Portland’s year-long, on-and-off search for a GM has been as tidy and clean as a home on Hoarders.
It’s a mess. And after all that it may end up falling back to the guy who has been doing the job the whole time — Chad Buchanan. The “interim” guy who has rocked the job while Blazers ownership and management looked at what they think are greener pastures over the fence.
And if Buchanan gets to keep his job, so might interim head coach Kaleb Canales.
We told you the Trail Blazers GM search seemed stuck in the mud, with different parts of the Blazer brass favoring different people. Add to that Clippers GM Neil Olshey agreeing to terms to stay with the Clippers, and suddenly Buchanan has jumped back into the conversation reports Chris Haynes at CSNNW.com.A person close to the situation says Trail Blazers’ owner, Paul Allen, is concerned with (Pacers assistant GM David) Morway’s character and finds that he reminds him of a “Kevin Pritchard 2.0” and (Sixers assistant GM Tony) DiLeo’s lack of experience being in charge “is worrisome.”
Morway is at the bottom of the list, according to multiple sources. That leaves Bower – who happens to be the most experienced candidate out of the finalist and would appear to be the logical choice. However, those that know Allen, have said he prefers that his general managers be/remain in good physical shape and Bower doesn’t fit that criteria….
Multiple league sources have told CSNNW.com they don’t think either of the three candidates will get the job and they say Trail Blazers’ acting general manager, Chad Buchanan, “has become an option again.”
Chad Buchanan has done a great job in his year as the “interim” general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers — they have transitioned past the Brandon Roy/Greg Oden era and are ready to rebuild a team around LaMarcus Aldridge and some good role players, plus two lottery picks this year (No. 6 and 11).
Canales was 8-15 at the end of the season as coach, but he was presiding over an injured roster that had been shaken up radically at the deadline. Now the Blazers are about to rebuild with a younger roster and a couple lottery picks and…
Expect some of the big name assistant coaches out there — Brian Shaw, Mike Malone, etc. — to get interviewed as well, but the Blazers apparently like the Oklahoma City model of a young coach with a young team growing together.