Paul Allen Talks Blazers Offseason

by Ben Golliver on Jun 9, 2009 4:20 PM PDT in News

Blazers Owner Paul Allen was on hand at the Practice Facility today to watch the draft prospects work out. He chatted with the media briefly after the workout was completed. Here's a brief video. Check your volume because there are some loud sneaker squeaks that could puncture an eardrum in the background.

A full workout recap will be coming later tonight, depending on how distracting Game 3 turns out to be.

Some cuts...

Looking at any particular positions: "It's more about depth and getting the best player."

On the finances: "You have to think very carefully about the tax... we have salary cap room this year, going up to that if we found the right player is something we would do."

Is the championship window open?... "Our guys are really progressing. 54 wins was an impressive record. The question is: how do we take the next step?"

On his own involvement on draft day: "I'm the guy that has to hold on to his wallet on draft day. I throw a few ideas out there and hopefully some of those make sense."

Allen also expressed his excitement at next season being right around the corner.

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

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Comments

I'll bet Paul Allen doesn't think we've made it yet.

But he has to be a lot happier now than he was five years ago.

by MiledAnimal on Jun 9, 2009 4:31 PM PDT reply actions

And a lot poorer :)

by Norsktroll on Jun 9, 2009 4:34 PM PDT up reply actions

One more bad contract to pay-off,

and then he will have a roster of cost-effective assets that actually produce results in Portland instead of Memphis or Boston or Houston or nowhere.

by MiledAnimal on Jun 9, 2009 4:37 PM PDT up reply actions

I hope so

I don’t like his “wallet” comment at all since I know he could be stingy in the past. I would also assume a lot of the emails he sends KP and Penn (reportedly about 1000 messages back and forth before the deadline) are regarding plans and players he has forgotten about and suggestions that would better fit in the trade drawer :)

by Norsktroll on Jun 9, 2009 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions

He's stingy when the team has no shot at the playoffs

but he’s willing to open the purse-strings for a player if it puts the team over the top.

by MiledAnimal on Jun 9, 2009 4:59 PM PDT up reply actions

I was more referring to his other ventures

I hope he is willing to still invest big in his #1 toy

by Norsktroll on Jun 9, 2009 5:01 PM PDT up reply actions

Icing on the cake

Based on Uncle Paul’s comments, all the ingredients for the cake (championship run) are in, now we just need to bake and add some icing, sit back and enjoy.

Tyler Hansbrough/Jeff Pendergraph/Brockman/Turiaf
Jeremy Pargo/Darren Collision/Nate Robinson

Would be some nice icing…

by Rip City Reign on Jun 9, 2009 4:56 PM PDT reply actions

The cake is a lie

by Norsktroll on Jun 9, 2009 5:00 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

Why? Given the success this far

why wouldn’t you assume we’d get better? Sure, we may not be a lock to win the championship, but you have to figure with more experience this team has a solid shot at the title in the years to come. I’m not saying it couldn’t get better, but this team as is would compete for a title if all they added was experience. Don’t you think?

I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich

by hobobob on Jun 9, 2009 5:20 PM PDT up reply actions

it's from the game portal

not about blazer cake

Come on you gotta listen unto me,
lay off that whiskey and let that cocaine be. ~Johnny Cash

by HurraKane212 on Jun 9, 2009 5:36 PM PDT up reply actions

Not really. Better yes, championship(s) no. And the window of opportunity to make sure we can is between now and the next deadline.

After that, hopefully extensions to Roy, LMA, maybe Blake and Travis kick in and we will never again have cap space with this group and only low draft picks and the MLE to operate with. Other teams are still better, other young teams improving as well because they can still build via the draft and with cap space. The time to put a noticeable distance between us and them is now.

KP and PA let the last deadline go by, which is a reasonable tactic thinking they had just got new players (back) to integrate and would gain cap space by letting Raef come off the books and the economic situation of other teams would continue to get worse. But in the next months they either have to make a move, or that opportunity is gone. And while the current group is strong that would be a mistake in my opinion with stronger teams still in contention, a totally unpredictable FA summer of 2010 and still fiercer competition in the West among up and coming teams than in the East. It’s not just me telling you this, also guys like Storyteller who know quite a bit more about the league and salary structures. If it would turn out that this group is not cutting it, that’s when you really would have to trade high value (say Rudy, Nic, Joel) to get any improvement in return.

That’s why any signals by PA that he is looking after his money is worrying. Reinsdorf and Sarver made that mistake thinking they had the right group together and/or not willing to spend in additional reinforcements. It’s also not spending the money for the sake of spending it, PA would be right to block that. But if KP brings him a move that he is absolutely convinced is very good yet that puts the Blazers above the cap and into the luxury tax in future years, that’s when he should be willing to do it.

by Norsktroll on Jun 9, 2009 5:45 PM PDT up reply actions

this is the only chance to upgrade and we have the assets to do so.

proud hinrichsheeple

by Cablinasian on Jun 9, 2009 5:48 PM PDT up reply actions

SOB LEAVE PAUL ALLEN ALONE!

The guy just lost $7.5 billion and that’s not enough for you. You won’t be happy until he’s working for Mark Cuban wiping up Josh Howard’s reefer-stained sweat puddles during Mavs games. I know $10.5 billion sounds like a lot, but Paul has 15 Blazer millionaires and an Octopus to feed.

by MiledAnimal on Jun 9, 2009 6:02 PM PDT up reply actions

It's nice to see that at least a few posters around here analyze things in a rational manner.

by AK1984 on Jun 9, 2009 10:31 PM PDT up reply actions

Rationality is a HUGE topic

And, that statement shows an unfamiliarity with its nuances. Before you criticize somebody, make sure you understand what you’re criticizing them for.

I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich

by hobobob on Jun 10, 2009 7:06 AM PDT up reply actions

Yes, they can get better, but you're so close to the deal-making scenario

perhaps you’re not seeing the potential of what we have at the moment. I don’t disagree with you that we could get better. PG and backup PF seem like big holes, but when I watch the finals this year, I can’t help but think we have the major elements of both teams on ours.

Whether or not we win a championship seems to depend more on the development of Oden, LMA, and our other rookies. Roy’s also likely to improve albeit at a slower rate now. If Oden doesn’t turn into a beast, where are we even if we make a solid deal? If LMA doesn’t improve, where are we? If they both improve to the players we can reasonable expect the to be, are they not good enough to challenge for a championship? If they reach the level we hope, and need them to, then we’re more solid than either team playing in the finals right now. Yes, that’s a large if, but that’s the contingent factor determining whether we get there or not. A solid PG isn’t going to turn us into champs, neither will a backup PF. We need those players to become a true big 3. If that doesn’t happen, what does it matter what we do this year?

I’m not saying you’re wrong, and there’s no need to enlist the names of others. You have plenty of respect from me. But, I sense a creeping nervousness in your argument that relates more to the potential of making a deal than it does to the potential of our team. From my perspective the players on the team right now are the ones that will get us there. They have work to do, and they are question marks. Whether or not they ever become what we hope is the question, not whether we can add another solid rotation player.

I do, however, agree that this is a fantastic opportunity to improve our chances. But, it’s not the opportunity that will give us the chance.

I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich

by hobobob on Jun 10, 2009 7:17 AM PDT up reply actions

I agree

The time is right. You have to be opportunitistic as well as wise. Having to make an impact deal in subsequent years may cut a heck of a lot closer to the bone than it will this offseason.

SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES. NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS.

by MrGrinch on Jun 10, 2009 7:43 AM PDT up reply actions

sitting on our hands would be a very bad move. Salary cap flexibility and assets should be used to upgrade.

proud hinrichsheeple

by Cablinasian on Jun 9, 2009 5:40 PM PDT up reply actions

It's so delicous and moist.

by teenagemutantninjabayless on Jun 9, 2009 6:09 PM PDT up reply actions

Trade the cake

by southern oregon on Jun 9, 2009 9:28 PM PDT up reply actions

Paul really wants to win

Neither the Blazers nor Seahawks have won him a title. He’ll do all he can to make it happen…

Proud member of Duck nation!

by skywaker9 on Jun 9, 2009 5:52 PM PDT reply actions

PA is all business in this interview

But I’ve seen him at the games, he gets geeked out just like the rest of us.

by Sabonis4Ever on Jun 9, 2009 6:16 PM PDT reply actions

I think I just had a completely different take on the wallet comment

It sounded like he was saying he had to hold on to his wallet to restrain himself, and that he was making kind of a joke about how he’s bought picks in the past, hence the little smile after the statement and talking about how he’s throwing ideas out there.

If he’s planning to be involved on draft day, like it sounds he is, I think that means he’s still itching to buy some picks off teams, which bodes well for his future willingness to spend.

by Royster on Jun 9, 2009 6:40 PM PDT reply actions

Could be, I briefly had that thought. But why does he talk about having to watch the luxury tax and the cap then?

by Norsktroll on Jun 9, 2009 6:46 PM PDT up reply actions

Seemed like a pretty boilerplate statement about finances

and mainly about its effect on the league and owners. It seemed like he indicated a willingness to spend on the right player. He did say willing to go up to the cap on the right guy, not necessarily the tax, so it might have been that he was saying it along the lines of that’s all we’re able to do this offseason.

Would I have preferred a Cuban-esque, “I’m going to keep dumping as much cash into this team as I can” statement? Yeah, but I think this was pretty innocuous as far as things he could have said.

by Royster on Jun 9, 2009 7:35 PM PDT up reply actions

He seemed a lot more concerned about chewing his gum to death.

by MiledAnimal on Jun 9, 2009 9:13 PM PDT up reply actions

No kidding!

"The match in Los Angeles is a good opportunity to begin to demonstrate that we want to make war." Rudy Fernández (translated)

by G_dubs on Jun 10, 2009 3:04 PM PDT up reply actions

As an owner, he wants to win a championship. As an owner, he wants to make a profit.

As an owner of a small market team, these two elements are often at cross purposes with each other. Is it any surprise that Paul has gazed out at the NBA horizon, looked at what San Antonio has acheived, and sought to emulate their methods?

Take our aggressive international scouting program. That’s a major win-win strategy. Not only have we been successful at bringing in quality players at a low cost (Batum, Fernandez) with opportunities to do more of the same in the future (Koponen? Freeland? Caspri????) there is the instant manufacturing of an international fanbase. If Koponen works out, what would we be looking at in Scandanavian jersey sales?

Allen was speaking cautiously, but he can’t be anything less than ecstatic about the quality of his current front office. KP hasn’t shown any signs of being a subscriber to the SPAM philosophy, and you know this only creates more trust in KP’s decision making. Of course Allen wants to spend as little as possible to realize a championship, but I have no doubt in my mind if KP called up and said “I’m about to make a killer deal, but I gotta have $12M over the next 3 years to make it happen” or somesuch, Paul will cut the check.

by conspirator5 on Jun 9, 2009 10:22 PM PDT up reply actions

My take is that he said he'd spend "up to the cap" and that's fine, because going over the cap isn't what it's about in the current moment...

That just means: hey, we’ve got room and we’re willing to use it.

He couldn’t drop $187M on free agents even if he wanted to — he could……… spend up to the cap.

Next year when Brandon and LMA extend, THEN the cap gets crunched.

"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal

by timbo on Jun 9, 2009 9:51 PM PDT reply actions