On the court, the Portland Trail Blazers are impressing with their athleticism and play in their first-round series against San Antonio — there is a real path forward for this team to be a threat in the West.
However, in league circles, it's the Trail Blazers moves off the court that have everyone taking — and mocking — the franchise. Specifically, reports of penny-pinching by new owner Tom Dundon. While more rumors are swirling around the league than we have room to discuss here, there are a few of these incidents that have become public:
•Portland was the only team not to bring their two-way players on the road for their first-round playoff series, something first reported by Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. Traditionally, those players are considered part of the team — Caleb Love played 49 games for the Trail Blazers this season — even if they are not on the active playoff roster.
• The Trail Blazers shrunk the size of their traveling party for road trips, which included the team photographer and digital reporter not making trips.
• Portland made support staff check out of their hotel rooms early and wait nearly four hours in the lobby of a hotel to avoid late check-out fees. That included the team masseuse, who had nowhere to set up and work on players, reports Jason Quick of The Athletic.
However, the big rumor has been that they are trying to hire a coach on the cheap. As one source told NBC Sports, Portland is trying to hire an NBA coach on a mid-major coach's salary. There were reports that Dundon spoke to multiple college coaches and was reportedly trying to hire a coach for about $1.5 million a season, well below the roughly $4 million average starting salary for an NBA coach (the league average for a coach is closer to $7 million). Tiago Splitter has done an admirable job after being forced to take on the head coaching job one game into the season, following Chauncey Billups' arrest as part of a federal gambling probe. In a move that breaks with NBA etiquette, Dundon has searched fairly publicly for a new coach while Splitter still has the job.
This is the one area source really pushed back to Quick of The Athletic.
"Of all the things reported on Tom, the one thing that is not true is the coaching thing, that he is trying to get someone for $1 million to 1.5 million," a team source said. "It's just not true. He's talked to everybody, and of course, some coaches he talks to would be less expensive than others. The goal is to find the best person."
None of this talk bothers Dundon, according to reports. While most owners might be shamed and change their behavior because of all this, Dundon appears unfazed, as one source told Quick at The Athletic.
"I ought to tell you, I don't think he gives a rat's ass what is said about him," a league source told The Athletic. "Most owners care. They insulate themselves because they care very much about their image and profile. He doesn't give a f***. He doesn't even flinch with this stuff."
It's all a shock to the system in Portland because long-time owner Paul Allen was lavish with the perks, from big ones like a specially-modified private charter plane for the team to the fact that players got their cars washed and detailed during practice.
It was not financially prudent (not that it impacted Allen, one of the Microsoft co-founders). Still, as Bill Oram of The Oregonian noted, it's not easy to get free-agent players to commit to Portland or to stay once they arrive. Rainy Portland, somewhat isolated on the NBA map up in the Pacific Northwest, is a very different vibe for players who might have grown up on the East Coast. The perks and the way the organization treated players helped — if the perks and amenities are stripped away, will it be even harder to get players to come? Will the Trail Blazers have to overpay to get players with options?
That said, Dundon had the same playbook with the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes — he may not have spent on the things around the team, but he has always been willing to spend on players and talent. And, the Hurricanes are currently in the NHL playoffs for the eighth consecutive year — that kind of run of success would win fans over in Portland. Winning cures a lot of ills in any organization.
That may be what Dundon is banking on, and his young team has shown signs of promise this season and already in the playoffs. Plus, next year, they get Damian Lillard back.
Daniss Jenkins
Dillon Brooks