Shams: Blazers opening investigation into Olshey for workplace misconduct

[Wizenheimer]

No one said wild-ass, Wizenheimer, only that you came in here with speculation and conspiracy theories about this while dismissing criticism of the notion that Jody Allen doesn't pay (because she does) or that fans and media alike didn't previously criticize Paul Allen for overpaying/holding onto players regardless of GM (because he did and people did). Even now you're saying 'off-chance' that they might've been doing a legitimate investigation, despite admitting that this story is likely in part coming from Olshey (who the majority of us have agreed over the last nine plus years that he leaks data to Woj to get a positive spin).
.

quite a bit of subjectivity to unpack there, but I won't bother

I'll just say I define 'off-chance' as less than 50-50 and my take is if there's path that could be either of principle or profit, I'd assign a better than even chance the Vulcans are on the path because of profit. Principle could be a bi-product though. A battle for the moral high ground will find both sides standing in the same dirt, IMO

[DusterBuster]

Quick working on a story to dig into the origin of the investigation. He has some insight that he said isn’t rock solid yet, but it does not look like this is Vulcan or Jodie Allen trying to fire him, but then doing due diligence after some complaints.

And for the conspiracy buffs here, Quick said this looks like it was coordinated effort by some within the organization currently to get him fired.

He also thinks Olshey keeps his job now. If this was just a hitjob by someone without anything really to it besides an axe to grind because they didn’t like him, that would explain the Woj news this morning. Also the timing of the start of the investigation was convenient with the Sarver news…. Some people working under Olshey and didn’t like him smelled blood in the water?

Regardless on the outcome… some pretty interesting podcast worthy drama possibly.

[JasonStern]

Dozens of executives told ESPN that Portland’s internal probe has stoked fears that organizations can make decisions to fire top basketball executives for any number of traditional reasons — team performance, personality conflicts, differing philosophies — and search simultaneously for ways to pursue “cause” violations in contracts.

What the hell is this?! Scared that you're going to get fired for sucking at your job? I'd hope the owners would push back on this. Does everyone really think I couldn't lead a team with Dame to a 1st round playoff exit? Or the Kings to like 15 years of missing the playoffs? And I'd do it for probably 1/10th of what Sacramento has paid.

Other than a few elite names, I don't think being a GM is some stress filled job worthy of being paid millions of guaranteed salary. Outside of the draft, free agency, and trade deadline, you're pretty much just doing what we're all already doing. Hell, Olshey could easily just go to the T&T board and scalp all kinds of ideas for free.

[DusterBuster]

Reports out of NY now claiming the most likely outcome here is Olshey being dismissed… now sure how much I trust a media guy in NY vs someone like Quick who’s much closer to the franchise, but who knows.

[Wizenheimer]

Reports out of NY now claiming the most likely outcome here is Olshey being dismissed… now sure how much I trust a media guy in NY vs someone like Quick who’s much closer to the franchise, but who knows.

I read that article and I didn't get the impression it was much more than speculation. Might be a little bit informed, but I wouldn't bet on it

[Blazinaway]

Reports out of NY now claiming the most likely outcome here is Olshey being dismissed… now sure how much I trust a media guy in NY vs someone like Quick who’s much closer to the franchise, but who knows.

I read that article and I didn't get the impression it was much more than speculation. Might be a little bit informed, but I wouldn't bet on it

praying now

[PDXKnight]

Reports out of NY now claiming the most likely outcome here is Olshey being dismissed… now sure how much I trust a media guy in NY vs someone like Quick who’s much closer to the franchise, but who knows.

Yeah this. Quick made a good point in saying they expanded the investigation after 60 people meaning seemingly they didn’t have enough from that first search to terminate him. I think it’s close to 50/50 but i trust quick here when he said the longer this investigation goes the more likely it appears olshey stays. Not saying it’s a guarantee more like 50/50 but quick >>>>> random ny media people

[monopoman]

Reports out of NY now claiming the most likely outcome here is Olshey being dismissed… now sure how much I trust a media guy in NY vs someone like Quick who’s much closer to the franchise, but who knows.

Yeah this. Quick made a good point in saying they expanded the investigation after 60 people meaning seemingly they didn’t have enough from that first search to terminate him. I think it’s close to 50/50 but i trust quick here when he said the longer this investigation goes the more likely it appears olshey stays. Not saying it’s a guarantee more like 50/50 but quick >>>>> random ny media people

If they are doing this just trying to have a proper reason to terminate the contract, instead of just straight up firing him we could see him gone either way.

Assuming Vulcan+Jodie want to move on they could fire him just to move on. Now, we have rarely seen a organization try to jump through hoops like this instead of just firing the person, but perhaps they felt they had a solid case thus this investigation.

[wco81]

Trying to avoid paying him millions?

[DusterBuster]

Reports out of NY now claiming the most likely outcome here is Olshey being dismissed… now sure how much I trust a media guy in NY vs someone like Quick who’s much closer to the franchise, but who knows.

Yeah this. Quick made a good point in saying they expanded the investigation after 60 people meaning seemingly they didn’t have enough from that first search to terminate him. I think it’s close to 50/50 but i trust quick here when he said the longer this investigation goes the more likely it appears olshey stays. Not saying it’s a guarantee more like 50/50 but quick >>>>> random ny media people

If they are doing this just trying to have a proper reason to terminate the contract, instead of just straight up firing him we could see him gone either way.

Assuming Vulcan+Jodie want to move on they could fire him just to move on. Now, we have rarely seen a organization try to jump through hoops like this instead of just firing the person, but perhaps they felt they had a solid case thus this investigation.

Agreed. The Blazers org in their history has never had a problem firing someone with years left on their contract and just paying… especially in terms of front office / coaching employees. So like… the whole idea of this investigation just being a way for the team to fire him and get out of paying him… that just doesn’t line up with any history of the franchise I can think of. Someone tell me if I’m wrong or misremembering.

[Wizenheimer]

Yeah this. Quick made a good point in saying they expanded the investigation after 60 people meaning seemingly they didn’t have enough from that first search to terminate him. I think it’s close to 50/50 but i trust quick here when he said the longer this investigation goes the more likely it appears olshey stays. Not saying it’s a guarantee more like 50/50 but quick >>>>> random ny media people

If they are doing this just trying to have a proper reason to terminate the contract, instead of just straight up firing him we could see him gone either way.

Assuming Vulcan+Jodie want to move on they could fire him just to move on. Now, we have rarely seen a organization try to jump through hoops like this instead of just firing the person, but perhaps they felt they had a solid case thus this investigation.

Agreed. The Blazers org in their history has never had a problem firing someone with years left on their contract and just paying… especially in terms of front office / coaching employees. So like… the whole idea of this investigation just being a way for the team to fire him and get out of paying him… that just doesn’t line up with any history of the franchise I can think of. Someone tell me if I’m wrong or misremembering.

there were rumors that KP & Tom Penn did something fishy to get Penn a promotion and raise. And that when PA found out about it, Penn was gone almost immediately; and KP was gone 2-3 months later. I can't remember if Penn was fired or re-signed (forced to)

PA certainly didn't have any problem firing Rich Cho about 10 months after he was hired. But I don't know if the Vulcans, sans PA, have any track record on these kinds of things

[DusterBuster]

If they are doing this just trying to have a proper reason to terminate the contract, instead of just straight up firing him we could see him gone either way.

Assuming Vulcan+Jodie want to move on they could fire him just to move on. Now, we have rarely seen a organization try to jump through hoops like this instead of just firing the person, but perhaps they felt they had a solid case thus this investigation.

Agreed. The Blazers org in their history has never had a problem firing someone with years left on their contract and just paying… especially in terms of front office / coaching employees. So like… the whole idea of this investigation just being a way for the team to fire him and get out of paying him… that just doesn’t line up with any history of the franchise I can think of. Someone tell me if I’m wrong or misremembering.

there were rumors that KP & Tom Penn did something fishy to get Penn a promotion and raise. And that when PA found out about it, Penn was gone almost immediately; and KP was gone 2-3 months later. I can't remember if Penn was fired or re-signed (forced to)

PA certainly didn't have any problem firing Rich Cho about 10 months after he was hired. But I don't know if the Vulcans, sans PA, have any track record on these kinds of things

Fair, we don’t have a ton of history to pull from with Vulcan run without Paul. Terry still had years left when he was fired iirc, so I think likely the past is still a pretty good indicator for how they’ll continue to operate. We haven’t seen any penny pinching with contracts since Paul passed, so I think it’s safe they’ve tried to run things similarly as they did with Paul.

Paul definitely had more direct input on moves, but I think in terms of general operating philosophy, they’ve tried to keep it pretty much the same. So yeah, long story short, if they wanted to fire Neil, they would have just done it and paid him. I don’t think they would have gone through some sham investigation to get out of a couple million dollars.

[soobias]

there were rumors that KP & Tom Penn did something fishy to get Penn a promotion and raise. And that when PA found out about it, Penn was gone almost immediately; and KP was gone 2-3 months later. I can't remember if Penn was fired or re-signed (forced to)




i remember when that happened, they were trying to say Penn had GM offers around the league and Penn got fired but i remember P.A. was trying to keep KP but KP and Penn were friends so he resigned.

[DusterBuster]

there were rumors that KP & Tom Penn did something fishy to get Penn a promotion and raise. And that when PA found out about it, Penn was gone almost immediately; and KP was gone 2-3 months later. I can't remember if Penn was fired or re-signed (forced to)




i remember when that happened, they were trying to say Penn had GM offers around the league and Penn got fired but i remember P.A. was trying to keep KP but KP and Penn were friends so he resigned.

Yeah, iirc, KP and Penn had hatched some sort of plan that would have gotten Larry Miller out as president, KP would have taken over that roll and Penn would have become the GM, and they were planning all this without Paul Allen's involvement. Once Allen got wind of the plan, he brought the hammer down hard on both guys.

[JasonStern]

Ah, back when Pritchard used to leak everything to the media. Pritchard frantically trying to pull off the Chris Paul trade to save his job. Good times.

[DusterBuster]

Have the Blazers lost a game since the team opened up this investigation lol?

[Case2012]

It's December and olshey is still the GM.

[Wizenheimer]

It's December and olshey is still the GM.

[Case2012]

If purgatory is real, then Jody needs to hurry up and pay those indulgence's so we can begin the blazers reformation.

[DusterBuster]

It's December and olshey is still the GM.

I honestly can't remember when this team felt so dead-in-the-water seeming. Just floating along, no real urgency, direction, cares... Just going out, playing games, and going home.

I honestly wish the Blazers would just move Dame so he can at least be on a contender for the final few prime years of his career.