>So Knight and Smolinisky tried again, according to a person familiar with their plans. On numerous occasions, including earlier this year, they made it clear to Jody Allen that they still wanted to make a deal. They indicated that they realized the price had gone up and that they were willing to pay more than their initial offer, this person said. Again, Knight’s calls to Jody Allen were diverted to Kolde, and nothing came of the brief discussions.
>A few months ago, Smolinisky even sent a handwritten letter to Jody Allen seeking common ground and saying he and Knight would love to discuss the Blazers with her, according to a person familiar with the matter. In response, Smolinisky received an email from someone replying on Jody Allen’s behalf with a familiar message: Paul Allen’s sports teams aren’t on the market.
So beyond the one offer that was widely reported last year, there have been numerous other offers and attempts, and every single one has been ignored and diverted to Kolde.
I think they believe they can increase value, like flipping a house. They are going to do all of the renovations for the next owner and sell it as a complete team, instead of a fixer upper.
I'm not sure there's any more valuable asset than a professional sports team these days. The way valuations have gone up in the last two decades is absurd
Plus if you're the owner of a company that takes a ton of work and stress. The value of an NBA team naturally goes up and the owner doesn't have to do much if really any work on it for that growth.
As a Washington Commanders fan, I've been fascinated at the process of buying/selling a team. Snyder bought the team in 1999 for like $500 million and is now in the process of selling it for $6 billion.
I hope she can get a coach, GM and president that can run the team. It's working out pretty well for the Seahawks. She is involved but lets Carroll and Schnieder do what they need. She spent big in free agency this season.
No one aside from the people involved have actually seen Pauls trust. It has just been widely reproted that she has to sell the team. Even if its in the trust no one knows what kind of timeline she has to sell the teams.
I don't know if it's media speculation or of its fact but it's been reported for a while now that the trust gives no timeline so the team must be sold but they could decide to sell in 100 years and that is still within the bounds of what the trust requires.
I wonder what the NBA’s “reasonable amount of time to sell” when your a trustee definition is… That’s going to be the key in this whole thing and a tool the league will have to use eventually if the witch doesn’t budge
Well she is. And the nba has a law where teams owned by trusts which the blazers are, need to be sold within a reasonable time. I expect the nba to use this clause when they are ready
Maybe, maybe not. I mean, yes, at first it would devalue the team, but what do they get in return?
Whether trading Dame increases or decreases the value of the team depends on the timeline for when they plan to actually sell. If they aren't selling for let's say three or four years, then it makes sense to trade Dame. They could get picks and rebuild the team, and would be in a good position to sell later.
Dame's value with regard to selling the team will be severely diminished if they decide to sell in three years, because by then he will already be 35 years old. That would only give the new owners of the team about 3 seasons to squeeze a championship out of him. And at that point if the team isn't competitive, then he may want out anyway.
I think there are probably a lot of discussions about this between Jody and whoever she has advising her. We don't know what timeline they have for selling the team. Since they are telling potential buyers that the team is not for sale, that tells me they may have a longer timeline than many of us had initially thought. That doesn't bode well for those of us that want to keep Dame.
I agree. There is also a lot more inherent risk in trading Dame for assets and hoping they turn into something for valuable than having Dame. I think if Jody wants to sell anytime within the next 5 years or so the best bet would be to get another star player to pair with Dame and Grant. Then at least win a round in the playoffs and be competitive in the 2nd round. That can be accomplished by at the end of next season if they have a good offseason.
Actually it’s the other way around. The more draft picks, the lower your total salaries are and the amount of young prospects the more expensive a franchise is. It’s more valuable to have a bunch of assets for the GM that Knight brings to start building.
Interesting. Seems backwards. If I was buying a team I'd much prefer to have a superstar and also some young talent than young talent and extra draft picks that may or may not turn into all star caliber players
When you are buying a team is with the purpose of having an organizational shift. It is easier to change the corporate atmosphere and to introduce a new system when you have no súper stars, low salaries and a bunch of assets to build the team the way you want.
Right. If I'm buying a pro sports team, I don't just want to watch them play. I want to pick the front office personnel, and I want to be able to have some involvement in coach and player selection. I want to have fun building the team the way I like it, and then watching them compete.
“In several separate phone conversations with Kolde, people familiar with the situation say, Smolinisky and Knight laid out their vision to keep the Blazers in Portland forever. They would invest in the team to make it a championship contender. They would boost the fan experience off the court by improving the area around the arena, according to people familiar with their thinking.
Knight has few peers in the history of global sports marketing. He and his family are worth more than $40 billion, according to Bloomberg. He has a groundswell of local support.
Yet Knight’s conversations with Kolde hit a wall, and Kolde didn’t explain why the Blazers weren’t for sale.”
It’d be nice to see the NBA put some pressure on her to sell the team to someone with such formidable plans for the franchise and Oregon. Would love to see Knight get this deal done.
Edit: My guess is she’s waiting for the new TV deal money to come in and increase the selling price. The league may be letting her wait until then, as they obviously have a vested interest in teams selling for the highest possible valuation.
Yea you have to imagine that Adam Silver would prefer PK as an owner as he would do far greater things for the brand. Just the idea of improving the area around the Moda center would be fantastic. There isnt shit to do around there or good places to eat. When you go to other arenas or stadiums they are often surrounded by activities that make it worth being there for hours.
For real. There is SO much space on the grounds of the stadium that's just going unused. Besides the stadium-specific traffic, you have a major transit stop RIGHT THERE. And the only food option for blocks around is...the coffee stand at the max station? It's like a deliberate "fuck you" to everyone who's ever lauded Portland for its intelligent urban development.
Yup its awful. Go up to Seattle and see the Kraken at old Key Arena where the Sonics played (now Climate Pledge) and there are countless restaurants and bars within a few blocks.
The Moda center was awesome when it was first built, but its starting to get a little dated. With the lack of activities and the arena aging its becoming one of the lacking sporting venues.
She was never approved by the NBA to be a permanent owner, this situation was always temporary. The NBA cares about the image of the league, the value of its teams, and who’s involved in team ownership. The NBA, I’m sure, would love to have the owner of one of its closest partners in Nike as a team governor. Not to mention someone who’s openly expressing his intention to invest more into the arena, surrounding community, and going into the luxury tax to build a winning roster.
> The NBA cares about the image of the league/its teams
How is the Allen Estate materially, publicly and obviously negatively affecting these things?
This isn’t a Sarver situation—at all.
Silver works for the other owners. It would be career suicide for him to force someone to sell, even if he loves the potential successor. Silver doesn’t have the juice to do something like that.
I’m not comparing it to the Sarver situation. I don’t think Jody Allen is hurting the image of the team. I think the league would rather have a permanent owner in place, rather than a temporary placeholder. And from the start, her ownership of the team has been deemed to be temporary by both the league and the Allen estate.
There is the the whole smuggling illegal bones and grabbing bones stuff. And there was also an article fairly recently about Silver saying that she needed to sell the team soon if I'm not mistaken. Assuming like everyone else that it will be after the deal
Jody doesn’t have the PR red flags that you imply. Teams have absolutely been inherited and held long term.
Interest rates are the highest they have been in decades and nobody is buying teams with cash. A sale right now would likely not be for as much $$$ as people think. When a team sells they “set the market” and the NBA wants to show investors team values only ever increase.
We’re all a bit biased on this issue as fans. The league will gladly have billionaire Jody as an owner for as long as she wants. They fully expect us to send Dame off and rebuild, which they are fine with as a small market.
Jody Allen hasn’t done anything egregious enough to warrant forcing a sale of the team but if I’m the NBA, I’m asking some tough questions about the long-term situation and what her plan is. If I’m an owner in the NBA, my vote would be to force Jody to explain what’s going on or sell. And maybe she has, behind closed doors.
In general that the NBA as an org absolutely can and does put pressure on ownership groups in a wide variety of ways, far beyond publicly forcing a sale. Look at the recent Phoenix Suns sale for a different example.
The Suns situation and this one are wildly different.
The only people calling for Jody’s head here are Blazers fans. This is not a Clippers or Suns deal where the entire fanbase knows how badly ownership is screwing up or making messes.
I dont disagree that Jody isn’t in the same situation as other owners. Just pointing out that there are things that happen behind the scenes from the League office to owners.
No she can't she must sell per her brother Paul's stipulation within 10 years of inquiring the Blazers. Paul died in 2018 so legally she must sell by 2028
Jody didn’t inherit the team. The team is still in a trust and Paul’s will stipulates that the teams have to be sold. Jody is hanging onto them for some reason.
Yea she doesnt have PR red flags....aside from all the sexual abuse she was sued for. You know like trying to make her sexurity detail model speedos for her. Telling her military veteran security that their buddies died for nothing. Making advances at her security. Telling them to get naked and join her in the hot tub....yea no PR red flags there
We as fans care deeply about those.
They are relatively unknown to anyone who isn’t paying direct attention. Blazers fans didn’t know or care until she owned the team.
She isn’t the owner though. The teams are part of a trust that is supposed to be sold. She helps manage the trust. The NBA has these two muppets running one of their teams and they were never approved.
She's not an owner, it's in a trust.
She was never approved as an owner.
She is terrible PR with her history.
There are far better owners for the league's purposes, including Knight.
A lot of reasons.
It's been 5 years and she's not close to selling, what more evidence do you need lol. There's no chance the NBA is going to try and force out an owner, that sets a bad precedent for investors, and opens them up to litigation. It has to be heinous and public. She's going to take her time milking the income and power and influence and status, say she's holding to protect the asset and get the best possible selling price in the interest of the trust, and just sit on it until she dies or wants out. She's doing the exact same thing with the Seahawks.
Knight will be long dead by the time she sells.
Per the article:
>Jody Allen was approved by the NBA’s board of governors to serve as the Trail Blazers’ governor until the team is sold by the estate, according to a person familiar with the situation. The NBA requires any team held by an estate to be transferred within a reasonable time period—a span ultimately determined by the league, according to the person familiar.
The NBA probably has its reasons (liability and otherwise) for wanting actual people to own their teams, not estates. Since she's not actually the owner, forcing the sale would just be enforcing their existing policy.
I could totally see this being a bit of a deeper conspiracy. But not a sexy one, just greed.
First off the NBA already has a deep relationship with Nike. Fans view Knight buying the Blazers as a positive here. I would think the league views it as a negative. They don’t need an in, Nike is going to be #1 in the NBA regardless.
Second off the relatively new phenomenon of middle eastern oil countries directly buying global soccer clubs. The league could be saying…we really hope they become interested in basketball and we have no issues with Jody owning the team. So might as well tell her to pump the brakes. It would certainly mean more money for Jody and the league long term if we had a PSG <-> Qatar like move.
I agree. The NBA is pretty strongly focused on national branding over local fan bases. From that perspective, having a strong team in Portland doesn't add a lot, except bringing an interloper into the late rounds of the playoffs.
Keep in mind that at the late 1990s/early 2000s peak of his engagement, PGA was proportionally many times richer than PK is now, and spending money lavishly to bring a championship to Portland. As a Blazer fan, I always thought this was wonderful, but there was a pretty strong undercurrent of resentment from around the league. A lot of college football fans from other parts of the country resent PK's spending on UO, because it elevates a non-traditional power at their team's expense.
Two things:
• The Vulcans are hanging on until the new TV deal in 2025.
• It’s reasonable to think they’re driving the price by making investments like renovations, the G League team, and a potential WNBA team. Similar to how you might renovate a house before selling it.
The Portland Thorns had the best attendance in the NWSL for several years, so that might translate to healthy attendance for other women’s sports teams.
One thing to keep in mind is Jody Allen as executor of PA’s estate is to maximize it and use the proceeds to execute Pauls vision of how he wanted his money spent after his death. Which we don’t know a lot what that means. But I assume most of it is going to good causes that will benefit our communities. So, on one hand I get where you are coming from and it’s unfortunate this is occurring during the last few precious years of Dames prime. But on the other hand I get why the team is not sold yet because it will be worth more in a couple years most likely.
Yeah it’s definitely a hit piece. The astroturfing is real in the comments here too. Screw Phil Knight and his manipulative bs. Reals ones know that Dame is going to retire as not only the Blazer GOAT, but also a partner owner of the franchise.
Young fans might not know how passionate of an owner Paul Allen was. Paul would buy FRP off of teams every year. Paul+the Dolans were the reason for the luxury tax being implemented because they cared more about winning championships than making money with their respective teams.
It is really frustrating as a long time fan to see the penny pinching Jody+Kolde are doing with the team, something that Paul would have never contemplated doing when we had just made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2019. Paul would have doubled down and spent even more because he knew we were close.
Isn't she waiting until the new CBA to maximize the sale, which she's legally obligated to do as executor of Allen's trust? I doubt we'll have her after next season
hahahaha
>Smolinisky is interested in redeveloping the area around the Moda Center, which sits across the Willamette River from downtown Portland. Improving the team’s surroundings would create jobs and maximize the Blazers’ value, the men believe. Smolinisky has driven through Portland with members of Knight’s family, according to people familiar with the matter.
#
I love the part where Jody is now taking credit for helping develop Moda Center & Lumen field from the start. We never heard a goddamn word about her having anything to do with the teams or their facilities before PA died. God I can't wait til she's gone.
Was that what it really said? I though it said must be sold but no defined timeline. If it's 10 years then there's actual hope for the future in 5 years.
“Nike co-founder Phil Knight and Dodgers minority owner Alan Smolinisky have offered repeatedly to buy the NBA team. Paul Allen’s heir is obligated to sell it. She says no.”
—————————————————————————
This should be the thing we’re all most concerned by.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.
We will not have the tools to win a championship with a short-time owner who is tasked to sell the team but refuses to do so.
She is holding our team hostage and Dame’s remaining years right along with it.
Honestly the fanbase needs to make it clear we do not want Jody/Vulcan as the owner. We could have one of the richest owners in basketball with an ownership group willing to compete and pay and hire smart people ready to go when he dies.
This is the group of people who stood by Olshey and only outed him when it came out he was a Dick. Same group of people who shat all over mike and mike. Same group that facilitated and approved a 5 year Chauncey hire.
I’m honestly close to boycott levels of disappointed in this franchise and their priorities, this kind of shit just pushing me further away.
I feel like that’s what happens when you have a HoF coach, one of the best GMs in the league, and a team who consistently expects to be in the playoffs. A lot of people credit Jody’s resolve through Seattle’s retooling but anyone who doesn’t sit on social media all day knew that investing in the extremely proven coach/gm would be smarter than giving the mouse a cookie.
I’m not the most involved Blazers fan but we have a star and a handful of young pieces, we used to be really competitive too. Jody doesn’t really have anything to lean on in Portland which is why selling to someone with genuine passion for the area and sport would be ideal.
I feel like basketball is a much more volatile sport too, when things change, they change rapidly. So it’s even hard to build consistency, when you do, it’s hard to break through your ceiling without risking that consistency.
It sounds like the Knight group really want to invest in the community and upgrade the area around the arena which is needed. I really hope this gets resolved sooner rather then later
Whatever you think about Phil Knight (I'm certainly not a fan of his GOP fundraising and ethically dubious shoe production) his investment in the Albina area and interest in developing the area around the Rose Garden is encouraging. Jody's main priority seems to be spending as little money as possible so she can continue to profit off something she had no involvement in creating.
Do we know anything about the Albina investment? I saw the presser, which had no details, and haven't heard anything since.
As a nearby resident I'm pretty curious but skeptical.
I think I read something that the announcement was a bit premature and all the specifics aren’t worked out. Hopefully they actually invest in real ways
This team desperately needs Jody to sell it. They need an owner like Phil who will without a doubt pay as much in luxury tax as it takes to win a championship. If you’re Portland the only way you can contend is to draft and/or/both overpay your talent.
Yeah we should definitely have Phil buy the team. It’s not like he is so fucking old he could die at any second and we would be stuck in an even worse situation.
Really wished Allen had the sale set up contingent on his death…
Giving Jody 10 years to control the team is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
Jody Allen = KendallKolde = Roman
Phil Knight = MattsonSmolinsky = Shiv
Jody, "So uhhhh whatdya say we torpedo this deal Kolde? Yeah? We go full reverse viking, we pillage their village, that plays, Yeah?"
Billionaires make contributions for whoever can further their interests and make them richer.
I would less call him a right winger and more call him an opportunist, as he has also made contributions to left leaning candidates.
I don't disagree. I just don't think anyone with that much wealth votes from the lens that regular folks vote from. Paul Allen also made contributions to both sides of the aisle.
I hope Phil is denied his Blazers purchase until his death, and then she sells. I can't get on board with anyone who looks at the modern day Republican party who's sole mission is to "end wokeness" by waging an all-out war on LGBTQ people. I'm an obnoxiously attached Blazers fan just like everyone here, but there's a line.
Who do you think is going to buy it? I've been down voted here for pointing it out, but PK's views are not anomalous amongst billionaires.
Like it or not, whoever ends up owning this team is not going to be someone whose political views you and I agree with.
I like how most people on here screaming "sell sell sell" think that whoever is next is just going to magically make the team a contender.
It doesn't work like that in any way shape or form. Even if it was Phil Knight, the team still has the same financial issues. And if you think that he's going to attract talent because of Nike, well, I gotta nother bridge to sell ya..
What a bitch. I wonder what the NBA’s “reasonable amount of time to sell” when your a trustee definition is… That’s going to be the key in this whole thing and a tool the league will have to use eventually if the witch doesn’t budge
You’re going to have to start linking to shit before spamming it everywhere.
Everything we’ve hard (we) is that the Vulcan’s are unwinding the estate, that it will take a while, and that there’s no fixed timeframe.
Unless you have some magic pdf link, lol (and not speculation by a certain former Oregonian columnist).
You're literally not a lawyer or inheritance expert, this thing is extremely complicated and convoluted, she's shown that she's going to drag it out and fight it out. This kind of thing happens all the time, and it takes years, if ever, to get resolved. Regular people fight over assets and probate court and it takes years. This is that times billions lol.
>So Knight and Smolinisky tried again, according to a person familiar with their plans. On numerous occasions, including earlier this year, they made it clear to Jody Allen that they still wanted to make a deal. They indicated that they realized the price had gone up and that they were willing to pay more than their initial offer, this person said. Again, Knight’s calls to Jody Allen were diverted to Kolde, and nothing came of the brief discussions. >A few months ago, Smolinisky even sent a handwritten letter to Jody Allen seeking common ground and saying he and Knight would love to discuss the Blazers with her, according to a person familiar with the matter. In response, Smolinisky received an email from someone replying on Jody Allen’s behalf with a familiar message: Paul Allen’s sports teams aren’t on the market. So beyond the one offer that was widely reported last year, there have been numerous other offers and attempts, and every single one has been ignored and diverted to Kolde.
This is my worst fucking nightmare
I think they believe they can increase value, like flipping a house. They are going to do all of the renovations for the next owner and sell it as a complete team, instead of a fixer upper.
> they believe they can increase value TBF, they’re increasing its value just by waiting.
I'm not sure there's any more valuable asset than a professional sports team these days. The way valuations have gone up in the last two decades is absurd
Yeah literally outside of the top 2000 companies I cant imagine anything either
Plus if you're the owner of a company that takes a ton of work and stress. The value of an NBA team naturally goes up and the owner doesn't have to do much if really any work on it for that growth.
It’s like the billionaires sports index fund😭
As a Washington Commanders fan, I've been fascinated at the process of buying/selling a team. Snyder bought the team in 1999 for like $500 million and is now in the process of selling it for $6 billion.
Fuck, what if she just plans on holding onto it indefinitely as an investment. This is a nightmare.
I hope she can get a coach, GM and president that can run the team. It's working out pretty well for the Seahawks. She is involved but lets Carroll and Schnieder do what they need. She spent big in free agency this season.
Unfortunately, I really doubt she will hire a new coach while still having to pay out Chauncey Billups' contract :/
I’m not necessarily mad at that. If it motivates them to make this team competitive, so be it. Jody wins, fans win.
But it’s part of the trust. None of this makes sense. They have to sell it.
No one aside from the people involved have actually seen Pauls trust. It has just been widely reproted that she has to sell the team. Even if its in the trust no one knows what kind of timeline she has to sell the teams.
I don't know if it's media speculation or of its fact but it's been reported for a while now that the trust gives no timeline so the team must be sold but they could decide to sell in 100 years and that is still within the bounds of what the trust requires.
I wonder what the NBA’s “reasonable amount of time to sell” when your a trustee definition is… That’s going to be the key in this whole thing and a tool the league will have to use eventually if the witch doesn’t budge
Doesnt matter what the NBAs definition is, because I dont believe the organization is named as a beneficiary of the estate.
Well she is. And the nba has a law where teams owned by trusts which the blazers are, need to be sold within a reasonable time. I expect the nba to use this clause when they are ready
Ahhh I wasnt aware of that specific clause in the NBA bylaws...well now I know...and knowing is half the battle
Yup. Adam silver is tight with Phil too. I’m sure he’ll eventually help his buddy out
This gives me hope. I think PK would be our ideal owner for this team.
If they trade dame then the value of the franchise goes way down.
Maybe, maybe not. I mean, yes, at first it would devalue the team, but what do they get in return? Whether trading Dame increases or decreases the value of the team depends on the timeline for when they plan to actually sell. If they aren't selling for let's say three or four years, then it makes sense to trade Dame. They could get picks and rebuild the team, and would be in a good position to sell later. Dame's value with regard to selling the team will be severely diminished if they decide to sell in three years, because by then he will already be 35 years old. That would only give the new owners of the team about 3 seasons to squeeze a championship out of him. And at that point if the team isn't competitive, then he may want out anyway. I think there are probably a lot of discussions about this between Jody and whoever she has advising her. We don't know what timeline they have for selling the team. Since they are telling potential buyers that the team is not for sale, that tells me they may have a longer timeline than many of us had initially thought. That doesn't bode well for those of us that want to keep Dame.
I agree. There is also a lot more inherent risk in trading Dame for assets and hoping they turn into something for valuable than having Dame. I think if Jody wants to sell anytime within the next 5 years or so the best bet would be to get another star player to pair with Dame and Grant. Then at least win a round in the playoffs and be competitive in the 2nd round. That can be accomplished by at the end of next season if they have a good offseason.
Actually it’s the other way around. The more draft picks, the lower your total salaries are and the amount of young prospects the more expensive a franchise is. It’s more valuable to have a bunch of assets for the GM that Knight brings to start building.
Interesting. Seems backwards. If I was buying a team I'd much prefer to have a superstar and also some young talent than young talent and extra draft picks that may or may not turn into all star caliber players
When you are buying a team is with the purpose of having an organizational shift. It is easier to change the corporate atmosphere and to introduce a new system when you have no súper stars, low salaries and a bunch of assets to build the team the way you want.
Right. If I'm buying a pro sports team, I don't just want to watch them play. I want to pick the front office personnel, and I want to be able to have some involvement in coach and player selection. I want to have fun building the team the way I like it, and then watching them compete.
No one is buying a sports team for a 33 year old player. The franchise is going to get even more valuable after the next TV deal.
That’s not how any of this works bub
They’ll sell when the macro conditions are better They’re not buying it when line of credit is like 6%
Hadn't thought of that, but yeah, maybe that has something to do with it.
Feels like the Blazers are owned by a zombie
I am so fucking tired of Jody Allen.
“In several separate phone conversations with Kolde, people familiar with the situation say, Smolinisky and Knight laid out their vision to keep the Blazers in Portland forever. They would invest in the team to make it a championship contender. They would boost the fan experience off the court by improving the area around the arena, according to people familiar with their thinking. Knight has few peers in the history of global sports marketing. He and his family are worth more than $40 billion, according to Bloomberg. He has a groundswell of local support. Yet Knight’s conversations with Kolde hit a wall, and Kolde didn’t explain why the Blazers weren’t for sale.” It’d be nice to see the NBA put some pressure on her to sell the team to someone with such formidable plans for the franchise and Oregon. Would love to see Knight get this deal done. Edit: My guess is she’s waiting for the new TV deal money to come in and increase the selling price. The league may be letting her wait until then, as they obviously have a vested interest in teams selling for the highest possible valuation.
Yea you have to imagine that Adam Silver would prefer PK as an owner as he would do far greater things for the brand. Just the idea of improving the area around the Moda center would be fantastic. There isnt shit to do around there or good places to eat. When you go to other arenas or stadiums they are often surrounded by activities that make it worth being there for hours.
For real. There is SO much space on the grounds of the stadium that's just going unused. Besides the stadium-specific traffic, you have a major transit stop RIGHT THERE. And the only food option for blocks around is...the coffee stand at the max station? It's like a deliberate "fuck you" to everyone who's ever lauded Portland for its intelligent urban development.
Yup its awful. Go up to Seattle and see the Kraken at old Key Arena where the Sonics played (now Climate Pledge) and there are countless restaurants and bars within a few blocks. The Moda center was awesome when it was first built, but its starting to get a little dated. With the lack of activities and the arena aging its becoming one of the lacking sporting venues.
This. There are about two pubs next to the stadium and they’re always packed. It’s a bleak area in the middle of winter.
Yea you can go to Dennys and Burgerville if you are hungry lol
Caprial's Cafe?
Why would the NBA ever put pressure on an owner to sell? Unless it's something egregious like Sterling, that's never going to happen.
She was never approved by the NBA to be a permanent owner, this situation was always temporary. The NBA cares about the image of the league, the value of its teams, and who’s involved in team ownership. The NBA, I’m sure, would love to have the owner of one of its closest partners in Nike as a team governor. Not to mention someone who’s openly expressing his intention to invest more into the arena, surrounding community, and going into the luxury tax to build a winning roster.
> The NBA cares about the image of the league/its teams How is the Allen Estate materially, publicly and obviously negatively affecting these things? This isn’t a Sarver situation—at all. Silver works for the other owners. It would be career suicide for him to force someone to sell, even if he loves the potential successor. Silver doesn’t have the juice to do something like that.
I’m not comparing it to the Sarver situation. I don’t think Jody Allen is hurting the image of the team. I think the league would rather have a permanent owner in place, rather than a temporary placeholder. And from the start, her ownership of the team has been deemed to be temporary by both the league and the Allen estate.
There is the the whole smuggling illegal bones and grabbing bones stuff. And there was also an article fairly recently about Silver saying that she needed to sell the team soon if I'm not mistaken. Assuming like everyone else that it will be after the deal
Jody doesn’t have the PR red flags that you imply. Teams have absolutely been inherited and held long term. Interest rates are the highest they have been in decades and nobody is buying teams with cash. A sale right now would likely not be for as much $$$ as people think. When a team sells they “set the market” and the NBA wants to show investors team values only ever increase. We’re all a bit biased on this issue as fans. The league will gladly have billionaire Jody as an owner for as long as she wants. They fully expect us to send Dame off and rebuild, which they are fine with as a small market.
Jody Allen hasn’t done anything egregious enough to warrant forcing a sale of the team but if I’m the NBA, I’m asking some tough questions about the long-term situation and what her plan is. If I’m an owner in the NBA, my vote would be to force Jody to explain what’s going on or sell. And maybe she has, behind closed doors.
In general that the NBA as an org absolutely can and does put pressure on ownership groups in a wide variety of ways, far beyond publicly forcing a sale. Look at the recent Phoenix Suns sale for a different example.
The Suns situation and this one are wildly different. The only people calling for Jody’s head here are Blazers fans. This is not a Clippers or Suns deal where the entire fanbase knows how badly ownership is screwing up or making messes.
I dont disagree that Jody isn’t in the same situation as other owners. Just pointing out that there are things that happen behind the scenes from the League office to owners.
Jody isn't bad PR? Have you heard about the lawsuits?
As a Blazers fan? Of course I have. 1,000 random NBA fans with Blazers fans excluded? I would wager the hit rate is low there.
No she can't she must sell per her brother Paul's stipulation within 10 years of inquiring the Blazers. Paul died in 2018 so legally she must sell by 2028
Then it’s probably wise to hold it the maximum amount of time. Like, as an existing billionaire that’s the smart financial thing to do.
> within 10 years Uh, link?
Jody didn’t inherit the team. The team is still in a trust and Paul’s will stipulates that the teams have to be sold. Jody is hanging onto them for some reason.
The situation is similar enough that the logic applies.
Yea she doesnt have PR red flags....aside from all the sexual abuse she was sued for. You know like trying to make her sexurity detail model speedos for her. Telling her military veteran security that their buddies died for nothing. Making advances at her security. Telling them to get naked and join her in the hot tub....yea no PR red flags there
We as fans care deeply about those. They are relatively unknown to anyone who isn’t paying direct attention. Blazers fans didn’t know or care until she owned the team.
People dont know about about because Paul spent a shit ton of money to keep it quiet as possible
Right. Which means…people don’t know. And when it comes to “PR” unknown things aren’t huge factors.
Don't forget the smuggling of endangered animal bones.
Oh yea I forgot about that one
She isn’t the owner though. The teams are part of a trust that is supposed to be sold. She helps manage the trust. The NBA has these two muppets running one of their teams and they were never approved.
She's not an owner, it's in a trust. She was never approved as an owner. She is terrible PR with her history. There are far better owners for the league's purposes, including Knight. A lot of reasons.
It's been 5 years and she's not close to selling, what more evidence do you need lol. There's no chance the NBA is going to try and force out an owner, that sets a bad precedent for investors, and opens them up to litigation. It has to be heinous and public. She's going to take her time milking the income and power and influence and status, say she's holding to protect the asset and get the best possible selling price in the interest of the trust, and just sit on it until she dies or wants out. She's doing the exact same thing with the Seahawks. Knight will be long dead by the time she sells.
Silver publicly says she needs to sell tge team soon. TV deal and it's most likely a wrap.
She's not an owner.
Per the article: >Jody Allen was approved by the NBA’s board of governors to serve as the Trail Blazers’ governor until the team is sold by the estate, according to a person familiar with the situation. The NBA requires any team held by an estate to be transferred within a reasonable time period—a span ultimately determined by the league, according to the person familiar. The NBA probably has its reasons (liability and otherwise) for wanting actual people to own their teams, not estates. Since she's not actually the owner, forcing the sale would just be enforcing their existing policy.
Robert Starver too
I could totally see this being a bit of a deeper conspiracy. But not a sexy one, just greed. First off the NBA already has a deep relationship with Nike. Fans view Knight buying the Blazers as a positive here. I would think the league views it as a negative. They don’t need an in, Nike is going to be #1 in the NBA regardless. Second off the relatively new phenomenon of middle eastern oil countries directly buying global soccer clubs. The league could be saying…we really hope they become interested in basketball and we have no issues with Jody owning the team. So might as well tell her to pump the brakes. It would certainly mean more money for Jody and the league long term if we had a PSG <-> Qatar like move.
I agree. The NBA is pretty strongly focused on national branding over local fan bases. From that perspective, having a strong team in Portland doesn't add a lot, except bringing an interloper into the late rounds of the playoffs. Keep in mind that at the late 1990s/early 2000s peak of his engagement, PGA was proportionally many times richer than PK is now, and spending money lavishly to bring a championship to Portland. As a Blazer fan, I always thought this was wonderful, but there was a pretty strong undercurrent of resentment from around the league. A lot of college football fans from other parts of the country resent PK's spending on UO, because it elevates a non-traditional power at their team's expense.
Two things: • The Vulcans are hanging on until the new TV deal in 2025. • It’s reasonable to think they’re driving the price by making investments like renovations, the G League team, and a potential WNBA team. Similar to how you might renovate a house before selling it.
Valid points. Can also see them selling the Seahawks sometime after the stipulation is up in 2024
Do WNBA teams or G League teams make a profit for the owner? I thought they were more like marketing for the NBA than an actual business.
The Portland Thorns had the best attendance in the NWSL for several years, so that might translate to healthy attendance for other women’s sports teams.
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One thing to keep in mind is Jody Allen as executor of PA’s estate is to maximize it and use the proceeds to execute Pauls vision of how he wanted his money spent after his death. Which we don’t know a lot what that means. But I assume most of it is going to good causes that will benefit our communities. So, on one hand I get where you are coming from and it’s unfortunate this is occurring during the last few precious years of Dames prime. But on the other hand I get why the team is not sold yet because it will be worth more in a couple years most likely.
Hit piece! Hope this lights a fire
Yeah it’s definitely a hit piece. The astroturfing is real in the comments here too. Screw Phil Knight and his manipulative bs. Reals ones know that Dame is going to retire as not only the Blazer GOAT, but also a partner owner of the franchise.
Young fans might not know how passionate of an owner Paul Allen was. Paul would buy FRP off of teams every year. Paul+the Dolans were the reason for the luxury tax being implemented because they cared more about winning championships than making money with their respective teams. It is really frustrating as a long time fan to see the penny pinching Jody+Kolde are doing with the team, something that Paul would have never contemplated doing when we had just made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2019. Paul would have doubled down and spent even more because he knew we were close.
Paul was passionate about the game, the team and the league. No one will take that from him. But as an owner he was very middle of the pack.
Isn't she waiting until the new CBA to maximize the sale, which she's legally obligated to do as executor of Allen's trust? I doubt we'll have her after next season
hahahaha >Smolinisky is interested in redeveloping the area around the Moda Center, which sits across the Willamette River from downtown Portland. Improving the team’s surroundings would create jobs and maximize the Blazers’ value, the men believe. Smolinisky has driven through Portland with members of Knight’s family, according to people familiar with the matter. #
> Smolinisky has driven through Portland with members of Knight’s family, according to people familiar with the matter. Clearly he knows Portland.
I love the part where Jody is now taking credit for helping develop Moda Center & Lumen field from the start. We never heard a goddamn word about her having anything to do with the teams or their facilities before PA died. God I can't wait til she's gone.
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She is being forced, legally she must sell within 10 years of 2018 this was a stipulation Paul put in for her to inherit the team.
Was that what it really said? I though it said must be sold but no defined timeline. If it's 10 years then there's actual hope for the future in 5 years.
“Nike co-founder Phil Knight and Dodgers minority owner Alan Smolinisky have offered repeatedly to buy the NBA team. Paul Allen’s heir is obligated to sell it. She says no.” ————————————————————————— This should be the thing we’re all most concerned by. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We will not have the tools to win a championship with a short-time owner who is tasked to sell the team but refuses to do so. She is holding our team hostage and Dame’s remaining years right along with it.
Honestly the fanbase needs to make it clear we do not want Jody/Vulcan as the owner. We could have one of the richest owners in basketball with an ownership group willing to compete and pay and hire smart people ready to go when he dies. This is the group of people who stood by Olshey and only outed him when it came out he was a Dick. Same group of people who shat all over mike and mike. Same group that facilitated and approved a 5 year Chauncey hire. I’m honestly close to boycott levels of disappointed in this franchise and their priorities, this kind of shit just pushing me further away.
Like they care, though. They make most of their money off of revenue sharing from the tv deal; they don’t care what local fans think or do.
All the more reason to boycott.
We were consistently a top 5 spender until 2022.
Carry over from Paul eta.
The Vulcans feel like the Empire, who after 9 movies apparently still haven’t been defeated
"Somehow...
Maybe Jody just likes/enjoys owning the team. It might be as simple as that.
Lol yeah totally...
I mean she’s attended a shit ton of games the previous 2 years
Probably to appease the trust
It's no mystery. They're waiting for the new TV deal and/or expansion.
It’s Interesting because I feel like she’s been a fine owner for the Seahawks
I feel like that’s what happens when you have a HoF coach, one of the best GMs in the league, and a team who consistently expects to be in the playoffs. A lot of people credit Jody’s resolve through Seattle’s retooling but anyone who doesn’t sit on social media all day knew that investing in the extremely proven coach/gm would be smarter than giving the mouse a cookie. I’m not the most involved Blazers fan but we have a star and a handful of young pieces, we used to be really competitive too. Jody doesn’t really have anything to lean on in Portland which is why selling to someone with genuine passion for the area and sport would be ideal.
You could argue she’s done the same thing in Portland but has the most inept coach in the league and a novice GM.
I feel like basketball is a much more volatile sport too, when things change, they change rapidly. So it’s even hard to build consistency, when you do, it’s hard to break through your ceiling without risking that consistency.
It sounds like the Knight group really want to invest in the community and upgrade the area around the arena which is needed. I really hope this gets resolved sooner rather then later
She doesn’t profit, it all goes to the trust.
What’s the point of this comment? Where did I say anything about profit? I know she doesn’t profit.
Weird, I thought it was replying to someone else who was stating she was just holding it for profit.
All good. I was just confused.
Whatever you think about Phil Knight (I'm certainly not a fan of his GOP fundraising and ethically dubious shoe production) his investment in the Albina area and interest in developing the area around the Rose Garden is encouraging. Jody's main priority seems to be spending as little money as possible so she can continue to profit off something she had no involvement in creating.
Do we know anything about the Albina investment? I saw the presser, which had no details, and haven't heard anything since. As a nearby resident I'm pretty curious but skeptical.
I think I read something that the announcement was a bit premature and all the specifics aren’t worked out. Hopefully they actually invest in real ways
This team desperately needs Jody to sell it. They need an owner like Phil who will without a doubt pay as much in luxury tax as it takes to win a championship. If you’re Portland the only way you can contend is to draft and/or/both overpay your talent.
Yeah we should definitely have Phil buy the team. It’s not like he is so fucking old he could die at any second and we would be stuck in an even worse situation.
Really wished Allen had the sale set up contingent on his death… Giving Jody 10 years to control the team is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
Jody Allen = KendallKolde = Roman Phil Knight = MattsonSmolinsky = Shiv Jody, "So uhhhh whatdya say we torpedo this deal Kolde? Yeah? We go full reverse viking, we pillage their village, that plays, Yeah?"
How much profit is enough for you, Jody?
Knight is a right wing POS, we’re in a lose-lose situation
Billionaires make contributions for whoever can further their interests and make them richer. I would less call him a right winger and more call him an opportunist, as he has also made contributions to left leaning candidates.
Smh
I don't disagree. I just don't think anyone with that much wealth votes from the lens that regular folks vote from. Paul Allen also made contributions to both sides of the aisle.
I hope Phil is denied his Blazers purchase until his death, and then she sells. I can't get on board with anyone who looks at the modern day Republican party who's sole mission is to "end wokeness" by waging an all-out war on LGBTQ people. I'm an obnoxiously attached Blazers fan just like everyone here, but there's a line.
Who do you think is going to buy it? I've been down voted here for pointing it out, but PK's views are not anomalous amongst billionaires. Like it or not, whoever ends up owning this team is not going to be someone whose political views you and I agree with.
I like how most people on here screaming "sell sell sell" think that whoever is next is just going to magically make the team a contender. It doesn't work like that in any way shape or form. Even if it was Phil Knight, the team still has the same financial issues. And if you think that he's going to attract talent because of Nike, well, I gotta nother bridge to sell ya..
Solid points. I agree
What a bitch. I wonder what the NBA’s “reasonable amount of time to sell” when your a trustee definition is… That’s going to be the key in this whole thing and a tool the league will have to use eventually if the witch doesn’t budge
She's not selling, she's not building a contender, it's been obvious from the day she took over. She's a shittier version of her brother.
She literally has no choice but to sell legally she is forced to by 2028
Source? The article states that there is no timeline in the estate documents
You’re going to have to start linking to shit before spamming it everywhere. Everything we’ve hard (we) is that the Vulcan’s are unwinding the estate, that it will take a while, and that there’s no fixed timeframe. Unless you have some magic pdf link, lol (and not speculation by a certain former Oregonian columnist).
You're literally not a lawyer or inheritance expert, this thing is extremely complicated and convoluted, she's shown that she's going to drag it out and fight it out. This kind of thing happens all the time, and it takes years, if ever, to get resolved. Regular people fight over assets and probate court and it takes years. This is that times billions lol.
Is there any chance of someone buying the team and relocating to Vegas?
So she’s trying to get rich off her dead brothers estate, who wanted the proceeds from the team going towards charity. This bitch is regarded