Shams: Blazers opening investigation into Olshey for workplace misconduct

[DusterBuster]

And so it begins...

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I wonder if Chad Buchanan would come back as GM? I wonder why he never got more of a serious look at the post? Guessing maybe Olshey just wooed PA enough...

[Case2012]

Chad is basically Indiana's GM with Pritchard, he's long gone.

I'm guessing Haynes is loving this having been subjected to olshey for a few years, and rightfully so. It makes me wonder how much of this is (or any at all) Lillard behind the scenes given his relationship to Haynes? If he's staying in Portland, maybe he realizes the problem is olshey and that he needs to go if he wants to win and win in Portland?

[DusterBuster]

Chad is basically Indiana's GM with Pritchard, he's long gone.

I'm guessing Haynes is loving this having been subjected to olshey for a few years, and rightfully so. It makes me wonder how much of this is (or any at all) Lillard behind the scenes given his relationship to Haynes? If he's staying in Portland, maybe he realizes the problem is olshey and that he needs to go if he wants to win and win in Portland?

Had forgot about that.

I think most media members he's treated like crap for nearly a decade now aren't totally upset about this subject. Quick's article was quite interesting, I felt like it gave a pretty good look into who Olshey is behind the camera and how difficult he can be, but it's more complex than that as well

[zzaj]

Even though I feel like most of us are in agreement, I also feel like it's important to get something clear...this is a GM, not a coach. For good or bad, and often under the guise of "motivation", we have come to expect overtly demonstrative behavior from coaches. The GM of a whole organization?! Nooooo way. That behavior is culturally seen as completely out of line in basically any managerial role. I don't know if I truly buy into the Vulcan contract conspiracy, Wiz...but it certainly wouldn't surprise me. Although, I would also expect a suit from Olshey if it ends up losing him money and a job.

[zzaj]

Also, how have we not had a Jason Stern mock Olshey in all caps with some [throws water bottle] and [kicks over trash can]s added for realness?

[BNM]

And so it begins...

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I wonder if Chad Buchanan would come back as GM? I wonder why he never got more of a serious look at the post? Guessing maybe Olshey just wooed PA enough...

Two words: Nolan Smith

If that wasn't bad enough, he also traded Andre Miller for Fatty Felton on the same day. Buchanan inherited a .585 team and in a single day unintentionally turned it into a .424 team. Anybody else was going to look good in comparison.

[monopoman]

I am not a fan of bringing back any former GM from Blazers history. The last above average GM the Blazers had was probably Whitsitt, and that was a long time ago in a vastly different era.

[PDXKnight]

I am not a fan of bringing back any former GM from Blazers history. The last above average GM the Blazers had was probably Whitsitt, and that was a long time ago in a vastly different era.

def a different era when pa let this team spend a ton of money. But man was it fun!

[Wizenheimer]

Two words: Nolan Smith

If that wasn't bad enough, he also traded Andre Miller for Fatty Felton on the same day. Buchanan inherited a .585 team and in a single day unintentionally turned it into a .424 team. Anybody else was going to look good in comparison.

well, the two words: Damian Lillard offset a hell of a lot in the negative in the GM ledger for Buchanan....but no, I wouldn't really want him back as GM. He did screw up that 2011 draft:

21 Nolan Smith
22 Kenneth Faried
23 Nikola Mirotić
30 Jimmy Butler
31 Bojan Bogdanović

maybe that draft disaster helped steer him toward Dame

I don't think it's fair to assign all of the blame for the drop in Portland's winning percentage to him. That was the tail-end of the disintegration of Brandon Roy's team, and it was a strike-shortened season. Nate was well past his expiration date as the head coach and some of the veteran players like Camby, Crawford, & Wallace led a mini-insurrection against Nate that came to a head in a disastrous road game...can't remember where. They were around a .500 team at that point, IIRC, and that was what got the rebuild into full swing. Might be that was what convinced PA to tear down the roster substantially as well as finally fire Nate

Miller for Felton was stupid for sure. You could justify trading Miller, but the return would have been better to trade for a TPE

besides all that, the duo of KP and Buchanan have had as much trouble turning Indiana into the level of a constant 6 seed, in the east, as Olshey has in elevating Portland into a fringe contender, in the west

[DusterBuster]

Quick talked a bit more in-depth about the issue on Primetime last night. The TL:DL; of it was that Olshey is unquestionably an a-hole, but that's also nothing new. He may have gotten too comfortable these last few years after Paul's passing with thinking he's invincible and so his tirade act was wearing thin on a lot of people - but that he still has a good faction of the front office who fully trust him. Quick suggested, as some have here, that maybe this is just Vulcan looking for a way to make a change given the current climate of the league and the stuff Olshey could get away with 9 years ago doesn't fly with a more diverse company of employees and maybe a bit of frustration with the past year or so of bad press with the coaching search.

This doesn't seem to be an issue of a single smoking gun problem, but a thousand tiny paper cuts. Quick ultimately thinks that Olshey won't survive this and will be fired/let-go/resign in the end.

https://www.audacy.com/1080thefan/sports/nba/olshey-felt-untouchable-as-culture-around-him-shifted

[Wizenheimer]

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https://soundcloud.com/kxtg-the-bald-faced-truth/bft-interview-barry-hecker?ref=clipboard&p=a&c=0&si=073cb3f0c6b74ad7a9b5dd6475e14f25&utm_campaign=social_sharing&utm_medium=text&utm_source=clipboard

sounds like some real axe-grinding by this guy, but it does fit the emerging pattern

[DusterBuster]

Read on Twitter

https://soundcloud.com/kxtg-the-bald-faced-truth/bft-interview-barry-hecker?ref=clipboard&p=a&c=0&si=073cb3f0c6b74ad7a9b5dd6475e14f25&utm_campaign=social_sharing&utm_medium=text&utm_source=clipboard

sounds like some real axe-grinding by this guy, but it does fit the emerging pattern

Yeah, it's pretty clear he's made some enemies along the way with his personality. That much seems abundantly clear. The truth is likely somewhere in the middle, if you can handle that kind of personality, it's probably not that big a deal, if you can't, it's easy to come out and bash the guy. Olshey strikes me as a guy who there's just no middle-ground on when you work for him. You're either going to love him and your job, or hate him and your job will be a miserable slog.

Not surprised to see people coming out of the bushes to bash him now that there's blood in the water. I think it's telling so few people from the other side are willing to step out of the shadows and into the public to back him tho... I believe there are people who do have his back like Quick says, but the fact they aren't doing it publicly is interesting. Maybe the people who are in his camp are all on the Blazers payroll and don't want to risk being on the wrong side of this if/when Olshey get's canned? Hard to say.

I wonder if Ainge would come out of retirement for the Blazers job? Would the team lean into the Billups hire and find someone who has past experience with Chauncey for the gig like Joe Dumars?

[Case2012]

I've been telling people for years that olshey showed signs of sociopathy.. what's even more distributing is that Allen and McGowan either enabled this behavior by condoning it or that they were oblivious to it, which would speak to their own levels of self involvement.

Jody needs to sell the team. The vulcans, the whole front office, all of them just seem like worst people and I think we as a city deserve better.

[PDXKnight]

I've been telling people for years that olshey showed signs of sociopathy.. what's even more distributing is that Allen and McGowan either enabled this behavior by condoning it or that they were oblivious to it, which would speak to their own levels of self involvement.

Jody needs to sell the team. The vulcans, the whole front office, all of them just seem like worst people and I think we as a city deserve better.

lol i think bullying and sociopathy are far apart. What we do know is olshey was seemingly a giant douche but i’ll leave it up to investigation whether any lines were crossed.

I did hear a story about ahmad rashad on sports radio where olshey not only stepped on ahmad’s shoe but he didn’t apologize and on top of that he continued walking towards rashad in an intimidating manner. Whatever caused him to do that i don’t know but seems like just a jerk move to not apologize for stepping on someone’s shoes. But to escalate it past that is pretty screwed up

[Case2012]

Roughly 2% of our society are sociopaths, it's a statistical fact. LThey usually gravitate towards positions of authority (law enforcement, medicine, politics, finance, etc ). You could use his press conferences as case studies in psychology classes, he doesn't even try to hide it. The fact he was an actor even lends to the notion given the fact that actors pantomime emotion for a living. I'll be willing to bet more people will come out to support this over the next few months, watch.

[DusterBuster]

I've been telling people for years that olshey showed signs of sociopathy.. what's even more distributing is that Allen and McGowan either enabled this behavior by condoning it or that they were oblivious to it, which would speak to their own levels of self involvement.

Jody needs to sell the team. The vulcans, the whole front office, all of them just seem like worst people and I think we as a city deserve better.

lol i think bullying and sociopathy are far apart. What we do know is olshey was seemingly a giant douche but i’ll leave it up to investigation whether any lines were crossed.

I did hear a story about ahmad rashad on sports radio where olshey not only stepped on ahmad’s shoe but he didn’t apologize and on top of that he continued walking towards rashad in an intimidating manner. Whatever caused him to do that i don’t know but seems like just a jerk move to not apologize for stepping on someone’s shoes. But to escalate it past that is pretty screwed up

Yeah, Case’s read on it is extreme. I’ve worked with high powered **** like Olshey before who just snap on a whim. They’re super driven, usually super successful, can be genuinely awesome one minute and then you’ll want to beat the living **** out of them the next next. I wouldn’t put that up there with extreme levels of mental disorders like psychopathy or sociopathy… but that doesn’t make them any easier to deal with.

[Case2012]

I'm just saying... All the signs are there. I have my biases, but I think it's pretty obvious the guy is a text book narcissist.

[Wizenheimer]

I wonder if Ainge would come out of retirement for the Blazers job? Would the team lean into the Billups hire and find someone who has past experience with Chauncey for the gig like Joe Dumars?

with the Sarver mess in Phoenix, if the Blazers fire Olshey they should make a hard run at James Jones

I'd imagine it would be a long shot as there sure seems to be more upside with the Suns roster over the Blazers and he might really want to ride the team he built. But CP3 is old and was the key for them last year. While the Vulcans aren't Sarver, I'd think that, as owners, they would not inspire a lot of confidence in a GM candidate who is already a GM. I mean, what do the Vulcans intend for Portland? At this point it looks like they could either sell or just hold the franchise as a profit-generating asset. They sure don't appear to be invested in any plan to go all-in on making Portland a contender

in other words, while there are only 30 GM jobs in the NBA, Portland's can't rank that highly. They are a small market and they aren't contenders, but appear stuck in the limbo that doesn't generate good draft picks. They only have one, maybe two, young players that have showed any promise, and it would take some vivid imagination to see either as an all-star. Ownership seems aloof. And the franchise player has made noise about leaving, then followed that up by having a bad start to the season with the shadow of a chronic injury hanging over him. And, they have a luxury tax payroll after just signing a 'local' TV deal that gives the Seattle hockey team broadcast priority than the Blazers. Finally, they have a losing record in the young season

maybe all that explains why Seattle seems in no rush to resolve the Olshey scandal

[Wizenheimer]

I was wearing tinfoil when I was babbling about the investigation being at attempt by the Vulcans to terminate Olshey's contract

that might be a 'fortunate' ancillary benefit for them, but I agree with those saying this investigation looks like the Vulcans covering their backsides against liability. They are trying to shield from future lawsuits. The thing is, if the investigation turns up anything (and the decision to expand it implies it has), seems like they couldn't shield themselves if they kept Olshey in his job.

maybe the investigation is only finding a couple of disgruntled employees. Sure looks like there's fertile ground for grievances, but that's not certain

[Case2012]

Olshey is gone within the next few days. They mentioned on TNT last night in relation to Sarver, and after the Billups ****storm and Dame’s trade rumors, there’s no way they can take the PR hit.

I have no idea who would replace him, but I would be happy with Ainge and it would be a welcome feel good moment with him coming back home to Portland.