Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen has arrived in Portland to begin preparation for next week's NBA Draft. Blazers Acting GM Chad Buchanan said Allen was able to watch Thursday's pre-draft workouts via streaming video; On Friday, Allen attended in person with longtime friend and adviser Bert Kolde.
This was Allen's first public appearance in Portland since firing GM Rich Cho in May. At the press conference announcing that decision, Blazers President Larry Miller said that Allen was unavailable for comment because he was travelling abroad. Allen posted on his Twitter account on June 7 that he was in France after returning from Namibia.
Despite multiple requests from reporters on Friday, Allen left the court without taking questions.
Allen's only public comment on Cho's firing was released via press release. "This decision, as difficult as it was to make, reflects our willingness to admit and recognize that things haven't worked out. We're going to be tough on ourselves in assessing what we could have done better, and then go out and find the executive who is the best fit with the needs of our franchise. That chemistry and connection is critically important."
He also refused to take questions on draft night after firing then-GM Kevin Pritchard last year. Other than a one-on-one video interview posted on Blazers.com and a few promotional interviews for his recently released memoir, Allen has not fielded questions on that decision either.
On Thursday, Buchanan said Allen would have a "major impact" on the team's draft planning and execution.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter