A New Era Or An End?

The air in Portland is rife with hypervigilance, inexplicable in its intensity. It’s not just palpable, it’s heavy. It weighs on Blazer fans like a wet blanket, stifling. This is likely not what any of us had in mind when it came to starting a new era for the franchise.

The Portland Trail Blazers went from being owned by a super fan of the team, who was bent on winning no matter the cost and building a community with the city and fans, to a risk-averse trust set on the business of selling the team, to a business man who stated he wants to keep the team in Portland and focus on winning, but gives no promises.

At first, I’ll admit, it was exciting. The prospect of an owner who took another small market team, in the Hurricanes, albeit in another sport from nothing to champion was enticing. A pledge to use whatever resources necessary to put together a winning roster, reminded me of Paul Allen and pushed me further in. It felt too good to be true. And, maybe it is.

I want to root for Tom Dundon and Co. as the new owners. I want to believe that they have the best interests of the team, city, and of the fans at heart. But, a litany of questionable incidents, since the purchase of this team, leave that belief in doubt.

It started at the end of last season when imputations of Dundon’s penny pinching came to light. Was he just, frugal/ trying to be savvy with expenditures when he decided to not pay for 2 way players to fly with the team, having the team check out early from hotels, or deciding on hand towels for the playoffs over T-shirts. Or was he being a cheap skate?

That could have been probably all waived off going into the off season. He did apologize for the thing with two way players and explained the towels away as thinking the fans would like it. But, it didn’t end there.

In May, the Blazers under Dundon laid off 70 employees, mostly in the front office. This was explained as a cost cutting measure to trim the fat and create a more balanced financial picture for the team.

Then, a day before the draft, they hired new head coach Micah Nori on an unconventional contract that drew a negative reaction around the league. The first year is guaranteed, but years 2 and 3 are team options based on performance. Head of the National Basketball Coaches Association Bernie Bickerstaff called it, “a slap in the face.” But, Nori is ok with it, so again that one seemed to slide by.

Then came the player personal side of things. The Blazers were silent during the draft, though they had to give their pick to Chicago as part of a deal set years ago when the team traded for Larry Nance Jr. But, many hoped for big summertime moves, from an owner who seemed set on stripping old labels from a team that struggled in bringing big talent to Portland.

The Blazers made attempts at, but failed to trade for Giannis or Jalen Brown. They settled for the troubled Ja Morant, but paid little for him, and it  with it appearing he is glad for a fresh start, this may still be a good trade yet. It does create a log jam in the Blazers back court as well leaves questions when it comes to three point shooting and defense.

They then whiffed on enticing higher level free agents like Rui Hachimura to Portland and ended up signing free agent center Branden Carlson and claiming big man Micah Potter from waivers. Not moves to push the needle forward for sure. It seemed maybe at least forward Matisse Thybulle would return, but the Lakers snagged him away.

Now with one roster spot open the Blazers could still make another trade or signing, but they don’t have to and may be content with adding Ja alongside the return of star Damian Lillard. Still, the roster feels a bit unbalanced as it stands.

From there, it felt like maybe the rest of the summer would go quietly. No more hijinks from Dundon and Co….nope. Next came the dismantling of the broadcast crew. Road comentators Neil Everett and Jamie Hudson gone. Statistician Tom Haberstroh gone. Team analyst Michael Holton gone. TV play-by-play voice Kevin Calabro followed them out the door following a subpar contract offer. Radio voice Travis Demers fate remains unknown as he has yet to renegotiate his expired contract.

The biggest gut punch remains in play as the team and city are stuck in a negotiating war to provide funds to update the Moda Center. Either it gets done or the Blazers leave. That threat is real and is very disconcerting.

The City of Portland put forward an offer which the Blazers quickly passed on. And, the fact that it seemed to be a good faith offer is worrying. Are the Blazers just playing hard ball or does the ownership just want to move the team regardless of the offers? The two sides seem to be far off and if reports are true, the Blazers don’t seem to even want to come to the table right now and at least several of the city council aren’t Blazer fans and don’t share the same desire to keep the team here. The two sides seem to be at an impasse. Dundon doesn’t want to pay, the city wants some of the money back.

The Blazers won’t be moving to Seattle or Vegas as other team governors around the league want a piece of the $7-8 billion expansion fee when those teams join in a few years. Kansas City seems to be a candidate though and officials there seem to be already salivating at the chance to steal the Blazers away.

All of the frugal/miserly behavior, the misses on player personal, the layoffs of now nearly 80 employees, and the continued fight over funding for the Moda Center do not lend themselves to a feeling of stability or the look of a saavy businessman aiming to fix things and keep the team local.

Best case scenario, Dundon is just being frugal, the team has a hell of a new coach and new and returning stars on next season roster, and this deal to fund the Moda Center will get resolved with the team staying where it belongs.

Worse case, Dundon isn’t just trimming fat. He is cutting loose all the roots that hold this team here one by one and readying it to be shipped off to another city.

If I was a betting man, I’d put my money on the team staying. As a fan, I am filled with a sense of dread. A deep unsettling feeling that this is not a new era for this team and it’s fans, but quite possibly the end of this franchise as we know it.

That reality would not only destroy the city economically(we saw what it did to Seattle) it would devastate millions of die hard fans (the best in the league). It would be hard to root for the team if it moves, especially since they would likely retire the Trail Blazers name for something more akin to Kansas or wherever they end up. The Trail Blazers are the heart of Portland. Dundon please, don’t break it.