An NBA team coming under new ownership tends to bring a lot of excitement to the fanbase, but that isn’t the case with the Portland Trail Blazers. The NBA authorized the sale of the Trail Blazers to the Tom Dundon-led “Rip City Rising” ownership group on March 31, and the early signs aren’t great.
The Rose Garden Report’s Sean Highkin reveals the Trail Blazers are the only playoff team that hasn’t sent its two-way players on the road for Games 1 and 2.
“And in a move that could only be attributed to more cost-cutting measures from new owner Tom Dundon, [Caleb] Love and the Blazers’ other two-ways, Chris Youngblood and Jayson Kent, did not travel to San Antonio with the team for Games 1 and 2 and will be watching from home in Portland.
“This is well outside of standard practice in the NBA. All seven other road teams on the first weekend of this year’s playoffs brought their two-way players to the games even though they can’t play, sources close to those teams confirmed. They may be stuck in street clothes, but they’re still being treated like they’re part of their teams.”
Two-way players are ineligible for the playoffs, but teams still send them on the road. Dundon, who has purchased the Trail Blazers at a $4.2 billion valuation from Paul Allen’s Estate, has gone against the grain, though. He has a $2.3 billion net worth, according to Forbes, but is still penny-pinching.
What makes this even worse is that Caleb Love played 49 games for the Trail Blazers this season. He averaged 10.4 points and played his part in the team making the playoffs. The fact that Love of all people has to sit at home and watch Games 1 and 2 against the San Antonio Spurs is quite disappointing.
If you thought that was bad, we’re only getting started. The Trail Blazers, of course, made the playoffs by beating the Phoenix Suns 114-110 on the road in the play-in tournament on Tuesday. Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix reported that prior to the game, staff members had to check out of their hotel rooms hours before they left for the arena to save costs.
“On Tuesday afternoon, a strange scene played out at the Trail Blazers’ Phoenix-area hotel. Onlookers noted people in Blazers gear hanging out in the lobby. According to four sources with knowledge of the situation, a number of staffers were asked to check out of their rooms at noon, hours before the first bus left for the arena. The reason, multiple sources say, was for the team to avoid the cost of a late checkout.”
Talk about a terrible look.
Dundon is also looking to cut costs in an area that will actually impact the team’s performance. Tiago Splitter is currently leading the Trail Blazers as interim head coach, and NBA insider Jake Fischer reports Dundon doesn’t want to pay more than $1.5 million a year for a permanent head honcho in the offseason.
“It’s no reflection on the admirable job Tiago Splitter has done as Portland’s interim coach since replacing Chauncey Billups before Game 2 of an 82-game season. The consistent word for weeks about new Blazers owner Tom Dundon is his apparent desire to pay no more than $1.5 million annually for a new head coach. That’s well below the current NBA standard … even for a first-time head coach.
“From $1 million to $1.5 million is actually the price range for the league’s top assistant coaches, but Portland’s desire to spend so modestly on a full-time replacement for Billups has been widely communicated and figures to have a significant impact on the process no matter how attractive an NBA head coaching position — there’s only 30 in the world and all that — looks on paper.”
To say Dundon is making a terrible impression would be an understatement. Trail Blazers fans might be fearing the worst already.
