Four Faces Tell It All
by Ben Golliver on Jun 24, 2010 11:15 PM PDT
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PrintThere is much more coming tonight. But you know the old saying. A picture. A thousand words. Click through for four that tell the story of tonight's post-draft press conference.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter
With Owner Paul Allen and General Manager Kevin Pritchard unavailable, the scouts stepped up to discuss the team's picks, President Larry Miller explained the team's decision to relieve Kevin Pritchard of his duties and Nate McMillan talked about the draft picks as well as Kevin Pritchard's departure.
Chad Buchanan: Blazers Head of College Scouting. Emotionally drained, exhausted, still focused.
Mike Born, Director of Pro Scouting. Facing a new reality, sad to see a long time friend go, proud of what the process produced tonight.
Nate McMillan, Head Coach, Portland Trail Blazers. Emotionless, rock solid, steady, doing what needs to be done.
Larry Miller, President, Portland Trail Blazers. Honestly, I couldn't tell you what was funny about today. He was laughing at the thought that he wants to be General Manager. No one else was laughing.
All photographs: Ben Golliver | Blazersedge
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter
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Not so hot on LM are we...
In Bayless I trust.
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To be fair, that's Larry's standard response when asked a tough question
B School doubletalk and chuckling. This organization sucks…
Gotta say, Joey Crawford recognizes the importance of having a big 3rd quarter. He always brings it after halftime. - J.A. Adande
Don't hate on B-school types
A lot of us are good people, and no, we aren’t taught how to “doubletalk”. Be honest, I think those that do do so naturally.
Larry Miller doesn't instill confidence in you.
Meeting him when he worked for Nike colors my bias a bit.
[insert witty nomenclature and/or out of context quote from someone that makes more money than I]
by HallelujahHoeDown on Jun 24, 2010 11:23 PM PDT reply actions
Accountants don't instill confidence in gangster movies either. Why?
It’s not the job of the accountant to instill confidence. Someone has to count the money, make deposits, get more Blazers Brandon Roy jerseys sold in China, and write the paychecks.
Keep Portland Weird.
An accountant might also need to be aware of what the assets are
And KP was one of them!
In my naive thinking, I’d expect that someone with the title of “president” would also occasionally be required to show some leadership. In all of Larry Miller’s tenure, I’ve never seen or heard him do anything that remotely resembled leadership, or even decision-making for that matter. It seems like his primary function is to use as many words as possible without actually saying anything.
I challenge anyone here to find a Larry Miller quote that actually has ANY substance.
This Franchise
is rotten at the top.
"I was surprised, I was listening to the coach on the bench and behind me, she touches me and says, ‘Rudy, I love you. Nice to meet you. Good game.’ - Rudy
by The Mallorcan Rocket on Jun 24, 2010 11:23 PM PDT reply actions
Dang, LM got old fast.
He must normally dye his hair or something; either that or he aged 20 years because of this KP situation.
I'm prepared for life after KP
Seriously. I agree 100% with the comments/analysis regarding the timing of the announcement. To me, it’s putting into perspective a lot of things about Kevin Pritchard. The guy knows how to use the media to further his own agenda. Lots of fun when his agenda is aligned with your team’s, not so fun when you’re a fan and he doesn’t have your best interests at heart. Which is exactly where I feel things were today. Hey Portland fanbase, how’s it feel to be Pritchslapped?
This probably belongs in the other thread, apologies.
"I take the little gummy bear Flintstones vitamins…I try not to eat the lady. I try not to eat the man. Just give me the car. I try to find the car. Yea, worst case scenario, I eat the lady." - Ron Artest, 2009
Less Pritch-slapped
and more ap-Paul-ed at how clueless ownership is….
"I was surprised, I was listening to the coach on the bench and behind me, she touches me and says, ‘Rudy, I love you. Nice to meet you. Good game.’ - Rudy
by The Mallorcan Rocket on Jun 24, 2010 11:28 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Clee-var
rec for the fact that you deserve credit.
"I come to you now, at the turn of the tide." -- Brandon "Gandalf" Roy, April 24th, 2010
Clarification: I’m referring to the press notification being specifically timed by Pritchard’s camp to get a specific reaction from the fanbase.
"I take the little gummy bear Flintstones vitamins…I try not to eat the lady. I try not to eat the man. Just give me the car. I try to find the car. Yea, worst case scenario, I eat the lady." - Ron Artest, 2009
like any client would, Kevin told his agent the "news" earlier today
but it may not have been KP’s idea to spread the info like wildfire on draft day
If KP is “to blame” for anything, it’s deciding to retain LaGarie when he knew that it would cost him his job. That decision will probably earn him a lot of money down the road, but as for tonight, he’s unemployed and his agent is looking for his next gig. KP will have to sell the promise that he won’t use the media to advance his own popularity to his next owner, and I suspect there are some other NBA execs and agents who won’t speak well of him as he goes through the relocation process. In the end, KP has talent and charisma and he’ll land on his feet, and a lot of Blazer fans will never forgive Paul Allen for his treatment of Kevin, but most will quickly forget Warren LaGarie’s name, in a week or two
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
What would you have done?
You’re butting heads with the owner but have done a top notch job in changing the teams fortunes over the course of your employment. Of course, you wouldn’t be happy so if you’re leaving you might as well spin it in your favor (after all you’d want to improve your odds of gaining solid employment elsewhere more quickly). Viola, a nice leak that you’re losing your job today on draft day but are STILL sticking around to improve the team. This = Instant Hero while Boss = jackass.
If Paul Allen really wanted to avoid scrutiny, he would have made sure that KP’s last day didn’t come close to coinciding with draft day (a day of euphoric feeling of hope by every NBA fan). Just a dumb move…
Leaking confidential information in a manner that embarasses you boss
is not a good way to gain future employment.
Especially when you future bosses are limited to a pool of 30, and all of them talk to each other.
by Pooh Richardson on Jun 24, 2010 11:53 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes.
My whole rationale on this, by the way, is based on my theory that KP has known full well that he’s out the door immediately following the draft for at least a month. They didn’t want to can him and bring somebody brand new in to run the draft with 3 weeks prep or whatever, and they didn’t want to announce it and then keep him on the staff til after the draft., which would make even less sense.
So they just clammed up about it, said, “KP, it’s not working out, you’re out of here, run the draft and then you’re done.” And everybody agreed to just shut up about it and not announce til immediately after draft day.
I don’t buy for one second that KP “learned” today that he was officially gone. That’s been a done deal and fully known to both parties for a long time now. The only revelation today was it getting leaked to the fans at the worst possible time for the team, which I pin on KP and/or his team and/or his agent. I mean, it’s not like Warren Legarie has any history of that sort of thing or anything, right?
"I take the little gummy bear Flintstones vitamins…I try not to eat the lady. I try not to eat the man. Just give me the car. I try to find the car. Yea, worst case scenario, I eat the lady." - Ron Artest, 2009
I don't think it's PA's place to decide if it's confidential.
The information rightfully belongs to KP first and foremost. It’s up to him to decide when and how to reveal it.
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
That's not necessarily the case at all.
Could be, admittedly.
I keep coming back to this: announcing the firing on Friday (which I think it’s safe to assume would have been the team’s preference) helps the fans and the organization, and to my mind doesn’t hurt KP at all. Leaking it 45 minutes before the draft benefits exactly one (1) party: Kevin Pritchard.
Of course, you might feel that he’s earned the right to think about himself at the organization’s expense at this point. Just remember that that runs counter to the selfless, team-first, golden child image that we have all had (myself absolutely included) of Pritchard. Stuff like this, where I see so many people whipped into a fury over a single 30-second conversation with a beat write, doesn’t that make you wonder if you’ve been a little manipulated at any other juncture?
If I’m all wet on this, tell me. Because I feel totally in the minority, and that’s cool, but geez, I got the radar up now and the whole thing just doesn’t feel right, man.
"I take the little gummy bear Flintstones vitamins…I try not to eat the lady. I try not to eat the man. Just give me the car. I try to find the car. Yea, worst case scenario, I eat the lady." - Ron Artest, 2009
I don't know if its confidential
..but it likely was. KP was and is still under contract until he is legally let go (end of the contract or voiding the contract under those provisions). And whatever non-disclosure provisions were in his employment contract surely extend beyond the end of his employment.
So, speculation, but its very likely that it was indeed PA’s place to decide if its confidential.
by Pooh Richardson on Jun 25, 2010 8:51 AM PDT up reply actions
Boycott blazer products
It’s Paul Allen’s toy to do with as he pleases.
Your control is to choose where to spend your entertainment dollars.
this post is embarrasing
every story needs a villain i suppose. at least there’s no confusion about who ben is casting in that role.
by colinmarsh on Jun 24, 2010 11:28 PM PDT reply actions 12 recs
No no ... I'm telling you Ben's exact job discription in this case:
Go to the event, tell what you see happening.
Not: Go to the event and find a catchy slant.
Not: Go to the event and tell a compelling story.
facebook.com/year5000
by Y5k on Jun 25, 2010 12:00 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
He turns a nervous laugh
into the villian. Taking snippets and turning them into whatever he wants to support his opinion is what turns comments like the one abve green.
by einman77 on Jun 25, 2010 12:25 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
OK. Fair enough.
There really is no such thing as objectivity. Not being in the room, I am unable to judge the degree to which Larry’s snicker or giggle or titter or laugh or whatever was out of touch, off-base, or spot on with the mood in the room, which was what Ben was comparing it to.
Yes it implies villainy. Probably totally unfairly, but given the mood around here, and in Blazer fandom and across the NBA in general about this news, I’d say anyone representing upper management might as well have vampire fangs.
I’ve received emails from non-Blazer-fan friends who are STUNNED that KP was fired.
facebook.com/year5000
Hmm, maybe the lines get a little blurry here, but my take is that if the blog is like a newspaper, this post was intended as the equivalent of an editorial cartoon.
Nothing wrong with that. It has pictures, captions and the person who made it expresses their opinion. We don’t all have to agree with it, and that’s what the comments section is for. Presumably the more in-depth descriptive article is coming later. But I don’t think this was meant as the official, full-on “media row report.” Also, should people want full video of the presser without commentary, it’s definitely there for the watching on O-live.
Overall, Ben’s close to the situation and I appreciate the effort to deliver his own impressions and opinions just as much as the delivery of straight content. Generally speaking, I’m glad this blog provides both.
by HowlinJoeWolf on Jun 25, 2010 12:52 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Completely agree
I can’t wait until this nonsense has run its course.
by powellandpressmurder on Jun 24, 2010 11:40 PM PDT up reply actions
i thought the scales seemed rather fitting ... and it was the easiest one to put the head on.
facebook.com/year5000
by Y5k on Jun 25, 2010 3:06 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
maybe we're misinterpreting Ben here
He was laughing at the thought that he wants to be General Manager. No one else was laughing.
No one laughed… because they were completely serious. Ben is suggesting, nay, demanding that Larry Miller become the next GM.
"Basketball is a business." --everyone involved with the basketball business except Blazers fans
by abdelnaby on Jun 25, 2010 12:41 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Larry ... If you cared at all about anything other than your own skin, you would feel the vibe was not right to be laughing this off.
It’s like that person at the funeral that’s telling jokes in the back.
facebook.com/year5000
Tangentially, are Chad and Mike contractually asked to wear the same shirt?
by HowlinJoeWolf on Jun 24, 2010 11:43 PM PDT up reply actions
What are you talking about?
Those stripes run totally sort of different directions!
And on a totally unrelated note, good eyes? Have you ever considered scouting? A position may open up soon…
Still on the Rex bandwagon.
by dan_the_man on Jun 24, 2010 11:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Much like the joke teller at a funeral
People deal with stressful situations differently. Most often, the person at a wedding isn’t telling a joke to get a laugh, its their coping mechanism for handling a tough situation. I don’t see why this is any different.
"Ain't nothin' in this world for free."
Larry Miller is way outside his skill set right now
That’s not my opinion. Just a fact. Here Miller’s bio from wikipedia…
“Larry G. Miller, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an American sports executive. He is currently president of the Portland Trail Blazers National Basketball Association franchise, being hired for the position on June 20, 2007. Miller replaced interim president Tod Leiweke in the role.
Miller held a variety of executive positions at Nike, Inc, most recently Vice President and General Manager, Basketball, and prior to that President of the Jordan Brand. Prior to joining Nike in 1997, Miller served in an executive role for Jantzen. He holds a bachelors degree in accounting from Temple University, and an MBA from La Salle University.
Accounting. MBA. Sportswear brand management.
Miller has never been in the public eye before, and never had to do anything with a public audience more controversial than picking up an award at a banquet in his life.
Keep Portland Weird.
This is getting out of hand.
This is a dumb post. So, Larry Miller chuckles when nervous? Gee, never seen that before.
Could you jump back from the ledge with the hand wringing over a GM?
They Blazers will continue to play games next year, you know. They will likely be good too.
And no one died.
by Pooh Richardson on Jun 24, 2010 11:41 PM PDT reply actions 5 recs
To further that thought...
my guess is that neither McMillan or any of the players give a darn about any of this.
They don’t sweat the drama.
by Pooh Richardson on Jun 24, 2010 11:44 PM PDT reply actions
This is a big key
Of course, we’ll never know the truth, but I suspect the players don’t care at all about any of this.
Still on the Rex bandwagon.
by dan_the_man on Jun 24, 2010 11:47 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't know
The idea of Larry Miller as a GM seems patently ridiculous to me
"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man
the more concerning image is that MIke Born is sporting Justin Bieber's hairdo
say what?!?!?!?!?
fiftytwo
Who's that?
Was he available in the 2nd round?
Still on the Rex bandwagon.
by dan_the_man on Jun 24, 2010 11:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Hardly
If anything, Born has the military Bieber-do. Way too short.
"I come to you now, at the turn of the tide." -- Brandon "Gandalf" Roy, April 24th, 2010
and that is why he drafted babbitt
he can grow a wicked bieber
OJ Mayo is the Blazers' PG of the Future
by GreatOden'sRaven on Jun 25, 2010 9:02 AM PDT up reply actions
This whole thing was handled badly by everyone involved, PA and KP, IMO.
I’m sorry to see KP go, but now it’s history. The Blazers will announce a new GM by the end of the month and we move on. A month or so from now we will be debating additional trades, our MLE acquisition, the worthlessness of the summer league performances, and the future of tonight’s draft picks. The KP era will be old news.
"Brandon eats first around here" - KP
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jun 24, 2010 11:52 PM PDT reply actions
Everybody chill out
’Sheed is coming back to Portland.
by Pooh Richardson on Jun 24, 2010 11:58 PM PDT reply actions
never to step on a BB court again
at least not when any adults are around
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
might need to add this pic to the mix
KP leaving the PF for the last time.
-OLive.
now back in sunny portland, oregon
Looks like he is/was crying
Just like me at the end of toy story 3
by Sabonis4Ever on Jun 25, 2010 1:18 AM PDT up reply actions
Ben that is a load of garbage
I was laughing when he said it, and it was an attempt to disarm the tension. We all know you like KP, he was a friend to you. At the same time you need to grow up a little and be professional. I had to watch six of my fellow teachers walk out the door for the last time this summer due to budget cuts, it sucks to see friends leave. At the same time you are a journalist, and a good one. This is not your best work though, and you are better than this nit picking crapola. Be hurt, feel bad for KP, but please be the journalist we all need you to be now. You need to follow up on this Steve Patterson story that developed on 1080 the fan today, because there is more there. If in fact KP’s agent did attempt a coup on Larry Miller, it would explain a great deal about the termination of both Penn and KP. We love your work, but don’t put this on Larry MIller. He is a good person in a bad situation, and in the end we may learn that it was all the fault on KP’s agent, which is going to make you look like a really donkey if you continue along this line.
OMG I just jizzed in my France
OMGrandpa
by sug on Jun 25, 2010 12:11 AM PDT reply actions 5 recs
One of my favorite people in the world knows Larry Miller pretty well
and from what I hear Larry Miller is a great guy and competent leader for the organization.
"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man
Larry Miller's job is selling Blazers logos on sportswear
Larry Miller is an accountant and MBA. He sold sportwear with Nike logos for Nike. Miller sells sportswear with Blazers logos for the Blazers.
I always though Steve Patterson was a stupid clown. This proves it.
Do you really think Kevin Pritchard was “plotting” to take over Larry Miller’s job trying to sell more Brandon Roy’s jerseys and hat in China?
Keep Portland Weird.
Holding an accounting degree does not an accountant make.
An accounting degree is one of the most widely held degrees among Fortune 500 CEOs. Doesn’t make them accountants.
"Ain't nothin' in this world for free."
I would venture to say
that the people who say “I don’t give a crap” about the KP firing really don’t care about the culture of the team and would be fine with a return to the days of the Jailblazers if that meant winning a championship. Just a hunch.
Forget that. I’d go root for the Thunder before I’d support a return to the “bad old days.”
Has anyone said they "don't give a crap" about KP getting fired?
Or are you making that up? Cause I’m pretty sure the people that aren’t calling for Paul Allen’s head or painting the entire Blazer management team as Antichrists are merely asking for some levelheadedness and perspective here, not completely trivializing KP’s dismissal.
by powellandpressmurder on Jun 25, 2010 12:35 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Umm
Acknowledging the situation and pointing out that the pieces are in place for another GM to have success running this team != “Bring back Bonzi”
"I take the little gummy bear Flintstones vitamins…I try not to eat the lady. I try not to eat the man. Just give me the car. I try to find the car. Yea, worst case scenario, I eat the lady." - Ron Artest, 2009
You should thank your lucky stars y'all've never had a miserly sellout like Howard Schultz as the owner.
So yeah, I feel that each and every Trail Blazers fan should be glad to have a caring owner like Allen — even though he’s seemingly irrational, easily vexed, and arguably antisocial — over a Judas like Schultz.
I mean, yeah, Allen handled Kevin Pritchard’s firing poorly from a public relations standpoint — as well as in an apparently resentful fashion, although that’s just an assumption — yet, the Portland Trail Blazers are his business, so he gets to make the call.
by AK1984 on Jun 25, 2010 4:25 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
yeah sometimes i think we need a reality check
compared to a lifetime of being say, a Clipper fan, today wasn’t really all that bad
OJ Mayo is the Blazers' PG of the Future
by GreatOden'sRaven on Jun 25, 2010 9:04 AM PDT up reply actions
We do have the opportunity vent all these emotions constructively....
…at the SOUNDERS!
Hehehehehehehehehe….
Build a bonfire, build a bonfire,
Put Seattle on the top,
Put Vancouver in the middle,
And we’ll burn the bloody lot!
Keep Portland Weird.
Fin.
Everyone needs to get over Pritchard or just stop being a Portland Trail Blazers fan.
I heard that New Orleans might be looking for some new fans…
Thanks for the tip.
I was hoping someone would tell us what to do, to take the guess work out of how to feel and think.
"I come to you now, at the turn of the tide." -- Brandon "Gandalf" Roy, April 24th, 2010
by RedUniInLA on Jun 25, 2010 7:49 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Opting out
Well, I’ve decided to get over the blazers instead. PA has seen this last dollar from me.
This organization proves once again that it's a joke
At least we had a few years to be optimistic about in there. PA is simultaniously meddlesome and incompetent. We’ll never win a title with him as owner.
All I have to say is that
None of us know the story here. But if KP got canned, it wasn’t based on job performance, and judging from the timing, there was no love lost between KP and PA. Whatever KP and Tom Penn did, you can rest assured it was bad internally.
No boss is dumb enough to time something this poorly, nor fire someone without reasonable cause. I am dead certain that the leak and everything else was KP’s doing, when he was supposed to keep it quiet until after the draft. KP is not a saint AT ALL, that much is obvious from PA’s reactions here and from the timing of this mess.
Prince: This bores me. Is anyone up for a game of basketball?
Just for clarification
By reasonable cause I mean firing someone for no reason, not as in KP was pulling a Steve Phillips in the office.
Prince: This bores me. Is anyone up for a game of basketball?
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