Damon Stoudemire wants to be Part Owner of Blazers

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The longest shot of Damon Stoudamire's career went up on Tuesday, when the entrepreneur point guard met with a petroleum tycoon and talked about what it would take to buy the Trail Blazers.

"I've learned in life not to shoot for little things," the Memphis guard said.

Stoudamire, out for the season with a ruptured patellar tendon, wants to be part of an NBA ownership group. So why not rescue the Blazers? Which is why the tight-lipped Stoudamire met with a Houston-based oilman, but wouldn't go beyond, "It's very, very early here."

Let's see. Paul Allen, whose executives met with top local and state officials in recent weeks and asked for a "public-private partnership," presumably wants out. Stoudamire, a Wilson High graduate, wants in. Look. If they need me to broker the deal, I'd be happy to meet them for lunch, where we'd be seated, handed menus, and then I'd immediately pound my fist on the table, rattling the silverware, and shout, "Done!"

An NBA spokesperson said it's not a conflict of interest for an active player to explore ownership opportunities. And Stoudamire, under contract for three more years with the Grizzlies, said, "Being an owner isn't a childhood dream, but as I've gotten older, I've thought a lot about it."

This isn't the first time a former Blazer has talked about ownership. Late in the 2003 season, Scottie Pippen left Allen a phone message explaining that he wanted to talk about staying with Portland in exchange for a small slice of the franchise.

Allen didn't return Pippen's call.

If this Stoudamire group fleshes itself out -- and it'll need about $500 million -- Allen should return the call. And Blazers fans should then begin shredding confetti for the ensuing parade up Broadway, celebrating the jolt of electricity that would immediately run through the fan base.

We're getting way ahead of ourselves here. Stoudamire says the petroleum tycoon has the resources to purchase the Portland franchise and buy the Rose Garden Arena from bondholders. That would give the group control of the lucrative revenue streams that Allen abandoned in bankruptcy. And maybe there's room for a handful of local limited partners as well.

Also, there's Stoudamire, 32, who signed that seven-year, $81 million contract with Portland in January 1999. He views himself as the "basketball guy" of an ownership group. </div>

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