BBert

I've hated Duin for what seems like an eternity. I refuse to read any of his refuse. He has been a Blazers hater since long before anyone ever heard of Canzano. He cannot be taken seriously. He is 10 times worse than Canzano. If he were still writing for the sports section, then you'd know real pain.

And I will go on record with the unpopular position that I hope Paul Allen keeps the team, and gets the garden back.

I can't believe people don't appreciate how incredibly lucky we've been to have an owner who can lose $100 million in one year on our team and continue funding our obsessive past-time.

Sure, I didn't like it that he bought a team that the community thought belonged to 'them' and acted like it was 'his.' But how could we really expect different, no matter who had bought the team?

We have the best owner in basketball. I have a feeling many of you are going to end up like the guy who divorces his wife for greener pastures, only to find out what a stupid chump he was.

Allen has been blasted for wanting to reduce his losses. Huh? Does anyone believe there is ANY ownership group that would take the kind of losses Allen has, and will, even in what passes for him to be an era of fiscal responsibility? What I'm saying is, I have no doubt that whatever target he has for how much he's willing to lose on the team is still higher than the next ownership group. And I have absolutely ZERO confidence in the decision-making of guys like Drexler and Stupidmire.

For crying out loud, there was a thread here about a possible ownership group that could only afford to pay $1-2 million for the Fire, when the going rate was $10 million! Yeah, they are going to fund the Blazers in the manner we've come to expect. Sure they will.

I don't like the direction the franchise took when they made us one of the worst teams in the league. But I like the direction we are heading putting together a team that will improve into the future. I believe the current owner will bring us a good team again. I have no such confidence in any other ownership group that's been trotted out.

Just my daily rant.

Sincerely,

BBert.

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In KP I trust.

STOMP

hoping PA doesn't sell the team is the unpopular position??? well sign me up for class jerk. I see more of the same crying/muckraking by the same vocal posters and the same lousy newspaper that I've largely ignored for years now. Calling him creepy and making fun of his teeth... pretty pathetic IMO

I'd guess PA is just working towards getting the same sort of supportive business deal from Portland that he could get elsewhere. Any new owner would expect the same. The city needs to wake up from it's spoiled slumber and realize those days are done.

STOMP

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaQprMCe20A&NR=1

RipCity9

You're kidding, right? As a businessman he's been a disaster, and there's no sense arguing it. He has a laundry list of bad investments, including the cable company that Duin mentioned in the column. The reason his wealth jumped is thanks to his Microsoft stock, nothing else - and we all know Bill Gates was and is the one who handles the business said of Microsoft.

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"The Blazers will bounce on up to the top again, just like they have before. And when they do I'll be cheering for 'em as loud as anybody."

- Bill Walton

Ed O

Yep, because Steve Ballmer's just there for his good looks.

Ed O.

ProudBFan

I still don't understand exactly why Allen & his money people thought it would be a good idea to relinquish control of the Rose Garden in the first place. Didn't they know the franchise wouldn't be viable without the revenue streams attached to the Rose Garden? Did they screw up (monumentally), or did they plan all this?

PBF

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NBAGOD

I think they were bluffing in order to get the best possible deal and the lenders called their bluff. They never thought the lenders would take the arena. When it comes to business acumen, Paul ain't the sharpest tool in the shed.

ProudBFan

I fully appreciate Allen's willingness to dump money into the Blazers in the past. He tried to build a winner. And we had some exciting basketball here in Portland as a result. I appreciate that. I don't appreciate any of the stupid things those players did while they were here - things that tarnished the franchise. But I appreciate the attempt to build a winner, nonetheless.

It seems the only way the franchise can be financially viable here in Portland is to unify ownership of the team and the arena - and for the team itself to be competitive. So I don't particularly care if Allen gets the Garden back. For me, it doesn't matter exactly who owns the team & arena as long as they are one & the same (assuming such an arrangement is required for financial viability).

PBF

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Ed O

Maybe. Or maybe the Oregon Arena Corp was just a losing proposition given the lender agreements.

It's my understanding that the Blazers did NOT lose any revenue streams as a result of the change in RG management... am I incorrect? The Oregon Arena Corporation had the revenue streams, and they apparently were inadequate to cover the costs of the debt.

Ed O.

barfo

I disagree completely. Obviously they weren't bluffing, they DID declare bankruptcy. If anything, I'd say that the lenders thought they were bluffing, and never thought Paul would give up the arena.

The lenders didn't 'take' the arena, it was dumped on them - they didn't want it. They wanted the nice revenue stream with no obligations that they already had.

barfo

RipCity9

Yeah, and the new CEO of Nike is really the guy running the swoosh show - sure thing.

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"The Blazers will bounce on up to the top again, just like they have before. And when they do I'll be cheering for 'em as loud as anybody."

- Bill Walton

Ed O

I know nothing about Nike. Nor claim to.

I do know some things about Microsoft. And claiming that Bill Gates handles the business side of the company is pretty silly IMO.

Ed O.

SolidGuy3

Paul Allen needs a wife. He has all the money in the world. He needs to marry Paris Hilton so she can co-own the Blazers.