Smith: Larry Miller Backs Kevin Pritchard
Via twitter, Brian T. Smith of The Columbian quotes Blazers President Larry Miller on the Tom Penn firing and whether the move might foreshadow potential job insecurity for Blazers General Manager Kevin Pritchard...
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Blazers president Miller said a senior management group made the decision to fire Penn. "It wasn't just folks in Seattle; there were folks from Portland as well."
"This was an incident that was specific to Tom Penn." Miller on perceived animosity toward Pritchard: "That is absolutely being dreamed up."
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If you were legitimately concerned about KP's job security, perhaps this helps calm your nerves.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter
Update (Friday, 10:36AM): Here's Smith's full story.
almost 2 years ago
Ben Golliver
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Ben you are the man
Thanks for the update man, I hope Kevins job is ok, GO Blazer!
Have Faith in the blazers and.. GO Blazers!
Literally 30 seconds ago I put a comment on another thread
…asking the question where the statement from the team was. If only I had refreshed the front page first! lol
"She turned me into a newt!
A newt?
...I got better."
Clownzano........
ANYTHING for ratings. Can’t wait until the top rated sports columnist gets a better offer.
Brian T Smith had some hypy type statements to make on the radio last night also. He seems to
be taking up where Canzano leaves off on the sensationalist style.
I agree that it is highly unlikely that the organization would tip it's hand before making the move.
They have probably heard from enough fans to know just which way the sentimental wind is blowing, I don’t think we’re going to be able to put this to rest until KP gets an actual extension.
"She turned me into a newt!
A newt?
...I got better."
I disagree, I expect them to equivocate if that is the case, not bald faced lie. Also, the refereence to "an incident" with Tom Penn
seems to make clear what a lot of folks were speculating. That something happened that both parties would prefer to keep off the record. There was no reason for Miller to refer to “an incident” if that were not the case.
For some reason, this has the ring of truth, to me.
the firing was the incident - no reference made to an incident that caused the firing
by blacknoiseNW on Mar 18, 2010 10:52 PM PDT up reply actions
unless you believe that Miller is full of doublespeak capacity and a conspirator
he is clearly referring to the dismissal.
by blacknoiseNW on Mar 19, 2010 1:10 AM PDT up reply actions
Definitely Duke!
I think it is absurd to think K.P.’s job is in jeopardy.
I blame the agent mostly for this garbage then Canzano for promoting what he had to know was B.S. He’ll do anything to have something new to talk and write about.
If this Blazer team doesn't light your fire, then your wood is wet!
why
does it seem so hard to believe that the only person fired committed a fireable offense or that Portland HR and Management were involved…why would it be hard to think that maybe Kevin was okay with this….at the end of the day as everyone keeps saying this is a business and sometimes people get fired….and usually the office is “a buzz” and some are happy and most move on about their business …and a replacement is hired…thank God it seems the team is not paying no never mind to this…and Nate seemed rather bored by it……yawn….GOD I CAN’T WAIT FOR TOMORROW’S GAME.
Portland Trail Blazers - where injuries and people come together"
Has there been any word from KP?
I’m curious how he feels about the firing… hopefully he didn’t rely to much on Penn’s abilities.
Free Mike Rice!
There is no official word from him, he’s reflecting that back to Miller and Miller’s bosses. Like with the Darius Miles email, such things get signed by the President. If you read between the lines, it seems doubtful that his own relationship with Penn has soured so fast and that Penn got fired on his recommendation.
Absolutley ridiculous
I mean just the fact it’s gotten people talking here on this site about it. I’m bout ready to stop going to oregonlive.com/blazers on account of Canzano period. Jesus, can’t they make Cazano only Oregonlive Insider like they do with John Hollinger’s articles on ESPN?
God you think Penn was like the architect of the Bill Walton championship team that’s been with the Blazers since day one.
Seriously as much as I appreciate Quick’s informative articles so sick of this. There’s a certain point where you have to draw the line, the only difference between Canzano and a message board troll is a paycheck. If the Blazerfandom here wants to flex its muscles on something it should be to boycott Canzano.
by neutroticblazerfan on Mar 18, 2010 9:31 PM PDT reply actions
The reaction is less about Penn and more about the speculation surrounding Pritchard.
Frankly I don’t have a problem with the firing of Penn. I just find it odd that the organization didn’t come out with a statement about KP’s job security immediately after the journalists started to theorize the worst and immediately after Penn and KP’s agent made a statement his to Canzano.
They couldn’t have really been oblivious to that until this evening.
"She turned me into a newt!
A newt?
...I got better."
That's a bad precedent
they’d be responding to Canzano or Quick conjecture daily.
Why would anyone assume KP’s job was in jeopardy? It’s not like he and Penn are siamese twins, or that they came in together as a package, or that one was a subordinate of the other. The only thing they have in common is they both work(ed) for the Blazers and they have the same agent. One’s a lawyer, the other a basketball guy.
FWIW, I never knew what Tom Penn looked like until this debacle. Hehe, if I was the kind of person that judged someone by how they look, I’d say he kind of looks like a jerk.
Former criminal defense lawyers are NEVER jerks.
Quote 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
now it all makes sense...
“Tom, I thought I asked you to get a new haircut!”
“Forget it, Larry, I like this look!”
“I knew it! I knew it since I first saw you – you’re a jerk! You’re fired!”
Sounds like a philosophical difference to me!
I'm not so sure they would have to respond to Canzano, that's not the issue that needed to be addressed.
KP’s agent was the one who really fueled the fire with his comments, which according to reports earned a call from the Vulcans to confirm the quote he gave Canzano. I think they ultimately decided they couldn’t let the speculation from someone who is generally seen by the public to be on the inside of things – Agents sometimes know more about what’s going on than the person they’re representing does – to go unchecked. They dispatched Larry Miller to squelch the rumors.
However, I still think that this issue isn’t going to die until KP gets a contract extension. If he doesn’t, that’s just going to make everyone wonder if this story really did have legs.
"She turned me into a newt!
A newt?
...I got better."
This (Tom Penn firing and now KP talk) is the most over-blown Blazer story in a decade.
Canzano certainly got the attention he wants this time.
Penn angered someone about something and got fired. Big deal. End of story.
"Brandon eats first around here" - KP
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Mar 18, 2010 9:44 PM PDT reply actions
I think "Brandon Roy Hates America It's Time to Stop Him Before He Destroys Civilization" tops it...
"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
From the same journalist, no less.
I don’t have as much of a problem with Canzano. I know what it is he’s trying to do. I have a bigger problem with national media outlets picking up his stories as though he had intimate knowledge of what was happening inside the Blazers organization.
Wearing the black band for Jarrett Jack, Ime Udoka, Fred Jones, Sergio Rodriguez, Channing Frye, Luke Schenscher, Shavlik Randolph, James Jones, Josh McRoberts, Steven Hill, Jarron Collins, Michael Ruffin, Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw. Sacrificed to the unmerciful god of progress.
and yet...there's a more sinister villian afoot...
by Billy Hoyle on Mar 19, 2010 11:37 AM PDT up reply actions
KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNN!
"B-Roy is the best shooting guard I have played against"
-Ron Artest
This doesn't exactly make me feel better
Miller’s words contrast recent statements made by sources close to the situation who have spoken of burned bridges, overflowing pride and unchecked egos. Words such as "spies," "micromanaging" and "jealousy" have been used, while expletive-filled tirades have followed during attempts to explain the mysterious circumstances surrounding Penn’s departure.
I mean, what was Miller suppose to say, he had to put out the fire. It sounds like Brian Smith has heard some of the same unsettling rumors from his sources. Somethings not right.
Maybe Pritchard isn’t getting fired, but the front office is obviously displeased about a few things.
Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game
Stirring the pot some more
"Kevin is our GM. He continues to be our GM," Miller said. "From my perspective, Kevin’s done a good job of building the team that has gotten us to where we are. To me, this was an incident that was specific to Tom Penn."
So to someone else it wasn’t? MWAHAHAHA
I also thought this was interesting and a counter balance to all the speculation:
"We have a closer relationship between basketball and the rest of the business more than any team in the NBA," Miller said.
He added: "Everybody in the organization wants the basketball side to do well. Because the better the basketball department does, the better we all do."
"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
"I told Pau the Lakers never win here in Portland; I think it's great." -- Rudy Fernandez
I always felt
the vote of confidence was actually the kiss of death.
“Kevin is our GM. He continues to be our GM,” Miller said. “From my perspective, Kevin’s done a good job of building the team that has gotten us to where we are. To me, this was an incident that was specific to Tom Penn.”
Judas?
"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." -Anais Nin "
There are many ways to interpret this whole thing…see above.
And cut Patty Mills
Guilty by association.
by Sabonis4Ever on Mar 19, 2010 12:34 AM PDT up reply actions
nice
Andre Miller is an Anachronism
by tominhawaii on Mar 19, 2010 5:47 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
And the Blazer nation...
slowly exhaled.
"I'm a man, but I can change.....if I have to......I guess." - Red Green
Ummm
Sorry,but KP’s silence is starting to get pretty loud.
If there was some HR reason,some incident so bad that Penn had to be fired over it,KP would have done one of the “he’s a great guy,he just made a horrible mistake,he’s sorry for it,but we just can’t overlook it and we had to take action” spiels. Instead,nothing except an apparent leak that it wasn’t KP who made the decision.
As to whatever reason,there clearly was nothing juicy making it’s way thru the basketball side-else the firing wouldn’t have been such a suprise and the players would have had a hint.
It will be interesting to see who’s hired to replace Penn-and who does the hiring.
naw
Multiple reasons KP would not speak out. I still say something smells fishy, but KP wouldn’t be the person to speak up in this situation. Miller and PR would be the only ones doing the speaking.
"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
"I told Pau the Lakers never win here in Portland; I think it's great." -- Rudy Fernandez
It's nice that Larry Miller is so Bedge-friendly with his quotes about Canzano's career-driven falsifications...
Miller on perceived animosity toward Pritchard: “That is absolutely being dreamed up.”
"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
............................watch your back, Bald Guy.
The readers will figure out your game eventually.
"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
You're telling him to watch his back?
What are you, his friend?
"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
"I told Pau the Lakers never win here in Portland; I think it's great." -- Rudy Fernandez
In general, it's not reasonable to expect someone to replace the TP.
In most of the places I’ve worked, the only people with access to such supplies were janitors, secretaries, etc. It’s unlikely that a senior vice president would have a key to the storage closet or even know where that was.
Still, the responsible thing to do would be to contact janitorial, for example, to take care of the problem. Do we know that, in fact, TP failed to do this?
#52
Yes
He used the last of the toilet paper and was so flustered by the shortage that he forgot to flush. Once he got back to his office, and was about to call janitorial, he realized what he had done. He did not call. What was really damning though was the fact that he initially denied his involvement when Paul Allen questioned him about it. Moral of the story, don’t lie to your boss about anything.
21 + 52=
Social responsibilities
are being taken seriously now days. And Canzano will always be there to get a scoop.
21 + 52=
by KINGofMACct on Mar 19, 2010 10:22 PM PDT up reply actions
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