Don’t expect the Portland Trail Blazers to move fast — they said they were going to take their time finding a new GM to replace Rich Cho — but apparently they have one name on their list already.
Danny Ferry, the former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager who before and after that has worked with the San Antonio Spurs is on the short list, according to the Express-News. It shouldn’t be a big shock, Ferry was interviewed a year ago when the Blazers were searching for a GM.
The big test — is he the kind of guy owner Paul Allen wants to hang out with? Can he pass Paul Allen’s “Do I want to have a beer with that guy?” test? Because that seems to be the main criteria for getting to stay on as Blazers general manager.
Mike Monroe from the Express-News Spurs Blog summed it up well.During his five years in Cleveland, Ferry worked for a billionaire owner with a big ego, Dan Gilbert. He also dealt with a superstar, LeBron James, who had a team of sycophants behind the scenes second-guessing and undercutting the GM. Still, Ferry built a team that made it to one NBA Finals and posted the NBA’s best regular-season record in back-to-back seasons.
That’s not exactly a mirror image of Allen’s operation in Portland — the sycophants there work for Allen, not a player — but it’s close enough to prepare Ferry for what he would face if he were to end up as Cho’s successor.Look for other names to pop up on the list. It will be interesting to see who accepts the job and who walks away after two well-respected GMs — Rich Cho and Kevin Pritchard — were let go inside of a year. There is a lot of money, a loyal fan base and a good roster to work with in Portland, not to mention a lot of great microbreweries. This should be an ideal job. But some guys will not touch it now.