Tom Penn Honors Terry Porter

by Ben Golliver on Sep 30, 2008 8:39 PM PDT

I forgot to post this as promised on Monday. At the tail end of my chat with Tom Penn, I asked him about the Honor Terry Porter movement, and whether we as fans might see TP's jersey retired this year. Here's what Mr. Penn had to say.

Blazersedge: We've been trying to do a little campaign to Honor Terry Porter and hopefully lobby for his jersey retirement. Would you have a stance either in favor or against his jersey retirement?

I was not aware of that. A lobbying campaign?

Blazersedge: Well... we've reached out to various writers and fans and people who knew Terry and asked for their thoughts regarding his potential jersey retirement. Our goal is to see his jersey retired in the near future and I am seeking a statement from you whether or not 1) Mr. Porter is worthy of jersey retirement and 2) whether you have any plans in the near future to retire anyone's jersey?

I can't give you a direct opinion on that because I've not involved in that process or discussion but I can tell you Terry Porter was a hell of a player, a terrific NBA coach and an overall terrific ambassador for the NBA. He's a class act. I don't know him personally but I've always admired the way he played.

Blazersedge: Who is involved in the decision process?

Frankly I don't know.

Blazersedge: I would assume Mr. Allen has the final authority on that?

I don't even know if that's true. I honestly don't know. I was with a franchise [Memphis] where we never had a situation where we could retire a jersey and I'm relatively new here so I don't quite what our process is.

Hmmmmmm. Well. Hmmmmmmmmm. Not sure what to make of this. Perhaps this is just smokescreen?

Coincidentally, at the Practice Facility today I saw a great framed photo of TP30. It reminded me, once again, that Terry Porter's #30 should be hanging in the rafters.

Let's get it done, Blazers. We're past due on this.

-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)

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Jesus Ben,

Terry Porters awesome, Tom Penn sucks, same old same old for you Ben, you make me want to call you names!

"Mommy and Daddy are going to take a nap before the baseball game starts..."

by Devyn on Sep 30, 2008 9:02 PM PDT reply actions

At a way Ben

The Memphis comment cracked me up!

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 Sep 30, 2008 9:18 PM PDT reply actions

I take that response totally at face value.

Penn’s here as a capologist first and foremost, plus any other roster-and-contracts matters.
Jersey retirement wouldn’t be something he’d be in the mix for.

Try Sarah Mensah.
Or scour the rest of this list.
But this isn’t really a job for the purely basketball-ops people like Penn.

"Mister Oden is a very, very big human being." - Jerryd Bayless

by QualityPie on Sep 30, 2008 9:48 PM PDT reply actions

golub has told us....

“It’s a decision done by senior management on both the business and basketball side that ultimately our owner endorses. It’s a big decision.”

one would think that includes the assistant general manager at some point.

hopefully later this week we’ll have someone else who would be a part of this process weighing in on the matter.

BRANDON ROY GET WELL SOON

by Ben Golliver on Sep 30, 2008 10:07 PM PDT up reply actions

Maybe Penn would have reacted differently if you told him about Golub's answers

But from what he said I guess he would be neutral to positive when it comes to a decision. Why should he oppose the retirement if he admits he likes Porter but is fairly new with this franchise and doesn’t know anything about the retirement procedure here?

Did you have a chance to talk to Larry Miller about “Honor Terry Porter” yet?

We're young in age, but deep in experience - Brandon Roy.

by Norsktroll on Oct 1, 2008 2:59 AM PDT up reply actions

i was caught off guard

wasn’t expecting that at all and didn’t have that quote handy.

this is a process that doesn’t end until his jersey is up.

BRANDON ROY GET WELL SOON

by Ben Golliver on Oct 1, 2008 8:15 AM PDT up reply actions

Make it so number one.... (Ben-to Dave's Picard)

TP’s number should be retired, but I think Penn was the wrong person to approach about it – not his area.

There is probably no more terrible instance of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man — with human flesh.
Paul Muad'Dib - Dune (Frank Herbert)

My Translation: My Dad is a dude just like me, and my sons are dudes like me also. I love that.
Season Tix: Section 315, with my sons

by johnv59 on Sep 30, 2008 9:50 PM PDT reply actions

i take the message to everyone

BRANDON ROY GET WELL SOON

by Ben Golliver on Sep 30, 2008 10:05 PM PDT up reply actions

Yeah

There’s always the chance that Penn says to KP, “You know, I’m hearing that some of the fans think we should retire TP’s jersey,” and that helps get the ball rolling. It isn’t as if he’s a nobody in the organization.

The most amazing thing about my amazing ego is I have amazingly little about which to be egotistical.
The pick and roll this year will emphasize "roll" followed by "dunk", followed by the wailings and lamentations of your women.

by jscot on Oct 1, 2008 3:52 AM PDT up reply actions

true

good idea.

There is probably no more terrible instance of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man — with human flesh.
Paul Muad'Dib - Dune (Frank Herbert)

My Translation: My Dad is a dude just like me, and my sons are dudes like me also. I love that.
Season Tix: Section 315, with my sons

by johnv59 on Oct 1, 2008 6:37 PM PDT up reply actions