| 21 July 2010
On Monday afternoon Rich Cho was introduced as the Portland Trail Blazers new general manager – a dream come true of sorts for this self-made man.
But by Tuesday morning, reality probably hit home a bit harder for Cho knowing that he’s inherited a team playing catch-up in free agency and a roster certainly about to transform over the course of this summer.
It’s only a matter of time.
As the Blazers slowly tiptoed through the hiring process for a general manager these past several weeks – and no doubt found their ideal candidate in Cho – the rest of us have been left to discuss and debate what Portland should do. Rumors have floated about. Sources have been tapped. And still we are left to wonder what and when will be Cho’s first move in office.
For as much as we’ve heard about Cho’s data and analytical application when it comes to evaluating and constructing a roster, at the end of the day he still has to pull the trigger on moves just like 29 other GM’s around the league do. With that comes some kind of prioritizing – or at least prioritizing once a “to-do” list has been formulated. Because here’s what Cho is really dealing with: making moves which would have been extremely difficult for Kevin Pritchard to make.
Had Pritchard remained fixed in his position, it would have been real interesting to see how he would have handled the dilemma surrounding moveable contracts like Andre Miller, Rudy Fernandez, Jerryd Bayless and Joel Przybilla. Because in at least three of those cases – Miller, Fernandez and Bayless – Pritchard played a major role in bringing those three players to the Blazers.
Pritchard took a chance on those three guys. Undoing that chance wouldn’t have been easy.
We were led to believe Miller was the answer at point guard. That it would take some time for him to adjust to the system. We were led to believe that courting Rudy was all worth it. That he was content coming off the bench and playing lesser minutes. That the disappearing act in the postseason wasn’t the real Rudy. We were led to believe that Bayless is a point guard – even when the style of his game is catered to that of a shooting guard.
Now it’s safe to believe that all three will be moved at some point this offseason by Cho and the Blazers’ front office.
For Cho – really a guy with no emotional or personal connection to the current roster – the process of making trades appears that much more feasible.
Some around Portland have confided as much and other people around the league are quick to look the Blazers’ way for a team ready to unload players in their stocked backcourt. What they’ll get in return is anyone’s guess at this point. Know this: there will be comings and goings in Portland.
Last week during summer league, Rudy's name surfaced in trade rumors between a host of teams including the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and even the Miami Heat. But now the new black is overseas press suggesting – with a little help from Fernandez – that perhaps his future is playing back over in Europe. We saw this last summer when Portland began talks with Hedo Turkoglu, so it’s only fitting the banter strikes back with the recent signing of Wesley Matthews by the Blazers.
If Rudy really wants out of Portland, it’s believed management will help execute that request in a speedy fashion.
The tougher call to make is at point guard, where both Miller and Bayless appear to be on the outs. But who does Portland get in return and is chasing the likes of Chris Paul, Devin Harris, Rodney Stuckey, and/or Tony Parker a reality at this point or just wishful thinking.
Speaking of point guards, Cho will also weigh in on the summer league battle between Patty Mills and Armon Johnson. While Mills has received offers and interest from overseas, a source close to Mills maintains that he wants to remain in the NBA. But there is no getting around that Johnson also belongs in this league. It’s even reached the point where keeping both Mills and Johnson could factor into the results – but that all depends on how the rest of the roster moves shakes out.
Mr. Cho is going to be a very busy man.
That’s for sure.
photo: daylife
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