Latest On Trail Blazers’ GM Search
Team president Larry Miller and other members of the Trail Blazers' front office continue to conduct interviews for the club's general manager opening, says Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune. Eggers has a number of updates related to Portland's search, so let's round them up:
- Miller isn't sure how many candidates the team will interview. "We want to make sure with our decision. I don't want to have to do this again," Miller said, adding: "If we talk to somebody and this is our guy, that would be the end of it."
- The Trail Blazers met with Steve Kerr in April, and Kerr says the two sides "exchanged a lot of ideas" and that he learned a lot about the organization. However, he also reiterated that, while the situation intrigues him, he's not interested in the position right now.
- Geoff Petrie is considered a possibility for the opening and remains "highly regarded" by members of the Blazers' organization, says Eggers. Petrie expects to remain in his front office role in Sacramento though: "At this point in my career, I'd like to see us turn the corner (with the Kings), given our circumstances the last four years."
- While acting GM Chad Buchanan remains a candidate for the job, Miller says no interview is necessary for Buchanan, who has worked in the organization for eight years.
- Members of the Blazers' front office have been making visits to college campuses to learn more about potential draft targets, though Miller and Buchanan both say trading a pick or two for a veteran player is a possibility.
Trail Blazers Resume Search For General Manager
The Trail Blazers fell to the Thunder last night to fall four games out of the West's final playoff spot, but the bigger news for the team came off the court. Blazers president Larry Miller said before the game that the team has reopened its search for a general manager, according to Jason Quick of the Oregonian.
It has been nearly a year since Rich Cho was fired, with Portland employing Chad Buchanan as the team's acting GM since then. The Blazers previously interviewed "five or six" candidates, who won't be reconsidered now, according to Miller. The previous interviewees include Dennis Lindsey of the Spurs, Neil Olshey of the Clippers, Troy Weaver of the Thunder, and David Griffin, who has since been hired by the Cavs. Quick adds that Ed Stefanski and Dave Pendergraft may also have been interviewed, though that's unconfirmed (Twitter link).
Miller says the Blazers are looking for a candidate with previous GM experience, and Quick wonders if the team could have its eye on Steve Kerr. Portland pursued Kerr after parting ways with Cho, but the former Suns GM and current TNT analyst preferred to spend time with his family. Quick speculates that perhaps the extended wait to hire a permanent GM suggests that the Blazers are waiting on Kerr.
While the Blazers' search has been resumed, it may not move forward in earnest until after the season, when rival teams allow their current employees to interview for the position.
Blazers Notes: GM Search, Felton, Fernandez
Trail Blazers president Larry Miller addressed a few Portland-related topics last night, and Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge has the quotes. Here are the highlights:
- Miller says the Blazers will revisit their general manager search at season's end, and that no permanent GM will be hired before then: "At the end of the season we'll evaluate it and see if at that point, do we still need to go out and find somebody? Or is [Acting GM] Chad [Buchanan] the guy who can be comfortable moving into that role?" (Twitter link)
- Miller still thinks acquiring Raymond Felton was the right decision, based on Felton's career performance to that point. However, he concedes that it hasn't worked out as the team hoped: "Raymond, to us, was a player who could be a part of this team going forward. He could be a future piece of this team… He clearly hasn't lived up to that this year. Hopefully the second half of the season we'll get to see the Raymond that we traded for" (Twitter link).
- "Rudy had a good run here but it seemed like it had kind of soured a bit," said Miller, addressing the team's trade of Rudy Fernandez, in the same deal that landed them Felton. Added Miller: "Even the fans had soured a bit on Rudy" (Twitter link).
- Current Blazer and former Nugget Marcus Camby talked to Chris Smith of Nuggets.com about his season and his continued ties to Denver.