The Kevin Pritchard Pendulum
by Dave on Jul 15, 2009 12:57 AM PDT
197 comments
One of the strong, ongoing themes of the summer is the fluctuation in the public perception of Blazers General Manager Kevin Pritchard. Even before he assumed his current position his name was whispered in awe among Blazer fans and much of the media. He made his bones in the Brandon Roy/LaMarcus Aldridge draft but he was retroactively credited with being the voice of righteousness even on predating issues. Pritchard wanted Chris Paul in the 2005 draft. Pritchard sold his stocks before the market plummeted in 2008. Pritchard told President Kennedy to take an alternate route in ‘63, argued against New Coke in ‘85, and strongly advised Will Ferrell to stop making movies after Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
In six short months the tide of public opinion has shifted. First the Blazers failed to make use of Raef LaFrentz's expiring contract at the 2009 trade deadline, leaving a trail of question marks floating in their wake. The response, both at large and from the organization, was "Wait for summer!" Now the summer of 2009 is halfway over and the Blazers appear to be hitting a mid-life crisis. Hedo Turkoglu walked away from their free-agent offer. Trade talks have fallen flat. The decisive move of the summer so far has been an offer for a reserve power forward that's likely to be matched by the other team. Now the whispers are growing. Kevin Pritchard has lost his mojo. Kevin Pritchard is overmatched outside of the draft. Kevin Pritchard is personally responsible for the swine flu, Bernie Madoff's accounting, Hamm's beer, and that nice lady from The Bachelor getting dumped.
Where does the truth lie? As usual, somewhere in the middle.
I will be the first person to tell you that there aren't many issues on which you can call KP to task. His moves have been sensible, if not impeccable. You've not read much criticism here during his tenure because not much was warranted. But that doesn't mean that this administration has been walking on water.
Frankly I've viewed the GM gloating of fellow Blazer fans with some distaste. There's no official scoreboard pitting General Managers against each other. On-court team results are the only measures that count. I wouldn't have minded if Randy Foye had worked out well in Minnesota. That wouldn't have made the Brandon Roy trade any less great for Portland. My sense of accomplishment as a fan wasn't dependent on Kevin Pritchard being the swashbuckling pirate of the NBA seas. That simply couldn't last.
Amidst the swagger there were missteps and growing pains, subtle but present nevertheless. The Blazers had early problems with communication, saying too much or saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. At times KP emulated Howard Dean's mistake before his Iowa supporters, playing to the local fan base at the cost of overall image. These would be followed by periods of near-total silence where he disappeared off the radar. There were no disasters. It just felt like someone learning their position, finding their comfort zone. In a way these signs of normalcy were comforting...a reminder that the progress was real and not just a bubble waiting to burst. Even with the great moves, Pritchard was human and not a deity.
We saw an overt example of clumsy communication from the team's administration in the all-too-public threatening e-mail sent out during the height of the Darius Miles crisis. Technically Larry Miller's name was on the missive but Pritchard said he had signed off on it and that the leadership group was in agreement. That gaffe brought up questions regarding buck stoppage which linger to this day and have re-surfaced in the discussion of Brandon Roy's contract negotiations. Along with often-stellar results has come a fair portion of confusion and chaos, hallmarks of Portland's administration since well before Pritchard assumed the central seat. We've gone to speculating whether KP is an all-knowing savant to speculating how much he's really in control of the franchise.
In the midst of this, having things go less-than-perfectly for the Blazers and Kevin Pritchard recently is not a huge shock. Dazzling moves aside, things haven't gone perfectly before this either. Everybody is going to have those bad breaks. Free agents are going to go elsewhere. Trades will fall apart. The surprise, if there is one, is that it's taken this long. But a team isn't marked by the lack of setbacks. (Anyone remember Shaq leaving L.A.? Tony Parker fighting with San Antonio management? Paul Pierce wanting out of Boston?) A team is marked by its response to those setbacks. We haven't seen enough of the Blazers' response to this summer's malaise to fairly judge, let alone crucify anyone for it.
I think our tendency to elevate and vilify our public figures comes in large part from our society and its consumption of entertainment. We tend to look past the facts, the odds, and the reality of our public figures and the situations they face. We aim for the "story". We seek the drama. We live vicariously through the highs and lows. "Some good and bad things happen to everyone and even the cleverest people misjudge sometimes" isn't near as thrilling as "This guy's an enchanted fairy genius!" and "This guy's a bumbling fool!" Our quest for heroes and villains finds targets far too easily and makes distinctions far too firmly. The constant ups and downs may make us feel more alive but it's awfully hard to build permanent, reasonable relationships upon that foundation.
I believe our media contributes to this phenomenon as well. Even our best writers find themselves searching for angles to make their reports more eye-catching and gripping. Television and radio folks will flat-out admit on-air that items of significance don't get marked unless there's a sufficiently entertaining story alongside of them. Sometimes less significant (or even less verifiable) matters get reported precisely because such a story is attached. We trade in vilification, sanctification, and flat-out titillation over clarification. We're offered a choice between extremes with no middle ground in which to consider our position.
Part of the equation here is that NBA officials, General Managers included, use the media (and by extension media consumers) for their own purposes just as the media use them. This isn't a clean game. But then again that's to everybody's advantage. How many times have you read, "An unnamed GM says that..." in analysis pieces? The "unnamed GM" gets his message out and perhaps hamstrings a competitor. The media member gets the rub from the quote and also adds spice to the story. The consumers get their thrill. Who loses? Nobody asks if the "unnamed source" is providing unvarnished truth or if there's another motive. Nobody asks if the GM could be simply a person like our GM, prone to seeing and using things to their advantage whether that matches reality or not. We don't need to ask. The "GM" attribution washes all sins and doubts away. The "unnamed" modifier prevents us from asking any questions even if we'd care to.
We've seen this play out nearly constantly in the media discussion of the Blazers this summer. How many potential moves have been leaked? How many apparent failures trumpeted? How many anonymous criticisms leveled? How often have we responded to these as if they were gospel truth when "unnamed GM" was our only link to the information?
As an example of how easily this goes down and how suspect it is, let me share this absolutely legit, yet anonymous, piece of information with you. I have it from two independent sources among the national media corps that much of the news and criticism attributed to the Blazers this year via "unnamed sources" has actually stemmed from Denver Nuggets GM Mark Warkentien. Naturally neither of these sources is willing to go on the record but they are in a position to know, every bit as much as every "unnamed GM" is in a position to know about the inner workings of the NBA.
Now, maybe Mr. Warkentien is a genius and has everything pegged as it is. Maybe Mr. Warkentien has lingering memories (of whatever kind) from his decade coming up the ranks in the Blazers' front office. Maybe Mr. Warkentien is looking at a division rival with whom he is competing directly and that colors his vision. We don't know...and that's the point. If more of us were aware of this kind of ill-kept secret it would put the information we're receiving in perspective as something to chew on, but not to swallow whole.
We, as readers and watchers, need to be smarter consumers of our media. We need to get beyond the entertainment and thrill and ask some appropriately skeptical questions. If we want our opinions and analysis to be legit we need to refuse to surf unless the ocean is really up. We need to eschew snap judgments and the constant pedestal elevation-wrecking ball cycle that our popular culture encourages us to employ with our public figures. Jumping at shadows is only fun for so long. Following saints and spitting on sinners gets old after a while too. Real, verifiable, understandable human texture is far more interesting and, for my money anyway, entertaining in the long run.
In the end "In KP we trust!" and "KP is an idiot!" both miss the mark by a long shot and always have. Kevin Pritchard is a very good GM. He knows basketball and he knows his staff. He's made, or contributed to, decisions which have brought this team from cellar-dweller status to fighting in the middle of the playoff pack. Kevin Pritchard is also going to make mistakes like any GM would. He's going to watch things happen beyond his control. Most of them he'll cope with. Some of them he won't be able to compensate for. That's sports for you. He's a person...a person who knows more about this sport than most of us could fathom, but a person nonetheless. No halo. No aura. No ability to make the impossible happen. But no matter what has happened recently the good of his tenure has far outweighed the bad. The balance of the evidence indicates that we're lucky to have this person at the helm.
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)
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So timely and well written
The sensationalism has been honed to a science by ESPN, in my view, and many have imitated.
Now we all have to stow our halos and daggers and actually wait (even through the Feb Trade deadline) before we can begin to assess this offseason? I am in agreement but it does hurt to wait.
by lee3022 on Jul 15, 2009 1:11 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I think it's fair to say
the off-season has not gone as planned for the Blazers so far. Part of that lies at the door of management. But part of it is also just “stuff that happens”. I’d say February would be the time we could definitively assess how the moves went. In the meantime I think we’re free to say, “This doesn’t appear to be going right” but we also have to say, “But there’s plenty of room to adjust yet so let’s see how light on their feet management is.”
—Dave
by Dave on Jul 15, 2009 1:14 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Finally
a sound article… just tired of all the rediculous comments for and against KP, he is human, or so he wants us to believe….
#10 Pryzbilla the Vanilla Gorilla
by Hookah_John on Jul 15, 2009 8:12 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You don't win every hand in poker and you shouldn't bet like you will
Player movement and acquisition is not a 1-way street. There are 29 other GMs all trying to come up with a winning hand. Yes KP has some extra “Paul Allen” poker chips, but many other teams have location, location, location.
A good GM isn’t going to hand over their best players just to “get er done”. Most fans have an extremely unrealistic expectation that KP will always be able to make the winning bet while holding a weak hand.
Sorry don’t work that way. I respect KP greatly for not giving up good future assets for a player that may or may not make the team more successful.
Look at some of the 2nd year players in Summer League this year. Anthony Randolph for example looks very improved. Shouldn’t we expect that the Blazers biggest improvement will come from Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez, Jerryd Bayless, and Nicolas Batum?
by ralphzillo on Jul 15, 2009 8:53 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well said.
It is often said that a player’s biggest improvement happens between their 1st and 2nd year. Should that hold true for the Blazers, they will be in good shape.
To me, the biggest challenge will again be the balance of playing time for the players at crowded positions.
by Rockjaw on Jul 15, 2009 10:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
To me..
the issue isn’t so much that the media has been inflating (or deflating) his image – I get that sensationalism’s a part of it and adjust my perceptions thusly.
The issue is that Portland is in unceasing on-the-cusp-of-some-big-transaction-ness, from the Raef ‘golden ticket’ to the annual draft day expectations to the last standing capspace retainers. Because of this, the Blazers have been linked to, referenced and rumored to be involved in just about every roster move imaginable for the last eight months.
For all of this, and its sickening ability to keep me refreshing various sports sites (chief among them this very one) on a daily basis, the lack of activity is quite a letdown.
It's = It Is
Its = Belongs to It
by 12sharks on Jul 15, 2009 1:13 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
And I think one of management's mistakes
was publicly building up this off-season. I have no problem with them considering it huge in their own private conversations. I have no problem with them getting giddy about it amongst themselves either. But when that starts leaking out before Move One has gone down you’re just asking for trouble. If nothing else you’ve put yourself in a worse bargaining position because you’ve admitted to everyone that you want it. I perceive this management group as having a weakness for exciting the fanbase and catering to the speculation. I don’t think that’s always wise. To be fair, we media folks are probably also grilling them more than we have any group in the Blazers’ history, so I guess some things are bound to leak out.
—Dave
by Dave on Jul 15, 2009 1:18 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I do agree that KP guaranteed a big move this summer but not when
Could all this be chess moves for the eventual checkmate that no one sees coming? There is still time to fulfill their tease.
by lee3022 on Jul 15, 2009 1:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
we really wanted Hedo. That much we know.
draft the stache
by Cablinasian on Jul 15, 2009 1:22 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Which only fed the anti-KP sentiment
Turkoglu was sufficiently flawed that second guessing was going to happen no matter what. It was the worst combination of “why did you want a flawed player” and “you failed to land even a flawed player”.
It was the perfect storm. A lot of us were ambivalent toward that move, but anyone that could see a fly in the ointment was suddenly smarter than KP, and wanted to tell the world about it.
by blacknoiseNW on Jul 15, 2009 9:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
that was definitely a big blow to KP’s immortality.
draft the stache
by Cablinasian on Jul 15, 2009 9:49 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I perceive this management group as having a weakness for exciting the fanbase and catering to the speculation.
I think you have to have a payoff – any payoff – for this to work.
If the team came out and explicitly said “look, we love this team, nobody’s leaving, we’re not trading Raef, we’re not signing any free agents, we’re just thrilled with who we already have” then I’d have happily disregarded 95% of the bogus rumors these past few months. Instead, there’s this “ooh, this is the big one” feeling to every gust of wind, and the management is sitting there with a palm frond.
When we see smoke and are encouraged to speculate fire, being left with only the former can be worse than neither by a long shot.
It's = It Is
Its = Belongs to It
by 12sharks on Jul 15, 2009 1:26 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
What is sad is that we all knew the "big one" wasn't going to be a FA
Turkoglu just doesn’t fit the bill, for me. I was expecting a big trade.
by blacknoiseNW on Jul 15, 2009 9:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Rec to Dave's comment
I agree that the public buildup by management to the summer of 2009 was asking for trouble. Yes, you need to give your fans something to point to. But the buildup seems only to have raised the expectations of fans to an unreasonable level. Some fans apparently won’t be pleased with the Blazers’ offseason moves unless they get both Chris Paul and Caron Butler.
by Storyteller on Jul 15, 2009 11:47 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Do they get labelled as uncommunicative, if they dont answer when grilled?
Damned if you do, and damned if you dont. The previous management was vilified because it distanced the media. The new management has taken an inclusive approach. Part of being included is experiencing the ups&downs that the management goes through. Now they are being criticized for their strategy. We got what we asked for, communication. Now would we rather be excluded?
I have not gone back to research the actual circumstances, and am going off of memory here. My recollection is that
publicly building up this off-seasonwas in response to a grilling over why the Blazers chose not to trade the RLEC at the last deadline. I wasn’t the media reporter that was present — did KP really guarantee a big move, or did he openly answer the question at hand and did the reporter sensationalize the answer? We crucified Hedo on third hand information — were we in the room?
I’m not going to join you to call it a “management mistake in publicly building up this off-season”:
— I dont have enough data to decide whether management built up the off-season or whether the media did.
— The media, not management, have focussed attention on our short window of flexibility because BRoy’s and LMA’s contract will hit our cap space net year.
I am glad that they communicate, and I would not do anything to discourage communication.
I would rather hear from management. Even though KP did not land Hedo, the choice to pursue Hedo and completely ignore Odom (even today) gives us great insight to brain trust’s plan. I for one am happy that they are being careful. Their attention to detail has already transformed the team and will continue to pay dividends.
I would rather hear from management. As Bedgers, we fomented ourselves into believing that PG and Backup PF were the first order of concern. We were all surprised by the Hedo (SF) pursuit when we have a plethora of budding and in demand SFs. It took us a while to wrap our heads around, buy off, and even get excited by this strategy (some never did). We are now on to PlanB (Millsap/backup PF). If it doesn’t come to pass, they will move to the next option. The brain trust has a plan, they are active. They are communicating, I am included, and I get to enjoy the off-season.
by FromAfar on Jul 15, 2009 12:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's almost like they learned nothing from the Comcast fiasco.
Dot the I’s and cross the T’s before you let the fat Turkish rapper sing.
2-4 the who
by 24thewho on Jul 15, 2009 12:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
twitter is a big problem with this as well. Now, Woj/Bucher/Stein can just write 140 characters and include no source at all.
draft the stache
by Cablinasian on Jul 15, 2009 1:18 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Taught my kids to consider the source
If the source is “Twit..” – enough said.
by lee3022 on Jul 15, 2009 1:29 AM PDT up reply actions 6 recs
or
you could see dave chappelle at pioneer square at one in the morning…unrec…
I have my P.h.D in unreliable hyperbole.
by Eat Politicians on Jul 15, 2009 2:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It occured to me that rookies in the NBA have a similar problem
At first the game is too fast for them and they often rush into plays without seeing them develop. We have not built a team up from scratch since the ’70’s and so this pace seems to be difficult to adjust to. The good moves take time and luck.
by lee3022 on Jul 15, 2009 1:18 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The way you embed logos
throughout this article makes it difficult to argue with anything you say. This is award-worthy writing. I hope you are around a long time.
by Illmatic88 on Jul 15, 2009 1:25 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
this might be a dumb question...
but what do you mean by “embed logos?”
sternocleidomastoid
by GoBlaze22 on Jul 15, 2009 1:35 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think he’s referring to “”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logos" target="new">logos"
draft the stache
by Cablinasian on Jul 15, 2009 1:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
And that, my friends,
is what Blazersedge is a one of a kind website. Dave, thank you for your analysis. We’re lucky, as fans, to have someone so even-keeled in things as you are providing perspectives for us. I don’t know how old you are, but you seem like the wise old uncle watching all his little nieces and nephews running around thinking the sky is falling. And after you’ve seen enough of this sound and fury (signifying nothing), you remind us all to take a deep breath, calm down, and enjoy the ride.
by Heathos33 on Jul 15, 2009 1:42 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
clarification:
“is WHY Blazersedge…”
by Heathos33 on Jul 15, 2009 1:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
In addition to Dave's excellent analysis
I think it is human nature to over-generalize and when little information is available, to overemphasize that little bit.
by austinpwnz on Jul 15, 2009 2:08 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Sorry: In KP I Still Trust
Kevin Pritchard has become more human to me. Before, I felt he was an untouchable home run king and major league pitcher. Ala Babe Ruth, don’tcha know. Now I have a more realistic view of his strengths and weaknesses.
KP is an incredible worker and leans on his strength: judging NBA talent. He is the scouts’ scout. In many ways, he was just the GM we needed when Allen hired him. It remains to be seen whether he can get together all of the skills needed to manage a team rising to the top, or manage a team so it stays at or near the top years down the road.
In a recent ESPN interview, Pritchard re-emphasized that he gets the best players he can and trusts that Nate can take the talent work, get the guys to play as an effective team.
KP seems to believe almost religiously in this model. I believe it works only so well. It leads to Sergio not getting playing time. It led to virtually wasting that pick for a few spots up the draft table and menat less court time for Bayless last year. It led to having three or four shooting guards (I put Bayless here until he can prove he’s a PG, and I lean toward putting Martell here, a role he would play for many teams), three or four SFs, no banger PF and a dearth of Nate-ready PGs.
Minnesota Fats always said the reason he made so much money betting on pool wasn’t because he was the best player (which he thought he was), but because he was the best judge of talent. He knew when to bet, how much he could spot a guy, and how much weight each player could give another.
If GMing was only betting on players, KP would be a hard GM to beat.
KP is young, he got us great people (Nate, Penn), and it seems like he is still learning. It is my hope and wish that he extends himself beyond his strengths and finds ways to make himself a better GM in those areas where he has not proven himself. If he signs Roy and Aldridge to win-win deals and pulls off that lop-sided trade of cap space for an upgrade or at least a major trading chip, I will be ready to start believing he has turned the corner and become the GM I have been dreaming of. (And I want a banger PF, and a brand new allstar PG, and a bike, and …) Until then, I gotta think our hopes are in good hands.
So … In KP I Still Trust. If less blindly than before.
[Maybe this could have been shorter. Maybe I am learning to pad my posts from Dave.]
by LaoTzu on Jul 15, 2009 2:18 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Well said with some caveats
The major problem people have, imo, is to insist that KP and Nate are not in harmony or that their long-range visionary plan fits neatly into the mold of other teams.
In truth we have been warned again and again by KP and Nate that the watchword is flexibility. Nate wants to force the opponents into matching up with him and not the reverse. To me this means efficiency on offense and defense however unconventionally it is achieved. If he puts more point on the board than the opponent it counts as a W and how he gets there is not the issue. KP wants to establish and maintain culture and sustained excellence while amassing the best talent within these parameters.
That said there is also a commitment to expend reasonable money on a core and a diversity of supporting players. This might mean there is a pressure on even the core players to play at market value. The excesses of the Whitsett era hang over the current era to avoid throwing money at needs. Consider the projected drop in luxury tax and salary cap next year by 10% or more. The economy is still declining and subsequent years of decline will surely force a decline in the economic reality for the league as well. In 5 years we may be faced with 100% of the salary cap in 3 players. Clearly this would be a broken model. So the commitment is to prudence in the process. This team loses more money every year than the likely combined income of most of the contributors and commentators of this board. SPAM is gone and prudence and stewardship is the governor on the moves made. What goes up must force something else to go down.
My point is we are not qualified to judge the moves of the management and coaching staff. We are hoping in continued growth and improvement and the final arbiter is wins and losses and ultimately championships. So I agree that I trust in KP (and Nate) because he knows more than me, is far better suited to parse that knowledge, and has every reason not to divulge the workings of the plans and its contingencies to me.
by lee3022 on Jul 15, 2009 12:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ah to be a fly on their wall!
Thank you for the reply. I shouldn’t care what people think of our GM. Scoreboard, baby!
by LaoTzu on Jul 15, 2009 11:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thank you Dave!
I have been sitting back being quiet through all of this and I am amazed with the amount of trash talk I have been seeing on the boards lately… towards our own team. “The Blazers” are not just the guys who get out on the court and play ball, it is the entire organization. In my opinion what happens off the court is also just as important as what happens on it.
Right now the Blazers are playing poker at a table with high rollers. We are all like that annoying person who isnt playing, but he wants to see what everyone has in their hands. So he walks around trying to sneak a peak at the hands in order to get a better grip on the game. However, the high rollers know how to hide their hands. Why does the creeper do this? Because he knows he cant play the game nearly as well as the people at the table. So he sits there, for the most part content, all the while theorizing he knows whats going on because he has been watching these players for so long. Does he get everything right with every hand? No. The high rollers are too good for that. But he does make some pretty decent guesses at times.
I see a big reason why things have not been going our way this off season is because the team we have now is a HUGE safety net to fall back on. KP is rightfully swinging for the fences knowing if he strikes out, he has a two solid base hitters and a DH coming up behind him with no outs and they are up by 4.
Let is bake.
"OK, it's going to rain tomorrow. And there is going to be a Greenpeace meeting and hippies are going to be protesting" ~ The Buffet of Goodness on Portland
by Blazer on Jul 15, 2009 2:19 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Let it bake!
I agree, we can swing for the fences with a core like this. Not only do we have a lot of assets but they are YOUNG (and mostly cheap) too. KP has something everyone wants and very little motivation to move it, isn’t that the position every team wants to be in? What would you have given to be in this position 5 years ago?
Honestly I’m kind of happy we are where we are; accumulating talent is good but I’d be concerned if we saw it flowing out as fast as it comes in. If we saw some guys move at the deadline, others during the draft, we’d be right back to square one and wondering why the hell KP and crew couldn’t sit on their hands for once.
It’s pretty simple for me: things were bad before, KP and crew took over and brought in a bunch of players I really like (and not just on the court) and now the future looks much brighter. Whether it’s genius or luck KP deserves credit for the rebuilding. He’s not perfect and I’m not always going to agree but hey, it could be a lot worse. Instead of losing out on TurkeyGlue we could have spent this summer debating a contract extension for Adam Morrison.
by JonathanPDX on Jul 15, 2009 3:23 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Truth.
On the face of it reading a piece on a sports blog that exposes the hook in the hype is absurd. If someone at the Oregonian did that I’d check the sky for flying pigs. Somehow I expect this here. I enjoyed watching the Blazers, but I have to admit, it’s this site that sucked me in. Thanks Dave.
by pxilpooshr on Jul 15, 2009 3:14 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Kevin Pritchard is still the man on stage
…there’s just a little feedback in the sound system.
Baylessedge - A Site by Bayless fans, for Bayless fans
by richardb on Jul 15, 2009 3:17 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Excellent post, Dave
Much of the negative stuff we’ve been reading about KP has been so tranparently biased—like the most recent attack piece by Wojo-whatisname over at Yahoo Sports. Clearly some GM’s in the league—and the media people whose ears they have—are targetting KP. And no wonder: the Blazers have rapidly become a threat to dominate the league. Brandon Roy, LMA, and Greg Oden, along with Rudy, Batum, et al? Anyone who doesn’t see what that young collection of talent could turn into is blind.
From here on out, resistance will be stiff, and no punches will be pulled. My own belief, in fact, is that much of KP’s stuggles the past few months have stemmed from the reluctance of competing GM’s to have any role in making the Blazers’ roster any more loaded than it already is. They’d rather deal with practically any franchise than the rising power of the NW.
In this sense, KP’s struggles aren’t of his own making. Rather, they’re the inevitable product of his success.
"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla
by hurryup09 on Jul 15, 2009 3:34 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Like Dave writes, it's likely somewhere in between success and failure tending strongly to the successful side
He has passed on more than one better draft pick while taking a few duds, so he was never the infallible draft master some fans made him out to be. He has likely passed on more than one trade that would have been beneficial. Still he made some incredibly crafty moves that landed players like LaMarcus, Roy and Rudy.
The decision to medically retire Miles against his intention to continue – so it was pretty clear he never wanted to retire even though that might have been the healthy thing to do – was the decision of the Blazers front office (or at least I assume Paul Allen’s investment vehicle asked them for advice what to do). The resulting e-mail once Miles made his comeback was likely not Pritchard’s idea and came from higher up, but it still put him in a bad light. That’s the almost inevitable error in judging a situation most people make every once in a while. Or they just have bad luck.
If there was a person who flipped coins, and they would land maybe 30 or more times on heads, and media would report on every coin flip, then soon people would come and say “look at this amazing coin flipper. He has some serious coin flipping skills nobody else has”. Even if then one would land on tail, people would still be in awe. “Yeah, but he had so many land on their head, his skills are still superior”. People like this exist. They have names like Warren Buffet. They do their homework, maybe harder than most of their peers, but in the end they have to be lucky. Just like even the best investment companies and brokers pass on more than one good investment opportunity in their career, in total they come out far on top if they stay consistent – and lucky. Pritchard rather stands in that tradition. His latest major coin flips are called Greg Oden and Jerryd Bayless. He also had coins land tails. But less than the average track record of his franchise and his peers, so he is still among the best coin flippers.
If you want to trade our spare parts for Devin Harris, I have three quarters I would like to trade for your dollar
by Norsktroll on Jul 15, 2009 3:57 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Somthing to ponder
I haven’t looked at all the numbers, but I wonder about fit in the drafting process.
Would some of those better players have been a better fit for other teams and would they have stagnated on ours?
Sergio would likely have been an incredible fit for the suns, and yet was poor for us. Allen wanted that pic, and on the surface it was an awesome pick, except that sergio didn’t fit. Yet, if he’d played elsewhere would we be lamenting that point guard opportunity?
Also, high level draft duds I’ll take issue with (i’d say bayless could qualify in a few years as a failure if he doesn’t pan out), but low level draft picks i take no issue with because they can be safe or they can be high risk depending on team needs.
"Fernandez, to my eyes, is the Blazer who walks that walk most comfortably. A lot of Portland's fans (egged on, dare I say, by their local broadcasters) lament things like how Ron Artest or Yao Ming get to hit Brandon Roy's arms.
But I suspect Fernandez sees all that and thinks: We get to hit arms! Cool!"
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-135/On-Playoff-Experience.html
by ratbastird on Jul 15, 2009 9:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
low level draft pick duds
or passing up players that suddenly explode. To clarify the point in my last paragraph.
"Fernandez, to my eyes, is the Blazer who walks that walk most comfortably. A lot of Portland's fans (egged on, dare I say, by their local broadcasters) lament things like how Ron Artest or Yao Ming get to hit Brandon Roy's arms.
But I suspect Fernandez sees all that and thinks: We get to hit arms! Cool!"
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-135/On-Playoff-Experience.html
by ratbastird on Jul 15, 2009 9:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Im sorry I disagree...
I don’t think any team as a personal problem with dealing with the Blazers. I think KP get emotionally attached to his players and is unwilling to part with a player that may some day come back to hurt us.
by blazerchamp on Jul 15, 2009 10:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The off-season noise is deafening
Too many journalists are manipulated by their unnamed sources into writing non-stories based on whatever piece of information they parcel out, whether it be truth or lie.
I worry whenever I read “unnamed sources”. I find it troubling that in order to discredit “unnamed sources”, Dave has cited “unnamed sources” to do so.
I trust you, Dave. Please use your powers for good, instead of evil.
by BlazerTag on Jul 15, 2009 3:43 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Amen
And believe me, the irony here was intentional. I hate that “unnamed sources” stuff. We use them as little as practical and I don’t think you’ll find a single incident of them being used to make a negative point about someone or undercut them. Mostly our “unnamed sourcework” consists of getting confirmation on facts that have been rumored but aren’t official yet.
I found myself wrestling with the issue in this piece. I wasn’t entirely comfortable, to tell you the truth, even though I had heard this with my own ears from reliable sources. (When I said “ill-kept secret” I wasn’t exaggerating. Apparently the folks involved are not discreet.) I hesitated because I would not be able to give you names and I believe names should always accompany such things. But in this particular case it did seem appropriate because it passes the smell test to the same level of much of the stuff that’s being reported about the Blazers and KP. Perhaps more. At least I have two people saying the same thing and not just one. It’s a goose-gander thing. Outside of this context, however, I find the practice distasteful.
Here’s how I believe it happens sometimes. I don’t say all the time because I believe there are plenty of responsible journalists and columnists out there…most of them even. A media member gets a highly-placed source. These are often hard to come by so there’s a tendency to use that source material to its full capability, not only to maximize its utility but to ride the prestige. The column or reports start taking on the flavor of that source. It makes you distinct. It gives you access to knowledge that others don’t have. It quickly becomes difficult to separate your view from the view of the source. You want the source to be right so your column will be right. You want the source to be a genius so you’ll look like a genius. So you start defending the source even when you’re not using it directly. The source HAS to be true otherwise your work is just so much fluff and hot air. Now the word of one, anonymous person of indistinct motivation is being assumed (and printed) as truth.
This is the exact same process as betting on a horse at the track. Before you put the money down you can analyze all of the horses. But as soon as you’ve staked a couple thousand on one of them then by gum that’s your horse, it’s going to win, and you’re not going to be convinced differently. The problem is that in anonymous source-land there’s seldom a definitive race to render an outcome.
I’m not saying we can’t read these articles. I’m not saying there’s no truth to them. I am saying that we should ask ourselves how much weight to put on a guy’s testimony on a particular horse when he already put money down on the race.
—Dave
by Dave on Jul 15, 2009 10:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
We can't separate the audience from the author. We can't separate the motive from the audience.
We, of course, must assume some responsibility as consumers (as others have pointed out in this thread). Distilling the issue down to its essential elements requires understanding the influence of the consumer in the Wal Mart (Internet) of sports information. Wal Mart might be cheaper and more convenient and have lots of stuff, but it doesn’t necessarily deliver more value because the quality is inferior. However, so long as we are buying and the seller is profiting, we won’t see a change in the basic business model.
by blacknoiseNW on Jul 15, 2009 10:53 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
FWIW - Blazer's edge is like the high-quality downtown boutique with high quality specialized goods
Whereas, ESPN and company are the Wal Mart’s
by blacknoiseNW on Jul 15, 2009 10:54 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
My problem is
that Wal-Mart has taken over the world. There are no mom-and-pop outlets for media anymore. There’s simply nowhere else to shop. Everybody seems to be assuming eyeballs on their work is the quid pro quo of the job and everything else comes after. Truth comes wrapped in a circus.
You can get some good stuff at Wal-Mart, but you’d better have a good eye for quality if you hope to do so. Just scooping everything off of the shelf willy-nilly is a poor practice.
—Dave
by Dave on Jul 15, 2009 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think it is also a case of cross polination too
If un-named GM starts bad mouthing our GM and then unnamed columnist reports it as fact and then 2nd media outlet reports that 1st Media Outlet is reporting it an so on and so forth…eventually everyone has the same story and it seems more believable because everyone is reporting the same thing and it it is hard to remember that it all came from the same place ….and that source had an ax to grind
"My avatar picture is of the favorite vehicle I ever owned" -Me
by 92wastheyear on Jul 15, 2009 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I seriously think Dave could singlehandedly start a Blazers rumor that would end up on SportsCenter...
It might be a fun scam to try sometime…
"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 Jul 15, 2009 12:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I seriously wonder if some of the trade rumours we heard....
….this summer were in fact derived from trade posts right on this site. Some of the Chicago ones I saw here first ……and then a couple days later I see them on ESPN from unconfirmed sources.
"My avatar picture is of the favorite vehicle I ever owned" -Me
by 92wastheyear on Jul 15, 2009 12:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
yup
I think i commented about that in one of the posts talking about rumor based on a post I’d seen a few days earlier.
Very likely you’re right.
"Fernandez, to my eyes, is the Blazer who walks that walk most comfortably. A lot of Portland's fans (egged on, dare I say, by their local broadcasters) lament things like how Ron Artest or Yao Ming get to hit Brandon Roy's arms.
But I suspect Fernandez sees all that and thinks: We get to hit arms! Cool!"
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-135/On-Playoff-Experience.html
by ratbastird on Jul 15, 2009 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That thought has also occurred to me. Often.
by pxilpooshr on Jul 15, 2009 4:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thank you for clarifying your position, Dave
I’m glad to see you feel the same way about “unn*med s*urces” as I do. The state of journalism in this country is dismal and sports journalism is the bottom rung.
I’m glad I can count on you, Dave. Don’t go changin’.
by BlazerTag on Jul 15, 2009 3:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
KP is a fanatic himself
The Kevin Pritchard phenomenon is simply part of the process. We enjoy it. First we build them up, then we tear them down. If we did not build them up, then we would not be able to enjoy tearing them down.
This is more about us than it is about him. KP is just a man trying to do his job. I salute him for trying to do it well. At the end of the day though, I am sure that he recognizes that this is also about having fun. It is sport and entertainment. One of the things that I would imagine keeps him sane in the midst of the insanity is the fact that he too is a fan.
by KINGofMACct on Jul 15, 2009 5:12 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
But perhaps its most intense fan
I wonder if he ever turns off his focus and intensity towards the team success?
by lee3022 on Jul 15, 2009 12:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I blame the fans
KP said over a year ago (sorry no link) that the cap space this summer was very important to Mr. Allen. No one seemed to care and freaked out when Raef wasn’t traded. KP made a fair trade to get Bayless and fans ridiculed Indiana for making the trade.
Basically, Blazers fans are zombie lemmings. They have an unquenchable thirst for KP to do something amazing and they’ll gladly go off the deep end following an unsubstantiated rumor.
"B Roy, ain't no basketball player really ever make me cry, makes me wanna meet you, touch your hand." tominhawaii
by tominhawaii on Jul 15, 2009 6:16 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
at least i don't bang my head
on the bottom of the pool
"Fernandez, to my eyes, is the Blazer who walks that walk most comfortably. A lot of Portland's fans (egged on, dare I say, by their local broadcasters) lament things like how Ron Artest or Yao Ming get to hit Brandon Roy's arms.
But I suspect Fernandez sees all that and thinks: We get to hit arms! Cool!"
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-135/On-Playoff-Experience.html
by ratbastird on Jul 15, 2009 9:40 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
One thing i've discovered
when i’m really in shape… i sink.
"Fernandez, to my eyes, is the Blazer who walks that walk most comfortably. A lot of Portland's fans (egged on, dare I say, by their local broadcasters) lament things like how Ron Artest or Yao Ming get to hit Brandon Roy's arms.
But I suspect Fernandez sees all that and thinks: We get to hit arms! Cool!"
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-135/On-Playoff-Experience.html
by ratbastird on Jul 15, 2009 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
"Zombie Lemmings"
Can I use that name for a band?
"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla
by hurryup09 on Jul 15, 2009 1:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I resent that all-encompassing "Blazers fans"
- we aren’t all lemmings. I know you know that – all one has to do is read comments in this thread. But I do it too – lump all Blazer fans into one tidy little pile. OK, untidy.
(And I just erased two attempts to delve deeper into this, but decided it’s more suited to a cold wintry day.) I’ll just settle for giving you a poke and say there are plenty of thinking rodents around here. I wouldn’t be here otherwise (and I’ll bet you wouldn’t either.)
"Portland's best years are still ahead. The Blazers aren't stalled yet. They have a ton of time left on the clock." - Dave, 06/29
by jorga on Jul 15, 2009 3:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
KP was never all-seeing and all-powerful
I can think of a few significant blunders over the past couple years. Most of these things are rumor-based, but seemingly for real:
1. Passed up trade for Devin Harris (reportedly).
2. Passed up trade for Mike Conley (reportedly).
3. Cut Shaun Livingston in training camp, who would easily have become our backup point guard judging by his time in OKC.
4. Harmed reputation by threatening the rest of the league.
5. May have harmed reputation by reneging on a draft-day deal with Charlotte in 2008. (Did this happen?)
#1, #2 and #3 are really just failure to predict the future of players who hadn’t really busted out yet.
- and #5, I feel like we might be seeing the reluctance of other teams to deal with KP now, and maybe these are factors. I don’t know, I’m not in the room — it’s just an intuition.
This summer? Not the end of the world, in my opinion. There weren’t a lot of great free agents out there, and there aren’t even a lot of great trades available. Hedo didn’t fill a need, and I’m glad he’s gone. McDyess would have been a great addition and should have been achievable — but if not signing a backup PF is the worst thing that happened, how bad is that, really? And the summer isn’t over — we still have to wait and see what other deals are out there. There are a few teams with too many point guards, and maybe something is still in the works. It’s much too early to evaluate KP right now.
The Brandon Roy flap is one of two things. Either 1. an offhand remark that wasn’t very serious and got blown out of proportion, or 2. an extremely uncharacteristic loss of class by a player who has got to know better. If he doesn’t understand the cap situation, he’s blind. If and when he re-signs, that’s going to be forgotten.
For now, KP needs to be exploring how to use that remaining cap space, and that’s what he’s doing, and you can hardly blame him. There are things that (in hindsight) he has done wrong, and I don’t think he’s a miracle worker, but he’s doing well to explore this summer’s limited opportunities. I’m still going to wait and see what happens next. What we should see between now and the trade deadline is some kind of deal with a team that’s desperate for cash or cap space, followed by re-signing Roy and Aldridge, and then everybody can just calm down.
Now is not the time to freak out. Dave will probably tell us when it’s time to freak out.
by Kaboomm on Jul 15, 2009 6:24 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Just how many of your points are real?
I believe that whenever you see the term “reportedly” associated with a statement, you should automatically discount it.
hakkaa päälle !
by timg56 on Jul 15, 2009 8:54 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
+92
"My avatar picture is of the favorite vehicle I ever owned" -Me
by 92wastheyear on Jul 15, 2009 8:58 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's a fair question -- what's your answer?
It is widely assumed around here that there were trade offers for Harris and Conley. Is that incorrect? Obviously, one problem with discussing or opinionating about Pritchard is that a lot of what he does comes out as reports, rumors, or doesn’t come out at all. We have to have some way of talking about the deals that didn’t happen.
by Kaboomm on Jul 15, 2009 11:26 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
just because there is a trade offer...
Would you have taken Devin Harris for Aldridge? If you don’t know the details then you can’t really say it would have been a good deal. Just because somebody offers you a decent player, the bid could be way too high.
by ralphzillo on Jul 15, 2009 11:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I do not agree that we "have" to have a way to talk about deals that don't happen.
But if people want to, that is their choice. What we don’t need is the criticism that gets pointed at the organization (or just at Pritchard) for not making said “deal”.
When we as fans hear that there “reportedly” was deal on the table, we should assume that maybe there was and maybe there wasn’t. And since it didn’t happen, it really doesn’t matter that much. We should also remember that without knowing the specific details of the deal, we cannot properly evaluate whether the team made a good decision or not in passing on it, or, for that matter, whether or not it was our team or the other guy that eventually said no.
hakkaa päälle !
by timg56 on Jul 15, 2009 12:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sorry but as I remember Shawn Livingston (#3) was not in training camp
He was given a workout by KP and Nate and staff and was declined an offer of any contract. Two points about Livingston:
1. KP has previously declined to take on players who are high risks to further damage their bodies. We know that is his rational for Darius Miles (however convenient it was to expedite culture change). Livingston’s knee has apparently sustained permanent damage to cause concern.
2. Livingston has not yet shown he is ready to contribute. Miami had him and he played in four games. OKC has used him for 8 games. If he works out, more power to him. OKC can afford to use him. Portland wants to win now.
3. Livingston on the roster at the 3rd PG spot is not what Livingston wants (he believes he is a starter) and he holds Bayless back if he plays. We have a young dynamic and sound PG developing already. The 3rd spot might be better used for a veteran PG who has playoff experience. Livingston has 12 playoff games as a Clipper but only 157 games total.
My point is that Livingston is not a failure of the Blazers for cutting him or even not offering him a contract.
by lee3022 on Jul 15, 2009 1:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think we sometimes forget the other side of the coin
We were told in the past that one of the major faults of the previous admin was that is it was too closed up, secretive, and paranoid. KP was lauded as a breath of fresh air when he came in. He spoke about the process and what was happening. He was praised in the press (local and more) for this and his succeses. When you say that he was playing to fan base or saying too much (or at the wrong time) it is because we basically demanded this because of the actions from the previous regime. First he was lauded for this and now he is being crushed for it. Fickle media….fickle fans. If he had not talked, Clownzano would told all about how paranoid and secretive these new guys were or “Meet the new boss,….same as the old boss”. Don’t be suprised if he (and the organization) becomes more and more closed mouthed in the future and we will start whining about how they never tell us anything.
"My avatar picture is of the favorite vehicle I ever owned" -Me
by 92wastheyear on Jul 15, 2009 6:33 AM PDT reply actions 2 recs
That's an awfully good point. +92.
Brandon Roy just destroyed everything in his path. There's your rational analysis -- Dave
Also: COMCAST SUCKS!
by TwoDeep on Jul 15, 2009 9:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fans have always been overly opinionated.
It is what it is…
Isn’t that why we yell from our couches at the “idiotic” and “poor” calls by the refs?
Or throw our hands in the air in disgust when Trout takes a shot that we don’t deem as necessary…
Or criticize the coach if he only plays Rex for 3 minutes…
Then when something surprisingly good happens, and we finish a season with 54 wins, all of the sudden, with all else aside, we are legit championship contenders? In our minds we can picture Kobe and Pao icing their ankles after practice sharing war stories and praying in multiple languages that they don’t have to face that young rip city revival crew.
It’s always been humorous to pull myself back and try to view the larger picture. Without fail I’ve noticed that we tear things waaaay lower than we should, and consequently build other situations up waaaay more than we should.
Because KP reps our squad on the administrative side, unfortunately he falls into that category. We can dissect it, point out the follies, or stabilize the situation – but in the end nothing will be proven. Fans have nothing better to do… and when we join a community like Blazersedge, we sit around at our computers and make guestimates about what is going on inside that office. Then we continue to stare at our monitors with our mouths unconsciously drooping open and chime in at our speculations. Our fire of biased opinions is fed by other posts and comments.
In all we are hot or cold. Those that we discuss are heroes or zeroes. There is no gray in SB Nation.
But what else could we be doing instead? Working?
by pdxer in dfw on Jul 15, 2009 6:44 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Bravo
“We trade in vilification, sanctification, and flat-out titillation over clarification.”
…
Bravo, my friend.
Rudyculize: The act of Rudy making others look slow, dim and generally oafish.
http://www.myspace.com/y5k
by Y5k on Jul 15, 2009 7:19 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
DAVE IS THE MAN!
Wait a minute… didn’t he try to sell that the Blazers were only going to win 47 games last season…?
DAVE IS A PUNK!
by MiledAnimal on Jul 15, 2009 7:23 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I think it was less than that actually
because I put the range about 48-52 and I remember Dave’s being greatly less than mine (which i’d toned down to attempt to be reasonable.)
"Fernandez, to my eyes, is the Blazer who walks that walk most comfortably. A lot of Portland's fans (egged on, dare I say, by their local broadcasters) lament things like how Ron Artest or Yao Ming get to hit Brandon Roy's arms.
But I suspect Fernandez sees all that and thinks: We get to hit arms! Cool!"
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-135/On-Playoff-Experience.html
by ratbastird on Jul 15, 2009 9:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hollinger predicted 44. Dave was at 46 or 47.
I picked 55. Just sayin’…
by MiledAnimal on Jul 16, 2009 6:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well Said
Why I even read about NBA basketball in the middle of summer is the real question? If a good deal was to be had, Kevin would have pulled the trigger. We were moribund. Now we are good. Lets be patient, because the more patient we are, the longer term the success around here will be. I don’t care if we don’t sign a free agent. We are bringing 9 back from a 54 win season, 4 of them essentially rookies last season. Other teams have gotten better, but they have much shorter windows for a championship than we do. Duncan-old. Shaq-old. Kobe-getting old. Dirk-old. Lets give our guys a chance to become one names guys.
by mactastic on Jul 15, 2009 7:39 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Well timed and excellent editorial
love the Warkentien subplot
Dunk
by Billy Ray Bates on Jul 15, 2009 7:49 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
KP is doing a great job. I don't know how the Blazers went from steadily getting better and a few years
away from contending for a title. Now everything has to happen now and we have to sign a big time free agent or the whole franchise is done.
Blazers don’t have to do anything but take a nice break and wait until training camp comes around.
by BRoyInThe4th on Jul 15, 2009 7:58 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
hence the problem
The universal sentiment is that change has to happen for progress to continue. Most consider a blockbuster FA signing or trade to be the proper vehicle for change. The realities were that no blockbuster FA was on the market, this offseason, and the Blazers don’t really have a need for a blockbuster trade.
by blacknoiseNW on Jul 15, 2009 9:40 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Why don't we just call it for what it really is? Jealousy
Rich owner, devoted fan base, and one of the best if not THE best young rosters in the league.
Other GM’s: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
I listened to the BFT for three minutes yesterday before I had to turn the channel and the topic was “Did the Blazers offend the Jazz by signing Millsap to an offer sheet? Do other NBA teams not like Portland?”
And all I could think about was are you kidding me? Why are Portlanders so desperate to be liked??? Do you think any other team in the NBA backs away from business deals because they don’t want to offend? What is this? Kindergarten? I’m still waiting for the lawsuit against the Grizzlies for signing Miles when they knew he couldn’t play. Hell, everyone in the league knows exactly what happened there. Where are the teams lining up to hate Memphis?? My God, give me a break. Canzano…..UGH
Blazer Fan
by leeroyjenkins on Jul 15, 2009 8:08 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I'm not feeling any desperation to be liked.
But then I figure that would be obvious.
hakkaa päälle !
by timg56 on Jul 15, 2009 8:58 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't buy the 'other GMs won't deal with Pritchard' argument
When people say other GMs are trying to freeze out Pritchard, I have a couple arguments against that. First it’s collusion, which is hard to do. GMs are going to act in their team’s best interest, whether it’s dumping salary or adding a piece that takes them to the next level. If Pritchard’s got that piece, and he’s willing to part with it, the other GM will deal.
I like what Dave is saying about the possible mistake of building up this off-season. Now other GMs know Portland’s position.
If anything, Portland and Pritchard might have to overpay or part with more talent in a trade. But you know what, that’s OK sometimes. When you need to buy a house and the market is high, you still buy the house.
"I didn't know I was going to score 52 so I didn't think to Tivo it or nothin." -B Roy
by Dodoh on Jul 15, 2009 8:13 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Baseball
The major league baseball union has successfully pushed the collusion argument against baseball owners several times.
by 7677maniac on Jul 15, 2009 9:25 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Phrase it this way
A bunch of GM’s are ticked at Pritchard for various personal level reasons. As such they’re less inclined to be amicable to a trade and have extra motivation to attempt to poison something if possible. Additionally if they can get almost the same deal elsewhere (it’s not as good but it’s decent) maybe they swing that deal to spite him because it’s just not worth the risk of a label “pritch slapped” or they just don’t want to give KP what he wants.
I have vendors that most things equal I use them. I have vendors that most things aren’t equal and I STILL use them because of the relationship and buying power that relationship gives me.
"Fernandez, to my eyes, is the Blazer who walks that walk most comfortably. A lot of Portland's fans (egged on, dare I say, by their local broadcasters) lament things like how Ron Artest or Yao Ming get to hit Brandon Roy's arms.
But I suspect Fernandez sees all that and thinks: We get to hit arms! Cool!"
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-135/On-Playoff-Experience.html
by ratbastird on Jul 15, 2009 9:28 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I still find it hard to buy into
a GM that would let “Pritch-slap” effect their thinking…….some fans (not even your fans) call you a mean name and you are going make decisions on your half billion dollar enterprise based on that? That would be the ultimate Pritchslapping in my book
"My avatar picture is of the favorite vehicle I ever owned" -Me
by 92wastheyear on Jul 15, 2009 11:48 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I buy it. The GM position is most easily replaced when fans want blood and things are not going well
Hence Kevin McHale is gone. Isiah Thomas is gone. John Paxson is still in Chicago perhaps because the vagaries of the lottery delivered him Derrick Rose. All of these had much greater problems than the deals they made with Portland but those dealings were certainly a spike nailed through them in the eyes of their fans (and ticket buyers).
by lee3022 on Jul 15, 2009 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yep....the deals!!
But worrying about being labled “Pritchslapped” is more than ridiculous IMO
"My avatar picture is of the favorite vehicle I ever owned" -Me
by 92wastheyear on Jul 15, 2009 2:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Coaches seem to be replaced at a far greater clip than GMs.
Else how could Elgin Baylor have stayed around so long? (Nothing personal, Elgin. I know Donald Sterling had you under some kind of mind control or had kidnapped your children.)
by MiledAnimal on Jul 16, 2009 6:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Look around at your coworkers
How many separate personal conflict from task oriented conflict? most internalize the personal and that comes out in how well they play with others in the sandbox. outside looking in it’s dumb because it affects the quality of work that can be done. Still happens, a lot. Happens more with people with big egos. Slight them and they’ll be looking for avenues to screw you over.
"Fernandez, to my eyes, is the Blazer who walks that walk most comfortably. A lot of Portland's fans (egged on, dare I say, by their local broadcasters) lament things like how Ron Artest or Yao Ming get to hit Brandon Roy's arms.
But I suspect Fernandez sees all that and thinks: We get to hit arms! Cool!"
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-135/On-Playoff-Experience.html
by ratbastird on Jul 15, 2009 2:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I see that in the rank and file ...sure
In the leadership positions they have better big picture thinking. And they are used to critizism and try to explain the decisions they make but in the end …..they make them with the best interests of business in mind.
"My avatar picture is of the favorite vehicle I ever owned" -Me
by 92wastheyear on Jul 15, 2009 2:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
TMI
Not from this story, but from everywhere. KP sneezes and the rumors begin. BRoy frowns and the rumors escalate. Oden flinches and people start pushing others off bridges. (No one jumps off anymore, after all, it’s not their fault!)
Journalism used to be about reporting the facts. Facts, not subjective observations. Facts, not speculation. Anything beyond a strict reportage of facts had to be labeled an “opinion piece.” I cringe whenever I read something based on the observation of “body language”. Is this person who sees Player Z with drooping shoulders well-trained in reading body language? In PZ’s body language? Does he know without question that the drooping shoulders were caused by an action from PZ’s team rather than something personal that PZ doesn’t want to talk about (maybe to protect a family member or something just too painful)? I see it all the time in Jason Quick’s writing. Not blatant, but adjectives that really reflect opinion rather than fact. You cannot write “a disheartened Player Q said” – unless Player Q has said right out that he is disheartened and you have quoted him.
We get opinions thrown at us from every side. I love it that lee3022 said he was teaching his kids about twit-facts. But if you have reached age 15 without learning how to sort all this information you are in trouble. (Until you have reached the age of unmitigated cynicism.) Blogs, comments on blogs, talk radio, social networks, tweets. Everyone feels it is important to get his opinion heard. A good many of these comments are anonymous – or at least hidden behind a username. They are not valid for forming our own opinions.
It is very difficult to find the truth in anything anymore – and I’m guessing that the majority of people don’t bother – and don’t care. We used to be able to depend on others (journalists?) to ferret out the truth. Now we have to sort through a dispiriting amount of stale, feces laden garbage to find facts.
Maybe I should change my title from TMI to TMO. Too Much Opinion, (Not Enough Information.)
"Portland's best years are still ahead. The Blazers aren't stalled yet. They have a ton of time left on the clock." - Dave, 06/29
by jorga on Jul 15, 2009 8:17 AM PDT reply actions 13 recs
Jorga, this is every bit as good a post as what Dave put up. Should be rec'd over & over.
hakkaa päälle !
by timg56 on Jul 15, 2009 9:00 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ideally, yes.
Yellow journalism has been around a long time because it sells.
"Fernandez, to my eyes, is the Blazer who walks that walk most comfortably. A lot of Portland's fans (egged on, dare I say, by their local broadcasters) lament things like how Ron Artest or Yao Ming get to hit Brandon Roy's arms.
But I suspect Fernandez sees all that and thinks: We get to hit arms! Cool!"
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-135/On-Playoff-Experience.html
by ratbastird on Jul 15, 2009 9:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's not just writers...
Whether it’s about Oden’s workout habit or reading into Roy’s interviews fans are guilty of reading into things to much and overreacting.
by blazerchamp on Jul 15, 2009 10:42 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nah, you're right, Jorga
I took journalism classes back in the day, and I have to wonder if these contemporary sportswriters passed Journalism 101. It’s pathetic what they’re doing; there’s no attempt at objectivity or substantiation. Professional standards are not only gone but forgotten.
Quick is actually a decent writer, and he seems to be a cool enough guy (unlike a certain cloying, pandering, bald-headed sportswriter.) But Quick insists on putting himself in the story. Terrible.
"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla
by hurryup09 on Jul 15, 2009 6:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Precisely!
Thank you jorga for your well-stated observation of Journalism’s demise.
I do remember when newspapers considered themselves papers of record and strived to separate facts from opinion. My Journalism professors at KU’s William Allen White School of Journalism would flunk any paper turned in which might resemble nearly any of Quick’s writings. (I later came to my senses at KU and became a CPA [smile]). In contrast Brian Hendrickson of The Columbian has been the sole voice of media objectivity. I will miss Mr Hendrickson, who has moved on to North Carolina.
by lee3022 on Jul 19, 2009 3:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks for being the Anti-Canzano
Dictated, not read. The management.
by Samsara on Jul 15, 2009 8:19 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Oh no you didn't
I’m a little upset that Hamm’s beer was put in the same category as Madoff and the swine flu. America’s classiest beer since 1865, born in the land of sky blue waters!
by ostateblazer on Jul 15, 2009 8:22 AM PDT reply actions 3 recs
I've never had any problem drinking Hamm's.
Unless you call that time I got cited for lewd and indecent exposure after pissing on the rear tire of a police cruiser a problem.
hakkaa päälle !
by timg56 on Jul 15, 2009 9:02 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Seriously, Dave
Don’t alienate your audience, haha!
But seriously, folks, I love Hamm’s.
Rudy, Rudy, Rudy,
Roy, Roy, Roy!
by joelor on Jul 15, 2009 12:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh, dear lord...........................
But seriously, folks, I love Hamm’s.
"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 Jul 15, 2009 12:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hamm's and PBR
The club soda of beer. – Elgin
Without you out there, we're nowhere here
by 22baylor on Jul 16, 2009 9:55 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's not surprising about Warkentien
I have read (no links….can’t remember where) that Warkentien continues to be upset at Portland and how he was treated in his last couple of years……that he was pushed out teh door in what was called a housecleaning.
It apparently still is a burr under his saddle.
"I'm a man, but I can change.....if I have to......I guess." - Red Green
by antediluvian on Jul 15, 2009 8:51 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Perhaps he was infected with the virus of the previous management?
If so is it going to spread from Denver now?
Our gain Denver’s loss then.
by lee3022 on Jul 19, 2009 3:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Amen Mr Deckerd.
Should be required reading.
hakkaa päälle !
by timg56 on Jul 15, 2009 9:03 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
bottom line is playoff success
The mistake Blazer fans have made with KP is they elevated him to greatness based on draft picks and collecting good guys. The problem is that everyone else (and deep down, most Blazer fans), judges a GM by how many championships and playoff success his teams have. People conveniently forget that the Whitsitt teams sold out and had huge ratings… it was only after they started losing that people got tired of the ‘jail blazers’ and rewrote history to the point in which they now say those players were an embarassment and it is all Whitsitt’s fault, as if the fans never rooted for Rasheed, Darius, Bonzi, or Damon.
KP shouldn’t be judged by getting BRoy, or trading Zach, or finding a potential SF or a veteran PG; he should be judged by how the Blazers do in the playoffs. This is how it is everywhere else, but in Portland, where fans are so insecure, they lowered the bar to the point where KP is “pritch-slapping” someone with his zero career playoff series wins.
Up to this point, he has proven nothing. In an environment in which fans constantly bitch about a player making too much money as a rookie, I find it interesting that everyone elevated KP to god status when his teams haven’t won one playoff series.
by explicator on Jul 15, 2009 9:06 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I disagree
Try any city that has been losing for a while and turn it around….you get this exact same reaction
"My avatar picture is of the favorite vehicle I ever owned" -Me
by 92wastheyear on Jul 15, 2009 11:54 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
that's my point
the Blazers have NOT turned it around… yet.
by explicator on Jul 15, 2009 1:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
When you turn a car around that's been going the wrong way a long time
…it takes a long time to get back.
We’ve turned it around. Now we need to sit back and stop asking “Are we there yet?”
"HA HA HA HA HA
I'm not laughing, I'm just listing the five ugliest Blazers ever."
- rockingharder
by jamon51 on Jul 15, 2009 1:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sure they have
no playoffs before……playoffs now. Are we at final destination?…no, but it has definately been turned around.
"My avatar picture is of the favorite vehicle I ever owned" -Me
by 92wastheyear on Jul 15, 2009 2:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
In KP I trust
i don’t think this statement is completely out of bounds.
I agree with just about everything you wrote, except this.
KP has made good decisions. His foundation of decision making that he’s shared is one I believe will be successful. The difference between myself and KP is that he has more experience AND he has more information. I may not agree with a decision he makes (turkey glue) but he also has more information than I do so I’m willing to wait to see what the next step is. Is it a trade? Will it show after a year that the acquired player was worth it?
So I do trust KP because he’s shown that his decisions are good ones or the best he can make. He doesn’t walk on water. he CAN be thwarted (as shown this summer).
It’s a small point, but one I think worth making as opposed to just simply dismissing “in KP I trust” statements. The trust has been earned, but the trust can also be lost. It has to constantly be renewed. As of yet I see no reason to toss it aside.
The point about the media feeding a fan base that loves the drama is well taken. Frankly those extreme reactions are driving me nuts. What if Brandon came back from injury and scored only 10 points a game for 15 games because he was still recovering? Would this fan base get behind booting him off the team and ignore what he can be once he’s healthy again?
Thank you for a sane voice. Thank you for pointing out that these stories can be full of pure BS delivered by people with motives.
"Fernandez, to my eyes, is the Blazer who walks that walk most comfortably. A lot of Portland's fans (egged on, dare I say, by their local broadcasters) lament things like how Ron Artest or Yao Ming get to hit Brandon Roy's arms.
But I suspect Fernandez sees all that and thinks: We get to hit arms! Cool!"
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-135/On-Playoff-Experience.html
by ratbastird on Jul 15, 2009 9:19 AM PDT reply actions 2 recs
Outstanding take on sports' coverage and consumption!
This is a shining example of the kind of complex and insightful coverage of the Blazers that I’ve come to expect regularly in the year or so I’ve been reading the Edge. Bravo, Dave! Although, as a 40-year Blazer fan, I’m certainly capable of succumbing to simplistic narratives that neatly divide the world into Good-Bad, Us-Them, etc., my better and rational self knows this view is crude, lazy and dehumanizing.
It is because you, Dave, usually, and so many other contributors, often, resist the easy, superficial story line that it is rewarding to return again and again to BEdge. Rec.
And that’s the truth.
by Trutherlizer on Jul 15, 2009 9:21 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Here's what I don't like....
Not that KP likes to be in the media (which he clearly does), not that KP seeks to use the media (which he must), but rather that KP may not be totally truthful in the media. No, stronger than that — that KP may be lying to us and stringing us along through the media for no good reason.
I STILL want the answer to the basic question of Baylessgate. When KP goes on the radio and says (paraphrase) “I talked to Jerryd yesterday and he was just back in Columbus working out with Greg and now Greg is going to come out west to work with Jerryd for a couple days — they made a pact to get better together and I sure am proud of them” and then later Jerryd says (paraphrase) “I never worked out with Greg, I don’t know where you’re coming up with that stuff,” well I want the answer.
I want to know — not to play gotcha, not for mindless summer entertainment — I want to know when the GM says something in public, can I trust that what he is saying is factual, or is he just spewing whatever random BS pops up in his head.
When he comes out in public and pretends that the free agent he is pursuing — Paul Millsap, a low post banger — is something that he is not — a player capable of playing SF — I want to know: does KP take the fans seriously, or does he just spew whatever might sound nice at the moment. Because nobody who has ever seen Paul Millsap play, not even the self-interested agent who made the ridiculous claim in the first place, believes Paul Millsap can play the 3. (Somebody on Bedge looked it up yesterday and he officially played TWO minutes at that spot last year, which represents some bizarre and fleeting situational substitution, I’m sure).
We might appreciate KP’s draft night acumen, but — CAN WE TRUST KP???
I really don’t know the answer at this point.
The golden glow began to fade for me when the thoroughly botched the handling of the Raef LaFrentz Expiring Contract (Darius Miles group stupidity aside). He hyped the trade asset and hyped the trade asset and hyped the trade asset and hyped the trade asset and then Paul Allen folded up the insurance check and put it in his wallet.
Which is fine. Just don’t pretend that “there were no deals out there to be made,” because there were.
Draft night this year was also quite a mess, but that’s probably no fault of his own.
Still: he’s a mortal as a sports executive and there is a HUGE question mark right now for me: can we trust the man when he speaks?
"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 Jul 15, 2009 9:22 AM PDT reply actions 2 recs
I'm totally with you
on the Bayless/Oden working out mystery/lie/mis-information…..and it should be explained to us.
The rest of your rant though……):
Brandon Roy just destroyed everything in his path. There's your rational analysis -- Dave
Also: COMCAST SUCKS!
by TwoDeep on Jul 15, 2009 9:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
why?
Why should he explain it to us? I don’t see a reason or a need to explain every word the man speaks. If our biggest complaint is about the “Baylessgate” I think were doing pretty good.
by blazerchamp on Jul 15, 2009 10:47 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bayless and Allen
…could just as easily be the culprits in those two examples…yet KP is the one you don’t trust. hmmm..ok
"My avatar picture is of the favorite vehicle I ever owned" -Me
by 92wastheyear on Jul 15, 2009 11:57 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Somebody is lying. I want the answer.
"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 Jul 15, 2009 12:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
so ask everyone
not just KP
"My avatar picture is of the favorite vehicle I ever owned" -Me
by 92wastheyear on Jul 15, 2009 2:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, the duplicitous doublespeak that may or may not be coming out of the Portland Trail Blazers ...
front office — regardless of whether its from upper managment types like VSE CEO Tod Leiweke, middle management types like GM Kevin Pritchard — is a matter of concern. Heck, if members of the basketball operations department and coaching staff won’t be forthcoming with the fans through the media — which is the crux of “Baylessgate,” as well as the nonsense about Paul Millsap being capable of playing at the 3 in Nate McMillan’s offense — then there’s no reason to trust them whatsoever.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
by AK1984 on Jul 15, 2009 4:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You seem to miss the key components here
1. The Bayless mystery has since been cleared up as Bayless has admitted to Ben that he lied (hindsight of course since you wrote this).
2. The use of media to promote the team’s goals is part of the reality of the business. As long as media run with rumors and promote them as fact from coast to coast the media is fair game to use to confuse the competition (other GM’s). KP’s job is not to inform us of his next moves but to acquire the best players (and coaches) in the optimal culture for the most reasonable costs. Any objective study of NBA history will tell us that KP has shot to the top of the heap in turning around a franchise in any sport, both is wins improvement and in community identification improvement.
3. The assessment of Paul Millsap appears to be based upon whatever you have gleaned from your own training and experience and yet you would discount the opinion of the professionals who have better resources and perhaps better training and experience in their field than we? I don’t understand the apparent rush to judgment.
To me this is not about trust. This is about observation and applause. We are not players (beyond buying our spectator tickets) but audience to be entertained. Would you call Shakespeare a liar because his plays have surprise twists in Act II to what he led the audience to believe when in Act I? I am enjoying the entertaining offseason. I hope we can all sit back and appreciate the results.
by lee3022 on Jul 19, 2009 4:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
So to summate
KP is not Jesus. KP is also not Gomer Pyle. KP is apparently good in the draft, learning how to communicate, fairly bad at free agent signing, and doesn’t plan ahead in the off season as a whole particularly well. He’s human, and he has strengths and weaknesses just like everyone else.
Coolio.
Sean May is still an awful 4th choice for back up PF.
OLP is the best thing Canada has given the world outside of maple syrup
by SuperDave on Jul 15, 2009 9:34 AM PDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs
Pretty good summary, but with one question unresolved: Is KP a lying non-Jesus-non-Gomer or a truthful one?
"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 Jul 15, 2009 9:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Tell us about Sean May.
Because going from David Lee or Brandon Bass or Paul Millsap — pick one, any one — to Sean May is not making me very happy right now…
"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 Jul 15, 2009 9:38 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Lee/Millsap are both starter types that would demand minutes in a short 3-man rotation
Bass/May are both backup types that preserve the existing frontline rotation (although Bass is significantly better, in my opinion). That said, May is a perfect candidate to turn around a career. It’s happened before, and can happen again. If it doesn’t happen, who cares?
by blacknoiseNW on Jul 15, 2009 9:46 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I missed the news
Did we make him an offer? I thought it was just a workout. Watching a stripper usually doesn’t end in a marriage proposal.
by ralphzillo on Jul 15, 2009 11:49 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
NOW you tell me!!!!!!!!!!!!
"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 Jul 15, 2009 12:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You still get to see the goods though.
And it only cost a dollar.
hakkaa päälle !
by timg56 on Jul 15, 2009 12:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
She's a beauty
a one in a million girl
why would I lie?
"My avatar picture is of the favorite vehicle I ever owned" -Me
by 92wastheyear on Jul 15, 2009 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Warkentien makes one good move
with a team doing a salary dump and suddenly he’s a genius. Woooo! You made it to the Eastern Conference finals! That’s the goal, isn’t it?
He’s a punk.
by Arby on Jul 15, 2009 9:56 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Very well done
Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.
by KP Corleone on Jul 15, 2009 9:59 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Slow news week, eh???
Are you a Mexi-CAN or a Mexi-CAN'T?
by raggmopp on Jul 15, 2009 10:03 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Often wondered
if half these trade rumors were sent by other team supporters
by prof.mike on Jul 15, 2009 10:10 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Andrew Bynum!?!?
Being in LA during the Summer of Kobe’s Discontent, I can attest to the fact that off-season turmoil does not necessarily lead to diminished on-court performance. All this Summer Madness soap opera nonsense will be forgotten once the winning starts again in the fall.
"It all depends on where his growth will come and we think his growth will come within us" -- Kevin Pritchard on Jerryd Bayless
by Jumbo on Jul 15, 2009 10:15 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Amazing post Dave......again.
I could block quote half of what you wrote, but for brevity sake, here is just one of my favorite lines:
Frankly I’ve viewed the GM gloating of fellow Blazer fans with some distaste. There’s no official scoreboard pitting General Managers against each other.
And you consistently make me LOL (truly) with stuff like this:
Pritchard told President Kennedy to take an alternate route in ‘63, argued against New Coke in ‘85,
How do you consistently come up with this stuff?
Has anyone ever told you that you have a remarkable writing talent? Probably constantly, but I mean in the last 10 minutes or so. Your knowledge, perception and analysis of NBA basketball isn’t bad at all but your writing ability is totally on another level. Over the years, I’ve seen many very well written posts from various Bedgers. There are some really good writers that frequent this site. But I doubt if any could maintain the consistent quality of your writings while matching the tremendous volume that you pump out.
I’m in awe.
Brandon Roy just destroyed everything in his path. There's your rational analysis -- Dave
Also: COMCAST SUCKS!
by TwoDeep on Jul 15, 2009 10:22 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Or just one who believes in giving credit where credit is due.
That was my father’s favorite adage and one I’ve always tried to subscribe to.
I don’t always agree with Dave’s basketball insights, but am always impressed with his abilities to express them.
Brandon Roy just destroyed everything in his path. There's your rational analysis -- Dave
Also: COMCAST SUCKS!
by TwoDeep on Jul 15, 2009 11:26 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Impressive
Dave I want to take a moment to say thank you for a job well done. This article does a fantastic job of describing what mainstream media does, and what money does to mainstream media. Dave, keep up the good work.
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life,(of the Blazers), (of KP's madness), of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity." - Albert Einstein
by BlazerandBeaverBELIEVER on Jul 15, 2009 10:35 AM PDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs
Just seen on SportsCenter
“Breaking news: Brett Favre is weeks away from making a decision…”
That’s sports media in 2009 for you.
If you want to trade our spare parts for Devin Harris, I have three quarters I would like to trade for your dollar
by Norsktroll on Jul 15, 2009 10:39 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
We've been laughing about this for an hour over here
We couldn’t figure out what was worse: That it’s “breaking news” when Farve’s going to make a decision in two weeks, or that it’s “breaking news” when they had already reported it in the previous hour’s Sportscenter.
Sports reporting is indeed a mess.
by Timmay! on Jul 15, 2009 11:05 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I tend to stay out of arguements over KP's performance
I think he’s done a masterful job in assembling a talented young roster from the ground up, going from worst team in the league to the bottom end of the top half of championship contenders. That cannot be denied, and for me is plenty of reason to be happy as a Blazer fan.
I’ve been amazed, and even shocked at times, by the venom that’s been spit by some fans this offseason. Just because KP hasn’t made the move they wanted, now he’s no good, a bust, a failure, he’s lost his mojo, etc.. The behavior is remeniscent (sp) of the bandwagon L*ker fans when LA lost to Boston, cursing every failure just because the team didn’t live up to expectations.
I do firmly believe in the slogan “In KP We Trust”. He has given me no reason to believe he’s no longer suited for his position. And to use some of the baseball analogies floating around in this thread, a Home Run King doesn’t hit a home run in every at-bat. Barry Bonds sure didn’t; Griffey doesn’t; Pay-Rod doesn’t either.
So let’s not give in to mindless accusations of epic failure by the GM who has done what we wanted him to: Make our team respectable again.
Blazers win!
by The X-man on Jul 15, 2009 11:01 AM PDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs
Niece piece
Man standing on toilet is high on pot.
by babar1 on Jul 15, 2009 11:09 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
KP is ....
… only a man. He is a man that knows what he is doing and it’s only natural for the fanbase to second guess decision makers. Even if we do nothing more this summer, I wouldn’t mind seeing the growth of this team with a summer league (JBAY) and another training camp together. Neither would KP, in my opinion.
With a smooth shooting starting five, with a second year of cohesiveness, I think that we’re division champs next year. I know our White unit would be a serious disability guarding every position but the 3 and 5, but, MAN, they would put up some numbers. TROUT, JBAY, RUDY, BATUM, and PRYZ. Especially if Sarge can take the reins off JBAY, and let him take it to the hole and shoot free throws. If JBAY could learn to use good shooters, like Trout and Rudy, then we could have the best reserves in the league.
I think that everyone else is afraid of this scenario, except me, KP, and Dave. Get with it Portland, let’s develop as many of these guys on the cheap as we can, then down the road, when we have to pay a fringe player (Rudy), we’ll have an owner willing to pay whoever comes back, a GM willing to pull the trigger (Not lately), and a City ready to win. Rip City!!
p.s. He shops at the farmers market, in khakis and flip-flops. He’s just a man.
by Chris-8ally on Jul 15, 2009 11:13 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
great job
This is why I keep coming back…
by ItsMrHarris2u on Jul 15, 2009 11:17 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Post on extremes, on hero to goat, on public opinion is an excellent topic.
Thank you, Dave for your thought provoking commentaries.
What does it say about our ourselves, that we allow Woj to influence our sentiments? How many media writers does it take to issue an edict? In the electronic age, have we coined the category of digital sports tabloid journalism? Do you really beleive everything that you read at the checkout counter?
We are judging effectiveness based on the commentaries of (a few) sportswriters. Thank heavens for the rule of law and that we are not judged by the courts of public sentiment — though the Salem Witch trials, the Spanish Inquisition and dare I say McCarthyism may be a few harsh reminders of public sentiment overrunning even the rule of law.
Contrary to Woj, my opinion is that making an offer to Hedo and not making an offer to Odom is evidence of a plan. It might not be Woj’s plan, but it is a plan.
If elements of the plan do not work does that make them ineffective? Not at all.
Effectiveness is assembling a championship team with constrained resources including
— enough playing time to make only about 9 players really effective
— very little practice time once the season starts
— big/fragile player egos
— realistically up to 3 max salaries
— salary cap flexibility to shuffle your supporting cast for the inevitable moments when your budding young player commands a 4th max contract and cannot be retained.
Effectiveness is not about whether any specific move comes to fruition. These moves so far, are only the publicly visible moves. There are surely many other attempted moves that have not panned out. It takes many, many moves to get to the final destination. Effectiveness is not judged on moves. All of these moves have consequences to cap-space of other teams — these might be intended or unintended (we might never know). But they are consequences. 6 months from now, when/if we pull off a blockbuster move, we might look back and realize that all these peripheral consequences were crucial to some other major ourcome (the butterfly effect?)
Effectiveness is making the right moves. Effectiveness is not about making a move just because free agents were available. KP (and the brain trust) should deservedly be commended for bringing in BRoy, not because they pulled off a trade, but because their talent evaluation system spotted his worth. Other teams have Tyrus Thomas, Shelden Williams and Adam Morrison instead of Brandon.
In KP we trust, to me means trusting in their plan, and in their talent evaluation system. JJ, Sergio, Petteri, Bayless are all at bats to find the right PG. I am not expecting every swing to drive in a run!
by FromAfar on Jul 15, 2009 12:12 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Not making any moves with glaring holes is NOT effective, however...
Effectiveness is making the right moves. Effectiveness is not about making a move just because free agents were available.
Bass or Millsap or Lee are all right moves. Lamar Odom is a right move.
KP struck out of the first and really was underwhelming in his effort for the second. (Compare and contrast the bid for Turk with the bid for Millsap).
"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 Jul 15, 2009 12:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
BTW: WHY is this board spinning to the top after every posted comment?
SBNation — never satisfied with leaving bad enough alone…
The game thread is officially untenable at this point.
"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 Jul 15, 2009 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
nothing has changed for me.
draft the stache
by Cablinasian on Jul 15, 2009 1:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Odom is debatable
If Millsap falls through, the only thing that would excite me about Odom is taking him from the Lakers.
by tominhawaii on Jul 15, 2009 1:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Odom is a really, really good player
He would make us a substantially better team.
by jksnake99 on Jul 15, 2009 1:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
so was sheed
and I loved his talent. I wasn’t necessarily bothered by the technicals. But throwing a towel in Sabonis’ face, and the CTC comments just didn’t seem like they tied the team together.
Maybe the brain trust is evaluating character or other facets in determining fit for the Blazers. [Many Bedgers were up in arms, because we passed on DeJuan Blair and now he is already sitting out games]. Maybe the brain trust knows what they are doing…
by FromAfar on Jul 15, 2009 1:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Odom's not a bad guy, not counting being a Laker
by tominhawaii on Jul 15, 2009 1:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
He is not a great guy either
"My avatar picture is of the favorite vehicle I ever owned" -Me
by 92wastheyear on Jul 15, 2009 2:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Odom A Great Guy
According to the L*kers blog Odom is the most liked of them all, with a great locker room presence.
by Original Blazer Fan on Jul 15, 2009 3:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
But he acts like a DB
tries to start fights with other teams (Blazers included). Doesn’t always work hard. Gripes about his role on his teams and gets traded alot (for some reason).
"My avatar picture is of the favorite vehicle I ever owned" -Me
by 92wastheyear on Jul 15, 2009 3:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
would Odom start??
I remember something last year about the L@ckers making him a sixth man and he thru a fit. Do you think Odom would sit on the bench with out chemistry problems for the Blazers?
by blazerchamp on Jul 15, 2009 1:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Odom would start at the 3, even though he's probobly more of a 4
He has enough experience at the 3 and perimeter skills to make it work.
by jksnake99 on Jul 15, 2009 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I will say this..
I do like the idea that Odom would be our enforcer. Someone to maybe bully or stand up for our team.
by blazerchamp on Jul 15, 2009 2:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
bad fit
Odom is not a 3 anymore. He’s too slow. While the popular opinion says he can guard perimeter players, that’s only laterally. If they drive on him, he usually gets beaten. Only on smaller guards (but ones that aren’t lightning fast) is he able to recover with his long arms and deflect shots. Bigger guards can get by him and finish.
On top of that, Odom’s 3 point shot is suspect at best. Not a shot I count on. Most Lakers fans had their hearts in their throats everytime he shot a 3, because it’s not his shot.
Just so ya know, outside of the 2 minute spurt in the Finals with Pau Gasol and Josh Powell, Lamar only played one game the whole regular season at SF, and it wasn’t with Pau and Bynum. It was for a little over 6 minutes with Josh Powell and Andrew Bynum.
Remember all the talk last offseason of the Lakers vaunted Big 3 of Bynum, Gasol, and Odom at the 3, 4, and 5 positions? Never happened. Not once.
"The problem actually is that PER is a extra-long, double high wagon load of horse crap." - timbo (7/3/09)
by tandur on Jul 15, 2009 3:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, I agree
And I would still rather watch Batum get those minutes for the next 3-5 years than Odom. If Webster can’t play, then I’m sure I’ll regret saying that.
by tominhawaii on Jul 15, 2009 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
We're telling the team that brought in Brandon Roy and LMA
what the right moves are?
All of a sudden we’re in possession of all the facts to determine that Odom is the right move; that Millsap as a backup should be on par with Hedo as a starter? We dont even know whether Millsap is a carefully designed sac-fly that least advances a runner, and might even reach the fence. Sorry, dont buy it. Dont think there is enough data (facts as a whole) to make pronouncements on specific moves.
by FromAfar on Jul 15, 2009 1:27 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Great Article
Such better writing in every possible way than John Canzano could ever hope to fake in his best moment. Dave is the reason that Blazer’s Edge is hands down the best place for Blazer news.
by odendidurmom on Jul 15, 2009 1:47 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
ROFL at Canguano
He’s bat-spit crazy. – Elgin
Without you out there, we're nowhere here
by 22baylor on Jul 15, 2009 3:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wow, how many general managers
are there for the Blazers? Seems like several here think they should work for them already.
Great example of the impatience of our era. Give them time to work out something positive for the team. We have great young guys who are going to get better for several more years. Doing nothing is a very viable option not to be unerrated.
Stu Inman: a soft-spoken, witty and brilliant basketball guy -- who had so much to do with Portland's only championship. He believed that you won with not just great players, but with great people. (D Jaynes 2-2-07 Portland Tribune)
by OrygunRod on Jul 15, 2009 1:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I am at this moment reminded of the lyrics of Maynard James Keenan
“I am just a worthless liar. I am just an imbecile.
I will only complicate you. Trust in me and fall as well.
I will find the center in you. I will chew it up and leave.
I will work to elevate you, just enough to bring you down.”
So in the spirit of the relentless cycle of the entertainment media…
“In Dave we trust! Canzano is an idiot!”
_
by conspirator5 on Jul 15, 2009 2:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I can't stand KP
he is failing this summer and going down hard
by Escrote on Jul 15, 2009 4:13 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
wait.... KP is the greatest he got us Roy and Aldridge
by Escrote on Jul 15, 2009 4:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
alright.... now I hate him again... why didn't he deal RLEC?
by Escrote on Jul 15, 2009 4:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
oh thats right... he was the one that wanted CP3... I guess he is a smart guy.
by Escrote on Jul 15, 2009 4:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
wait.... back to hating.... 36 million for a back-up PF?
by Escrote on Jul 15, 2009 4:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
well maybe he is alright... he did deal Z-Bo
by Escrote on Jul 15, 2009 4:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dark times
we live in. We have been warned about the corporatization of every aspect of American life. And yet because of the demands of career and family and our mental laziness, we stumble ahead anyway, unwilling to look at our own behavior in a broader context.
We fill our houses with plastic stuff from China, and then complain when the American economy tanks. We pump our kids full of sugar and cable TV, and then complain about the education system. We consume an increasingly degraded corporate media, and then are appalled when corporate media realizes it is cheaper and creates a more captive audience to air melodrama, than reportage.
I am grateful that there is some self-awareness here at BEdge. And there are some sharp and smart people posting here. And there is a seed of something pure in sport, even if it is crowded and squeezed on all sides by the profit motive. Nonetheless, this is rather pathetic.
by Blazin' on Jul 15, 2009 6:42 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
we must continue to insist on quality
and by that I mean, never ever listen to the MSP. – Elgin
Without you out there, we're nowhere here
by 22baylor on Jul 16, 2009 9:58 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Spot On
I am as big of Blazer fan as any but I have absolutely chagrined the past few years when my fellow fans utter things like Pritchslap, and the usual condescending terms toward other teams/GM’s. Pritchard is a good GM but when the league/Karma thinks you are getting too big for your britches a little humility is probably in order. I live in LA now and I absolutely HATE how Laker fans act like their team is the only one worthy of title consideration, which feels similar to me to how some Blazer fans have become over this past few years. We are better of being the “Little guy” than the bully, that’s Portland’s persona so lets go with it. I pray that we manage to snag someone that takes us over the top, but it is hard to say if we can\will do so. We do know the best have appeared to get better so we need to move now before we become a good but not great team. This is why the whole Hinrich thing drives me nuts. He is a good player, but I hardly think he will alone be the difference between first round exits and titles. We need to make a dramatic move, yes losing some talent along the way if we are to get the Golden Goose IMHO.
by ebnerblazer on Jul 15, 2009 8:58 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Can you pay players a percentage of the cap?
Wow. I feel like a Dave Ditto Head.. Amazing writing Dave.
I was thinking (among many other things your post inspired that are already discussed here), that the talk we’re hearing about negotations ‘dragging on’ with BRoy isn’t a media fabrication, but reality: Portland can’t offer 3 (or 4 or 5) players “max deals”, and continue Yankeeing over the cap. (It’s been proven by the Evil Empire that doesn’t work anyway,
So I suspect that our owner may have suggested to the team management that he’d like to win, but win generally within the parameters of the game he and all his billionaire friends are playing, and NOT, for once, bring out the big check trump card.
In other words, build the best team, and if you think we can win a championship you can exceed the cap short term, but don’t saddle my team with contracts that make me, perenially, 10’s of millions over the cap.
If this is anywhere near true, it makes me ask: does the CBA allow a team to pay players a percentage of the salary cap?
That would seem to be an easy way to (a) allow a team to remain solvent even if the cap is going down, (b) construct a consistently “105% of cap” team, or a consistently “95% of cap” team.. © enter into a dialogue with a player just about what % he should get… © allow a team to justify NOT giving three players 100% of the cap total, because you can’t possibly get enough talent 4-8 to win… and (d) create long-term league stability… which is why I believe you can’t do this now… maybe next CBA?
The Other Dave
by Visionary1 on Jul 15, 2009 11:07 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
You're a poet Dave (without respect to the other Dave who is ALSO a poet)
Example:
My sense of accomplishment as a fan wasn’t dependent on Kevin Pritchard being the swashbuckling pirate of the NBA seas. That simply couldn’t last.Personally I thought the whole Pritchslapped thing was funny, and pretty dumb. It reminds me the level that A’s fans have taken to defend Billy Beane when it’s somewhat clear he’s a middle of the road GM (if he’s still running the team which is another matter and not remotely connected to the Blazers; Also: Argh).
A team is marked by its response to those setbacks. We haven’t seen enough of the Blazers’ response to this summer’s malaise to fairly judge, let alone crucify anyone for it.
The Blazers have 3 building blocks in Oden, LMA and Roy. How could a young star feel there’s any room for him at this point? The Blazers striking out just means that they’re as susceptible to everything else that everyone else is.
The only thing I’m confused about, if at all really, is the Brandon Roy negotiations. Personally, I think the Blazers are trying too hard, and not letting things develop. I’ve said more than a few times (here and on my blog) that I think the Blazers are trying too hard. They should let their young talent (and gosh they have a lot of it) develop, move Outlaw and Blake because they have the least amount to offer long term, and moving both could help narrow the rotation down some while giving valuable minutes to Bayless to prove whether he’s worthy of them or not.
Mark Warkentien is a good GM, and he inheritated a mess from Kiki Vandeweigh. But, he knew that walking in what he was inheriting. Quite honestly, Warkentien MIGHT BE mad, but if he is, so what? Nobody, let alone a division rival, would be thrilled that a guy like Pritchard is in his division. He’s also a guy whose been used, as Dave has pointed out, from a PR perspective in Portland. That’s partly why I think KP is such an interesting figure. Can he step away now that his role is to watch Roy, Oden and LMA do their thing?
Kevin Pritchard is a good GM, and one of the best around. He’s proven to be talented in a good many ways doing everything in his power to improve the team. But, right now I would add, the idea that he’s failed is more than just a bit of overstating the issue’s. You can’t have 12 All-Stars all vying for time on a roster. NBA teams never have, and never will, work that way. The Blazers have those stars. (3 of them, and all bring unique things that the others don’t. They’re also young too.) That is unless you people disagree about Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden being those stars, and lord knows why anyone would disagree at this point (other than the injury factor which is always a problem), it seems the Blazers have a leg up on everyone else.
No GM is perfect, and holding that said person to the candle is important. Frankly, and I know this is my opinion, but I think too many people are being unrealistic about the situation that the Blazers are in. A Free Agent in 2009 will not deliver you a championship. All it is is overkill. (Similar to the Magic signing Gortat. There’s a huge difference between trying to leverage a potential asset into something valuable and doing it.) Roy and Oden’s good health will. How does signing a Free Agent who isn’t of their caliber as players going to help you win a ring? It doesn’t. The Blazers are on their way. Just enjoy the ride.
No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
by pookeyguru on Jul 17, 2009 8:26 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
You might want to save your message, pookeyguru,
so you can post it on Sactown Royalty when the Kings get to where we are.
by MiledAnimal on Jul 18, 2009 9:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
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