Portland Trail Blazers majority owner Tom Dundon said last week’s elimination of 70 team jobs was driven by overstaffing rather than cost-cutting, telling The Oregonian’s Bill Oram that the franchise employed roughly twice as many people as the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, another club he owns.
“My experience is that fewer layers create more accountability,” Dundon said. “More people usually means more problems. I think Portland just had too many people.”
The decisions have drawn scrutiny after several reported belt-tightening moves: the Blazers were the only team that did not take its two-way players on the road during the first round of the playoffs, support staffers have been asked to check out of hotels early to avoid late fees, and the organization reportedly hopes to hire its next permanent head coach at a below-market salary.
Dundon, however, stressed that player spending will not be restricted. “The basketball [side]—there’s no budget for that. It’s whatever it takes to put them in the best position to win,” he said, adding that the business department will be run “like you run every other business.”
Renovation talks
Asked about the Portland City Council’s delay in approving funding for planned Moda Center renovations—after the state committed $365 million—Dundon said he expected the matter to be resolved sooner. “The building is older and we need to get to work,” he noted. “They’re elected to do their job, and then we’ll respond to that.”
Trade-deadline philosophy
Dundon said the front office weighed selling assets for future picks at February’s deadline but opted to acquire guard Vit Krejci to reinforce a winning culture. “Relentless pursuit of trying to win is an advantage,” he said. “Over time that will become obvious.”
Applying the Hurricanes blueprint
The owner believes the success of his NHL team can be replicated in Portland through “great coaching, accountability and standards.” Dundon said the goal is to assemble a roster that is “put in the best position to win” while maintaining a workplace where everyone does “what’s best for the team.”
Source: Hoops Rumors
