The Front Office Review

by Dave on May 5, 2008 11:54 PM PDT Comment 23 comments

We conclude our recap of this year’s team with a look at the front office. Since we already talked about Coach McMillan during our initial season review a couple weeks ago I’m going to define “front office” as coaching staff, basketball staff, and administrative staff all lumped together. By any measure all of these folks did a fantastic job this year.

Going back to last summer a wish-list of goals and priorities for the season might have looked something like this:

--Continue developing Brandon Roy and Lamarcus Aldridge as leaders and stars.

--Develop some of our other younger players and get some idea of who might stick.

--Don’t let the Oden injury submarine your season…win some games anyway.

--Continue developing the new Blazer culture and community relations.

--Make room for the cultural leaders to become team leaders as well.

--Improve the offense and defense.

--Acquire or develop some perimeter shooting.

--Figure out how to clear cap space to enable us to fill in missing pieces.

--Sell some tickets.

These goals range from the obvious (developing the stars) to the near-unimaginable (cap space, for one). Up and down the list the team managed almost all of them. You could quibble about the offensive development some. We did see better ball movement but we also saw far too many jumpers. I think you could also argue that as long as the Comcast deal prevents Oregonians from seeing the team on a regular basis there’s a gap in community relations. But those pale in comparison to the rabbits the coaches and office personnel were able to pull out of their hats:

--Brandon Roy was an All-Star in his second season and Lamarcus Aldridge has opposing teams drooling.

--We saw more advancement and consistency from Martell Webster and Travis Outlaw this year than we have their whole careers.

--The love affair between fans, media, and the team continues to grow. And this without Kevin Pritchard having to appear every second day to talk up the team. Various media outlets and fans themselves are starting to promote the team, which is the key to success in Portland.

--Our defense was markedly improved.

--Our perimeter shooting was better this year than it’s been in a decade. We got James Jones for a trade exception. Steve Blake had an incredible year from distance. All of a sudden our greatest offensive weakness is one of our strengths.

--Ticket sales are up and continue to rise.

Then you get the big-ripple items:

--The trade of Zach Randolph opened up this team on and off the court. Even with the near-mandate to let him go, giving up your leading scorer is a courageous move. It paid off big-time.

--The Randolph trade also opened up cap possibilities. But the contract of Darius Miles was a fly in the ointment. The fact that they managed to wriggle out of it goes down as a near-miracle.

--We won FORTY-ONE games! It’s in the nature of fans to inflate expectations for their own team. This shouldn’t blind us to the fact that there’s no way 41-41 should have happened. This team was led by two second-year players. The supporting cast was nearly as young and would not have been deemed strong or reliable by NBA standards. These were kids out there. The Western Conference was as tough as your grandma’s behind. With Oden’s injury this team had every reason to say, “Don’t hold us responsible for what happens this year. The real stuff comes later.” The national pundits who predicted a low-20’s winning total didn’t know the Blazers. (There’s a surprise, huh?) But most reasonable people would have told you anywhere north of 32 wins would have been decent. We obliterated that mark. In combination with everything else that made this one heck of a year.

I’m hard-pressed to think of one facet of the administration who shouldn’t be proud of this season, from the scouts to the GM to the coaches to the ticket and media relations staff. If you hadn’t seen such a pronounced turn-around in the last two years you’d be tempted to call this season “charmed”. The truth is they’re probably just that good. And right now they’re hitting on all cylinders.

Nicely done, folks.

Verdict:

Here’s what it feels like to be a Blazer fan right now. What more can you say?

Fan Feeling

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

3 recs | Comment 23 comments

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Wow

Pause the video during the first second and note the reaction. Then watch the transformation on his face. Hilarious. Thats one cute little rug rat. Ann is going to giggle just as hard as that baby when watching it.

Grade for the season: A+
Glad to be a season ticket holder.

by Sabonis4Ever on May 6, 2008 12:04 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

It feels great!

This team, by any measure, is doing fantastic work. A+ all around!

My grandmas are dead though, Dave. They don’t have functioning behinds. Nor are they tough.

by BlazerD on May 6, 2008 12:22 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

A++++++++++++++++++++

They are doing a great great great great job. None of this would be possible without having them knowing what’s going on. Great teams have great management, players always say it’s a business, well a business needs to have great executives and we do. With Allen, KP, and the rest of the crew following a detailed long term plan, we are guaranteed to be good for a long time.

by Jason3123 on May 6, 2008 6:41 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

A+++ Great season. Would root again.

Trade Freeland!

by rockingharder on May 6, 2008 10:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hey

My grandma’s behind is as soft as a baby’s.

by LaughingJon on May 6, 2008 7:35 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Mine Too

She’s made me rub Bag Balm on it for as long as I can remember.

"Show some respect to this living legend, this hall of famer...Arvydas Sabonis." - Bill Walton

by tominhawaii on May 6, 2008 12:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Speaking as a Dish 500 customer.....

The Comcast deal was a major black eye for the front office. Especially since it was the Blazer front office that was doing all the banner waveing and shouting from the rooftop of One Center Court about how great this would be for the fans at the start of the season. So I’m thinking that the people who are passing out A+++ grades are either Comcast customers, or live out of the area and have the NBA pass.

2-4 the who

by 24thewho on May 6, 2008 8:12 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Agree wholeheartedly

The Comcast contract’s failure to demand access for all of Oregon and SW Washington is still the ~~turd~~ stool floating in our soup. The rest of you who can either get Comcast or live outside the State and can get NBA League Pass can pay lip service to the problem but after trying to “watch” many games this year through the live comments and not seeing what is being remarked upon the divide is also with the experience on BE. Therefore is affects all BE’ers and we need to elevate this abomination until the Blazers get it fixed.

I received an email November 10, 2007 from Dick Vardega as quoted here:

Hi Lee,
Comcast has been able to accomplish satellite agreements in all the areas where they have regional sports networks and we are confident this will be the case as well. The Trail Blazers organization, as far as I know, has never said this is out of our hands. We have and continue to put pressure on Comcast to get these deals done. In business, there is always two sides to a story when entities are negotiating a deal. In the long run Comcast SportsNet is the best place for the Trail Blazers. With FSN being headquartered in Seattle, we were 3rd in line at best as far as exposure, marketing and promotion, following the Mariners, Seahawks, & in many instances the Univ. of Washington. Comcast is an all Oregon regional sports network. Do I believe a deal will be consemated? Yes, and hopefully it will be very soon. I apologize and sympathize with your frustration, but in the long run, Comcast is the best place for the Trail Blazers.

What has been the result? Zero progress! The Trail Blazers failed to realize that FOX Sports NW coverage did not block out NBA League pass. The games were not 3rd in line on DISH but were carried on an alternate channel and fully accessible there as well. We finish the year in the same quandry as we began the year. Until that is resolved an A++ turns into and F—. Great product that no one outside of the Metro area can see is not a great product here in Central Oregon. Bend Broadband has said several times they have no plans to contract with Comcast.

Aldridge said. "We feel like we can beat any team. We feel like we can beat the Spurs, Suns, Lakers, Mavericks, whoever any night right now, and we'll still be here when those teams get old and their guys retire. We're going to be here for a long time."

by lee3022 on May 6, 2008 11:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

great video

In KP and Coach Nate I trust.

The front office has a golden touch right now. It seems like KP has gotten the better part of every trade he has made. It is obvious they have a plan and they are sticking to it. Nate has developed our young talent very well (except for Sergio) and we are sitting pretty for years to come. I think the video says it all.

It will be very interesting to see what they do this offseason, if anything.

BTW: I’m enjoying my new gear I’ve got the oden t-shirt on now. Thanks Dave!!

THE Poobah of Prognostication

by CBASS on May 6, 2008 8:25 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

You guys who know how tough or soft your grandma's hiney is are scary

You wanna know what tough is? The back cover of the Western novel, “Lassiter,” says he’s “tough as a chuck wagon steak.” Now that’s tough!

by MiledAnimal on May 6, 2008 9:01 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

True enough

but I had a chuck wagon steak the other day that was as tender as my grandma’s behind.

by LaughingJon on May 6, 2008 10:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dude! You are eating wrong!

by lee3022 on May 6, 2008 11:45 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

the positives are obvious

the negatives:

Comcast. I don’t care for myself but it irks me that comcast is screwing with people because they can… and they’ve been allowed to by other fans instead of sticking up for them. I dropped comcast as my internet provider and stated why. It irks me that the front office would not have planned for this or taken care of their fans better.

Young talent. I feel that our “young” talent is getting playing time. We played to win, not develop. Specifically I’m referring to Sergio. Nate has a bias there. Sergio is a guy who needs to play, needs to be free, and needs to be given room for mistakes. Nate didn’t give him that. Sergio needs to be on another team where he’ll get some love and that matches his style of play.

Also… i expected 38-42 wins. Aldridge wasn’t tried as a starter, but the evidence was clear he’d be special after Zach left. I know the national guys were predicting low, but they didn’t know better. 32 was underrated, in my opinion. I would have been unhappy with less than 36 because that would mean what we have isn’t as special as we thought it was. Obviously I’m very pleased with 41

Here's to being hated. Come on #1 pick!

by ratbastird on May 6, 2008 12:05 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Let's put it this way

41 wins would have been seen as a clear step forward even WITH Greg Oden playing.

—Dave

by Dave on May 6, 2008 1:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rasta is just a overachiever

by Sabonis4Ever on May 6, 2008 2:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

A .500 season with Oden...

Would still be an impressive improvement.

If Sergio played more than he did, I doubt we win 41. He just wasn’t doing much out there. I completely agree with you though, he needs to run and be free to learn and make mistakes if he’s gonna fulfill his potential. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for us, the goals of Nate and the franchise became WINNING and developing along the way if it helps us win. Developing at the PG spot while developing LMA, Roy, Marty, Trout, just isn’t always feasible.

I’d rather have Blake’s average solidness holding down the fort and enabling the other 4 to be young and develop, as opposed to a developing PG holding the others back because the game becomes all about him… and that’s what happens when Sergio is rockin’. He has the ball, is running and dishing, and everything becomes Sergio. That’s good for a spark off the bench, but if you feel the other 4 are more important than it doesn’t leave much room for Sergio. Right now, at least.

He needs time, I think he’ll be decent, but I don’t mind them making him work more for the minutes. Having him at the PG spot would likely just hinder everyone else.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on May 6, 2008 3:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Comcast deal...

Sucked for those with no other options, for sure, but it made it so I could call DirecTV and yell at them for not making a deal and threatening to cancel my service when I had no such intentions. They responded by giving me NBA League Pass for HALF the normal price, plus free Showtime. Thank you, Comcast channel hold up!

So, I came out ahead since I’d get League Pass anyways. And if I win, all my fellow fans in Blazerlandia win.

This front office is the first one I can think of that has my complete and utter trust. I just know KP and Friends will make the right decisions, or at least come about the wrong ones logically and intelligently. Lucky for us, the most ‘wrongest’ decision was letting Ime go, and even then it opened up playing time for Marty and Trouty, which I’m all for. I suppose I didn’t worry about front office matters when Geoff Petrie was in charge, but as an adult this group is by far the most amazingest.

Just look at other teams in the lottery: who trusts their front office? Minny always screws it up, Clippers just luck into lottery picks, Mullin has either drafted poorly or signed bad contracts, etc and so forth. Fans just wait for their GMs to mess up, because they always do. We Portland fans have done a complete 360, then another 180 on our trust of our team executives and it makes for a lot less worry and dwelling.

You see it in every single thread about what we’re gonna do this summer: I trust KP.

I wouldn’t be for getting Kirk Hinrich after the year he had. He’s expensive and white. Oh, KP did the trade? He must be awesome. KP is always right.

This is the sort of relationship fans and teams dream of. We’re incredibly lucky, especially considering where we were just last season.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on May 6, 2008 2:55 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

The Comcast Deal...

This one puzzles me a great deal for a couple of reasons. I have heard from a reliable source that CSN is being offered to the other providers at about the same cost as FoxSports NW (which they all carry). This seems to me like a no brainer to me for the providers outside the metro area like Bend Broadband and Charter (and Charter is owned by Paul Allen himself….what’s up with that??). Comcast is committed to a huge contract with the Blazers and need to recoup that cost, of course, but I wonder what we are not hearing about. Also I hear mostly bashing of Comcast when it looks as though the other providers have at least as much responsiblity (if not more) for the Blazers not being a part of their offered services.

"Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors... and miss" Robert A. Heinlein

by 92wastheyear on May 7, 2008 10:46 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mortimer

I find it funny that you advertise your dishonesty, (probably comforting yourself with the whole corperation thing) and then espout the virtures of a trusting relationship with the front office and fans. You are definatly right about KP and company earning some fan respect, and your sinario is right on. They certainly have my trust. any move they make, and regardless of my privious opinion, I will immidiatly default to looking for the wisdom in there path. I will not argue, i will know that they have only the best intentions to win. Go Blazers!

In the NBA, on the other hand, the vast majority of NBA championships are won by teams led by a player who would be considered the best player in the league at the time, or among the top three players in the league at the time.

CP3+ODEN=DYNASTY

As the great Vonnegut said, more or less... "You are what you pretend to be, so you must be very careful what you pretend to be."

by timbo on Apr 29, 2008 7:33 AM PDT

by ptwnblzr on May 8, 2008 11:53 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I like saving money

It’s not really a “oh, they’re a corporation they can take my dishonesty”, I just like saving money and getting stuff for free. It makes me happy in my insides. I’d expect KP to do the same. My fiance expects me to get the best deal I can get, just like we expect KP to Pritchslap all the other GMs. If he steals a top draft pick because McHale is dumb, or if I use my loyal customership to garner a better deal for myself, it is all in the spirit of doing what’s best for the Blazers.

I was being lying-ish, but ain’t nuthin’ wrong with using a bargaining chip (my business) to get a better deal. I ain’t stealin’ cable or shop lifting from Fred Meyers, I called and got a better deal. Anyone can do it.

Getting NBA League Pass for half price is probably one of the crowning achievements of my life, and I don’t expect life (kids, career accomplishments, etc) to ever top it.

Honestly though, I was just being funny. The blackout for fans who have ZERO options really, really bugs me. The past season was the best in years, and every Blazer fan shoulda been able to watch it with minimal effort. “Luckily”, I live in LA and can just get League Pass. People in limbo, or who don’t want Comcast, couldn’t do that. That sucks.

Trusting a front office to do whatever they can to make the team better, with the best intentions, is different than expecting them to be 100% honest all the time. They’ll need to lie sometimes; to other GMs, to us the fans after the Steve Francis deal, etc. They can’t reveal their true goals all the time. They have a relationship now where we trust they’ll be honest enough with us, and do all they can do to make the team better. Lying or withholding information doesn’t make them dishonest.

Nor does it make me a bad person, which you are VIRULENTLY accusing me of being. Is KP bad? Of course not. I am truly KP-esque in my DirecTV dealings. I am a hero.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on May 9, 2008 11:22 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I love it when you pull out your cape.

"We comin along." Travis Outlaw

by annthefan on May 9, 2008 3:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

just realized you responded

I am a comission salesperson, deal with enormous amounts of dishonesty everyday from customers, coworkers, and management, and was just having a bad day. I am sorry. I had no buiseness pointing out anything youve done, witch is really quite commen anyway. I believe in rigourous honesty, but then my ideals far outpace my practice, and I’ve done much worse myself. I really enjoy your posts, and have sort of defaulted you into the same vain as bfan, ben, prizofdeath, ann,(when shes posting knowledge and not just being conversational) and dave. I havent been devoted to the great distraction as long as you and really learn alot from your conversations. Sorry again about being an ass. i am going to go look up that word you caps locked now.

On what was running through his mind when the first three numbers came up in the Blazers’ favor:
"I was getting pretty excited. ... We got pretty close, but you know, no cigar. ... But I was talking to (Assistant GM) Tom Penn and, you know, we don’t make luck our policy." Kaypee!

by ptwnblzr on May 21, 2008 9:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs