99 Comments

Isn't describing Jody Allen and Bert Kolde as a "brain trust" a bit of an oxymoron on both counts? :-)....brains and trust both lacking in the current situation.

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awesome comment Donna!!

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Many won't say it or discuss it out of loyalty to the Blazers...But I'll say it...The hell with Lillard! to hell with Jody Allen, to hell with the Blazers. NONE have shown any loyalty to Portland or it's fans. Why should they (the fans) show any loyalty to the Blazers or Lillard? Remember when the Blazers kept jacking up prices in the late 90's early 2000's even though they sucked? They ONLY lowered prices and offered cut rate season tickets when the most loyal fans in the NBA stopped showing up and stopped buying an inferior product for a jacked up price. Then, after season ticket sales started climbing again a couple years later, the Blazers front office jacked them right back up again. Then... the Blazers front office drafted Lillard and made him one of the highest paid players in the NBA...{{{STUPID}}}!!! He can score, he's got almost unlimited range on his jump shot, but he doesn't play a lick of defense, can't rebound, and dominates the ball to the rest of the team's detriment. Then Lillard whines about not having any all star type productive team mates...Umm fella, they can't afford any...you've sucked all the air out of the room...along with the money. But it's not all Lillard's fault...The Blazers could have offered much less and then signed some good free agents...But they (Jody & Bert) refuse...they manage from the edge of the nba refuse heap. This will continue until those same loyal Blazer fans stop being exactly that...and demand a quality product for a quality price. Until then...articles like John's will continue to be written yet will fall on deaf ears and blind eyes.

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Well, will wonders never cease... we agree Grants Dad! I'm not 100% on board with your analysis of Lillard... but we're close on that too.

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John, sorry but I don't buy it. I see an organization while misguided in its pursuit to get better, did not sit on their hands and do nothing. We can and should "Monday morning QB" any and all personnel moves over the last 5 years of Lillard's tenure, but he chose financial security over flexibility. He can not now act like he's owed the control of a no-trade clause. We can all understand wishful thinking on his part, but the franchise is not at the mercy of its all-star. At some point Portland, Miami and Lillard will all start to get serious about the move, but now its easy to see that no one is.

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I agree with Steve, but Lillard has some blame for the last 5 years also. He was consulted on all the moves the front office made.

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Greed and an agent, resulted in a very nice man becoming his own worst enemy. What the hell would Miami want him after this display of bad faith?

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Its funny how no one ever reports this. Same as LeBron's first tenure in Cleveland.

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I've commented on the Blazers situation before, nothing will change with Jody Allen and a sale until people stop buying the product. As long as fans keep buying, nothing will change.

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If reduced fan support, more reason for Jody to move PDX to Seattle? Watch what you wish for...

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If the league let that happen they would have to give Portland a franchise

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I see your point, but i would also point out cities who have lost teams that moved: Cincinnati, St Louis, Buffalo, SD, Vancouver, Rochester (lol). Maybe the nba, like MLB,NHL, MLS need a franchise or two less.

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How the NBA continues to thrive is beyond my comprehension. No other sport has allowed athletes to push the league around like this. The reason the NFL is king is because working folks can relate to 'you don't perform, you're gone'. No one can relate to someone being given $122M over two years and turning around and telling the people who gave them that they won't play for you and will ONLY play for ONE team. At some point, you think all this NBA crap would catch up with the league. Never seems to. I stopped caring about the league right about the time LeBron said he was 'taking his talents to Miami".

You cannot let athletes run a sport. The NBA seems to encourage it.

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What Scott said.

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Bad ownership can kill a franchise. Blazer fans are sadly stuck with this pair of fools. The NBA could force a sale but probably won't. Meanwhile the season ticket holders are stuck with no out except canceling. Not much of a choice for long-term fans.

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Sorry, no justification whatsoever for the NBA forcing a sale... on what grounds? Look around the league, plenty of owners making what fans may feel ar irrational decisions. Zero chance.

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While I’m sure Jody doesn’t care, but we have held off on purchasing any 2023-2024 tickets waiting for the Lillard outcome. Not interested in forking over our hard earned money to watch a toxic team.

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I’m in the middle. Want to honor Lillard after all the loyalty he’s given to Blazers. Love an underdog, and his arc from Oakland to Weber St. to PDX is a love story. On the other, I just wish Lillard would ‘allow’ franchise to trade to more teams than just Miami. That smacks of too much entitlement after signing to a Max contract.

Pot shot at Phil Knight. His name is so tightly connected to University of Oregon, and rise of men’s football team there. Now UO has bolted for B1G for mo’ money.

Meantime, lawyers are requesting to meet with UO over discrimination against women’s sports there, especially volleyball & rowing. Title IX issues. Nike itself has also had well-documented women athlete issues

Is there a pattern here? Does Phil Knight and his $ connectors have any responsibility/ duty to help change this. Like I said, pot shot, but it’s all a pretty bad look at ‘Nike U’

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Huh??? how does this reflect in any way whatsoever on Phil Knight??? All he did was make an offer with his potential partner from so Cal...that's it...some Beavers are making HUGE LEAPS to try and denigrate Phil...and he's done nothing but good...remember Phil kept Pat Casey at OSU (by paying his salary) when Casey was on his way out the door to Notre Dame and OSU could not match their offer. Peni knight made a large donation to the Beavers baseball stadium. Phil has given over 150 million to the Stanford school of business.

It's only a bad look to knuckleheads who want to go to those lengths.

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I think you might have missed my point RE: Phil, and why I prefaced it with it being a 'pot shot' What I'm saying is Phil's donations are not finding their way down to some WOMEN. And does Phil have anything to answer for in this regard. Maybe he doesn't. Maybe UO is a canary-in-the-coal mine, and there are other programs not treating certain Title 9 programs, better. Right now in the PAC, I'm just hearing it's the Ducks. The other part of this is that Nike also has a host of 'women's issues' over the years. It's a pot shot because Phil is arm's length from who is treating women in substandard way, compared to men, but it's also a fair amount of his $. Or in the case of Nike, his legacy

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Matt L., Phil Knight does not need our support, and Nike annoys me greatly when the CEO says they are a Chinese Corp - there is no such thing when operating in the PRC. To be fair, PK donated more than $1M (+) to OSU baseball to facilitate their continued success. Agree the Ducks AD is apparently an arrogant ass, and the Duck AD may not have provided due diligence and upheld/sustained the Duck and Title IX standards for Beach Volleyball and Crew. Suggest you tuck that lower lip in, step up and support your team(s), and stop the whine. I understand, and with best regards, I remain J. Horvath

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Where is the proof he donated that kind of money to OSU Baseball?

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do some homework...ie pat casey's salary. also check into a donation made in his wife's name to the baseball stadium.

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Yay, Uncle Phil. I'm tired of Duck fans using Knight's $1M donation to OSU baseball as a directive that we Beavs should worship the guy. I'm grateful that he helped retain Pat Casey, but to pretend that donation was particularly generous for a guy like that and that we should therefore hold our tongues on criticizing him is ridiculous. Without him, the Ducks would be where the Beavers are now and all Beavers should resent the hell out of him for his part in destroying the Pac-12.

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Thanks Grant’s dad. I’d heard from a couple of folks who said those were just rumors but I’ll take your word for it. Go Beavs and thanks to P and P knight for their contributions.

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no problem.

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As you noted, John, we can simply turn to Jody Allen and see the rhythm and flow of the franchise disrupted and misaligned. Phil Knight as owner would have solved so much two years ago. And now it's not too late. But what will it take for her to relinquish her grip? I think a full boycott threat might be the only thing that keeps this from dragging on for a decade or more.

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I expect Dame WILL show up at camp and make the Blazer owners head explode ; )

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That... would be great. Hope you are right!

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It’s pretty simple in my mind. The Blazers need to do what is best for the franchise and its future. They don’t owe Lillard anything other than what his contract stipulates. He doesn’t have a no trade clause or veto clause, so tough luck to him. Either they make the best deal and trade him wherever, or he comes back and plays under his contract. If he doesn’t want to play, he can sit out with no pay. As an aside, his whole playing games on social media is a bad look for him as well. The guy had a bunch of goodwill in Portland that he just flushed down the drain.

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Yup. Blame his agent too. He's getting questionable advice. He signed a contract... honor it.

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I'm in the middle on Dame, too. On the one hand.....and on the other hand.....

I am not in the middle on the ownership train wreck. Paul Allen must be rolling over in his grave - or whatever galaxy he landed in. Jody and Bert are worse than Bonny and Clyde, IMO. Just bring on the season already. I want to watch the kids grow, no matter what Dame or the franchise does.

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I am so bloody tired of the whole Damian Lillard scenario! I personally thought Portland should have traded him 3-4 years ago as I just didn't think an NBA team can build a championship caliber team around an undersized point guard who demands ball time and shots. I agree with Steve's comment that Lillard chose personal prosperity and personal riches over genuinely being a team player to give a little of personal monies and glory for the benefit of the team! Now he has retracted all of the "team first" comments he previously put out there for all to believe. I don't really care for his game anyway and I believe that he is replaceable with other talented point guards who know how to play the position.

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Agree mostly. I do like Dame's game, one of the top three in the league. If he goes out on a bad note, even if he wins a ring with another team, he will be a wagon jumper in my mind and tarnish his legacy in PDX.

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Great article, as always John. It’s a tough call I think. Damian Lillard has been I believe, a true Blazer. The best, I’m not so sure of but a dynamic hard working and loyal Blazer. I do not agree with Phil Knights political beliefs but he’d be a damn sight better owner than Jody Allen for sure. It’s really sad all the way around.

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John, love the Farman article. PNW people are the most generous, caring people!

Regarding Lillard, I have high regard for him staying with the Blazers all of these years, given the inept Blazer management.

I have no problem with him wanting to be traded to try and win a championship late in his career. I do have a problem with the demand it be only one team, Miami. As bad as Blazer management has been, they can not be told by a player where they will go and to take whatever offer is made for him. The Blazers should trade him to a team that has championship abilities, but only for proper values in exchange.

If it does not work out, then Lillard is under contract with the Blazers and he is obligated to play to the highest of his abilities this season for them. If not, all earned respect will be lost.

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Well said!

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Tuned out on the Blazers and the NBA ten years ago, maybe fifteen. Gave up the season tickets and never looked back. Haven’t missed them or it for one minute. Still devoted to the Ducks and Beavers, though!

Looking forward to the next article John.

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