Getting to centender status is what you need good ownership for in a market like Portland. Getting there with an absentee owner or an owner with other motives is going to take much longer, IMO.
I think your understanding is wrong in this case. I remember when Paul donated some money to a republican candidate and some wanted to boycott the Blazers over it.
Also Phil Knight puts most of his money into non profits that would be considered liberal by most. Backing that up is all of the money he donates to a public education institution that very much has liberal leanings in the University of Oregon... and then there's this: https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/phil-knight-donates-400-million-to-rebuild-albina/450360
I don't much care if Allen sells the Blazers to Phil Knight or not but I do know that she's not going to sell for the 2 billion that was supposedly offered. The franchise is worth far more than that.
It could be as my understanding is based on an editorial I read after Jody turned his offer down. Last election I read about his campaign donations and statewide he was supporting candidates that I didn't want near political office which triggered me again about who Phil is. I don't know the man but he made his career in Eugene but Eugene was liberal long before Phil was coaching there. I hope I'm wrong about him. I've sure bought his shoes over the decades. He makes kick ass sports arenas as well. In the world of sports Phil is a force, no doubt. I'm happy with Jody owning the team. Owners usually empower their GMs and enjoy the perks of being owners more than actually crunching numbers and sweating the trade market. Usually owners who are too hands on aren't actually basketball minds. They are usually just wealthy fans. Bill Maher bought a part of the Mets just for the parking spot and box seat....after a few board meetings he sold his stock as it started becoming work. I don't blame him.
Jody just built a G league team and renovated the Moda Center and the Practice Facility..I don't see that as "absentee" in my view she's shown a lot of initiative since Paul passed
If Cronin turns this roster into a playoff team do you want an owner that has never paid luxury tax, avoided it like the plague, and thrown away assets to duck it? Or do you want an owner that will spend some money to win, and possibly give the team a chance to contend.
It could be that Jody is more liberal than her brother. But both Paul and Phil have contributed to both sides of the aisle. A lot of people are liberal on social issues while being conservative on other issues.
She's smarter than that..with the injuries that we've had since she took over, no savvy business person would have gone into the tax and fact is, the guys we wanted and might have paid for didn't want to come here. Neil basically mined 2nd year draft picks that couldn't crack the rosters and old vets. Paul drafted all the guards...we've gotten bigger under Jody and starting turning around the team. I give her a lot of credit actually but I wouldn't think twice if she sold the team either. Players who would come here got paid well and still do...CJ, ET, Grant, etc...Ant
Paul died in 2018. Jody paid the tax in the '18-'19 season and in the '19-'20 season. She's already done it twice. https://www.spotrac.com/nba/tax/2018/ https://www.spotrac.com/nba/tax/2019/ But who needs facts when it goes against the narrative?
People love to use that, "It starts at the top", adage. Well, the Blazers are playing harder than any of the last2 or 3 coaches. She hired the coach. Good kids, hard working, respectful, and doing it right. What's not to like?
I'm not suggesting she is an absentee owner. But she certainly isn't an owner because she cared about being one before Paul Allen died. She has other motives.
Not sure if she ever had the personal resources to buy a team? I'm also skeptical of this 'she's only in it for the money' theory. Evidence? Maybe a more generous interpretation would be that she cares about the Blazers because Paul cared about the Blazers. barfo
She didn't come to any games when Paul was alive... Seems like a no brainer that she didn't care much until he died. At least, I've seen nothing that would lead me to think otherwise.
I don't know her and maybe she is just a money-grubbing weasel as you suggest. But it's also possible that while she was never a basketball fan herself, she cares about it now because Paul cared so much about it. If true, it certainly wouldn't be the first time someone inherited something and formed an attachment to it because it reminded them of their deceased loved one. Another possibility is that she's just doing her job as trustee, patiently waiting to maximize the sale price, as that will maximize the philanthropic impact. To me, that last option is vastly more dangerous than the first, as the highest price could come with a new address. barfo
When did I say she was a money grubbing weasel? Checking.... Nope. I didn't. All of those are reasons that I'd want her to sell to Phil Knight. None of them make me excited to have her as owner. And I still want Vulcan and Kolde away from the team, regardless of Jody.
