An Open Letter to Kevin Pritchard

Dear Sir,

Greetings. You don't know me, and probably never will. I am a lifelong supporter of the Portland Trail Blazers, the team you govern. I am your typical supporter, one who often thinks he can do your job better than you, and doesn't hesitate to criticize your character when you make a bad move. I am Joe Sixpack. I am Eddie Punchclock. I am the man on the Clapham omnibus.

Before we start: I want your job. Let's be frank. I always have, and I would stop at nothing to throw you under the bus and weasel my way into the high-flying, wild world of sports management, which I assume is a profession that revolves around soaring around the world in private jets and attending catered events on a weekly basis. Make no mistake - you are in an enviable situation. You have the league's richest owner who has recommitted himself to spending the money necessary to win a championship. The biggest concern in your professional life right now is convincing the family of your Spanish superstar that it would be a good idea for him to come play for a soon-to-be fantastic team in a fantastic city.

Right now, the biggest concern in my professional life is whether or not I will develop a debilitating ulcer before I finish college.

You dig?

You have done a decent job running our team. My grade for you at this point? B. Solid. Your masterful 2006 Draft demonstrated a perfect blend of balls and moxie, and your public call, and subsequent adherence, to a change in culture brought many supporters out of the fold and into the local slipstream of yet another string of Rose Garden sellouts. You realized Zach Randolph was a cancer and you wisely shipped him out for seemingly next to nothing, and surely you had a good laugh at the pundits' dependence on his overblown numbers. You wisely took advantage of Phoenix's tightwad owner and picked up two world champion Spanish superstars for pocket change.

On the other hand, you wasted a first round draft pick on a chronically injured and unproven center. (I'm sure you are sick of the Sam Bowie comparisons, but how about LaRue Martin?) You failed to re-sign Ime Udoka on the cheap when your team was in desperate need of a solid defender. Your obsession with your top-secret basketball metrics borders on maniacal, and your past ties and known association with the San Antonio Spurs franchise is disconcerting, to say the least.

All things considered, you're doing a fine job. Compared to Whitsitt and Patterson, you're a godsend. Steve Patterson reminds me of Ronald Reagan, and how Reagan blindly took policy advice from his wife, who was in turn taking policy advice from her astrologer. And by the way, I'm not old enough to remember Ronald Reagan, but I think it's generally known now that he didn't know what the hell he was doing for one second while he was in charge, and I guess the only question is whether it was due to Alzheimer's or just the fact that he had less capacity for rational thought than a Brooks Brothers catalog.

That was Steve Patterson. He was clueless. He talked a good game, and he smiled big for the cameras. But at least he wasn't malicious. Wait... well, there was that little thing about firing longtime Blazers employees for no reason, and cutting off media access to practice, and committing a lewd act on a horse. But Whitsitt was evil, man.

Real quick: I have a Whitsitt anecdote. When I started working for the Blazers, I signed a "conduct contract", which mostly was just saying that I would dress like I was told to, and not ask players for autographs, and not steal anything. Typical, really. But there were also guidelines on how to act when Whitsitt was around. If he walked by, we were instructed to step to the side of the room or hallway, stand still, and lower our heads. We could resume normal activity after he left. I didn't question it, and I played by the rules, because after all, I was working for the Portland Trail Blazers, but it really made me angry that this guy would think so highly of themselves to the extent of forcing people to lower their heads in his presence, angry enough to constantly use italics and sometimes even italicize entire sentences.

In terms of running the Blazers and operating as president and general manager, Whitsitt ruined the team, and the decisions he made led to the eventual near-sale, which would have probably led to a situation like what's happening with the Sonics. The fans stopped caring, the players stopped caring, and Paul Allen eventually stopped caring. Then you came along, and you seemed to be a decent guy who had ideas that were based in logic, of all things, and did not get completely drunk on power, to the point where you actually spend time scouting and communicating with possible trade partners. Such wild ideas, and yet you've been so successful. I guess experience isn't everything.

So surely you don't need another crackpot giving you advice. I'm sure you get enough of that already, considering that you've cultivated an image of yourself that seems approachable and friendly. But I think my visions of the team go right along with the majority of Blazers supporters, and so on behalf of our loyal fanbase, I will make

THREE SUGGESTIONS

that would benefit the team and get us one step closer to a championship. Here you go:

1. Trade Jarrett Jack. Make a play for Jose Calderon.

First things first - Jack needs to go. His style of play does not mesh well with the rest of the team. He is (yes, I'll say it again) turnover prone, which is kind of like saying Rasheed Wallace is prone to mild emotional outbursts from time to time. There's obviously a point guard logjam with the Blazers, and cutting Jack loose would be the first step towards completely rectifying the problem at the point.

The second step? Acquiring a proven leader who can run and does not rock the boat. There was talk about possibly signing Chris Paul next summer; at this point, there's no way he would leave New Orleans, and he would be too expensive anyway. You could draft somebody, but we both know we don't need more youth and inexperience. Somebody like Calderon would be perfect. He's a great shooter, unselfish, high assist-to-turnover ratio, and a world champion. With Calderon, Blake wouldn't start, but he wouldn't care; he'd still be playing an important role in a successful team. Blake, along with Outlaw, Rudy, and Joel Przybilla, would make a pretty good second squad.

2. Purge dead weight. Stock up on draft picks from 2010 on.

This year, no more rookies. There's no room. None. Furthermore, there will be no time to wean newcomers into the fold. It's time to win - FINALLY - and you don't want to waste any more time pretending that Josh McRoberts is going to turn into anything close to a contributor. Get rid of him. Trade all of the picks, and next year's picks. Don't even think about bringing any prospects over (except Rudy - he's key). Even Webster might be expendable.

The thing is, things will be different in three years. We might need picks. We might need young blood again. If you play your cards right, you'll have a perfect combination of young star players, wily veterans, and future draft picks that will lead to many years of contention. That's why the Udoka non-signing was so stupid. Moderation is vital. You don't want to be too young. You don't want to be too old. You don't want to be too inexperienced, or experienced, for that matter. It's such a simple concept, but it's gets twisted and convoluted such that you have teams trading All-Stars for flashes in the pan.

3. Shorten Nate McMillan's leash.

McMillan, I'm convinced, can't be trusted. His personal relationship with a player (Jack) significantly diminished progress last year, and he has had trouble altering his coaching style to his players' strengths. His motivational style can be legitimately questioned, as exhibited by LaMarcus Aldridge's early season refusal to play in the deep post. Most alarmingly, though, is his failure to grasp the benefits behind the high octane offense. He rarely gave any playing time to Sergio Rodriguez because Rodriguez would push at times when McMillan wanted him to hold back. When Sergio played within McMillan's slow-it-down offense, he was ineffective; when Sergio played without restraints and decided to run, his numbers went up, and the Blazers were effective.

McMillan shouldn't be fired at this point. It would be too big of a change at this particular junction. Give him one more season, and if serious progress is not made, a coaching change will be necessary. He should embrace creativity and originality, and we hope he starts catering his style to the strengths of his players. He needs to be more hands-off, in that he shouldn't have to call every play from the sidelines. Until then, limit his influence on personnel decisions, and just hope that you won't have to make a real tough decision in about twelve months' time.

That's it - I've made my case. You've got a great opportunity here, but also a lot to lose.

Don't blow it.

Peace, Love, and Bananas,
Tyler J Hinds