Rich Cho Named Portland Trail Blazers General Manager
by Ben Golliver on Jul 19, 2010 10:48 AM PDT
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PrintThe Portland Trail Blazers have named former Oklahoma City Thunder assistant general manager Rich Cho as their next general manager, Blazersedge learned this morning and reported first on twitter. The team sent out a text message to media confirming the hiring and later announced the decision on its website in a statement from Owner Paul Allen and an open letter from Portland Trail Blazers President Larry Miller to fans.
The Blazers will hold a formal announcement at a noon press conference today and we'll have plenty more coverage this afternoon. Here 's an official release from the team.
TRAIL BLAZERS NAME CHO GENERAL MANAGER
Portland, Ore. -The Portland Trail Blazers have named Rich Cho as the team's new general manager, Trail Blazers President Larry Millerannounced today. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.
"Rich is the perfect fit for our organization," said Miller. "He has the right balance of basketball knowledge, business acumen and tremendous people skills. Everyone I spoke to about Rich commented not just on his qualifications but on who he is as a person. He is well known for his ability to connect genuinely with people. Rich will be a great fit for our organization and for Portland. He is an executive on the rise and we're thrilled to have him as a Trail Blazer."
Cho, who becomes the ninth general manager in Trail Blazers history, joins the Trail Blazers after spending the past nine seasons as assistant general manager of the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder.
"I am extremely humbled and grateful for this opportunity, and I will do everything I can to help this great team get even better," said Rich Cho. "When I met with Mr. Allen, Larry Miller, and coach McMillan, it was immediately apparent to me that this organization has an incredible commitment to winning. As someone who grew up in the northwest, I'm aware of the unbelievable passion and support that Trail Blazers fans have, and I'm excited to be a part of this rich tradition."
Sorry for the delay in posting; I'm flying home from Summer League as I type this. Thanks to Rip City Project, Dwight Jaynes, Portland Mercury, Wendell Maxey, 95.5FM The Game and others for helping to spread the word.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter
Update: Mike Tokito has a review of Cho's first press conference, including this:
Cho said his strengths are the salary cap, collective bargaining agreement and contract negotiations. He said he knows the league well and is familiar with players and other general managers. He also said he is a people person, but admitted there was one thing he hadn't done before.
"This is my first press conference," he said.
But he said he is very familiar with the passion of Blazers fans and wants to bring the city its second championship. And he has great ambition for the Blazers to not just be a model franchise in the NBA, but in all pro sports.
"I want the Blazers to be the model franchise that other teams look to," he said.
- The Tribune also has their entry.
- KGW TV has video here.
- Henry Abbott posts nine things you need to know about Rich Cho.
- Find a live Cho chat at Blazers.com.
- Brian T. Smith has more video here.
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CHO CHING!
"Good evening Blazer fans, wherever you may be!"-Bill Schonely
by skywaker9 on Jul 19, 2010 10:49 AM PDT reply actions 2 recs
Solid hire, worth the wait.
"[S]ince men enjoyed very great leisure, they used it to pursue many kinds of commodities unknown to their fathers, and that was that first yoke they placed upon themselves without thinking about it, and the first source of evils the prepared for their descendants. For, besides continuing thus to soften body and mind, as these commodities had lost almost all their pleasantness through habit, and as they had at the same time degenerated into true needs, being deprived of them became much more cruel than possessing them was sweet; and people were unhappy to lose them without being happy to have them." -Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Totally agree.
I am so happy they didn’t hire the first guy they interviewed. Ferry would have been trouble, IMO.
I was heartbroken to see KP go, and I am thrilled they hired another guy who believes in the new analytical approach to the job of evaluating players.
I beat on PA for firing KP. I am happy to heap praise on him, and Miller, for making a good hire.
by upper left corner on Jul 19, 2010 11:24 AM PDT up reply actions
lol, based off the fact he worked with Presti, I voted "good hire," but I couldn't believe this guys approval rating is so high...
…I am looking forward to hearing, in depth, why everyone is so psyched about this guy
Young, smart, collaborative, from the NW.
Believes in the “moneyball” approach to player evaluation.
We don’t need to go back to the old school days of “eyeball” evaluations and “seat of the pants” decisions. That involves too many biases and leads to too many mistakes.
by upper left corner on Jul 19, 2010 11:31 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
to the man that simply posted "This"
make this green now! REC!!!!!!!! This!!!!!
by Gremarcus Roynandez on Jul 19, 2010 7:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Nothing wrong with eyeballs.
The great thing about hiring a stat-geek GM is that it balances out the “eyeball” of your scouts. I love stats, but you need both to evaluate talent well I think.
by fitsnstarts on Jul 19, 2010 11:40 AM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, eyeballs from good eyes is very important
It’s just a matter of combining it, like you mention.
If ya just use one or the other, you’re missing the whole picture… if one can ever have the whole picture.
morty
#52
I agree
the whole “moneyball” thing seems a lot like Scientology to me. It won’t be long before we see Cho jumping up and down on a couch during some talk show.
by tominhawaii on Jul 19, 2010 11:44 AM PDT up reply actions
ha ha!
i got the same feeling. i’m an A’s fan
"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy
by Honka Playboy on Jul 19, 2010 10:13 PM PDT up reply actions
No disagreement
Eyeballs are “necessary, but not sufficient.”
Human perception is subject to all kinds of biases. For example look at the studies on “eye witnesses” from criminal proceedings. Eye witness identifications are incredibly inaccurate. People tend to see what they expect to see, what they want to see, and even what they have been told they saw. I’m sure that a lot of the same type of bias occurs in scouting. Analytics are a way of double checking and bring attention to all kinds of subtle metrics that are likely to be missed on first observation.
by upper left corner on Jul 19, 2010 11:48 AM PDT up reply actions
I think we pretty much agree
Though I would stress that scouts are not the same as eye witnesses. They are trained and have lots of experience evaluating talent. They are professional witnesses with a brain full of players to compare to…etc.
by fitsnstarts on Jul 19, 2010 11:50 AM PDT up reply actions
We don’t need to go back to the old school days of "eyeball" evaluations and "seat of the pants" decisions.
During the press conference Cho mentioned he uses the “eyes, ears and stats” approach to evaluate talent
I’m not sure how much the “seat of his pants” applies to his decision-making (I assume he sits while he’s scouting or working on his computer) but it’s a little too early to predict if he has KP’s “golden gut” when it comes to making draft decisions
Speaking of which, after watching Mills and Pendergraph in Vegas, is it too early to proclaim the 2009 Portland draft as an epic fail? Honestly, besides Cunningham does anyone think that the 3 other draft choices have any chance of being on the Blazer’s 15 man roster in a year or two? (Babbitt basically duplicates Claver, etc)
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
re: 2009 draft
gotta agree on this point. Dante was a very good early 2nd round pick and is a great candidate for 8th/9th man for years to come. Mills has potential to be a 10 minutes change of pace sparkplug – but not on this team. Pendergraph to me is the ultimate letdown though. Never liked his game last year, and I still don’t. All the “toughness” in the world don’t mean much if you don’t have the size and/or skill necessary to actually get on the court.
Jeff is an 11th/12th man at best, and I don’t see that ever changing.
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
wow, and I completely forgot the waste of a draft pick that was Victor Claver
I never liked that pick and remember thinking on draft day that we got caught flat-footed as all our real targets got snatched right before we picked, with Collison being the final nail. I always thought Claver was kind of a panic pick.
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
two words
DeJuan Blair
I’d trade Patty, Victor and Jeff for DB right now, but Buford would just snicker
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
no argument here
I understood why we didn’t take him in round 1. passing on him twice in round 2 was just silly. we took two other PFs instead.
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
I would have taken Beaubois...
instead of Claver, and Blair instead of Pendergraph (he was still there!!!).
Stealth > Wealth
I would love to have Beaubois on the team.
I guess he’s a combo guard like Bayless, but still, he’s awesome.
"Nicolas! You're the strongest boy in the world!"
Talk to me in about 3years
You can gloat the if the man with no ACLs is still playing. I really dislike this kind of hindsight nit-picking.
I think it was clear at the time that the Blazers weren’t thrilled with the 2009 draft. Their main targets got taken, and Claver was a fall back choice. If not for Rudy’s epic quit, that might have turned into a decent pick. The jury is still out.
Pendy, DC and Mills all have NBA level talent, that is about all you can expect from second rounders. If DC becomes a career role player that is pretty decent. The number of second rounders who stick in the league is pretty small.
by upper left corner on Jul 19, 2010 8:48 PM PDT up reply actions
3 years from now there will be even more hindsight nit-picking
I’m getting my vote in early
I know it’s conventional wisdom to say that “you can’t evaluate a draft until X number of years down the road” but I’m throwing the alarm on a grease fire before waiting for the final insurance assessments come in. Besides, if the Blazers “weren’t thrilled” with their 2009 draft then why should anyone take umbrage if I call KP’s baby ugly?
Speaking of 20/20 hindsight nit-picking…before the ‘09 draft I said I thought there was no way that they should keep and use 4 draft picks, not when they had a deep roster that had just won 54 games—if anything they needed to consolidate—not add to it. As it turned out, KP had to pay the Kings to take Sergio and move up and he still didn’t get much for his trouble. I’m of the opinion that Portland passed on the opportunity to draft a PG in 2009 (like Collison, etc) because they had used a lottery choice on Bayless the year before (shades of Telfair vs. CP3 or D-Will in 2005, eh? But that was PatterNash’s ugly-baby Martell draft)
Claver was a punt. The proof that Victor is not going to ever be a Blazer was sealed when Portland selected Babbitt last month. If you ever want to see the definition of “redundant” then just compare Victor and Luke as players and size-wise. Rudy melt-down or no Rudy melt-down, Claver has no future in Portland as long as Batum and Babbitt are on the roster. If Cho is really smart, he’ll package Fernandez and Claver after the world championships and try to recover as much of Paul Allen’s sunk costs re: #5 (and the 2009 draft) as possible
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
here would be my reply to this
Basically your evaluation of the failure in 2009 has two components (1) we should’ve gotten into the lottery and grabbed Collison/Lawson/Steph Curry/Brandon Jennings (2) we should’ve packaged some of our then-hot talent for a star before (primarily Rudy and Sergio’s) value declined.
As to (1), if you knew that several very high quality point guards were going to be drafted in 2009, congratulations, but that was not really the consensus view. Every prospect outside Rubio had pretty serious question marks. Furthermore, both Lawson and Collison are pretty small, which harms them in most defensive matchups and makes for a less than impressive defensive combination with Brandon Roy going forward.
As to (2), there are a number of reasons why consolidation trades weren’t really in the offing for us. Consolidation trades are driven by salary dumps. Although we had the capability to take on a salary dump, for the last two years teams have been timing their cap-space moves around this summer (2010). We didn’t have an expiring for 2010, so we weren’t good trading partners in for most teams looking to dump salary. We also only had one viable young prospect that would’ve been appealing and you considered dispensable (Rudy). And although you are correct that Rudy’s trade value has declined, Jerryd’s value has increased at least as much as Rudy’s has declined, indicating we are in no worse position than we were then. You can argue that we could’ve done a consolidation trade then, and then done another with Jerryd now, but there’s probably only going to be one major consolidation trade, because we’d have to send out draft picks and expirings, etc. etc.
Finally, what exactly are the “sunk costs” with Rudy Fernandez? The guy has been phenomenally productive over the past two years—as a 24th pick he is one of the top 10 most productive players in his draft class. He has more trade value than the pick with which he was selected. He is an asset that has appreciated, not an example of “sunk costs.”
This is solid.
I don’t totally agree, but that does not diminish the fine thinking that went into it. Bravo.
by damonrayhymer on Jul 19, 2010 9:51 PM PDT up reply actions
As far as drafting a PG in 2009
I wasn’t really that interested in more rookies, I was looking for a veteran upgrade to Blake, that’s why before Miller was signed, I had put Rudy into several proposals (with Travis, etc) for Devin Harris. (FWIW, at the time I was told the dealing Fernandez was foolhardy and premature)
Following the Rocket’s series, Nate and Roy said the team needed veteran experience and “a banger of a 4” I liked McDyess in free agency, but the Spurs signed him for 4 mil, and kept Outlaw around to play stretch 4 behind LMA. Juwan Howard was the only banger added to the roster, besides the rookies who were not expected to play much during the regular season
As it turned out, KP made a consolidation deal with his ECs in Feb, so part of what I was chatting about doing in July eventually wound up morphing into Marcus Camby, and all of that Blazer’s depth at the wing came in handy when the team was racked with injuries. (It would’ve been better to have more depth at the 4-5 than Juwan Howard and 2 rookies not named Blair, though.) This is why I’m staying consistent and not advocating a deal involving Przy, because I have a feeling the Blazers will need 4 quality big men to make it from October until May without having to make another Hail Mary trade for a replacement PF-C at the deadline
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Collison got drafted one pick before the Blazers
by upper left corner on Jul 19, 2010 9:46 PM PDT up reply actions
We saw what they did to get Babbitt this year
Do you honestly think that KP didn’t have to means and the opportunity to move up higher than 22 in the 2009 draft, if he really wanted to? He had 4 draft choices and a roster full of young talent, plus Paul Allen’s money!
Either he didn’t want Collison (etc) because he had Bayless, or he was unable to consolidate draft choices, which is unbelievable because he’s done it so often in other years
Any way you slice it, KP dropped the ball in June-July ‘09. He wasn’t thrilled with the outcome and neither was Paul, I suspect
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
You act like it was a deliberate act
They did move up. Apparently it wasn’t enough to get their original target.
It isn’t a precise scientific event. Teams smokescreen and hide their intentions. KP thought he was in position to get his targeted player. Somebody surprised him and it didn’t work out. There is some luck involved in the process.
I contend that you can not isolate individual picks, after the fact, and second guess based on every good player that has been passed on by a particular team. This is extremely unfair. Are you going to crticize every team that didn’t find Tony Parker, or Ginobli, or Nic Batum?
Evaluating a teams drafting ability should be based on the overall quality of the players chosen over several years. By that standard, the Blazers under KP have been very good.
No GM bats 1.000. No GM should even try. Some picks are gambles on young players with potential, or guys with great athleticism but limited skills. Some picks are guys with great skill and limited physical attributes. Some guys are potential role players. Particularly with second round picks, I would guess that fewer than 25% of second round picks are in the league after 3-4 years. Criticizing a GM only for the gambles that don’t pay off is a lousy standard, IMO.
by upper left corner on Jul 20, 2010 7:48 AM PDT up reply actions
How many GMs with a deep roster draft 4 rookies?
This was my concern heading into the ‘09 draft, and I was shocked that KP didn’t consolidate. Cho has been talking about doing deals that will acquire assets for future deals. That’s the best we can hope for from the ’09 draft, because after getting a look at these players (and knowing what we know about Victor) no one can have much confidence that any of these players will contribute to the future Blazer rotation, outside of Dante.
That’s a poor result for any GM who went into a draft with 4 opportunities to add talent to his roster. Hopefully, Cho will take some of these fringe assets that KP has accumulated and turn them into more value, in the weeks and months to come.
Also (hopefully) Rich won’t be caught in the same position that KP was in June 2009, picking players with questionable NBA futures when there were players like Blair and Beaubois still on the board
Expect more of your GM, Blazer fans. Paul Allen does. There’s no need to make excuses for KP anymore
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
DeJuan Blair for last season and this next one
would have been a better pick that Pendergraph, even if he blew out his knees and never played again. Two solid seasons of productiveness is better than a deep bench foul soaker.
As to your other point, it’s not hindsight if an overwhelming number of people have been saying it since draft night 2009.
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
Look, if 29 teams opted not to pick the guy for medical reasons....
maybe there was something reasonable about the decision.
Besides, can you imagine the uproar if the Blazers, on the heels of Oden’s micro-fracture, had picked Blair and his knee had blown out. It simply was not an acceptable risk.
by upper left corner on Jul 19, 2010 9:44 PM PDT up reply actions
Not in the second round,
when contracts aren’t guaranteed.
Then, when he got hurt, you could have laid it off, calling it a low risk/high reward gamble. No one would grudge you that.
by damonrayhymer on Jul 19, 2010 9:56 PM PDT up reply actions
the Spurs picked him, and Pop played him
that’s good enough for me
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Elliott didn't slide that far
you can’t compare him to Blair, Williams was selected right about where he was expected to go. DeJuan fell 20-25 slots
It’s ironic that EW hurt his knee while working out for San Antonio, but it’s not like the injury was made up and only the Blazers-Spurs knew about the ruse (as seemed to be the case with Batum’s heart in ’08)
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
The Blazers didn't pick him 3 times...
"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
really
you excpect every 2nd round pick to pan out?
Michael Jordan is the Nicolas Batum of America
marty>babbitt
by thomasikehara on Jul 19, 2010 4:03 PM PDT up reply actions
consolidate the 4 picks
and find at least 2 that are keepers
to be fair, I think that KP tried to do this (there was talk after the draft that he was interested in trading up for Tyler Hansbrough) but at the end of the day he drafted 4 players, and only 1 looks like he’ll be a keeper, to this point
So yeah, I’d say KP botched 2009, after having an above-average 2008 draft. The jury is still out re: 2010, Armon Johnson looks like a nice get, but Babbitt and Williams are likely to be projects
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Yeah, the 2009 NBA Draft was a subpar effort by the Portland Trail Blazers.
As it stands, I’d give it a C-/D+ grade in my book. That’s unlikely to change, either.
I just couldn't believe Kevin used all 4 picks
for a roster that had just won 54 games. That had to be a NBA record
How do you feel about Rich, he was in Seattle. Good hire re: your way of thinking?
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Yeah, it was solid at the veeeeeeery best.
Especially given the Rudysaster of the last year, the one upside pick (Claver of course) is unlikely to be useful.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
I can tell ya why I like him
Dunno about EVERYONE else.
He’s known as a guy very hip to qualitative analysis— advanced stats to find out the how and the why of NBA basketball and its players. So was KP. Continuing this trend in stressing advanced statistical analysis was very important to me.
He’s a former lawyer who also has good CBA knowledge. That is a MUST in today’s NBA.
As a non-former player, and really, has no previous connection to the NBA through his family or anything, he has earned his position much more than the average front office player… especially out of GMs. To me, this is a good shorthand to assume he is a very smart, hard working man, who earned where he is at today.
He’s young, hungry, and part of the new NBA that combines eyes of good scouts and smart statistical analysis.
He’s also friends with KP, and will hopefully be a continuation of what KP and Penn we’re doing before it all went blippety bloo.
So personally, I don’t like him for superficial reasons, and I only know as much as a normal fan can know, but that’s why I like him best for this job.
Mortimer
#52
by Mortimer on Jul 19, 2010 11:34 AM PDT up reply actions 19 recs
Agreed, up and down.
I have been incredibly worried that we were going to hire an old school GM, who hates young players and would trade away half our team for a few over the hill stars.
This is the best I’ve felt since the day they fired KP.
by upper left corner on Jul 19, 2010 11:36 AM PDT up reply actions
I was extremely worried we'd go back to the Nash/Pattersons days as well
An old stupid “yes man” who doesn’t like some advanced stats because they’re new and nerdy and is lazy because he’s old and stupid and established.
That woulda’ been awful!
So, even if Cho sucks (which I doubt), at least the franchise is TRYING for someone who might be great, and not getting someone we KNOW sucks.
M—
#52
Hey -- I resent your stereotypical criticism!
I’M “old and stupid and established”, but I’m NOT lazy.
#52
This hire makes me feel like KP's roster is in good hands.
I bet KP is smiling. More than anyone else, he wanted to see the players he acquired succeed. Now that we have a young GM who is likely to take a similar approach, I bet we are a lot less likely to see trades for the sake of making trades.
by upper left corner on Jul 19, 2010 11:41 AM PDT up reply actions
I hope KP can still see us up from heaven :-(
#52
by Mortimer on Jul 19, 2010 11:53 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
an old school GM, who hates young players and would trade away half our team for a few over the hill stars
So if Cho decides to deal away some of the young players that KP drafted for a couple of playoff-experienced veterans to be the “final pieces” of the championship puzzle, you’ll be OK with that because he used quantifiable analysis to reach the decision, right?
There’s more to running the numbers to merely acquire more young talent every June. Hopefully Cho’s strengths in deal-making will illustrate that, in the years to come
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Rec
Mort nails why I think this is a very, very good hire.
"I'm a man, but I can change.....if I have to......I guess." - Red Green
by antediluvian on Jul 19, 2010 11:46 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Got a blazersedge account...
… just so I could rec this.
by iamjustafan on Jul 19, 2010 1:23 PM PDT up reply actions 5 recs
Welcome to BE!
You’ll probably find yourself reccing Mort again in the future ;)
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
by austinpwnz on Jul 19, 2010 1:52 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
tee-hee
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
sweet
rec
your scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
Maybe someone should mention
that its frickin awesome to jack someone from OKC! Anything that takes away from them is an A+ in my book! I’m stoked
I would rec this but....
Qualitative analysis is defined as
analysis that uses subjective judgment based on nonquantifiable information, such as management expertise, industry cycles, strength of research and development, and labor relations. This type of analysis technique is different than quantitative analysis, which focuses on numbers.What you described was quantitative analysis. And I’m very much for quantitative analysis from the GM. Look how well Morey has done done there in Houston with a bunch of bums and an egg-headed Duck.by Chris-8ally on Jul 19, 2010 7:23 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
That's what I thought you meant...
so rec that ish. I think this is the only way to go. A company man through and through. Listen, I love the maverick as much as the next guy. John Wayne is my favorite actor. But in this organization and this league, you need a man that can work with lots of different people in lots of different arenas. Cho mama said this is the best move in the Blazer organization since promoting KP to GM.
by Chris-8ally on Jul 19, 2010 9:40 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
for me
Basically,
Ferry and Pfund represent retreads, traditional NBA GM’s who have been getting into suckered bad contracts that are millstones around a team’s neck. Cho has a pedigree that indicates he can not only evaluate each move, but analyze strategically where the team will be 1 month, 1 year etc down the road and what types of moves will be available. I don’t think any of the fans here (and certainly not me) saw Ferry or Pfund as more than “station to station” GM’s
M, period. Fresh, comma.
The real reason everyone likes him
He’s a blank slate. He hasn’t worked as a GM before, so you can’t pin any failings on him. Therefore you can imagine him to be as good as you want to, and we all want him to be great.
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
You can look at what OKC has done for the last four years....
…..and assume that he must have had some input in to what has been a pretty shrewed operation.
by upper left corner on Jul 19, 2010 1:21 PM PDT up reply actions
I like him too, and I think there's every reason to.
But this is why he’s getting 87%.
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
Hasn't he been with the Zombie Sonics for 7 years
That would mean he was there when the FO tore the team down to ship it out to OKC.
To be fair, he was just doing his job.
Even guys higher up the food chain than Rich Cho — such as members of the executive management team (e.g., Danny Barth) — did what they had to do to keep their jobs.
In real life, you have to look out for yourself and your livelihood first and foremost.
In real life?
The guy gave up a successful career to intern for his hometown basketball team. Then he helped tear it down, working to destroy the fan base, so that it could be shipped out of state like some kind of toy for a bunch of good ol’ boys.
I’m not saying that Cho won’t be a good GM or isn’t a good guy, but you have to acknowledge that this guy was part of a pretty horrible chapter in the history of the NBA in his own backyard.
good soldier
sometimes, "I was just following orders’ won’t get you by during the post-war trials
it had to be tough on Rich, leaving the NW for OKC. I’ll bet that he’s pumped to be “back” (and Warkentien is jealous…hence the “puppet” comments from Mark’s camp)
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Let's be practical here, okay.
As a Seattle SuperSonics fan, I’m still pissed off at Howard “Judas” Schultz to this very day; yet, it’s flat-out unfair to blame Rich Cho for focusing on his family and career instead of doing something rash like quitting his job for a no-good reason.
Cho did what he had to do for himself, which is what any sane, rational individual would’ve also done in that situation.
w0rd
I don’t think Cho damaging his career really does anyone any good, in that situation. Doesn’t get the Sonics to stay in Seattle, doesn’t help Cho’s career… who wins in this scenario?
It’d be a meaningless gesture that is idealistic MAYBE but quickly forgotten with long lasting ramifications. He didn’t really have a say in the matter, I bet.
Mortimer
#52
Yeah
But why does Cho get GM credit because he worked with Sam Presti and no negative credit for working for Howard Schultz? For all we know, he brown nosed Schultz to keep his job. He was probably a spy for Shultz like that guy Tom Cable’s punched.
Read the Pritchard, LaGarie What Happened fan post...it's in the recommended section.
Interesting and seems to have credibility. Remember…it takes 2. Pritchard was very good but it seems he made his choice.
It is an interesting read, but filled with loads of speculation.
I wouldn’t bet on any of it.
by upper left corner on Jul 19, 2010 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions
Minny ofer
particularly the part where Minny never offered Penn the Job. I contacted JC after reading that and he said he had the offer sheet in hand. So the denial by the Minny Prez was a lie, not Penn’s. The amount of the offer however may have been inaccurate as I didn’t ask if the amount was on the offer sheet he possesed. So there is some wiggle room, but not much on that topic.
I almost agree with you in that
it will be a long, long time before I heap praise on Montgomery Allen (who can take a flying “leap” at a rolling donut as far as I’m concerned for the classless way he’s handled this situation), but now that they’re in this stew, this hire seems a good way out.
by LaughingJon on Jul 19, 2010 11:46 AM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, seems like a more adenturous, more exciting GM than Pfund
and I’m just not convinced — after seeing talk, and seeing how he played in the NBA, than Ferry is really that smart
ignacio
now finish them off with a Cho-Hold
by Junk Drawer Bandit on Jul 19, 2010 10:56 AM PDT up reply actions 10 recs
i think getting presti might have been worthy of this
not their assistant gm.
"I told somebody to stop crying," Pendergraph said after the game. "Actually, I told them all to stop crying."
Apparently, he was their "capologist" and leading analytics expert.
I don’t know that much about his relationship with Presti, but I think this is a major loss for Presti and the Thunder.
by upper left corner on Jul 19, 2010 11:33 AM PDT up reply actions
I 'cho' hope he works out good.
I hope he isn’t a ‘cho’ man’s version of KP.
by 1ofthe7 on Jul 19, 2010 4:33 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Now we know why PA chose him.
Rich-Slapped!
Of couse I realize everything I say here means nothing.
In K.P. I STILL trust.
Travis Outlaw fan from the beginning.
by llamaiguana on Jul 19, 2010 11:40 AM PDT up reply actions
Great
Now we’ll have to fire him because he’s not modest.
"We get to hit arms! Cool!"
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-135/On-Playoff-Experience.html
or maybe...not throwing others under the bus...did you read the fan post on Pritchard, LaGarie?
Do you think any of what darkstar wrote may be true?
Well...
To be fair – “doing things the right way” is a phrase used by every owner in regard to every hire these days. Means basically nothing.
by fitsnstarts on Jul 19, 2010 11:09 AM PDT up reply actions
Good nicknames I've read so far on twitter:
“Cho-ke Slam”
“Cho-sen One”
“Cho Cho Train”
"Nicolas! You're the strongest boy in the world!"
Ah yes, I forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder.
"Nicolas! You're the strongest boy in the world!"
Wait, I thought it meant something vulgarly awesome
so no problem
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
That defenition has also worked it's way into Hawai'ian pidgin
Probably via the Portugese immigrants from the turn of the 20th… we don’t want to get tominhawaii overly excited/embarassed.
Like the Whos down in Whoville they did it without boxes or ribbons or bows, they did without centers or posting down low. They won without All-Stars and Spaniards and Frenchmen. They won with old geezers and sub-par defense-men. They won playing rookies from deep off the benches. They won with their grit and their guts in the trenches. And some who observed them have been known to say that their hearts grew three sizes (at least!) on the way. One hopes with their poise and their passion now proven that once they are healthy their game will be groovin'. -- Dave
by conspirator5 on Jul 19, 2010 12:47 PM PDT up reply actions
I like "Cho 'Nuff"
that’s my favorite.
Ryan Gomes: forever a Blazer in our hearts.
by musicdaniel on Jul 19, 2010 12:12 PM PDT up reply actions
Cho Nuff...
The baddest Mo Fo this side of OKC
"What we have here, is a failure to communicate."
yessss
love me some Toto.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
I'm fairly indifferent to this hire.
Not much of a track record, but if Sam Presti hired him, I’m sure he’s good.
I dub him the Cho-sen One.
"Ain't nothin' in this world for free."
Now he only has to make a Cho-mpionship move and bring CP3 to Portland
Should be done by the end of this week, right?
Why isn't it done now?
"[S]ince men enjoyed very great leisure, they used it to pursue many kinds of commodities unknown to their fathers, and that was that first yoke they placed upon themselves without thinking about it, and the first source of evils the prepared for their descendants. For, besides continuing thus to soften body and mind, as these commodities had lost almost all their pleasantness through habit, and as they had at the same time degenerated into true needs, being deprived of them became much more cruel than possessing them was sweet; and people were unhappy to lose them without being happy to have them." -Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Rich Cho,
Already failing to meet Blazerfan’s expectations since this morning.
"[S]ince men enjoyed very great leisure, they used it to pursue many kinds of commodities unknown to their fathers, and that was that first yoke they placed upon themselves without thinking about it, and the first source of evils the prepared for their descendants. For, besides continuing thus to soften body and mind, as these commodities had lost almost all their pleasantness through habit, and as they had at the same time degenerated into true needs, being deprived of them became much more cruel than possessing them was sweet; and people were unhappy to lose them without being happy to have them." -Jean-Jacques Rousseau
by T Darkstar on Jul 19, 2010 10:59 AM PDT up reply actions 10 recs
this made me laugh
OJ Mayo is the Blazers' PG of the Future
by GreatOden'sRaven on Jul 19, 2010 12:04 PM PDT up reply actions
Blazers should fire him, he hasn't lived up to expectations so far.
"Ain't nothin' in this world for free."
I already remember him being solely responsible for the Wesley Matthews signing.
Revisionist history FTW
"[S]ince men enjoyed very great leisure, they used it to pursue many kinds of commodities unknown to their fathers, and that was that first yoke they placed upon themselves without thinking about it, and the first source of evils the prepared for their descendants. For, besides continuing thus to soften body and mind, as these commodities had lost almost all their pleasantness through habit, and as they had at the same time degenerated into true needs, being deprived of them became much more cruel than possessing them was sweet; and people were unhappy to lose them without being happy to have them." -Jean-Jacques Rousseau
I think he was also the one that was pushing to draft Brandon
Still on the Rex bandwagon.
by dan_the_man on Jul 19, 2010 11:18 AM PDT up reply actions
That was done before the Cho-sen one!
Steve Patterson gets credit for Camby!
by 52therim on Jul 19, 2010 11:56 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
and he would take the credit for Camby too
judging by his interview on the MSP
Ryan Gomes: forever a Blazer in our hearts.
by musicdaniel on Jul 19, 2010 12:16 PM PDT up reply actions
Word is going around that PA doesn't want him
sitting next to him anymore at games.
by BlazerDavid on Jul 19, 2010 11:05 AM PDT up reply actions
They didn't know either.
Yahoo! told them they did.
by BlazerDavid on Jul 19, 2010 11:07 AM PDT up reply actions
Rumor has it Cho slep with one of the floozies PA has sit next to him at games.
"Ain't nothin' in this world for free."
"Cho-sen One"
I dislike this nickname for a multitude of reasons, the foremost being that it is too obvious. I prefer “Cho ’Nuff” from above.
Ryan Gomes: forever a Blazer in our hearts.
by musicdaniel on Jul 19, 2010 12:14 PM PDT up reply actions
well . . .
he sure has a lot of experience getting organizations over the top with those trades that moved his team from 1st round and out to conf finals and more. you know, all that stuff that Miller and the rest of the team wanted in the next GM.
"Better, not good, but better." - Herb Brooks
lets maybe not start that again
that little phrase did more to harm other fans perceptions of us than anything else… maybe we take it easy, stop talking for awhile.. hehe
OJ Mayo is the Blazers' PG of the Future
by GreatOden'sRaven on Jul 19, 2010 12:07 PM PDT up reply actions
cho nuff
Ryan Gomes: forever a Blazer in our hearts.
by musicdaniel on Jul 19, 2010 12:17 PM PDT up reply actions
Rich-Slapped is so much better.
It just seems so familiar to me….
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
This is instructive, as far as the Penn/Pritchard mystery goes.
Hire wouldn’t seem to deviate from present course. Makes the change appear, at least on the surface, more personal in nature, perhaps petty even.
Not the big time veteran that would have signaled a philosophical shift.
lol why even try to read that much into it.
Maybe he was just the best candidate for the job.
by Junk Drawer Bandit on Jul 19, 2010 2:50 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Because I have reasoning skills.
Another analytics guy? This time w/ no presence, seemingly no ego, ready made to do Miller’s bidding.
Weak candidate.
by damonrayhymer on Jul 19, 2010 5:07 PM PDT up reply actions
We Choo Choo CHOsed him!
Yes! As a general rule, I always favor people who totally earned their position in life, and didn’t get to it based on other things… for a GM, that’d be having a daddy who was a GM (Steve Patterson) or being a former star player (Chris Mullin, Kiki) who gets hired based on his playing career and not his actual work behind the scenes.
While I can’t know more about this hire than the people behind the scenes, this seems like a perfect hire. A smart, hard working guy, very similar to Pritchard (which suggests it wasn’t the stuff we loved about KP wasn’t why PA fired him, perhaps), young, hip to the new world of advanced stats and CBA shenanigans…
I am very happy with this signing. After how clueless we seemed with the Penn and KP firings, I was worried we’d go with a puppet and not a young hungry dude who worked his way up quickly by being very smart.
Mortimer
#52
And there's a picture of a train on it.
by blazed on Jul 19, 2010 11:10 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Did you use Ralph's pick up line from The Simpsons episode set on valentines day, where he obtains a date from Lisa, there in your headline?
Silver linings. Silver linings. Silver linings.
This is a trap, baited with enthusiasm
"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy
by Honka Playboy on Jul 19, 2010 10:32 PM PDT up reply actions
break out the General Akbar jpeg
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I say any hire at this point is a good hire
Unless it was Wark. Then I’d have shot myself
Blazers win!
I'd be very angry
If we hired failed retreads like Kiki, Chris Mullin, Dunleavy, uhhh… who else…
No one who got their job based on their playing career, or was an old “good ol’ boy” who got the job simply because they’ve been around forever (such as John Nash).
A young, hungry kid who earned his position and is hip to all the stuff KP loved— advanced stats coupled with scouting, creative use of CBA loopholes… I mean, we gotta wait and see how he does, but all that we know about Cho, I love.
Wark at least proved that he’s a decent GM.
Morty
#52
Yeah, not only is he hip to the stuff KP loved
But also Cho has a lot of the Tom Penn skills. Rumor is KP was lost without Penn.
So it's like signing Wesley Matthews.
Two GM’s in the body of one!
"[S]ince men enjoyed very great leisure, they used it to pursue many kinds of commodities unknown to their fathers, and that was that first yoke they placed upon themselves without thinking about it, and the first source of evils the prepared for their descendants. For, besides continuing thus to soften body and mind, as these commodities had lost almost all their pleasantness through habit, and as they had at the same time degenerated into true needs, being deprived of them became much more cruel than possessing them was sweet; and people were unhappy to lose them without being happy to have them." -Jean-Jacques Rousseau
And it saves us UNTOLD hundreds of thousands of dollars
By combining the two positions into one.
Guys this just makes strong financial SENSE, even if he’s not a good GM.
Morty
#52
No more dealing with poop-kicking rubes who've never seen an Asian man before!
He’s paying PA to get outta there.
—M
#52
it's true!
At least in Portland, he’ll know sixteen other Asian people.
Fifteen.
One guy moved last week.
"I think he’s been doing some good things. I think he’s been doing some good things. He’s had to play a lot of minutes lately with Blake being out. I think he’s been doing some good things." -Nate McMillan
by xedubx on Jul 19, 2010 1:29 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
There are more Asian people than black people though.
This is critically relevant so don’t ignore it.
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
He's like a mix of Penn, KP2, Storyteller, a business deals negotiator, and a scout
Larry Miller should hold onto his chair ;-)
He should talk to his agent...
…about making a move for Miller’s job. With a resume like that, what could go wrong?!
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
by BmoreBlazer on Jul 19, 2010 12:44 PM PDT up reply actions
Mort, gotta love you here
Talking about a 40-something attorney with a dozen years of pro-sports experience like he’s a one and done rook.
Moneyball credentials and Thunder-rebirth pedigree notwithstanding, I don’t think they would have hired him if he hadn’t been an Asst for like… forever.
Like the Whos down in Whoville they did it without boxes or ribbons or bows, they did without centers or posting down low. They won without All-Stars and Spaniards and Frenchmen. They won with old geezers and sub-par defense-men. They won playing rookies from deep off the benches. They won with their grit and their guts in the trenches. And some who observed them have been known to say that their hearts grew three sizes (at least!) on the way. One hopes with their poise and their passion now proven that once they are healthy their game will be groovin'. -- Dave
by conspirator5 on Jul 19, 2010 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions
Well, of course they wanted experience
But he’s still a guy who earned his position through hard work and not past accomplishments or nepotism.
He’s continually rised through the ranks in his relatively short career and is a young, hard working guy.
I don’t think anything I said suggests he just walked in off the street, quoted some smart guy stuff, and was hired…
Morty
#52
Cho has people skills?
Lets hope they rub off on the ownership!
by BlazinGreen on Jul 19, 2010 11:07 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I just heard the Cho interview--he's cool--not a politician like KP but still likeable.
He knows numbers and will be a great asset for the team.
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jul 19, 2010 11:12 AM PDT up reply actions
I just hope Cho has the stones
to tell Paul that he is not going to draft a quick/little PG every year, just “because”
(FWIW, I think Armon Johnson was a step in the right direction re: size and defense)
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
The NBA is about to get Rich Rolled
This has been a great 2 weeks for the Blazers organization. First, Lebron and Gilbert distract the league from Portland’s PR glitch in it’s handling of KP’s exit. Then, the team goes out and spends (a lot) to get a player who can play D at 2/3. Finally, The team gets it’s guy—someone from a team with an even better base of young talent than Portland.
Excellent.
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jul 19, 2010 11:07 AM PDT reply actions 15 recs
Works best
If they’re all expecting something different, then bam! – rich-rolled.
by fitsnstarts on Jul 19, 2010 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions
Not to mention the rooks looking cool in SLC.
Well, AJ1 looked more than cool, and I think Babs did enough to show us why the Blazers were high on his potential. Elliot looked cool on the bench, which is where he’s going to be all season anyways.;)
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jul 19, 2010 11:14 AM PDT up reply actions
Super Rec!
Of couse I realize everything I say here means nothing.
In K.P. I STILL trust.
Travis Outlaw fan from the beginning.
YES!!!
So good.
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jul 19, 2010 3:56 PM PDT up reply actions
Pleasantly surprised. I love that we went with an up and comer with a background and appreciation for quantitative analysis who also comes from an organization that made creative use of the cap.
Pleasantly surprised is what I say too.
I didn’t have faith that we were gonna make a smart-seeming hire or get a guy who is his own person, because of how we dealt with the KP and Penn firings.
Of course, I still have no idea why we fired them. If it wasn’t based on their work, then hiring Cho makes more sense as a continuation of what we have got going.
So not only were my worst fears not realized (Mullin, Kiki), we hired who I thought was far and away the best candidate and most similar to KP and Penn. Very, very nice.
Mortimerboretimer98
#52
Whaaaaaat
Says Mr. “PA and his flunkies will ruin everything we know and love because they’ve done it in every business ever”?!?!
—ME
#52
yeah, they will eventually until i buy the team
I’d meet BRP at the airport, not flee!! - fanfaraway
then i’ll ban you from watching/reading/listening to Blazer games!
hahaha sucka!
I’d meet BRP at the airport, not flee!! - fanfaraway
I agree, in theory...
But doesn’t that describe what we just got rid of in Tom Penn and Kevin Pritchard?
It definitely puts the lie to the Blazers’ statements that they wanted an older, more experienced GM who had been there before. Clearly there were some personal factors involved.
to their credit, they did change their tune after the interviews..
Cho has plenty of experience as Asst Gm
I’d meet BRP at the airport, not flee!! - fanfaraway
and the fact
that they were willing to change midway through the process leads me to believe Cho had an extremely good interview. So glad they looked in his direction.
"I'm a man, but I can change.....if I have to......I guess." - Red Green
by antediluvian on Jul 19, 2010 11:50 AM PDT up reply actions
or that Miller and PA couldnt reel in their top targets...
Blazersedge, keeping haterade in business for years
I agree that this guy is a decent hire.
I think I would have preferred Randy Pfund, because he probably was more accustomed to dealing with overweening egos. Certainly, Cho will have to move well in the circles of Allen and His Vulcan Sycophants.
From a talent perspective, I’m sure he is fine, although I prefer GM’s who were players or coaches, because of their ability to assess talent, especially skill sets that can’t be quantified.
that's what scouts are for
Cho has done some pro/college scouting, and he has Mike and Chad. None of them played or coached but they’ll consult with Nate…wait, maybe that’s what folks are afraid of? McMillian will have more input re: player acquisitions? (more than Mr. Allen, hopefully)
I suspect the “Sonics connection” also had something to do with Rich’s hiring. It seems to be difficult for Paul and the Vulcans to reach very far outside the NW
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
My fear of Nate McMillan getting more control in player personnel decisions would've come to ...
fruition if Bernie Bickerstaff was named GM. That way, the Portland Trail Blazers would’ve basically employed a flunky for McMillan in the big boy’s chair upstairs. Thankfully, though, it wasn’t the case, for the Trail Blazers made the smart hire in Rich Cho.
What I'm wondering more is about pace
Will Cho keep adding quick/skinny players to the roster, like KP/Mike/Cha have done in the past? I’d say that Babbitt/Williams also fall into this category, from this year’s draft, only Johnson has an NBA body coming out of college.
Then there’s the “uptempo 2nd unit” philosophy—how much of that was Nat and how much of it was Paul and Kevin? Are we going to see as many Euros stashed by Rich as when Kevin was the GM?
Will the roster be balanced with a few more role-playing veterans, as Presti/Cho did with OKC and the Spurs have done for over a decade?
These are the questions I have, and another thing, will Cho hire a veteran assistant, rather than another young guy? Ben talked about this some on Courtside tonight. Since Rich’s strengths are in cap management, perhaps he’ll look for a former GM who has longtime “connections” around the league…this would dovetail with Nate’s decision to add “old guys” to the bench to replace younger coaches like Monty and Joe
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Babbit doesn't look that quick or skinny to me
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
check his draft profile
6’4 185, that’s Sergio-size
Elliott is uber-athletic but he’s the anti-Rudy (Williams is left hand dominant, Fernandez only goes to his right)
My point is, other than Armon the Blazers drafted players who are underweight for the positions that they’ll need to defend. I’m sure Luke and EW will be fed well and put through weight training, but I’d like to see Cho add some size/girth to the roster in the future (especially at the backup 4) and not just length. Between LMA and Camby, there’s enough skinny PFs who get pushed under the backboard on the roster already, without adding more Travis Outlaw clones
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
too skinny to defend 4s, not quick enough to guard SFs
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
haha
disgusting.
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jul 19, 2010 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions
I believe it; doesn't sound right
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
I've only had one Chalupa,
and it was after a Blazer win over Chicago. My friend and I got off the MAX one stop early to try the crap, and found the front entrance locked. Seeing that the drive-thru was still going, we hitched a lift. I don’t even remember what they tasted like, I was so smashed.
The other games I got those coupons for, I just gave away. Once, on the MAX again, I was chatting with a couple girls after the game. They hadn’t been at the game, but when I told them about it being a Chalupa night, they got this funny gleam in their eye. I offered them the tickets and one girl said, “What, do we look like the kinda nasty (dogs) that eat that (poo)?” Being the stone cold playah I am, I said, “Maaaayyybe”.
They took the coupons and got off at the Taco Bell stop. Moral of the story? You are what you eat.
Stealth > Wealth
So much for Paul Allen having scared evryone off...
I mean if you are an NBA GM you have to deal with crazy owners. You would have to be a fool to waste millions on a silly sport, therefore if you want to be an NBA GM you have got to be willing to work for fools.
That's the only thing keeping me from being an NBA GM.
"[S]ince men enjoyed very great leisure, they used it to pursue many kinds of commodities unknown to their fathers, and that was that first yoke they placed upon themselves without thinking about it, and the first source of evils the prepared for their descendants. For, besides continuing thus to soften body and mind, as these commodities had lost almost all their pleasantness through habit, and as they had at the same time degenerated into true needs, being deprived of them became much more cruel than possessing them was sweet; and people were unhappy to lose them without being happy to have them." -Jean-Jacques Rousseau
me too
in all seriousness though, Cho is a very highly qualified and impressive individual…pleasantly surprised describes my feelings on this hire as well
by sammymohawk on Jul 19, 2010 11:24 AM PDT up reply actions
Some teams turn a significant profit, buying and owning a team is not necessarily a sunk cost.
"Ain't nothin' in this world for free."
Didn't you read KP's letter?
He said PA is a “great owner”.
Are you saying KP lied? How dare we question Pritch-speak.
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jul 19, 2010 11:21 AM PDT up reply actions
Horrible Hire
It seems like everyone is forgetting who hired Cho. Obviously he’s just a brown-nosing yes man, probably hand picked by the Vulcan flunkies. I wanted a man with NBA experience who would have the “you know what” to stick up to PA and his flunkies.
FAIL!
I wish
He would have done something worth remembering during his tenure. Take away the LA/Roy draft and he was pretty underwhelming.
by tominhawaii on Jul 19, 2010 11:35 AM PDT up reply actions
Yes...
and if you take away Joe Montana’s 4 SB rings, he is just a so-so quarterback.
"I'm a man, but I can change.....if I have to......I guess." - Red Green
by antediluvian on Jul 19, 2010 11:53 AM PDT up reply actions
There is a huge difference
Q: Why has no other GM in the history of the league let some no name guy run his draft?
A: Because it never has happened. Unless KP and others take a lie detector, I refuse to believe KP drafted Roy and LA.
Joe Montana earned his rings. I will give credit to KP for drafting Batum and trading for Camby. That’s about it though. I was glad he was let go.
by tominhawaii on Jul 19, 2010 12:07 PM PDT up reply actions
and KP only traded Travis and Steve away
when he had no choice, because Juwan Howard was his starting center and his scrappy little team was circling the drain
you forgot to mention that KP signed Andre Miller to a FA contract re: his list of accomplishments…I suspect you won’t be truly “glad” until Cho “rights that wrong”
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
For this reason
I hope that Rick Cho trades Andre Miller.
For the contradiction would surely cause Tom’s head to explode.
At which point, we’d have to wipe up the brains with a Post-it note.
Si equum mortuum flagellēs, non celerium currat.
by EngineerScotty on Jul 19, 2010 2:21 PM PDT up reply actions
What happened to the experienced GM that has a record making deals?
Looks like they pretty much tossed out all of their goals to get a guy that has limited power and will be the ultimate yes man.
What deal-making GM ya like more than CHOpin?
Ya want someone who simply has made deals before? What good, smart GM is just sitting around waiting to move to Portland?
—M
#52
CHO-pin will play some furious mazurkas on their heads
GOP in HD
by 22baylor on Jul 19, 2010 1:17 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
not by the sounds of it
Cho said on the radio this morning that Sam and he ran EVERY move by Bennett, and came with pros/cons and why they should or shouldn’t do X.
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
He drafted Durant and not Oden.
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 11:23 AM PDT reply actions
also
oden is a beastly monster man who will dominate if he’s ever healthy…it’s not like we drafted Kwame Brown or Michael Olowokandi
by sammymohawk on Jul 19, 2010 11:27 AM PDT up reply actions
Now Cho gets the best of both worlds.
#52
by Mortimer on Jul 19, 2010 11:29 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
He'll be known as the guy that took Durant and won a championship with Oden.
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 11:34 AM PDT up reply actions 4 recs
Duh
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 11:27 AM PDT up reply actions
WHOOHOOO
CHOCHOCHO
Kevin Love broke the rim in my high school gym, but he still rocks my dirty socks…..and he is a total fox.
The only person I love more than LeBron James is portlandgiirl91
For me it was between Griffin and Cho
I could go either way. satisfied, glad its not Pfund or Ferry…
Cho was cho-sen because Pfund refused to do the CP3 trade.
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 11:25 AM PDT reply actions
Which trade is that?
Source?
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jul 19, 2010 11:27 AM PDT up reply actions
Announced later today after Cho press conference and Matthews announcement.
Gotta do things in order of importance.
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 11:32 AM PDT up reply actions
So your "source"
is that you can sniff leads upon the winds of the future?
Don’t be bashful—tell us all about your superpowers, future man.
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jul 19, 2010 11:52 AM PDT up reply actions
When I hear "future man"
I immediately think of the film Bottle Rocket.
by fitsnstarts on Jul 19, 2010 11:59 AM PDT up reply actions
I think of the drummer in Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
GOP in HD
by 22baylor on Jul 19, 2010 1:18 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
That movie has it's moments.
I’ve only seen it once though and don’t recall “future man”. I’m more of a Rushmore guy.
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jul 19, 2010 3:58 PM PDT up reply actions
It was a joke -- perhaps you missed the first 50 CP3 trade threads here?
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 12:49 PM PDT up reply actions
Ah!
I wish sarcastic posts were in a different color. You know, just to make it easier for people like myself to follow the jokes.;)
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jul 19, 2010 1:11 PM PDT up reply actions
That's it, ladies and gentlebums. 22baylor has scored a rare cattrick
3 recs by me in one thread.
Will it ever be duplicated? 3-peated? I doubt it …
#52
Best part of the Cho interview?
“I’m just ticked to death… for the opportunity”
"Nicolas! You're the strongest boy in the world!"
they should make a "Tickle-Me Rich-Cho" doll
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
In my eyes, this was the best possible hire
I’m glad we’re past this stage. We have a new, very exciting, very qualified GM. I look forward to seeing what he’ll do with the team. Small tweaks? Moderate overhaul? Either way, now we can focus on what will be happening with the players. Much more fun than arguing over front office personnel.
Still on the Rex bandwagon.
Interesting comment from his interview
His parting line was “Looking forward to improving the roster.”
So there ya go…as good as confirms that we’re trading our summer league roster for CP3.
by Hawthorne Wingo on Jul 19, 2010 11:29 AM PDT reply actions
That comment meant nothing...lol, although this team is so well constructed it "could" win a championship w/o any changes...
…I think Cho might be tempted to make a trade just so he can say “Yea! Yea! I had a hand in getting us this ring!!!”
Seriously though, he landed in a good place, from my perspective, better to go to a place where you can continually smirk as your new team “beats down” your old boss/team…at least we have a good shot of that, most teams don’t in the next 10 years
although this team is so well constructed it “could” win a championship w/o any changes…
During the press conference Cho said the current roster needs a change or two to be a final’s contender
Afterward, Nate said it would be nice to see how all of the players on the team would’ve looked playing together for awhile (i.e. if we could fast-forward a few years down the road) McMillian seemed to imply that the situation is too urgent for that delay and changes will need to be made (even though the roster evaluations have been incomplete, due to injuries)
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Hopefully the "franchise" will listen to the "subordinate"
by upper left corner on Jul 19, 2010 3:07 PM PDT up reply actions
My take is
that this is not good.
PA has failed to appreciate what a winner actually looks like. This looks more like the Oakland model, rather than the New England model, if you don’t mind the NFL parallel.
And Greg and BRoy are not going to win a championship, rush to the owner’s seat, and carry him to center court, sort of like in Rudy.
This is a weak choice, of a weak candidate, a very corporate style choice, and I find myself disappointed, once again.
by damonrayhymer on Jul 19, 2010 4:58 PM PDT up reply actions
The Cho signing is just another sign
that Larry Miller won “the power struggle”
It may turn out OK in the long run, but Larry and Nate found a guy that they can work with, and Paul hired yet another ex-Sonic
and the Bedgers who like stats are happy, why should anyone desire to squash their buzz?
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
There are always those who feel the Blazers made the wrong move.
Clownzano is one of them. Or at least he tries to get everyone GOING with whatever his current rant is.
Can’t help wonder what the nay sayers are like regarding things other than Blazers.
Don't you find it ironic
that most of the same folks who were ready to jump ship when Paul fired KP on draft day are right back on board and enthusiastic about this hiring?
I think that any major decision the Blazers make is worth examining from every angle. From this kind of perspective, you can see how Larry and Nate will have more input re: the roster-evaluation process than they did before. Some Bedgers will like this idea, others probably won’t
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
For what it's worth, I hated on both Paul Allen and Kevin Pritchard.
I’m an equal oppotunity hater, however, and have enough disdain to spread around upon everyone.
That aside, though, I definitely approve of the Rich Cho hire, since he’s well-rounded and intelligent enough to thrive as a basketball operations department executive.
I'll have to remind you of this
after RC makes his first transaction and you pick it apart ;^)
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Well, everyone's prone to mistakes.
I’m still baffled as to why the San Antonio Spurs acquired Richard Jefferson last season.
At the time, they thought they needed more offense to compete with L*A
and RC Buford knew he could use his Jedi mind tricks to convince RJ to opt out of his contract June if things went sideways
What’s Branch Rickey’s old quote, luck is the residue of design? The Spurs are the “luckiest” small market NBA organization in league history
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I'd use the word "idiotic"...
Don’t you find it ironic
that most of the same folks who were ready to jump ship when Paul fired KP on draft day are right back on board and enthusiastic about this hiring?
"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
Agreed
While he has a better title, probably bigger salary, and more prestige,
hid duties will probably not differ much from OKC
_________________________________________
If "It's Only a Game", then why do we keep score?
I think Cho replaces PENN,
PA replaces KP, when he’s in the mood.
Donkey: a horse made by committee.
by damonrayhymer on Jul 19, 2010 8:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Miller won alright.
I really believe this hire says a lot about Miller, Allen, and the KP situation.
There is very little reason to suggest that Cho has the experience, or the authority, to take this team where it needs to go.
As to his credentials,
Building a talented foundation is one thing, consolidating it into a contender is quite another. Cho is credited w/ helping assemble The Thunder, which is a credit to him. The hard work, the heavy lifting, however, remains to be done, just as it is here. Is OKC going to pay all those guys? Are we? Which pieces gotta go? I think this team needed a veteran (Udoka), and it got a rookie (Mills). Only this time we’re not about the 15th spot.
by damonrayhymer on Jul 19, 2010 9:40 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm not sure if I'd call it hard work
what the Blazers need in a GM right now is a surgeon, not a sledge hammer operator
Cho may or may not be the right person to make the necessary roster tweaks, but he has the reputation of deal-making, and finding ways to make both sides happy with a trade. (I liken this to early Tom Penn when he found the trade exception in the Randolph deal that eventually led to the James Jones/Rudy Fernandez deal with Phoenix.)
Rich will be even more important as the league resets after the next CBA, the front offices that pore over that legalese and minutia (and find the best way to exploit it) are going to have the advantage in 2012. If there’s any way to anticipate what the landscape will be following the lockout, Cho has the right mindset for the job. He may decide to do nothing, or recommend that Oden be signed beforehand, or he may position the team to do some highway robbery next February when other teams are in panic dump mode.
If Rich can pull some or most of that off, Larry will be smiling because Rich was “his” hire and things will be looking up for the Miller administration, otherwise known as the “Portland Trail Blazers PP&P” (post Pritchard and Penn)
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I agree that Cho replaces Penn,
but beyond that, I am unwilling to concede that Allen knows what he’s doing. This looks every bit like a committee, IMO, and I can only hope that I am wrong.
Really, I just don’t get it. I’m a strong man, and I appreciate strong people. Mr. Allen should hire the best and get out of the way. After all, the older we get, the more we understand how little we actually know. After 22 years in the professional basketball business, one would hope to witness a modicum of hard fought wisdom.
If indeed, Mr. Cho is really the GM (in the traditional leadership/decision making role), I would have someone’s job for bringing me a rookie. I’m not handing the keys to this vast wealth of resources to a newbie, but that’s just me. When KP took the helm, the cupboard was all but empty. Now, well, I think our cup runneth over, and I’m leery of those that would take advantage of my abundance.
by damonrayhymer on Jul 19, 2010 11:45 PM PDT up reply actions
I've learned a little more about Paul this spring, behind the scenes stuff
and let’s just say…don’t give him too much credit for becoming wiser as he’s grown older
but he’s still the best owner a Blazer fan could reasonably hope for, despite his flaws
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Considering Al Davis' background, I've got a hard time comparing him to Paul Allen.
While Davis has seemingly lost his mind these past several years, he was a winner with a football background for a long, long time.
Compare and contrast to PA who, ummmm, really likes Jimi Hendrix a lot...
"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
Al Davis
has had a long and decorated career. He was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Chargers of the AFL in 1960, and won big time w/ Ken Stabler, and Jim Plunket in the 70’s. His teams really stretched the field, playing north to south, and going deep.
While it’s clear that he currently suffers from dementia, Paul Allen has no such excuse, and none of the pedigree. I surrender to your point, and apologize to Mr. Davis for such an unfair comparison.
by damonrayhymer on Jul 19, 2010 8:48 PM PDT up reply actions
One interesting note...
since he has been with Durant for a while and seen what he’s done, i wonder what his initial opinion in offering GO a contract extension this year or let him become a RFA
I’d meet BRP at the airport, not flee!! - fanfaraway
The Camby extension
saved the Blazers a lot of money and hassle. They’ll do again w/ GO.
by damonrayhymer on Jul 19, 2010 11:33 AM PDT up reply actions
While potential roster changes is the more exciting topic
The Oden extension is probably the most important thing he’ll do this summer. I hope we can extend Greg at a reasonable rate. More importantly though, I hope the extension is a long one. Greg = all our championship hopes. The only reason we might not sign him, aside from not coming to an agreement, is the changing CBA next summer. The CBA will change next year, way in favor of the owners. We might want to wait until after the change takes place. On the other hand, the upcoming CBA change might be used as a strong bargaining chip to get him to sign for less this summer.
Still on the Rex bandwagon.
by dan_the_man on Jul 19, 2010 11:35 AM PDT up reply actions
thankfully
Oden will not be in a position to demand too much… although we’ll find out what other teams really think of him if his salary is large. Obviously he’s done very little on the court, but we know the NBA will pay for upside.
M, period. Fresh, comma.
I'm hoping after this season Oden is in position to demand the max
by Bskey on Jul 19, 2010 1:07 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
the decision needs to be made
after preseason, before Nov 1
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
no doubt.
Interested to see what becomes of Mr. Oden.
by damonrayhymer on Jul 19, 2010 9:02 PM PDT up reply actions
I agree
Is 25% the max for incentives? If so, load it up.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
Honestly, I think Paul Allen is the only opinion that matters on that...
…if time comes and its really grey on Oden, he might listen to Cho for some advice…but on those types of decisions, I think Paul turns into Al Davis/Jerry Jones
Oh yes.
Just when I questioned how Durant’s contract could somehow be related to GO’s extension I remembered: GO and Durant are forever connected like ET and Elliot. Clumsy me…
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jul 19, 2010 11:55 AM PDT up reply actions
it all comes down to "how much" ...
"You be realistic," Oden said. "I’m going to stay happy. All right?"
Cho never played basketball, right?
I hope he has the similar eye for talent and chemistry that Pritchard has.
Cho + Born + Buchanan
Gives me a lot of confidence…Born and Buchanan have given me a lot of reasons to trust them and having Cho makes me very happy
This triumverate is a talent-assessing, contract negotiating, roster-building dynamo
by sammymohawk on Jul 19, 2010 11:59 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Sounds like porn cannon
I approve
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
Does this mean...
…that if he pulls of great trades and jaw-dropping draft day deals, that the new term will be, X GM got Cho-ked!
What if he signs Latrell Sprewell...
Can we all laugh and say Cho signed the Coach Cho-ker?
by Jimbob91577 on Jul 19, 2010 11:37 AM PDT up reply actions
That's the winner
Good work, whoever said it first.
Still on the Rex bandwagon.
by dan_the_man on Jul 19, 2010 11:41 AM PDT up reply actions
Pretty sure it was...
Hipster Olypic Team – above.
I agree. This one’s awesome.
by fitsnstarts on Jul 19, 2010 11:46 AM PDT up reply actions
Couldn't he just change his name to Rick?
Rick Cho sounds more like an up and coming GM who appreciates quantitative analysis more than Rich Cho.
It works for this too, so he should change it. I heard Vulcan is demanding it or he could be out as soon as August.
Yes! Yes! In the face!
SWISH
v nice!
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jul 19, 2010 1:12 PM PDT up reply actions
Maybe should be Chwned or Chpwned
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
Wait I got a better idea
If we get a new player, we can say, e.g.
$chown blazers cp3
Take that suckas!
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
I am trying to outgeek myself
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
hahaha yes, impressively geeky
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
Rich said he prefers to look for deals that will help both teams
a GM with this mindset tends to do well and stay “in the game” longer
but if RC (not Buford) ever clearly wins a trade, we can say that he “Chowned” the other GM
(and wouldn’t it be funny if that rival GM was KP, someday down the road?)
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Yet to be seen...
… should get along with the Vulcan’s… hope this guy is more than just a fancy Excel spreadsheet.
When in Rome...
Cho's an ex-Sonic
those guys tend to do well, in Portland
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Like our head coach who has yet to equal the playoff success he had is Seattle?
Or are you talking about Shawn Kemp?
"I don't feel like I'm going to be happy or complete until I'm an All-Star. My favorite example is that it took Chauncey six, seven years. And Chauncey's been a mentor for me, and I've learned a lot from him in these last couple years. So, people can say what they want, but I'll get the last laugh. " - Bayless
tongue in cheek
what I meant to say is that ex-Sonics tend to get hired by Paul and the Vulcans, even though Allen claimed that they picked the best candidate regardless of his prior address
I do expect Nate to surpass his previous playoff successes this coming May, unless his roster is snakebit with injuries again
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Another reason I like this hire
I don’t give a crap about his grasp of advance metrics. Underlings can run that and make presentations.
What I like his way around the NBA salary cap. As we’ve seen this offseason, salary cap management is THE KEY to getting and keeping young players that sustain winning.
M, period. Fresh, comma.
Yes, the San Antonio Method.
Great in small markets.
by damonrayhymer on Jul 19, 2010 12:03 PM PDT up reply actions
OKC was under the cap ever since dealing away Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. Not that much magic in that.
But allegedly as a lawyer he should be able to understand this CBA and the upcoming one.
That, too, is why I like Rich Cho.
Ever since the departure of Tom Penn, hiring someone who’s got a keen grasp of the CBA and salary cap management was key.
Cho announcement live video
Coming up soon at http://www.kgw.com/live-stream
"Good evening Blazer fans, wherever you may be!"-Bill Schonely
Updated link
Live now
http://www.kgw.com/live-stream/KGW-Live-Video-Stream-Test-81565837.html
"Good evening Blazer fans, wherever you may be!"-Bill Schonely
Barrett's on radio, describing Cho
Egoless. Not as polished with the media as what we’ve been used to. References from around the league were through the roof.
I think this is a big point of this
Rumor and innuendo for a while now seemed to point to KP being NOT well liked around the league, and that that dislike coupled with jealousy of his resources, the media darling personality, and his self-promoting ways were very likely making it harder and harder for him to get deals done with other GMs around the league. Obviously, most of this is unsubstantiated, but you have to think we’ve heard enough things from a variety of sources that at least some of it must be true.
It sounds like Cho has quite the opposite reputation – well respected and liked around the league, and really a low-profile, egoless guy. One can only hope and think that this will enhance his ability to get deals done when needed.
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
Rumor and innuendo...
Thy name is Adian Wojokowski.
Has anyone else ever said KP isn’t well liked around the league? I’ve gotten the opposite impression from most of the espn crew, who are generally well connected. The consensus seems to be that KP will be back in a GM role as soon as he’s ready. Probably after taking a one-year paid vacation.
Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.
by KP Corleone on Jul 19, 2010 12:29 PM PDT up reply actions
theres been more than just Woj
KP will be a GM again, I"m sure. But it’s not like he can just walk into whatever job he wants. NJ passed on him. After initial reports that he was the leader for the Hornets job, they cooled on him after he interviewed.
It’s certainly possible that there is a lot more about KP that we don’t know than what we do now.
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
I wonder what people's reaction
here will be, if he doesn’t get a job this year or next. Maybe, the rumors had more truth to them, than we would’ve first thought. Besides the Camby trade, most of his other trades were minor or for draft positioning.
but that was his whole strategy!
Pritchard and Presti were among the first to realize that the best use of the owner’s $$ was to buy draft picks. Buying draft picks doesn’t count against the cap, and rookie salaries give you tremendous value.
Which is a good strategy
when building up a team, but there does come a certain point where you have to do consolidating trades or trades that you think will be able to get the team over the hump and into contender status.
sure sure
I think we hope one of those is coming down the pike. Our problem with RLEC was that it expired the wrong year, and none of our young players were sufficiently attractive yet to bring back a big-time player.
I agree.
Also, I have been thinking, for awhile, that may have been the first time that upper management thought KP may not be able to make the “big” trade.
LM claims that cho was the only one we actually offerred.
"Good evening Blazer fans, wherever you may be!"-Bill Schonely
he sounds kinda boring
Chris Paul 2010?
by collectiveshane on Jul 19, 2010 12:14 PM PDT reply actions
he's not a polished, PR guy
which I don’t mind. We had a media-saavy, slick talker on the last GM go around. I think a change to a lower-profile guy is probably a good thing right now
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
Let's Be Fair
The slick talker was Patterson, the greased back snake oil salesman. KP was media smart not slick in the pejorative sense.
Down with the Ruskies
by TheSabasFan on Jul 19, 2010 12:17 PM PDT up reply actions
he always came off a bit slick to me
not in the used car salesman way, but just in the “I know more than I’m letting on” way.
Patterson wasn’t slick at all – more foot-in-mouth
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
Except for that one time
He was found holed up in a El Paso Motel 6 with a pound of coke and a 16 year old runaway.
And that other time he shot this old dude in the face for not using his turn signal.
And that was only after a quick Google search, that’s just the stuff we KNOW about.
—M
#52
Is that ...
No Country for Old Men?
"What you have just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. May God have mercy on your soul."
Not the movie version at least
I ain’t read the book yet, but I wanna.
It’s from “The CHOices We Make: How Rich Cho’s crime spree captivated and changed the American southwest”.
—m
#52
Helsinki Finland.....
Koponen? Hmmmm what would drag PA to my far off Fatherland of the cold?
Down with the Ruskies
whatever it is
I doubt it’s Blazer-related
I’m second generation Finnish on my father’s side, as well…sisu!
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I haven't been in one of those for 40+ years
that’s one tradition that wasn’t handed down
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
It's a tradition worth reclaiming
We’ve got one oldster regular that’s from here, but lived in Finland for 15 years. After one of his trips home, he returned to Finland and one of his friends asked if he had saunaed much back in the US. Our guy said he hadn’t, and his friend asked “Well, how did you get clean?”.
I guess there’s clean, and there’s Finish clean. I’m hooked.
Stealth > Wealth
I'm sweating just thinking about those hot rocks
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Rich Cho:
I certainly don’t have all the answers.
Just said it on KGW. Wait, why did we hire him then?
Still on the Rex bandwagon.
The Orlando GM buys pizza for the team
And gives it to them before games.
Still on the Rex bandwagon.
by dan_the_man on Jul 19, 2010 12:26 PM PDT up reply actions
There's a difference between saying "committed to athletic training" and "going to change our trainers"
I’d welcome a review of the trainers, but I don’t think that was the intent of the statement.
Hate to break this to you, but . . .
blazerbanter #Blazers’ Cho has a longtime relationship with Portland strength and conditioning coach Medina.
(Brian Smith tweet)
really? I don't hate or dislike any of the training staff. Just think they
need to ramp it up a notch.
And when I heard BRoy talk about his personal trainer…who the Blazers helped him obtain…this guy who has made him do things he’s never heard of…well I thought to myself…maybe the Blazers training staff has decided to do just that…ramp it up.
Would REALLY be happy if I heard GO had the same trainer..or someone who is focusing exclusively on him.
Is this guy qualified? what has he done
by collectiveshane on Jul 19, 2010 12:19 PM PDT reply actions
I think we all just assumed he looks smart.
You could read what everyone else here already wrote, or do a quick Google search.
M—
#52
“I’m gonna hit the ground running” = CP32PDX
by LOM on Jul 19, 2010 12:22 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I *cough* called this:
http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/7/15/1571678/eggers-blazers-president-larry#42145509
Like the Whos down in Whoville they did it without boxes or ribbons or bows, they did without centers or posting down low. They won without All-Stars and Spaniards and Frenchmen. They won with old geezers and sub-par defense-men. They won playing rookies from deep off the benches. They won with their grit and their guts in the trenches. And some who observed them have been known to say that their hearts grew three sizes (at least!) on the way. One hopes with their poise and their passion now proven that once they are healthy their game will be groovin'. -- Dave
He's going to sit down with the medical staff and talk to them about Greg and Joel and all their injuries and get
their input and go from there!!!!
Hope he includes “you have some splaining to do”
by Natsthecat on Jul 19, 2010 12:24 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I need more details about this Cho cat.
Unlike my first choice Randy Pfund, this guy has no direct experience [on the phones] making trades to speak of. It was Sam Presti’s job to build the team they have in OKC with support from Cho regarding salary cap concerns, etc etc. He’s basically another Tom Penn. Which is a good thing in terms of contract negotiations and especially with the new CBA coming up. I’m just worried about his ability to negotiate and get the RIGHT trades done for the Blazers. It’s not enough to say “..well I hope this [hiring a GM] means we’ll see a trade soon.” This team is at a pivotal point going into next season.
People have to remember that Roy & LMA are already 20% of the way through their contracts as you read this. I’m not saying we HAVE to win a championship next season, but the window isn’t that wide open. It’s certainly not wide open enough for a rookie GM with no trade experience to come in all wide-eyed and hope he makes the right moves. This hiring feels an awful lot like signing Andre Miller. I can’t shake the feeling that Ferry & Pfund both said “no thanks”. I’m sure we’ll learn soon enough. But if it IS THE CASE, I’m a little worried we went with plan C again. The best question to ask yourself right now is, do you really believe Rich Cho is a better fit for the long-term success of the Blazers than Kevin Pritchard was? Really? Really?? I would say Mr. Cho’s margin for error is preeeetttty small with this fanbase after what KP did here.
"You know, when you are in the game, you hear 20,000 people behind you, you don't feel anything."
- Nicolas Batum on playing through his shoulder injury during the 2010 playoffs.
I thought they started their new contracts LAST season? Maybe I had that wrong. Roy & LMA signed last summer. Doesn’t that mean they started their new contracts last season too? I’m the one confused now.
"You know, when you are in the game, you hear 20,000 people behind you, you don't feel anything."
- Nicolas Batum on playing through his shoulder injury during the 2010 playoffs.
Nope, not till next season
They just completed their 4th seasons, which was the 4th year of their 4 year rookie deal.
After their 3rd season, they are eligible to be re-signed. They both signed new contracts that would go into affect starting their 5th seasons.
Oden just finished the 3rd season of his contract, so he is eligible as well, but he still has one more year left on his rookie contract.
M—
#52
beat ya!
;-)
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
bah, someone cheated.
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
they signed extensions last summer that start this upcoming season
they were both on 4-year rookie standard deals. in between year 3 and year 4, teams can sign these type of players to an extension that starts in year 5. This is what we did with both of them.
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
20%
Roy and LMA both have 5 year extensions which start this upcoming season. That sounds to me like 0%. If you are including the 4 years they’ve put in, then the number is 44% (4 of 9). I"m confused…
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
Unlike my first choice Randy Pfund, this guy has no direct experience [on the phones] making trades
Henry disagrees with this take
I can see four key skills for a GM: Evaluate talent, communicate with the media, master the issues that go into making deals (CBA, legalese), and increasingly do some kind of global analysis that lets you find players who are good value. Kevin Pritchard got the job because of his proven mastery of the first two. Cho is, by reputation, almost the opposite. He’s known for his proven mastery of the second two.
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Henry ignores negotiation of trades
He just says that Cho is equipped to handle evaluating, but not necessarily making, trades due to his understanding of capology and qualitative analysis. Henry says nothing about his ability to negotiate trades or to Pritch-slap other teams.
why would I want Rich to slap anyone?
I’d rather see him make deals that help both teams, because in the long run that puts Portland’s front office on better footing to continue to make roster adjustments, when they’re needed.
Nate said there was a deal that Walker and Sund couldn’t make up in Seattle but Cho found a way. I think RC has been a lot more involved in the deal-making process than KP was when he was hired back in ‘07, and besides draft day (when he spent PA’s money) Kevin didn’t flip his assets particularly well, until the injuries to Greg/Joel forced him to deal Blake/Outlaw
I think the KP-Cho swap was a lateral move that benefits McMillian and Miller, but (like Henry said) the Blazers are getting an exec who understands the art of the deal, and won’t keep calling the other GMs over and over making the same lowball offers.
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
by two4larue on Jul 19, 2010 5:59 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
There's no need to slap anyone, but you don't want the one slapped, either
We still have no evidence that Cho was involved in any negotiations. For all we know, Cho’s role in facilitating the Walker-Sund business was as a capologist (his main job for a while).
We have Rick Sund's word
“He was extremely helpful in the Gary Payton-Ray Allen trade which was a difficult trade”
Rick was interviewed on the radio this afternoon and said that Cho is “intuitive” re: personnel matters. Sund would ask Rich about acquiring a player and Cho would put together complicated scenarios in 20 minutes that would work for both teams re: the cap rules (i.e. Rich is a human trade machine) Rick said that Cho would watch the NBA rumor mill and make weekly trade proposals for 3 or 4-way deals and bring them to the Sonic’s GM at the time. He also said that Rich isn’t a “yes” man and that Rich ’saved my fanny by pointing me in the right direction"
and I suspect that if Presti is interviewed in the days to come, we’ll learn more about how much experience Cho has re: making deals
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Cool, good to hear all of that.
Thanks for passing it on.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
3rd hour, Wheels at Work
if you want to download the podcast
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
He just said we're not a contender right now. I don't like that.
by collectiveshane on Jul 19, 2010 12:30 PM PDT reply actions
No what he said is we're a piece or two away from winning
Which I agree with
"Good evening Blazer fans, wherever you may be!"-Bill Schonely
He's right.
We’d all like to think we are if healthy but you can’t say we’re contenders until we prove it.
I agree
I love the fact that in his FIRST public address regarding the team, he stated that this team is NOT a contender now. Because they aren’t. Most GM’s would have said that they will “evaluate the talent of the team before making any decision as to whether they can contend as built or not.” He is a straight shooter. Poor public speaker, but straight shooter.
By the way, did anyone else catch the jab Larry Miller got in at the media? When Cho said that public speaking is his current greatest weakness, Miller said something along the lines of, “Well THIS group will whip you into shape…” I think I like Miller a bit more now. lol
by Rodney Gustafson on Jul 19, 2010 1:22 PM PDT up reply actions
yes
that was awesome. Miller’s probably a bit more clever than he gets credit for, ala his direct comment regarding Wark not being a candidate for the GM position.
For a guy that largely stayed out of the media eye until recently...
he has a very keen feel for what the fans feel.
I’m convinced he reads BE a great deal. =D
by Rodney Gustafson on Jul 19, 2010 2:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Let's Go Cho!
I voted other. I don’t think you can evaluate a GM upon being hired. It’s always results and obviously Cho doesn’t have any as a Head GM or The Blazers GM. That doesn’t mean I’m down on Cho, infact I’m optimistic.
Sounds like we went with an up and comer but a well respected one. I’m fine with that and welcome Cho and look forward to seeing how the franchise reacts and grows during his tenure as GM.
But I’m not going to speculate. He’s a rookie GM. Sounds like a good gamble, decent choice….now let’s see….
"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"
I voted other.
I don’t know anything about the guy. We shall see what he does. As long as he is still focused on getting good people as well as athletes, I think it will be alright.
Of couse I realize everything I say here means nothing.
In K.P. I STILL trust.
Travis Outlaw fan from the beginning.
What do the Thunder fans have to say?
I just went over to “Welcome to Loud City”, the SB Thunder site (I feel so dirty), and they have NOTHING on the site about the hiring of Cho. No articles, no fanposts, no fanshots, nothing. It servers as a reminder how active and deticated this community is.
by optimus_przybilla on Jul 19, 2010 12:46 PM PDT reply actions
Do they have the internet in Oklahoma City?
2-4 the who
by 24thewho on Jul 19, 2010 12:53 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
They do.
They just won’t get the news until late Thursday. The internet takes a few days to get there.
they have to wheel the internet in by wagon
Geriatric Dunk Squad!
1/4/10 - Juwan Howard dunks on Chris Kaman.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTkOqDgLb6s
3/7/10 - Andre Miller Tomahawk jams on the Denver Nuggets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-JVgm7F1QA
4/12/10 - Marcus Camby drops 30 and 13 on OKC to cement 50 wins. http://www.nba.com/blazers/media/camby_chant_041310.mp3
by Eat Politicians on Jul 19, 2010 1:06 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Still on 2400 baud modems there.
So the pages should update around Thursday.
"I think he’s been doing some good things. I think he’s been doing some good things. He’s had to play a lot of minutes lately with Blake being out. I think he’s been doing some good things." -Nate McMillan
OKC internet fanbase = Bill Simmons
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt." -- Bertrand Russell
Maybe now
the chalupa can be replaced with a CHOrizo, too bad he’s not spanish.
One Goal, One Passion - Blazers
Music to my ears
“It’s probably not a championship-contender right now,” said Cho, who was introduced Monday as the ninth general manager in Trail Blazers history. “It’s probably one or two pieces away.”
It’s about time someone in the organization said it.
I'm sure Rich will be working the phones for Iggy while we sleep
What is there about the Thunder’s roster-building record in the last 2-3 years that makes you think that Cho will be making a “5 Blazers for Andre” kind of deal, any time soon?
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
The one big difference between OKC and Portland is the financial resources available, so ...
the Thunder these past couple of years have avoided making the big splash and focused more on the groudwork to build up a competitive franchise — which makes me sick to my stomach to think about in detail — thus, my thought is that Rich Cho is sharp enough to differentiate the Trail Blazers current situation versus the one he came from today.
In the sea of fantastic nicknames,
I’m going to have to go with RiCho.
The more I read about RiCho (wow, easy to type too), the more I like RiCho (it’s growing on me). It seems like everybody that has ever worked with the guy has nothing but great things to say. It’s kind of funny that the whole “most sought after executive” title didn’t break until today, but from the testimonies I’ve read, RiCho is a great pickup and deserves the accolades.
Stealth > Wealth
RiCho.... suave!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx64_N4AA04
Like the Whos down in Whoville they did it without boxes or ribbons or bows, they did without centers or posting down low. They won without All-Stars and Spaniards and Frenchmen. They won with old geezers and sub-par defense-men. They won playing rookies from deep off the benches. They won with their grit and their guts in the trenches. And some who observed them have been known to say that their hearts grew three sizes (at least!) on the way. One hopes with their poise and their passion now proven that once they are healthy their game will be groovin'. -- Dave
by conspirator5 on Jul 19, 2010 1:28 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
He's two!
Two! Two GM’s in one!
Now I feel like an infomercial.
"[S]ince men enjoyed very great leisure, they used it to pursue many kinds of commodities unknown to their fathers, and that was that first yoke they placed upon themselves without thinking about it, and the first source of evils the prepared for their descendants. For, besides continuing thus to soften body and mind, as these commodities had lost almost all their pleasantness through habit, and as they had at the same time degenerated into true needs, being deprived of them became much more cruel than possessing them was sweet; and people were unhappy to lose them without being happy to have them." -Jean-Jacques Rousseau
there's still a chance they'll hire Pfund
Think about it, the Blazers couldn’t even talk to Rich unless he was offered the GM job (no “lateral moves” rule)
So they hire Cho and name him the GM, then turn around and hire Randy as a consultant and create a new (actually old) title of “VP of BB operations”
Like Miller said today, there’s no salary cap outside of player salaries
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
If Randy does hook up with Pat again, he may be schmoozing his way to a few more rings
Riley has to be the leader in the clubhouse for exec of the year, don’t you think? As much as it pains me to say it
I’m holding out hope that RC hires someone older than 45 to be his assistant GM. Nate can’t have the geezers all to himself, or it will be like the Space Cowboys movie and the coaching staff will be sending the baby food over to the scouting table in the lunch room
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Wade should get exec of the year
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
Pat was pulling the strings
Dwayne, LeBron and Bosh may have come up with the idea back in 2008, but they couldn’t have made it happen without Riley’s assistance. Think of how well the leaks were managed, only a few insiders had a clue what badness was coming down
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
oh, I know
the whole thing just sickens me. Miami is becoming the new LA. People want to go there because of the beach, and weather, and taxes, and now because they get to play the “big 3”. They have such a competitive advantage.
If Riley had the exact same roster and the exact same situation but was sitting in New Jersey or Atlanta or Portland or Minnesota or Sacramento or Milwaukie, or anywhere but 5-6 NBA cities, he never could have pulled it off. That doesn’t make him exec of the year in my mind.
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
Why do you say that?
I don’t feel like we have much public knowledge of what Penn did or was capable of, nor much ability to separate his and KP’s actions.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
Right.
So in that area Penn > Pritchard, certainly, but it seems a bit of a blanket statement when you just throw it out there.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
Seems like a good dude to me,
but I’m still a little dubious about the management of the Blazers.
by PoliSam on Jul 19, 2010 1:10 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Rich Cho!
He sounds like a guy who is good at science and math.
These are my principles. If you don't like them, I have others. -Groucho Marx
Cho had to fly to Helsinki to interview with Paul Allen.
I suppose that’s when he realized he wasn’t going to be in OKC anymore, heh Toto?
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 1:17 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Yeah, when Rich moved over from Seattle, he and Clay Bennett probably met in OKC
and “talked shop” over at the Piggly Wiggly
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Paul Allen: Never giving up on a bad draft pick.
"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
How can we know yet?
I voted other, because how can we know if it’s a good hire yet? He better make a good trade this summer, then we’ll know it’s a good hire. I really would rather have KP. Then after that, I wish we could of gotten someone with some GM experience. Randy Pfund would have been good. Cho sounds like more of a Tom Penn. Someone who knows the salery cap and such. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but he’s never acquired a star in a trade. Bottom line, we’ll know if he’s a good hire in 3 – 4 years.
by desperationshot on Jul 19, 2010 1:28 PM PDT reply actions
I'm hoping there's still room in the org for an experienced basketball guy
to balance out the whiz kid’s skill set…doesn’t have to be as powerful as a gm…just kept on retainer by PA to whisper Bball wisdom in the mathlete’s ear.
yeah maybe
I guess I just think of them as micro (scouting guys) rather than big picture, construct a roster that fits together guys
What's with all the conspiracy theories about Cho just being Miller's puppet?
It was just a good, solid hire. Best possible candidate for the job.
"Nicolas! You're the strongest boy in the world!"
Who thinks that Miller is a puppetmaster and not a puppet himself?
That’s a short list right there…
"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
He is probably Both!!
_________________________________________
If "It's Only a Game", then why do we keep score?
the picture I see
Is Paul with his hand in Larry’s back, while Miller has his hand behind Cho
Wheels within wheels. It’s a corporate structure, after all. I don’t expect Rich to be his own man—he was brought in to be the anti-KP—and the best part is that RC won’t have to change a thing about how he’s been operating in the NBA, for years
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Most exciting news of the summer. 1 down, 4 to go!!
| MC2PDX | Horf2PDX | Cho4GM | Grif4AGM | JVG4HC |
What I want to know is
What kind of billionaire awesomeness was going on in Helsinki to require the interview to be held there? The mind boggles.
If I were a billionaire
I would do this and things similar to this.
These are my principles. If you don't like them, I have others. -Groucho Marx
But Linus lives in Portland, of all places
No need to take the yacht to Finland; just take a cab to Dunthorpe.
Si equum mortuum flagellēs, non celerium currat.
by EngineerScotty on Jul 19, 2010 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions
What kind of billionaire awesomeness was going on in Helsinki to require arrogance requires the interview to be held there? The mind boggles.
"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
says the man in the tinfoil hat
"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
Or perhaps he really, really likes Panda licorice?
"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
is it Rick or Rich?
do you pronounce it Rikah or just Rich
/cambyfive
by CroRupt on Jul 19, 2010 1:41 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
That has never been said in that way, ever.
You are making things up and it causes us all to look bad.
Morty
#52
Just changed it;
from Rick to Rich…
you pronounce it “riche”
as in Nouveau Riche
AND, he deserves the job and has a major accomplishment to his name:
he got Paul Allen and the Coneheads to hire him for $ didn’t he?
Funny that a month ago the world was ending and now everyone is happy again
That said I’m sure there are still those who will never let the conspiracy theory die.
But yeah this seems like a good hire.
The Leeroy Rule: being insistent >>>> being correct
Abbott makes some interesting points.
Given the soap opera in Portland’s front office over the last few months, Cho’s law school focus on “dispute resolution” could prove to be the most valuable element in his time in Portland.
And…
Off the top of my head, I can see four key skills for a GM: Evaluate talent, communicate with the media, master the issues that go into making deals (CBA, legalese), and increasingly do some kind of global analysis that lets you find players who are good value. Kevin Pritchard got the job because of his proven mastery of the first two. Cho is, by reputation, almost the opposite. He’s known for his proven mastery of the second two.
by Nick Van Excellent on Jul 19, 2010 2:07 PM PDT up reply actions
Dispute Resolution is the key!
I saw this on from a Fan email:
A member of the Washington State Bar, Cho is a graduate of the Pepperdine University School of Law with an emphasis in sports law, contract negotiations and dispute resolution. Prior to attending law school, Cho earned his engineering degree from Washington State University and worked as an engineer at Boeing in Seattle for five years.
A Seattle guy, member of the Bar in Seattle,with emphasis in sports law, contract negotiations and… wait for it…
DISPUTE RESOLUTION!
You gotta give the Vulcan’s credit. They hired somebody to fix the big weakness in the Blazers organization, andfound somebody to moderate between the Vulcan bean counters and the basketball minds…
Interesting ...
Cho flew to Helsinki where Allen’s yacht, the Octopus, has been moored. That yacht is worth discussing further. It says here that some of the dozens of staffers on that boat are former Navy seals.
"What you have just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. May God have mercy on your soul."
The former Navy Seals are so no pirates kidnap Paul Allen and try to murder him and/or hold him for ransom
No joke bruh!
M—
#52
Well sure you can look at it like that ...
I prefer to imagine that PA is building some sort of evil army.
Spend some time with Google looking at photos of this yacht, and I think you’ll agree that there has never been any setting on the planet better designed to house a bad guy in a James Bond movie.
"What you have just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. May God have mercy on your soul."
He's going to launch an attack on the Lakers by sea.
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 2:41 PM PDT up reply actions
what's taken him so long?
he could’ve done that back in the ’90s
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
that would've been too obvious
better to be stealthy and not let everyone know who did it
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I hope he doesn't have a cat with white fur.
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 2:42 PM PDT up reply actions
An interesting tidbit...
And it has its own yellow submarine…
“We all live in a Yellow Submarine…Yellow Submarine…Yellow Submarine”
sound advice, before date night
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I’d like to believe in the private army.
But I’m pretty sure that one of them is “just the cook!” …
Nobody will know who he is until the yacht is under siege, though.
by HowlinJoeWolf on Jul 19, 2010 3:26 PM PDT up reply actions
Blazers come out of Pritchard disaster as good as could be hoped
Cho likely has 99th percentile intelligence, and great resume. He’s only going to be 75% the GM KP was though.
Cho hasn’t played basketball at the highest level the way KP did. I’m convinced that gives you insights into a sport that you cannot learn from the outside.
Moneyball is the layman’s term for using lots of stats and computer analysis to make spots teams better. Got it’s start in a book about baseball, because baseball is a sport that easier to model than most. None of the baseball software out there works well enough to beat the sports book house edge, though. If even one software package had been proven to work, casinos would have immediately stopped taking bets on baseball.
I’ve done sports talk in Vegas, and I’ve played in baseball sim leagues with NASA engineers. I’ve seen computers every way one one can conceive of using one to model sports. They’ve still got a quite a ways to go on perfecting software modeling of sports.
So…
KP understood the basketball side, and got familiar with the “Moneyball” side of sports analysis. As brilliant as Brian Cho is, it’s a part of the job Cho will never know first hand.
Is being 75% of the GM KP potentially could have been enough to win a title? I have a pretty high opinion of KP, so it probably is.
Is it enough to throw around that "dynasty "word we were tossing around a couple of years ago? I don’t know. I guess that’s what we’ll all find out together. It’ll be a while before I throw that word around again.
Keep Portland Weird.
Cho will be every bit as good as KP
I don’t think he will be spending his time coming up with powerplays with his agents to further his career and those of his assistants, so that’s time better spent…
Geriatric Dunk Squad!
1/4/10 - Juwan Howard dunks on Chris Kaman.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTkOqDgLb6s
3/7/10 - Andre Miller Tomahawk jams on the Denver Nuggets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-JVgm7F1QA
4/12/10 - Marcus Camby drops 30 and 13 on OKC to cement 50 wins. http://www.nba.com/blazers/media/camby_chant_041310.mp3
by Eat Politicians on Jul 19, 2010 4:09 PM PDT up reply actions
I guess I'm the complete opposite as you, for I'm almost uniformly against hiring ex-players as GM.
Now, there are cases of ex-players who are well-rounded front office executives; however, most of them lack the legal and financial acumen needed to effectively manage a basketball operations department. So yeah, that kind of makes me anti-meathead.
Live Chat with Rich Cho...live now
wake me in 2011
Ha, I asked if Rich would give some background on how he created his player rater.
He said he didn’t like to give his secrets away.
"Nicolas! You're the strongest boy in the world!"
Cho says he will hire an assistant GM.
Since Cho is already the lawyer to negotiate contracts, the cap expert to utilize the intricacies of the CBA, and the analytics expert to push the statistics, what’s left for an assistant GM to do? How about an experienced basketball mind to help formulate personnel strategy and evaluate players based on observable performance vs statistics? If so, that could be a very important position.
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 2:10 PM PDT reply actions
David Griffin please
My dream would be complete!
Ya, ya its not gonna happen I know.
| MC2PDX | Horf2PDX | Cho4GM | Grif4AGM | JVG4HC |
His start was in communications too
Which could be useful seeing as Cho is not as media savvy as KP was. Personally I couldn’t care less but with the 24/7 Blazers coverage here you need someone who can put out the right info to the media. It could sort of be the opposite of the KP-Penn duo – with the assistant handling most media responsibilities and Cho being the analytical/CBA guy albeit in a leading role.
If Griffin were to be hired I assume his role wouldn’t be as assistant GM though, rather some made up position such as Vive President of Basketball Operations, which is what Tom Penn was last season IIRC.
| MC2PDX | Horf2PDX | Cho4GM | Grif4AGM | JVG4HC |
To follow up on my own point.
My concern about Cho is whether or not he can architect a winning personnel strategy. I’m not saying he can’t, but it’s not clear that he has that experience because I don’t know who formulated and executed strategy for OKC. He sounds like an excellent nuts and bolts guy, but I’d feel more reassured with an experienced basketball mind beside him.
I personally believe KP’s greatest weakness from a personnel point of view was the failure to acquire players based on fit. His “get the best player available and then it’s Nate’s problem to figure out how to use them” only works (IMO) when you are rebuilding a team and collecting assets for the future, not when you refining a team into a championship contender.
Hopefully, Cho is more of a fit guy (i.e. builds a strategy with his coach) and goes out and gets what we need.
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions
How about an experienced basketball mind to help formulate personnel strategy and evaluate players based on observable performance vs statistics? If so, that could be a very important position.
Like…talking Jerry West out of retirement?
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Jerry West will not come here, ever.
Besides, West probably wasn’t pleased with the way his former co-worker in Memphis, Tom Penn, was unceremoniously fired by Paul Allen and co.
I'm on board.
For the same reasons Mort outlined. Now, let’s get on with it.
no matter what he answers (which he won't give a straight answer to, nor should he)
it likely wouldn’t be a completely honest answer anyway.
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
You guys all seem to like him because he's a smart guy.
Nobody knows his basketball philosophy. I’m concerned about the direction of the team. This is nearing a finished product and bringing in a inexperienced GM is not ideal.
I don’t care for the emphasis on analytics. I want a guy who can watch a game, dissect it like a coach, and figure out how to construct the best roster. Analytics is not a primary skillset I care for in a GM. It’s a secondary skillset, and it can be filled in by an assistant like the knowledge of the CBA.
Basketball knowledge and philosophy is much more important to me. I’m not dismissing Rich Cho, but people are selling me on his knowledge of the CBA and analytics. What’s Rich Cho basketball? I want to know that.
"I'm at the thingamajig talking the yakety-yak" - Kenny Smith
I think that Rich Cho and Presti have done a very good job in OKC.
Just because someone is a stats expert doesn’t mean they are no longer able to
watch a game, dissect it like a coach, and figure out how to construct the best roster.
Not only does OKC have a very good roster, they also have a great coach. And their team, for whatever reason had a conspicuously healthy roster last year. So that may have something to do with whoever put together their fitness team.
I think Cho was probably part of all of this. And I for one, am very happy to see him with the Blazers and hope some of this translates to them!!!!
by Natsthecat on Jul 19, 2010 5:07 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think most of the Chocitement
is that he is a bit of an unknown. With guys like ferry or kiki you have a pretty good idea what you will get, with Cho you could get a potential top tier gm and are able to overlook that he may not get the job done(job being a title)
by HD on Jul 19, 2010 5:11 PM PDT up reply actions
good point
Nothing wrong with the assets fans are excited about.
But, is this a guy who can call out coach Nate, as opposed to “not my area”.
"You be realistic," Oden said. "I’m going to stay happy. All right?"
Cho-pen source programming
Question for the stat guys -
It’s been said that Houston and OKC (tangent: why do I always want to just type “KFC” instead? Can this be a new NBA meme? The KFC Sonics?) … but that those two franchises in particular have perhaps done the most to develop their own in-house statistical systems, and custom player databases.
There’s better reference for this elsewhere, but here’s one example in the latest Barrett blog:
He got together with a couple of Microsoft programmers and helped design and implement one of the NBA’s first, and most advanced and comprehensive college and professional player-evaluation systems. It integrates player statistics, scouting information, and contract details. It’s become the model that nearly everyone has attempted to duplicate.
My question is, how much of this does he take with him to Portland? If he developed a database does it belong to his former employers? Would he recreate a similar system here? And if any of you guys (maybe anybody that followed the MIT Sloan conference more closely?) have any detail on what exactly might make his system distinct, that would be a welcome read, and might make an interesting fanpost.
95.5 is saying Buck Williams will become an assistant coach for the Blazers.
I adore Buck and the nostalgic appeal of having Buck as a Blazer again is fantastic. But is he really the best choice as a big-man coach? He is 6’8’ (i.e. not an Oden type center) and played during an era of hand-to-hand combat that simply isn’t allowed in the pansy NBA today. If you watch Buck battle it out with the Mailman he would have fouled out of every game in the first quarter now, and most of the fouls would have been called flagrant in these powder-puff days. He was the anti-LMA.
But heck, it would still be wonderful to have Buck back in town and working for the Blazers.
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 3:43 PM PDT reply actions
If he inspires LMA to get more boards
and gives him some concrete ways of going about it—it’ll be well worth it.
Buck had great fundamentals when it came to boxing out and rebounding. I always envisioned him as a hard working player who looked after the details of footwork and positioning. I’m sure he has plenty to teach. And if 10% of Buck’s heart wears off on him, LaMarcus will be an all star.
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jul 19, 2010 4:19 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Roger that!
And if 10% of Buck’s heart wears off on him, LaMarcus will be an all star.
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 4:24 PM PDT up reply actions
that's a big surprise to me
If you watch Buck battle it out with the Mailman he would have fouled out of every game in the first quarter now
Not since Jake O’Donnell retired
i don’t think Buck has done anything basketball-related in over 10 years. (He’s been running his construction business, back east) I wonder if his kids all graduated and now he’s looking for a new challenge?
Very interesting and completely unpredictable hire. Greg better call him “Mr. Williams” because he’s wearing Buck’s old number
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I would love that
Although I think LMA could benefit I think Buck could really take Greg under his wing (didn’t he wear his number?)
Bat88m
nothing at the professional level
Cho oughta look into this hire, eh? Is it time for Rich’s first big confrontation with Nate, or should he keep his powder dry?
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
they were both on 95.5 from 3 to 3:30
making the rounds…
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
Miller brought Rich
Leash is probably short after KP
I think Issac on 1080 has the best handle on this hire
_________________________________________
If "It's Only a Game", then why do we keep score?
Anyone else
Hear Larry Miller say “well it is his team, he can do what he wants” on 1080 today? + what PA said on 95.5 below \/ – Paul Allen is gonna run this thing like Steinbrenner & I think with Cho/Scouts he has some good opinions around him. Signing Wes Matthews was a step in the right direction of a defense first mentality we will need to win a championship.
Ben Wallace to backup LA & smack some hussle into him? please oh please.
Silent Swagger.
Sure, Cho can do whatever he wants
as long as he runs it up the flagpole and Paul signs off on it. Rich may find out that “selling Mr. Allen” on an idea may be harder than convincing the rest of his staff and the other team’s GM
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I hope he does well.
Nice to see new people getting a chance these days, instead of re-treads. I feel the same way about coaching.
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
WoW! 95.5 just played a clip of Paul Allen saying he (Paul Allen) has been trying to lead trade/free-agent discussions since draft day.
I wish I could have recorded his exact words but that was the jist of what he said. He said he is happy to have Cho in place to have someone in place to move things faster. Is it the Allen/Cho GM team replacing KP?
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 4:05 PM PDT reply actions
This is probably the clip you're looking for, at about the 4:30 mark
http://www.iamatrailblazersfan.com/ArticleDisplayPlaceholder/tabid/192/ItemID/1606/Default.aspx
It’s an interesting interview, worth the listen.
by Corvid on Jul 19, 2010 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Thanks. Everyone should listen to that. We don't usually get to hear Paul talk that much about the team.
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 4:22 PM PDT up reply actions
Great listen...
Mr. Allen is so often portrayed as a villain, but hearing him speak candidly like this, I just can’t accept that. He seems like a billionaire with his head on his shoulders (if that’s even possible.) I’m not buying the Montgomery Burns imagery that’s thrown around this town so often. Smart Guys FTW
The deal with Paul Allen is that...
he built his fortune by lucking out in having a relationship with Bill Gates. Almost every business venture he’s attempted since then has failed fairly miserably.
He’s far from an expert businessman. Not saying he’s a bad guy, but I think his lack of business acumen is the point that needs to be made.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
that's a bit unfair
Gates and Allen built that company from a garage to the heights of the fortune 500. Downplaying Allen’s part by saying “well, he didn’t do anything but ride Bill’s coattails” is ridiculously unfair.
Don’t disagree with your points about his business acumen – frankly I don’t know enough about him in that regard to form an opinion.
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
let the endless meme's ensue
“Cho says McMillan is a better coach than pingpong player.”
Geriatric Dunk Squad!
1/4/10 - Juwan Howard dunks on Chris Kaman.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTkOqDgLb6s
3/7/10 - Andre Miller Tomahawk jams on the Denver Nuggets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-JVgm7F1QA
4/12/10 - Marcus Camby drops 30 and 13 on OKC to cement 50 wins. http://www.nba.com/blazers/media/camby_chant_041310.mp3
by Eat Politicians on Jul 19, 2010 4:06 PM PDT reply actions
Conzano is such a drama queen....I like his interviews but then the stupid DRAMATIC spins the guy
feels compelled to go off in…
Trew dat
I like Canzano but he’s a total vulture. Lights up the phones though.
I don’t see how he could ever be considered a “journalist” though. That’s like calling Iverson a “point guard”.
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jul 19, 2010 4:21 PM PDT up reply actions
Fox is as much of a news channel as CNN or MSNBC
if you see bias in one but not the others, then you are ignoring your own bias
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
Too true.
This is why I hate to watch the news.
"[S]ince men enjoyed very great leisure, they used it to pursue many kinds of commodities unknown to their fathers, and that was that first yoke they placed upon themselves without thinking about it, and the first source of evils the prepared for their descendants. For, besides continuing thus to soften body and mind, as these commodities had lost almost all their pleasantness through habit, and as they had at the same time degenerated into true needs, being deprived of them became much more cruel than possessing them was sweet; and people were unhappy to lose them without being happy to have them." -Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Yep
That’s why I read the news, and I don’t read American papers. Just the Guardian for the most part (Al Jazeera for middle east news).
Oh, and of course I’ll watch the Daily Show and Colbert Report, but that’s about as newsworthy as anything on Fox.
Stealth > Wealth
+1 for Stewart and Colbert...
Throw in Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow and you’re golden…
"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
I always enjoy it when Jesse Ventura guests on Larry King.
I wish I had premium cable, too, for then I’d watch Bill Mahr all the time.
I meant Bill Maher, of course.
Misspelling aside, though, I like his blunt, candid style; it’s a positive to be brazen and outspoken.
I would disagree
CNN and MSNBC certainly have their biases, but they at least TRY to maintain some level of balance—MSNBC has Keith and Rachel, but also has Mornin’ Joe.
Fox? It’s all Obama’s-a-socialist-nazi-commie-muslim-Jimmy Carter, all the time.
Si equum mortuum flagellēs, non celerium currat.
by EngineerScotty on Jul 19, 2010 5:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Now wait a minute
Fox doesn’t think Obama is a Muslim.
These are my principles. If you don't like them, I have others. -Groucho Marx
They sure like to entertain the possibility...
When they’re not flamin’ the Pres for REVEREND Wright…
Si equum mortuum flagellēs, non celerium currat.
by EngineerScotty on Jul 19, 2010 11:14 PM PDT up reply actions
I've heard compelling arguments for all of the above things
Except for Muslim. Obama went to Wright’s “Christian” church for 20 years or so, as Fox likes to point out. Obama has nothing to do with any of the Pillars of Islam, so if he’s a Muslim he’s a really bad one.
Nazi, socialist, communist, sure. But those things dont lend themselves particularly well to Islam, as they are inherently atheist. Fox has never presented anything stating that they do, or that Obama is. Nobody of a sensible mind in this country thinks Obama’s actually a Muslim anyway.
Muslim sympathies, perhaps. A world apology tour will get that sort of reaction. But not actual beliefs or faith.
These are my principles. If you don't like them, I have others. -Groucho Marx
MSNBC I'll give you
Because it’s obvious.
CNN? Hardly. If CNN is liberally biased then I’m sorry, reality is liberally biased. I’m not saying CNN is great or anything, but it has one bias: Getting viewership to make money.
"We Believe" - Rudy Fernandez
Pretty sure Fox has that same one bias.
From what I’ve read, Robert Murdoch (in charge of Fox) is actually at least somewhat liberal, but saw the conservative news market as being a big opportunity. So they went where the money was.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
I'm not so sure about that.
Murdoch is a notorious religious conservative, anti-communist, pro free market man. Ultimately, his corporatism supercedes all of his ideologies though (thus the concept of him “going for the niche” has at least some viability) as one of his biggest business partners is the government of China. He’s a win at all costs capitalist. His politics and ideology simply suit the pursuit of the money.
Ah, alright.
Well I didn’t do any research myself, so you’re likely correct. Also he’s nearly 80 so I can see that.
(Also he’s Rupert not Robert. Shows you how much I know.)
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
The main issue with CNN, ironically is their attempt to be completely unbiased.
To this end they present “experts” on both sides of nearly every discussion. Sounds great on paper, right? Except that most of their experts are just people with an opinion. But they’re given equal gravitas, and even if the facts presented are completely wrong, the misinformation isn’t challenged by the moderator.
CNN is pretty liberal for the most part, but at least pretend to be otherwise unlike MSNBC
“In a joint study by the Joan Shorenstein Center on Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University and the Project for Excellence in Journalism, the authors found disparate treatment by the three major cable networks of Republican and Democratic candidates during the earliest five months of presidential primaries in 2007: "The CNN programming studied tended to cast a negative light on Republican candidates—by a margin of three-to-one. Four-in-ten stories (41%) were clearly negative while just 14% were positive and 46% were neutral. The network provided negative coverage of all three main candidates with McCain fairing the worst (63% negative) and Romney fairing a little better than the others only because a majority of his coverage was neutral. It’s not that Democrats, other than Obama, fared well on CNN either. Nearly half of the Illinois Senator’s stories were positive (46%), vs. just 8% that were negative. But both Clinton and Edwards ended up with more negative than positive coverage overall. So while coverage for Democrats overall was a bit more positive than negative, that was almost all due to extremely favorable coverage for Obama."
What if I think they're all biased in the same direction?
OMG I’m a total crazy!!
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
In the "go get ratings!" bias, for sure.
It’s this exact argument which makes citizens of communist nations like China trust their government controlled news more than free press nations (IE: Many in China believe the bombing of HIroshima was a stunt pulled by the US to steal their thunder as they’d already handily defeated the Japanese according to the Chinese press). That doesn’t make the Chinese press right, it’s just worth pointing out that ratings/sales drive the US press.
Today’s journalism is an all around disgrace for the most part.
this indicates to me that we will trade for CP3
Michael Jordan is the Nicolas Batum of America
marty>babbitt
Next two moves
I have heard the Kings needs Guards and Portland needs a good back up PF maybe the new GM could get Carl Landry for Bayless and Rudy that would take of both teams needs. And then the new GM could go after CP3 just wait. New Orleans has talked about cap releaf well Portland could offer over 14 mil in releaf in Przybilla and Millers contracts for CP3. and then the Blazer would have their back pf and their PG of the future. Ok let me have it ! and tell me why these teams can’t and won’t make these deals. I know everyone has a 1000 reasons why they don’t make these deals. I think it takes care of the needs for all three teams. And yes Portland does make out like a bandit but hay thats what we like to dream about as fans your team getting the best deals. And your team wi
the Blazers have a good backup PF, his name is Marcus Camby
and they aren’t going to trade Bayless and hand the backup PG job over to a rookie, that is not the way Nate operates
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I do not think so
Camby is a back up center and pendy is not ready as he showed in sl
by billyjoejack on Jul 21, 2010 9:44 AM PDT up reply actions
Rudy & Przybilla to NY
We get a legitimate failsafe center with less injury concern then Przybilla(Turiaf), NY gets joels expiring contract & Rudy:
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=232en2k
Smart move in the event of any one of our post players going down.
Silent Swagger.
I like Turiaf
But he’s anything but a sure thing, or a center, or injury-proof.
by Hawthorne Wingo on Jul 19, 2010 5:06 PM PDT up reply actions
I figure
With Oden/Camby/Aldridge/Turiaf you have a good shot of having some healthy quality big men come playoffs, great teams need good rotation down low look at LA, Boston & now Dallas. A good post defender is always needed next to Aldridge for our team to have success against good teams. Turiaf is pretty effecient on offense for the time he gets-He knows his role.
Silent Swagger.
With Oden/Camby/Aldridge/-Turiaf-/Przybilla you have a good shot of having some healthy quality big men come playoffs,
Fixed it for ya. Joel >>>>>>>>>>>> Ronny
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
missed the strike out
Turiaf
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Reports say he'll be back by training camp
Which would be very impressive, if so.
Also it was a re-injury.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
no
Nate has said repeatedly over the last 2 days that he expects Joel to be back in time for fall camp and that his status then will be day-to-day. Despite Przy’s well-documented shower setback, Oden is just slightly ahead of Joel on his rehab schedule
Don’t ever write off #10
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
No way he is a starter on a contender of course...
But for us, he would be a perfect role player/insurance plan for the frontcourt. He is a great passer, solid rebounder, a big body & a great weakside defender.
Silent Swagger.
ANOTHER shooting guard?
Who conned NY into paying Turiaf 4 mill a year? Sheesh. No wonder they’re such a crappy team.
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jul 19, 2010 4:58 PM PDT up reply actions
they just traded for his exp
Michael Jordan is the Nicolas Batum of America
marty>babbitt
by thomasikehara on Jul 19, 2010 5:12 PM PDT up reply actions
.....iring contract
Michael Jordan is the Nicolas Batum of America
marty>babbitt
by thomasikehara on Jul 19, 2010 5:12 PM PDT up reply actions
Why would NO trade their best player, and key to marketing their team
w/o getting anything in return? Any trade for a superstar not involving B-Roy, LMA, or Oden is a total joke.
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jul 19, 2010 4:56 PM PDT reply actions
the hornets would not want roy or LMA for cp3
if they are rebuilding and cutting salaries, why would they want more big contracts.
if they aren’t rebuilding and cutting salaries, why would they trade cp3?
Michael Jordan is the Nicolas Batum of America
marty>babbitt
by thomasikehara on Jul 19, 2010 5:08 PM PDT up reply actions
There's no legitimate reason to trade him at all
unless (1) he’s very strongly demanding it, or (2) they’re getting ready to dissolve the team permanently
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
So true.
NO sending CP3 to us for expiring contracts and role players would be like me giving away my car because my garage is under renovation. Um. Why would anyone do that?
I'm just not crazy about player nick names...
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jul 20, 2010 8:38 AM PDT up reply actions
Uh oh
Cho has people skills? That’s a recipe for disaster. I hear if people like you you get fired in this organization.
"We Believe" - Rudy Fernandez
I'm a little afraid his best people skill is to say "yes sir" when Paul calls.
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 8:15 PM PDT up reply actions
It's "Mr. Allen" to him
I saw 4 interviews and he uses everyone’s first and last except PA’s
_________________________________________
If "It's Only a Game", then why do we keep score?
So did KP, and everyone else in the organization from Miller to the players.
It’s clearly a company mandate.
Miller used Paul several times today
Also used “Paul” three times in the piece on the front page unless Ben misquoted him.
Never used Mr Allen in that piece
_________________________________________
If "It's Only a Game", then why do we keep score?
Agreed that only Larry Miller calls him "Paul"...
"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
I think I heard Paul call him Mr. Miller once
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
Apparently he's pretty good friends with Nate
And also thinks Portland’s a couple of peices away from winning another title.
It’s been said before, but…Cho-ching.
THANK YOU KEVIN PRITCHARD
Blazers fan since '91
"We are the black void. We are the red steel. We are the white sword. With ball in hand shall we reap the sins of this NBA and cleanse it in the fires of destruction. We are the Trail Blazers. The end has come!"
by rise_stand_resist on Jul 19, 2010 6:18 PM PDT reply actions
Not really. Nate said he had to call his friends for opinions about Cho.
Nate knew him in Seattle, but described him as being about 3 tiers down in the management structure so they didn’t talk all that much. Sushi and ping pong, Nate said, was apparently most of their few interactions.
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 8:18 PM PDT up reply actions
that's a relief......
Turnabout.
"You be realistic," Oden said. "I’m going to stay happy. All right?"
I'm not saying he will be bad, but I already am bored to death by this guy. He fits the perfect robot
employee mode that Paul Allen loves. I don’t really want to sit and listen to him talk like I did with KP. He doesn’t seem as fake as Larry Miller, but this guy is going to be a puppet for Paul Allen.
Well after the last two GM's, I wonder if Paul Allen isn't specifically looking for a GM who will bow down
to him and defer all credit.
by BRoyInThe4th on Jul 20, 2010 2:09 AM PDT up reply actions
I, for one, don't care if he's the most boring person on Earth
If he makes good roster moves, then he’s a homerun in my book. At the end of the day, that’s what this job is about, not entertaining interviews
"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare
Take a look at the cap situation Cho left the Thunder in:
Collison, Peterson, Krstic, Green(Who they might resign) & Cook could all not be resigned & their starters still look to be among the best in the NBA in the coming seasons: Westbrook, Harden, Durant, Ibaka, Aldridch. Role players like Sefolosha, Maynor, Mullens – Cho left the team with arguably the brightest future in the NBA. He had a hand in it, all the contract negotiations that led up to them being extremely flexible next season, I hate to say it but they add a Kendrick Perkins or Samuel Dalembert next year they are legit contenders in the west.
Silent Swagger.
Looks like Cho's best strength is making something out of nothing.
THANK YOU KEVIN PRITCHARD
Blazers fan since '91
"We are the black void. We are the red steel. We are the white sword. With ball in hand shall we reap the sins of this NBA and cleanse it in the fires of destruction. We are the Trail Blazers. The end has come!"
by rise_stand_resist on Jul 19, 2010 6:22 PM PDT up reply actions
Fact is
His contract negotiations left the Thunder in the great situation in being able to make a power move next offseason to upgrade talent wise & into championship contention. Perhaps Paul Allen wants the same thing to happen here.
Silent Swagger.
Considering that the next FA class is loaded with FA big men that they could use,
which includes Yao Ming and Zach Randolph. Also, Al Horford, Greg Oden, Joakim Noah, and Mark Gasol are RFA (IF Seattle somehow grabbed Oden, I may cry in a corner for a day or 2).
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
A power move huh?
Kinda like what Stephon Marbury said about Isiah trading for Zach Randolph?
The Kings have the best bench I’ve seen. There are easily 14 guys on this team good enough for every bench in the league. Now if we could only get some starters, I’d totally jizz in my pants.
Kings fan
by dyshooter182 on Jul 19, 2010 7:50 PM PDT up reply actions
Thing is, those are mostly guys on rookie contracts, with whom there's little to no negotiation, just 120% of the rookie scale.
So in fact they’re about where we were the last two years – lots of young, cheap players, but about to hit contract-extension-ville next year (as we are this year).
Although I’m sure Cho had a big role in getting rid of their old large crappy contracts, as they didn’t have the equivalent of our Darius Miles or Stevie Francis leftovers. So give him props for that.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
Except with Durant/Westbrook's extensions
They will get more value then Roy/Aldridge
Silent Swagger.
Yep.
Durant is maxed, same as Roy (but fully guaranteed the last year, whereas Roy’s is only 75% but absurdly likely to happen).
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
New CBA is almost certainly
going to be owner friendly so I heard, thats why almost\ everyone is signing contracts this year.
Silent Swagger.
Wheels can't help but call them the Sonics too..
THANK YOU KEVIN PRITCHARD
Blazers fan since '91
"We are the black void. We are the red steel. We are the white sword. With ball in hand shall we reap the sins of this NBA and cleanse it in the fires of destruction. We are the Trail Blazers. The end has come!"
by rise_stand_resist on Jul 19, 2010 6:21 PM PDT reply actions
Anybody else cringe at the thought of Rice meeting Cho?
THANK YOU KEVIN PRITCHARD
Blazers fan since '91
"We are the black void. We are the red steel. We are the white sword. With ball in hand shall we reap the sins of this NBA and cleanse it in the fires of destruction. We are the Trail Blazers. The end has come!"
by rise_stand_resist on Jul 19, 2010 6:25 PM PDT reply actions
Rich likes domesticated rice
not the “wild” variety
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Wow...
I haven’t heard Paul Allen’s voice in a long time. Hearing him on Courtside is so strange.
Stealth > Wealth
"Overlord, a Mr. Cho is here to see you--"
“Goddang it, Montgomery! You just scared the crap outta me. Look! I’ve spilled mojito all over the rug…what the? Cho? Are cleaning up my mojito?”
“Yessir, just thought I’d get a start on it before the stain sets!”
“HIRED!!!”
Stealth > Wealth
Welcome to Portland Rich.
Now please convince Greg to keep his high-top fade. It’s the key to us winning (a) championships(s).
"What people need to know is that those pictures were taken a year and a half ago, and I've grown since then." - Greg Oden
Lighter and more aerodynamic!
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
I submit that with Rich's first blockbuster deal ...
That he Chowned the opposing GM to replace the infamous Pritchslap.
That poll has 2500 responses already.
Rip City never fails to impress.
by anupam on Jul 19, 2010 7:34 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
“That point guard position is a position where…you know…we like what we got.” C. Buchanan
Stealth > Wealth
Yeah, that was after Mike asked him where he expected the Blazers would be making roster changes this summer.
Chad started talking about PG and then realized where he was going to end up and quickly bailed out with that comment.
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 8:21 PM PDT up reply actions
Stop ruining my fantasy
Yeah, he mentioned the possibility of Andre getting hurt, then changed the subject.
Stealth > Wealth
I think that's a legit concern
’Dre may be a health-sucking vampire, but when his consecutive games streak comes to a conclusion, I have a feeling it will be an abrupt end (flame out, not a slow burn)
Bayless as a starting PG with a rookie backing him up is not my idea of a playoff series winning PG combo heading into the post season that could define Nate’s Blazer future
I’m not saying trade Miller for fear that he suffers a career-ending injury, but I do think that using the BAE on a veteran PG would be money well spent, even if the #3 PG is rarely used during the regular season
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Probably cause Dre plays through all minor injuries and tweaks.
It would take something fairly serious to really take him out.
Then again, due to his generally floor-bound, strength&skill-based game, he’s less likely to suffer many of the injuries that are common around the league. Obviously.
I think the trouble with using the BAE on a vet PG is then you’d have to give up Armon on top of Patty. Now, if Rudy gets moved for a pick, that frees up the spot (and I would much rather have a solid #3 than Patty, but not over Armon).
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
I'm assuming Rudy and Patty aren't on the15 man this fall
that would leave room for AJ and a veteran PG. The front office could Send Babbitt and/or Williams and/or Johnson to the D-League if they aren’t getting enough run during the regular season
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Fair enough.
I’d prefer it as well if we could trade Rudy for a pick, but we might end up getting a player instead. We’ll see.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
and if Rudy is traded for that veteran #3 PG
that would accomplish both tasks
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
To quote the Bluths.......
“Him?!?!?!?”
86% loving ditching KP for Mr. No Name.
Suck down another pitcher of Kool-Aid!!!
"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
“Rich is the perfect fit for our organization,” said Miller. "He has the right balance of basketball knowledge, business acumen and tremendous people skills. he works cheap.
Fixed.
"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
Since clearly that is what the poll represents.
Where’d you pull that out of, the Aztec Tomb? ;)
Here's the thing that gets me...
KP gets whacked because he loves “his boys” too much… So the big new master mixmaster is……. another Moneyball guy?
Weird. But Paul Allen is the owner, so I don’t need to say that.
"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
Don't think that's why he got whacked - the few indications that there are, point to it not being a result of his basketball decisions, but office politics and his agents' power plays.
Tenuous, admittedly, but that has more weight going for it than anything else.
Not to mention, would you have rather had Ferry or Pfund? Most people (myself included) are happy because the PTB hired what we perceive to be the best of several choices.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
I know I've worked in places where my relationship with my supervisor or boss slowly dissolved because of external pressures, politics and faulty perceptions.
There’s really nothing to do at that point but admit it’s not working and bow out.
And it fits the evidence - everyone was flabbergasted because the firing made no sense considering only his basketball moves.
So Occam’s Razor says that’s not the reason.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
I just meant that this isn't a Cho vs. KP thing...
It’s a Cho vs. Zzzzzzz alternatives thing.
I agree.
Timbo’s making it a decision that doesn’t exist.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
Timbo, I'm curious
Who did you want for the job? (Kevin Pritchard isn’t a valid answer — his relationship with Paul Allen was damaged beyond repair.)
Kevin Pritchard is 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
Okay, I think most of us would have chosen KP if he was a valid possibility.
But he’s not. So move on. Who of the available candidates did you prefer?
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
(Sigh) So that's how it is.
Embrace the bitterness, I guess. For the record, I really was interested in your take on other possible GMs.
by Corvid on Jul 20, 2010 8:36 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
I could be wrong here, but you seem to be looking at this from the standpoint that KP was removed in favor of Cho.
All the info we have points to KP and Allen being unable to work together. Their relationship fell apart. Perhaps performance reasons were involved, but PA himself says performance wasn’t the issue (and a businessman would find any reason possible to hang a firing on performance).
Therefore, the relation between being upset about the firing and excited about the hiring is that many were upset because A) the WAY the firing went down was unprofessional, and B) people were freaked about not knowing who was going to captain the ship. A hire, ANY hire, shores up B. A is unrelated unless one takes it personally for some reason (which doesn’t make sense if you’re not KP)
I'm a bit skeptical about the Cho signing`
Wouldn’t you say that he fits more of the role as the assistant GM as a Tom Penn. Heck, he was the Assistant GM for the Thunder as well. I just always thought GMs were more of the KP role, who had come from a background in scouting and evaluating players.
I guess the role of GM is changing though as indicated by Daryl Morey
The Kings have the best bench I’ve seen. There are easily 14 guys on this team good enough for every bench in the league. Now if we could only get some starters, I’d totally jizz in my pants.
Kings fan
Chad Buchanan said on Courtside that Rich Cho worked as a scout. Maybe as part of his assistant GM
duties?
Really?
I guess this is definitely where the advantages of being a former player comes in. I can’t imagine Cho coming into a gym, watching a workout, and immediately assessing talent.
The Kings have the best bench I’ve seen. There are easily 14 guys on this team good enough for every bench in the league. Now if we could only get some starters, I’d totally jizz in my pants.
Kings fan
by dyshooter182 on Jul 19, 2010 8:24 PM PDT up reply actions
but why would playing the game give you better insight on evaluating talent? Seems like people just assume this. In the real world, Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan are both horrible talent evaluators despite success as players, while RC Buford, Darrell Morey and Sam Presti are widely considered some of the shrewdest GMs in the league having never played pro ball.
Yeah, I definitely don't think it correlates.
However, former players as coaches are noted for often connecting better with players. But I don’t think basketball skill necessarily correlates to scouting skill.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
yep
forming a rapport with players isn’t in Cho’s job description. And like Morty said, it’s almost a credit that he’s not a former player because it means he started all the way at the bottom of the food chain and impressed everyone all the way up with his know how.
Rich said during his press conference that he scouted college and pros
he also said his philosophy is “eyes, ears and numbers”
I don’t see where the perception is coming from that he’s just another capologist like Penn. Tom was just getting started learning to be a talent scout this spring before he was fired. Cho has held virtually every job there is to hold in a NBA front office, including scout
but he never played the game like KP so he can’t recognize talent, that’s his incoming rep
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
He's a perfect assistant GM. The Question is what was Paul Allen looking for in a GM?
Matty Walker: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. - Body Heat (1981)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 19, 2010 8:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Why, someone who could send him lots of data using the most state-of-the-art electronic gadgetry
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
So that PA can make the calls...
"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
I don't think that's changed much, in 22 years
and if Cho survives for 5 years as Blazer’s GM then he will truly be the smartest man in the room
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Not to worry,
hat man will keep it right….
There could be a method to the madness, however hidden.
"You be realistic," Oden said. "I’m going to stay happy. All right?"
I'm hoping that Cho will hire an older assistant
to help balance out the front office
If not, Nate’s assistant coaches will be old enough to be the dads of the scouts and GM
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
...aaaaaand me.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
how old is DG?
my impression was that he’s in his late 30s, early 40s
meanwhile, Nate’s talking about hiring BB, Lynam and the old PnR guru from Milwaukee
Buck Williams will feel like a rookie again, compared to those guys, and he’ll still be older than anyone in the scouting staff
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Graduated ASU in '95
Sez here:
http://www.nba.com/suns/news/bio_griffin.html
So that puts him at about 37ish?
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
I'd rather get another smart guy like Cho instead of an experienced guy
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
this reminds me of the Blazer scouts and KP
who would rather keep adding 3-4 rookies to the roster every June rather than add veterans to help the team win playoff series in May
I thought the trend was reversing after Miller and Camby were added, but trading up for a project like Babbitt convinced me otherwise
I can only hope that Rich Cho doesn’t fall into the “fountain of youth” and become inebriated with upside, as well. It would only be well-fitting to add at least one veteran to the front office, maybe that’s how Jimmy Lynam’s name will fit into the equation, if not as an assistant coach?
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
We can either get a smart rookie, or a dumb veteran.
The smart veterans aren’t available.
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
Rookies are nice cause they have the rookie scale.
If you can pay a rookie $1.2 mil a year to get 80% of the production (by their 2nd year maybe) of an average MLE veteran at nearly $6 mil, it’s a fantastic deal. So what it seems like to me is the Blazers are hoping to find a couple of those guys here and there, for cheap bench players. It’s a matter of WARP, not upside.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
yes, but
I could understand adding 1-2 rookies every year on a contending team, but if the front office adds 3-4 (like the last 2 years) then 20-23 year old young kids will overrun the 15 man roster, and that’s not a formula that’s conducive to winning playoff series (if NBA history is any indication)
I liked how Cho said that sometimes you make deals to acquire other trade assets. You should periodically flip your prospects to increase your roster’s overall value. Last month I counted 9-10 players who are in the Blazer’s pipeline and even the most-optimistic KP-fanboys couldn’t make a case that even half of them will ever be contributors to Portland’s playoff rotation in the next 5 years. So rather than hang onto them all until their trade value evaporates (cough, Sergio, cough, Rudy) I’m hopeful that Cho will flip most of them and turn them into a few veteran role players who can ball in May/June
After all, there will always be another draft next June, and the June after that, etc
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Ok, so my opinion on this GM matter has changed slightly from “omg Cho will be the trade-scout-guy too?” ..to more of a “Paul Allen really trusts Buchanan & Born” type of mindset. In other words he will be asking for a lot of opinions and likely his assistant GM hire will be an “experience guy.” Love the hire from a ###s standpoint. Cho clearly understands the cap and with a new CBA coming up he will be huge for Paul Allen. It will be good to see what we get out of team BB in terms of scouting as we go forward in a direction without KP.
"You know, when you are in the game, you hear 20,000 people behind you, you don't feel anything."
- Nicolas Batum on playing through his shoulder injury during the 2010 playoffs.
I searched, but I didn't see it... pardon if it's here... but...
It’s Cho Time!
(So get ready to be dethroned, Fakers)
"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
shoulda been a fanshot
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
I'm looking hard for decent video of Ralph and Lisa...
"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
This will have to work...
"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
I said this because there's a fanshot with Cho's head on the train, already.
Get it?
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
I missed 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
i don't know if i'd want that train to choo-choo-choose me
it’s kind of goofy looking.
by DefenderOfPants on Jul 19, 2010 11:30 PM PDT up reply actions
he's likely the best hire
available..His effectiveness will ultimately come down to how well his view and knowledge of the game compliments analytics. In other words, will he hold true to the equal divisions of analytics when evaluating players. The intangibles play the largest part when trying to build team chemistry.
Yup, it’s the modern era, but don’t let it run away with the game and try to build teams and prove points from a purely statistical approach. Example; an average basketball fan would be able to sit down and watch CP3 play and realize he has it. Above average basketball eyes will be able to recognize some of these in a potential or developing player. He would also be able to understand the possibilities from existing veterans when added to a roster…Even if it’s a complimenting role player or one that can bring some versatility or energy to the team..
A GM is the link between the executive branch and the players and coaching staff . He truly has to be quite versatile, possess no ego , and be willing to make the hard points available so the right decisions can be made.
Good Luck Mr. Cho…So, far I like your honesty, in that you recognize that the team is not there yet…..No more blinded optimism to cloud a reasonable thought process to the future.
[Good defense "releases" your offense]
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