<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Is general manager John Nash next on the chopping block? On Wednesday, if you were listening carefully, the Blazers said one of the reasons they chose to fire Maurice Cheeks now is that they didn't want a lame duck hanging around. So, is Nash a lame duck? Because his contract, like that of Cheeks, runs out in July. And as it was with Cheeks, the Blazers have the option to either extend that contract or let Nash walk away. Also, right now, it feels as though there's some heavy front-office lifting that needs to be done in the early offseason. Included is Nick Van Exel's non-guaranteed contract, which could wisely end up being traded for a shooting guard. Also included is Derek Anderson's contract, which would ideally end up becoming a throw-in on that same trade. And there also is free agent Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who is a candidate to be signed, signed and traded, or allowed to walk away a free, happy man. As I said, heavy lifting. So, I cornered Nash. We sat alone. The tape recorder was running. And he talked. Has President Steve Patterson given Nash an extension? "No." Has he talked about one? "He touched a little bit on it in our talk on Wednesday. I'm not uncomfortable in any way, shape or form with that. We'll talk after the season." What kind of year has it been for Nash? "Difficult and disappointing. I'm disappointed that we didn't get to execute the trades we proposed." Was trying to get Vince Carter one of those trades? "You can draw your own conclusions." So, before we get too far along, let's keep score here. Nash didn't get a deal done. But he signed free agent Joel Przybilla. And he convinced owner Paul Allen that Sebastian Telfair was the right choice in the draft. In the same draft, Nash acquired Viktor Khryapa and drafted Sergei Monia. Then, he took Ha Seung Jin in the second round. "Ha could end up being our best pick in that draft," Nash said. Still keeping score, remember Nash gave Zach Randolph a six-year, $84 million extension. He also extended injury-prone Theo Ratliff and was the acting GM when the team gave that puzzling six-year, $48 million contract to Darius Miles. Those three extensions painted the franchise into a corner. And I would understand if you wished Nash gone today based solely on those second two extensions. They were poor form for a franchise that had so much flexibility and leverage on its side. But the whisper on the street is that each of those contract extension decisions was made by committee, with the blessing of Allen, which makes them bulletproof. W hat's the score on Nash? You decide. Because Patterson, reached on Thursday, said Nash's future will be decided at the end of the season. </div> Source
