http://www.nba.com/2015/news/featur...-lamarcus-aldridge-blazers-feature/index.html The twist of plot was beyond Neil Olshey's imagination. He used to be a professional actor. Then, in a change of careers, he became general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers. Now, as his best player threatens to leave Portland in free agency, Olshey's two worlds are uniting as never before. "When you go into a recruiting meeting, and you're sitting down with the player and his agent and you are talking about free agency, they are saying yes or no to you," Olshey says. "You are the voice in the room. So you have to be confident enough and willing to make yourself vulnerable. And you also have to be willing to go after things maybe people don't think are reasonable." On Wednesday at midnight he will embark upon a series of auditions, beginning with LaMarcus Aldridge, the unrestricted free agent who is the Blazers' best player. If he says no to Olshey, if Aldridge decides to move to the San Antonio Spurs or Dallas Mavericks or another franchise, then the show does not end there. The story for the Blazers will go on. Olshey will have to bend the narrative in a surprising new direction. There is no predicting how the next several weeks will be played out. All Olshey knows is that he and his staff will work together through the pages of their unwritten script. The secret to improvisation is preparation and rehearsal and teamwork. This is the story of his life. Click link for full story...
Lamarcus has been on two episodes of Portlandia so he and Olshey have this acting thing connection now
Certainly talking the talk. Nice article. Definitely reassuring to know that we have contingencies in place if LA decides to bolt. But the hurdles of drawing a max FA to POR are clear, and it's refreshing to see that Neil acknowledges that. I think if LA leaves, we see some big trades. Now he needs to walk the walk, let's see what he can do
