Mo Cheeks fired today.

[kaitykaity]

Nice guy, horrible team. Hope he gits a gig
someplace else.

http://www.oregonlive.com/newslogs/oregonian/index.ssf?/mtlogs/olive_oregonian_news/archives/2005_03.html#052257

MAURICE CHEEKS FIRED ... WEDNESDAY, 10 A.M.
Maurice Cheeks, head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers the past four years, was fired Wednesday by the club.

Kevin Pritchard, the director of player personnel, will take over as interim coach.

The team has called a press conference for 11:30 this morning at the Rose Garden.

[democracyindanger]

1. We suck

God, what a bunch of assholes in the front office. Screw it. I'm gonna start rooting for Seattle.

[kaitykaity]

2. Rather than root for Seattle,

I just stopped caring about basketball until the
playoffs.

I always said if they got rid of Whitsitt and Wallace
I'd come back. Now it's "I hate their broadasting
crew." Wheels and Rice really are puke-inducing.

[lazarus]

3. that's a shame

I was hoping he'd quit, he's too classy for that team.

Sorry, Portlanders. I can't believe what's happened to that franchise over the past few years.

[kaitykaity]

4. Neither can WE!!

Thanks Paul. Thanks Bob.

Good news is the PR sell job they're trying
to do is going nowhere fast.

I think the only thing that will save it is
if Paul Allen sells it.

[lazarus]

5. or move it

that's what happened with the Hornets. Shinn pissed off so many people in Charlotte he had to take the team elsewhere.

[kaitykaity]

6. The City would never let that happen.

Not the people, the government. They get too much
revenue from the place -- 42 events no longer
happening? No way.

http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=25633

A federal bankruptcy judge has agreed with a group of creditors of Paul Allen’s bankrupt Oregon Arena Corp., and appointed an outside examiner to evaluate payments and relationships among Allen, several of his companies and Oregon Arena, which owns the Rose Garden.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Elizabeth Perris’ order last week came in response to a motion from a group of bondholders who helped Oregon Arena finance the construction of the Rose Garden and who are owed $192 million by Allen’s company.

Allen, who wholly owns Oregon Arena and has a net worth of $21 billion, according to Forbes magazine, had Oregon Arena file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February to try to lower payments on the $192 million debt.

The bondholders argued in a motion filed in July that an independent examiner should look at the relationship of Oregon Arena and Allen’s other companies — including the Portland Trail Blazers — to see whether they should be part of the bankruptcy case and thus figure in some of Oregon Arena’s debts.

[lazarus]

7. well, he obviously wouldn't move the arena

But the team?

It'd be nice if they pulled the team from him in the bankruptcy, though, wouldn't it?

[kaitykaity]

8. Move the arena. Ha ha ha. Funny, Laz.

What I was trying to say, unclearly I guess, was that
the City makes too much money on the home games.
We've already got another venue, the Memorial Coliseum
that sits mostly empty, the Blazers former home.
They wouldn't stand for that happening the The Rose
Garden too.

It would be nice if Allen were taken out and
horsewhipped for what he's done to that team, but yeah,
I'd settle for them taking it from him. I never thought
of that.

I don't think Mo's too heartbroken. Did you hear the
story of that guy who insulted him and the organization
paid the guy back for the fines? Disgusting.

[lazarus]

9. Hee hee

Just trying to lighten the mood.

Cheeks should have quit, he really should have. I couldn't believe they were going to pay the fines back. Just amazing.

[kaitykaity]

10. You succeeded.

:)

Anyway, it was Cheeks' rookie job. I don't
think he was ready when he took it. I think
they hired him because nobody else would take
the job, no matter how much cash Allen offered.
(And at least this way the team has to pay out
the rest of his contract.)

I mean, look what Allen did to Adelman and
Dunleavy. :grr: (I don't count PJ because PJ's
a putz.)

[kaitykaity]

11. I was wrong, Cheeks did care.

He had to stop a couple of times during the press
conference because he was so shaky emotionally.

Damn Trailblazers. :grr:

http://www.canada.com/sports/basketball/story.html?id=67cb088a-892c-4aff-a562-c2e2aab76b3b

Cheeks was fired Wednesday morning, after the Blazers had lost seven of their last nine and tumbled to 22-33. "It's a sad day for me because I've got guys on my team that I really . . . ," said Cheeks, his voice trailing off in disappointment during an emotional news conference a few hours after he was let go.

"I didn't do as well a job as I could have, as I did in previous years," he concluded.

[HuckleB]

13. Yeah.

But what really stinks is that the Blazers wouldn't let Cheeks talk to Philadelphia when that job was open. They wanted him to stay, and then management continues to screw up and dumps him to cover their arses? It's just pitiful. Trader Bob was finally run out of town, but the bozos who replaced him are no better. Ugh.

[kaitykaity]

17. I just have to wonder sometimes if they're

just making this stuff up as they go along. That
there's no plan, it's just seat-of-the pants reaction
day after day.

I had a small hope that Nash and Patterson could
turn the ship around, but now I'm not so sure. It's
like Trader Bob is calling in from a remote undisclosed
location still calling the shots.

I'm just glad baseball's here. Now I just have to
figure out where to get audio for spring training games.

[HuckleB]

18. It does seem that way, that's for sure.

Please let us all know if you find a good audio source for Spring Training! It looks like some games will be on ESPN, but we don't have cable or satellite, so that doesn't do me any good.

Salud...

[kaitykaity]

19. I don't have cable or satellite either.

It was too sad when the M's pulled their games
off of the WB a couple years ago. It was really
cool to watch a couple games a week.

Will let you know, though. I think there's a
subcription service for 10 bucks a year or something
for all baseball games.

[kaitykaity]

35. Listening to Mariner Spring Training right now.

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/audio/gda/index.jsp

It costs $15 bucks a year, but I coudn't not
do it anymore.

[HuckleB]

37. Thanks.

I've been debating going with that deal all week.

I'm gonna have to just do it.

salud.

[kaitykaity]

38. Major selling point --

NO COMMERCIALS!! Hot Diggity Freaking Damn!!

:bounce:

[kaitykaity]

39. Scratch that.

For the first two hours no commercials.
Either somebody's not hitting the button,
or I don't know what.

:shrug:

[HuckleB]

12. Cheeks may not be the world's greatest NBA coach.

But he is an honorable man who did a far better, more consistent job than management, which has continued to decieve the fans and the community. Cheeks was the real deal. The rest of the Blazers offer nothing but smoke and mirrors, and they're no good at their slights of hand to boot.

If only we could have traded the Blazers for an MLB franchise.

;)

[aldian159]

14. One of the best NBA moments ever was the Anthem

During a playoff game against the hated Lakers, a girl who could have been no older than 15 stumbled during the National Anthem, and Cheeks walked over to her, fed her a few lines, and got the crowd to help bail her out. Absolutely great moment that brought tears to my eyes.

He'll land on his feet. Rumor says that he might already join Larry Brown's staff in Detroit. Cheeks was on Brown's staff in Philly.

[kaitykaity]

15. Thanks for bringing that up.

That really was a special thing he did.

I hope you're right about Detroit. And then
to have Detroit repeat.

[HuckleB]

16. Indeed. In fact, John Canzano used Natalie Gilbert to frame his column...

on Cheeks' departure.

No tears, just cheers for Cheeks:
http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/?/base/sports/1109854886220540.xml

"The education of Natalie Gilbert continued in a West Linn High School geometry class on Wednesday. Gilbert's cellular phone rang. The sophomore pulled it from her bag and tucked it to her ear. It was her mother calling.

"I knew something was terribly wrong," Natalie said.

So this is how a 15-year-old girl learns that heroes get fired.

The Trail Blazers stripped Maurice Cheeks of his coaching duties on Wednesday. Blazers President Steve Patterson and general manager John Nash called it a "sad day." And for Natalie, it was.

Two years ago, she was the eighth grader wearing the black and white Jessica McClintock dress who froze while singing the national anthem at the Rose Garden. Cheeks saved her. And on Wednesday, as badly as she wanted, Natalie realized as she sat there staring toward the front of her class with watering eyes, she could do nothing to save him.

..."

[democracyindanger]

20. The only thing that sucks worse than the Blazers

is Canzano. That's not a reaction to this particular story, I just hate that idiot.

[HuckleB]

21. Actually, he's often on the money.

Every once in a while he writes a bizarre column that seems aimed only at getting nasty reader responses, but, in general, he's fairly spot on or at least touches on the truth more than most sports columnists, IMHO.

Certainly, he's only half the idiot the Blazers are as an organization.

:hi:

[aaronbees]

22. Sorry, but...

I think this is a long overdue move and a good step forward for the franchise.

As much as I like Cheeks as person (so evident in the national anthem sing-a-long and his general demeanor toward the city), that does not make him a good coach. Fact is, he was becoming increasingly incompetent as a coach if you judge by the record. The Blazers' fortunes have been in a steady freefall for three years. Cheeks refused to give the youth (ie, the future of this team) good minutes, created bizarre substitutions, benched Randolph and ran the most stagnant offense in the NBA (ie, three or four set plays). In short, he didn't know how to utilize what we have. Outlaw and Frahm have both displayed some nice shooting touch, which is exactly what this team needs. Ever see them play much? Not me. Cheeks' recent propensity to give Damon Dribblemire and Nick the green light to jack up shots at will was the nail in the coffin for the season, and Cheeks showed no signs of getting a clue.

Sure, management has had a difficult time transitioning and I sure wish we'd unloaded some aging contracts by now, but it takes more than a year usually to unravel a mess like that which Whitsitt created. Despite mismatched parts, I still think we have a good core in there.

And frankly I'm just tired of yellow journalists like Canzano getting a free ride on ripping every little perceived slight from the franchise.

In two years, this team is going to be just fine ... just give the ball to Telfair.

Now, if we could just get Phil Jackson to coach and keep these egos corralled ... :P

[HuckleB]

23. Actually, he was straitjacketed.

He was told win or be fired. Well, if you play the youth, you're playing for the future, wins and losses be damned. But Cheeks couldn't do that, and he didn't have the players to win.

As noted above, Cheeks is no worldbeater as a coach. However, he is miles above current management. Patterson and Nash should have gone long before Cheeks, that's for sure. Firing Cheeks does nothing to change the fundamental problems of the organization.

[aaronbees]

32. okay, but...

Can someone please explain to me what is so evil about our current management??

Cheeks stuck with this small-guard lineup even though it was apparent that gave us a nice spate of losses. That inflexibility and lack of creativity is what killed him as a coach. And if he doesn't have the horses to win, then why not explore the future of this team and play guys like Outlaw (who has a good shot) and Telfair?

Cheeks was stuck in a tough situation -- well, welcome to the NBA, Mo. If he'd been able to lead the team and get their heads straight rather than be chummy with them and the fans, he'd might've deserved to keep his job.

It's too early to tell what kind of job Nash/Patterson have done. Apparently, they can't please the Portland fans, though, even if they've only been here a short while. I'd say the drafting of Telfair is their best move so far, and that's a pretty good one.

[kaitykaity]

25. DJaynes (Portland Trib) is right with you on this one.

One of my favorite sports columnists.

http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=28662

Dwight Jaynes thinks recently fired Blazer coach Maurice Cheeks spent too much time cozying up to his players.

Memo to Mo: It’s your fault
Portland should hire premium coach next year

I have heard that when Bob Whitsitt was cleaning out his desk in the Rose Quarter and getting ready to turn in his keys, he left specific instructions behind for his successor.

“You’re going to have to fire Maurice Cheeks” were the instructions. “Hiring him was a big mistake.”

It took a while, but the job finally — and necessarily — got done. One of Whitsitt’s big mistakes has been eradicated.

Are you feeling sorry for Cheeks? Save your tears. The Blazers didn’t really fire Cheeks; Cheeks fired Cheeks. He has no one to blame but himself. The Trail Blazers have kicked two great coaches, Jack Ramsay and Rick Adelman, to the curb —and you’re going to think Cheeks somehow got a raw deal?

I’ll always remember a story told to me by a network television analyst, who was incredulous one night when he strode into Cheeks’ office just before a game and the coach was asking one of his assistants who was starting at forward for that night’s opponent.

..more

[HuckleB]

26. Ack.

What is Jaynes thinking? He uses the supposed advice of the guy who brought the Blazers to this lowly state in the first place to justify the firing? I wonder if he realizes that this argument goes both ways. It's as if he is saying that Nash and Patterson have become Whitsitt incarnate. (And it's true that many of us no longer see much difference.)

Further, it makes no sense to compare the Blazers organization of Ramsay and Adelman to the one of today. Nevermind to use out-of-context hearsay to disparage the man. (That just seems lowbrow, to me.)

This is not Jaynes' best work, but then even the best sports columnists are famous for inconsistency in this town. I suppose that's what you get when you live in a one team town.

[kaitykaity]

27. I figured if people read the Canzano column, they

should get the chance to see Jaynes' take on
the situation too.

As far as what he's thinking, write to him and
ask. He loves to get emails (or he used to when
he was on the radio) telling him how full of shit
he is and then backing it up. I used to give him
a run for his money all the time.

[HuckleB]

28. That's probably the goal of the column.

That's what bugs me about Canzano once in a while, too. Every once in a while, they both seem to write stuff just to get people worked up, to get the letters coming in, rather than to write stuff that actually means something. I suppose that's a sports columnist's job, to some extent, but it seems so cheap and tawdry to me. Now, I know that Jaynes needs to do everything he can to get people interested in checking out the Tribune, whose days may be numbered otherwise. So I'll give him a break, knowing that. But I suspect he knows what's wrong with his column already.

Enjoy the weekend. I'm off for a long day on the bike.

[kaitykaity]

29. Trib's days may be numbered?

Gossip, please. You mean Pamlin's tired of throwing
money down a sink hole?

And KPOJ is kicking KPAM's behind. That was my station
before Air America came to town. I used to listen
to Victor Boc all the time.

I heard that that GOP ad against the AARP stole one of
the Trib's pictures and they're suing about it. (Just
a little bit of side trivia.)

[HuckleB]

30. Of course those rumors have been going since its inception.

But the rumors have been buzzing with more frequency and intensity, and, more importantly, are even being discussed by the most "wait and see" folks I know within local journalism circles.

But, in the end, uh, I guess it's really "wait and see."

I'm glad to hear they're suing the scumbags who are attacking AARP over SS.

[kaitykaity]

31. Well, that'll make WWeek happy. They've had

an ongoing war on with the Trib since almost
the beginning.

Too bad, too. The Trib's a good paper. I just
think Pamlin went about setting up his media
empire all wrong -- too top-heavy, too splashy.

[aaronbees]

33. It is too bad...

Willy Week needs some good competition.

[democracyindanger]

34. I think Jaynes is wrong in this instance

but he's a decent sportswriter. Unlike Canzano, who once again displays his idiocy in today's column about hiring Phil Jackson. I'm beginning to suspect Canzano doesn't even watch sports.

[HuckleB]

24. Metro resolution honors, thanks Cheeks

Metro resolution honors, thanks Cheeks

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1109941711323820.xml

"Sensing the fan unhappiness with the dismissal of Maurice Cheeks, the Metro Council passed a resolution Thursday recognizing and thanking Cheeks for his contributions to the community as coach of the Trail Blazers.

Resolution No. 05-3556 was drafted and introduced by David Bragdon, president of the Metro Council. The resolution states that the Metro Council "thanks Coach Maurice Cheeks for the example of hard work and team spirit he has set for our community" and wishes Cheeks "all the best in his future endeavors."

Bragdon said the resolution passed unanimously among the seven-member council (one member was absent).

"I don't know anything about basketball and I don't follow it that much. I've never met Maurice Cheeks and I don't have any personal connection with him," Bragdon said. "But I know character when I see it, and Maurice Cheeks seems like a man of immense character. That counts for a lot in this business."

..."

[Name removed]

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