OT: David Kahn's penchant for all-things Trail Blazers

I'm sure all of you are aware of Kahn's ties to Portland - if I'm not mistaken he still lives there, as does his family. What many of you don't know is his strong loathing for the Blazers, namely Paul Allen.

Back in 2008 when Kahn was getting ready to bring a d-league team to Reno (The Bighorns), I had a chance to speak to him on a couple occasions. One particular instance was an NBA draft party at a local casino. He sat down at my table and we began to chat (my company was a big sponsor of the Bighorns and he was glad-handing the crowd). Given my love for the Blazers, I innocently asked him what were the chances the Bighorns could be affiliated with the Blazers (grabbing the affiliation from Boise). He laid into me, telling me he would NEVER do anything with the Blazers, and that they were a poorly-run organization. After he walked away, he came back about 20 minutes later and felt compelled to elaborate on why he felt the way he did. The first thing he said was how poor the Blazers were in communicating with the media (obviously stemming from his days at the Oregonian). I actually got the feeling he may have burned his media bridge with them and they simply tuned him out at the end. The conversation shifted from that to his general disdain for Paul Allen. Apparently, after Kahn left the Oregonian and had worked for the law firm that handled many pro sports, he tried numerous ways to become involved with the Blazers (silent partner, management, etc). I can't tell you PA's motiviation, but Kahn never got anywhere with the Blazers. If I had to guess, PA didn't trust Kahn from his days at the Oregonian, and also representing the NBA against teams and owners. The conversation began to wind down and I got the distinct impression Kahn would do anything in his power to undermine anything related to the Blazers. He never said that, but that's the impression I was left with.

My personal take on Kahn? Simply, he's not a very bright guy who's motivated by vendetta at any and all costs. He's a salesman. He's slick. He's slimy. He doesn't care about your opinion, and is narcissistic. Anyway, I haven't had any contact with him since he left Reno, other than a friend of mine who was a conditioning coach for Minny under Rambis. He would only confirm some of my suspicions, but agreed with my take on Kahn's personality.

 

The guy is a moron. He has no business running an NBA team.

 

I would take KingSpeed, BoomChakaLaka, or anybody else on this board who suggests outside the box ideas for improving the team over David Kahn.

 

I just think it's funny how first he was stockpiling point guards, and now he has a hankering for wing players.

 

Exactly. If he was running the Vikings they would probably have 5 kickers.

 

More like five QBs.... he'd trade for a bunch of first rounders and use them all on QBs.

 

What's the old say? If you can't beat them, become them? Kahn's idea of building a team is copying the only thing he knows - the Blazers.

 

Oh please... the guy probably knew Aldeman from his days covering the team. That was the easiest thing he ever did. Let's face it, if McHale hadn't drafted Love for him, his team would be complete shit.

 

I always thought he was a terrible basketball writer...I have no idea how that launched him into an NBA front office. Maybe it was his legal work?

 

It was the name. The owner is a huge Trekky.

 

He's lucky in that sense, but it's also a curse to follow a GM legend like McHale.

 

It seems like McHale was only good at drafting power forwards.... who'd a thunk it.

 

Me too. You never know what's behind the door of mystery...it could be Phil Jackson, a young Pat Riley and the ghost of Red Auerbach.

 

I still can't figure out how David Kahn placed 10th in NBA Executive of the Year.

 

He's a true believer in the "BPA" strategy. Hey, let's draft three PGs in the same draft, because they're the "BPA" on our board.

I just remember him being on the radio here when he was heading the Bring MLB to PDX farce. He'd ramble on with the host, and I'd wonder, why is this guy in charge of this, or is this just a phony resume enhancer for a guy out of a job?

Based on the failure of his efforts, I'm going with the latter.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. Nice little glimpse behind the man, they myth, the legend that is Kahn.