Larry Miller: Commited to Bringing A Championship To Portland?

In fact, why should Larry Miller do anything to kill the golden goose. The fabled legend of the richest man in the world bringing a championship to little ole Portland just keeps the money pouring in. With sell-out crowds and oodles of new season ticket buyers and cash rich corporate sponsors all pouring in the dough Larry Miller doesn’t need to do a thing. Just repeat the fable of the worlds richest owner and the championship and everything will be alright.

Meanwhile, in a place beyond the enchanted Rose Garden the story is a little different and the endings aren’t so happy. Miller should win this year’s PT Barnum award.

I have already contacted my customer service rep and told her that anything less than a trip the the conference finals (which we all know is unlikely), they can not count on me renewing my season tix. It’s a business decision. I urge every other season ticket holder to contact their service rep and let them know that we will not stand for mediocrity and complacency.

rash moves aren’t advisable in almost every situation, i could expound on how this pertains to business, sports, life, etc… but i’ll spare you :)

i’m quite encouraged by the “poker face” of the current mgmt, as opposed to the flamboyance of the KP era

there seems to be a lot of personnel analysis underway at the time, broy as iso captain of Nate’s second line seems to be the most logical strategical maneuver at this point

i’d rather see a 7-8 seed w/ the 18th draft pick, than a 39 win team w/ the 13th pick…

maybe “we” can get Sullinger…!

and while I agree that there are moves that need to be made to this roster, some people, and I am not pointing a finger at you, have unrealistic expectations about what is available. The classic “it takes two to tango”, that what can actually be had (at any price) is not going to get you where you need to go. Players that can influence championships cannot be bought or sold, and if a young player even has a whiff of that about them they will be so heavily guarded that any price is unreasonable.

That said, Portland management has kind of backed themselves into a hole. There is nothing they can do until a definitive answer is reached about Roy. Without a good deal where Roy goes to a contender I cannot imagine him being traded this season, a team and a manager cannot cold dump the franchise player without at least that long. I really don’t see a move that will take us into contention this year, but there also is no sure answer when trying to predict what will take us into contention in the future (as we Blazer fans have so painfully been made aware).

Here is my opinion. I know the term “first round fodder” has been coined, but in my belief if you can make the playoffs then you can hit a hot streak. Every shot at the playoffs is a shot at advancing through them, and to waste a chance at making the playoffs you have to be real sure the payoff is worth it – which at our stage watching lottery balls is not. Perhaps there are moves to be made, but they should not sacrifice a playoff series for some uncertain future. I pay for the team to be as competitive as possible, and that does not only mean 5 years from now, but it also means right now. I still believe this team can win a championship (with the right moves).

First off if a good move comes along you take it. Second if the plan is fire sale and total rebuild then wait until after the new CBA is finalized so we don’t back ourselves into another corner. The Blazers management still has to sell tickets… there will be no announcement of “hey were going to blow it up, suck for a while, then try and rebuild through the draft.”

Also this whole notion that PA doesn’t want to win a title is silly. The guy has spent over a billion dollars you don’t spend that kind of out of pocket cash with the intent of achieving mediocrity. Sure we have had some recent setbacks but look at the Whilst era…. that team was 1 quarter away from a title and that was one of the shortest rebuilds in NBA history. The Blazers have made some shrewd moves under PA’s tenure and he deserves some credit. I think if anything a lot of the recent struggles relate to the Blazer’s listening to the fans too much. I think the fans and the media really pressured them with their ticket dollars to resign Roy to that max deal. If anything that is their biggest fault. The Laker’s don’t listen to what the fans want they tell the fans what they want, they didn’t listened when the fans wanted Odom resigned now, they were patient and got a better deal. Hopefully the Blazers stop trying to appease the fans and get an internal vision and stick with it.