Adam Silver’s “First Class” Comments On Jody Allen’s Trail Blazers Misses The Mark

By STEVEN VAUGHAN, 750 THE GAME

The Blazers are not in a good spot. The team doesn’t have an owner. They have a trustee. Their star player, Damian Lillard, has requested a trade. Not much is going right in Portland.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke to the NBA Board of Governors and said that the Board hasn’t had any conversations about forcing a sale.

John Canzano said that the unknown of what is going to happen with the Trail Blazers is not good for anybody.

“It’s not good for the league for the Blazers to be in limbo,” Canzano said on 750 The Game. “It’s not good for the city of Portland. It’s not good for the franchise. It’s not good for fans.”

Does anybody know what Jody Allen is doing? There have been no interviews or statements. Canzano hates that he and the fans have no idea what is going on in the mind of the “owner”.

“Is Jody Allen sitting back collecting a management fee on this? Is Jody Allen ever going to talk about it and address it publicly beyond a veiled statement that says it could take 20 years to have this team sold? I think her stakeholders, her fans, the people who are buying tickets, the sponsors, the players, the general manager, the coach, and media all deserve an explanation from Jody Allen. I think she should come forward and address this.”

Adam Silver went on to say that Jody Allen has run the Blazers in a “first-class manner”.

“I disagree with that,” Canzano said. “A first-class manner? It’s going to be one of the worst rosters in the league if Damian Lillard’s not on it on opening day. It’s going to be a team that struggles to be relevant and put on a compelling and entertaining product on most days.”

Canzano thinks that if this ownership situation was in a bigger market than Portland, Silver would be taking a more hands-on approach.

“I don’t think that Adam Silver would have the same viewpoint if this were the Lakers,” continued Canzano. “I think if it were a flagship franchise in the NBA he would be far more concerned about the fact that they don’t have an acting owner. That you got a trustee who for almost five years now has been left in charge and kind of gone ‘Eh, it’s on auto-pilot. Let it run itself.’ That is the manner in which the Trail Blazers run.”

You have to wonder — if the ownership situation was solved right after the passing of Paul Allen, where would the Trail Blazers be today?

Listen to the segment at the start of the podcast below. Catch the Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano weekdays 3-6 pm in Portland exclusively on 750 The Game.

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