizational chart, just as the Philadelphia 76ers did with Daryl Morey supplanting general manager Elton Brand. But others with knowledge of the franchise have indicated that move may never come, or that Portland will at least wait until what's perceived to be an inevitable sale of the team, before adding an expensive executive atop its basketball operations." ------------------------------------------ "While league personnel have been on the lookout for a potential change in Blazers ownership, initial word suggested such a transition might not come until the NBA's new television deal begins in 2025. But since the conclusion of the regular season, several industry sources have pointed to this summer as the early beginning of Portland's exploration of the market for new ownership. League figures now expect a sale of the Blazers to be completed as soon as sometime in the next 18 months. Which begs the question: Just how motivated will Portland be to add talent around Lillard this offseason if failing to do so could eventually lead him to one day to request a trade—as rival teams surely still hope—and presumably diminish the franchise's overall value?" https://bleacherreport.com/articles...all-nba-play-in-tournament-winners-and-losers nothing really big-news or concrete. Informed speculation mostly.
I sure hope the Blazers don't trade their pick too. I am skeptical they will hold firm on that. Cronin seems likely to give into other GM's demands and overly anxious to close trades based on his activity, his moves prior to deadlines, his comments, and NBA reporting. A new owner ASAP would be great. Then hire for President/GM/VP/etc. Of course I'd prefer good hires, but just not making terrible hires would be a huge improvement. At the worst a franchise sale would be a lateral ownership move, but there is a much more likely chance ownership greatly improves. Financially for Jody it makes sense to just sell the team now, the 2025 TV revenue increases are going to be factored into the sale price of the franchise, so its not some huge benefit to wait years to sell. She might even get a larger price now if the the TV deal once signed is not quite guaranteed for as much as current estimations. If there is an actual contract it could be easier to nitpick the downsides, whereas right now the focus is on the potential for massive increases. I'd like to see Billups stay on as coach, at least while the Blazers are teaching young guys and have no chance at contending. He seems like a great teacher, speaker, and with all the other turmoil in management; a great face to the franchise. Eventually if the Blazers get contending talent on the roster I'm not certain Billups is the right choice (maybe he is maybe he isn't). But the team is so far away from that crossroad lets keep him here for now. Reminds me a little bit of Nate McMillian. Nate was great getting us past the jail Blazer/Telfair/Miles years to be respectable with Roy. I think Billups can at the least do the same.
I'd prefer not, many of us don't want to dive into huge threads so its better to have new threads with new reporting.
So the TLDR is this is a rudderless ship with no direction, and Joe is likely to be given the autonomy to use our pick on a middling-vet in some perceived “win now” move. Great.
I'm sure he has the autonomy to do that. However that would almost guarantee he will never get that autonomy again. Unless he's able to get surprising value in exchange for that pick.
Rudderless probably isn’t the right word. They know what they want to do. Whether you agree with it or not is a different thing. Also what they pay to achieve their vision
A few of us had brought up the possibility of hiring someone ABOVE Cronin for oversight. Good to see this idea mentioned by a national reporter. Gives legs to the Barry/Eversley names being thrown around, and something sorely needed after seeing this dumbass give up most of our team for just flexibility.
They also hired a PR person yesterday for the bball side. Apparently he's well respect around the league. https://twitter.com/RahsaanGethers
Okay but honestly no one is going to shittalk someone getting a new job no matter who it is. He's coming from Sacramento. Not sure that place has been the pinnacle of media relations over the past decade.
the guy running Blazers PR for a long ass time (Jim Taylor I believe) either quit or resigned/retired right around the time Cronin got the interim gig. There was some sorta opening. That they're hiring someone suggests they're not just sitting on their laurels at least. (gimme some sorta positive spin, man)
Well I mean if he wants to bring Sabonis up with him, say for someone not named Dame or Ant then I'm not gonna say no.
