A new sheriff in town: Portland Trail Blazers' ownership group lays out goals at Moda Center

It’s a new era in Rip City.

For the first time in nearly 40 years, someone other than the Allen family is running the show.

The Portland Trail Blazers has a new ownership group, led by Texas billionaire Tom Dundon, who outlined his vision for the franchise for the press at the Moda Center Thursday. Two co-owners from the new ownership group, Rip City Rising — Tyle, co-CEO of Collective Global, and Andrew Cherng, whose family owns Panda Express — also spoke.

Dundon started out by thanking the Allen family, saying, “They did a really nice job, and it gets uncomfortable sometimes talking about what we want to do next, so I really appreciate everything the Allen family did. They’ve built such a legacy.”

As represented by the Moda Center itself:

“This building is pretty neat. When you walk around it, it needs some work, but it’s still something we can be proud of and improve upon. That’s how I feel about everything they’ve done.”

Winning was a common theme for the day, but the Blazers’ long-term future in Portland has been the main subject since the team was put up for sale.

“When I bought the hockey team (Carolina Hurricanes), everybody, because I was from Texas, I was going to move the team to Houston — that’s all I ever heard about, but I never spent any time on that subject and I haven’t spent any time on that,” he said. “And I haven’t spent any time on anything other than trying to get the renovation and lease. That’s kind of all I’ve focused on.”

Dundon said he desperately wants to get started on renovations, and when he was asked about the funding for a Moda Center upgrade, replied:

“The people that represent the city and county and your tax dollars are going to do a deal that’s great for them, I hope, and then, I’m going to try and do the same for the Trail Blazers. I think we’ve got a good framework. We’re moving forward on it, but we’re going to get a market deal and be fully committed to it. The form and structure of that, there’s a lot of work to do to figure out what that is.”

The ownership group was dubbed “Rip City Rising” by alternate governor Tyle, who calls Portland home, having been living in Portland for the past couple of years.

“We called it Rip City Rising. It was a unanimous decision all of us made. It was because we believe Portland was a world class city, and it can be a world class city and potentially ascend beyond that,” Tyle said.

And it’s off to a hot start — just ask alternate governor Cherng: “As a new owner, we’re 1 and 0, so let’s keep it that way.”

The new owners got a chance to see their new team in action at the Moda Center Friday night, but can Portland expect them to see them in the Rose City often?

Dundon says it depends.

“Don’t love going to games because I get nervous, and I don’t want y’all taking pictures of my face when something bad happens,” he said, eliciting a brief chuckle from the audience. “I don’t know. I don’t go to many games, but I like working on the fan experience, the building, the roster — all the stuff you can do whether you’re here or not.

“In the beginning, I’ll probably be here more because there’s so much to learn. Over time, probably less, and I’ll come for the big games. Especially if we’re winning more, it’s more fun to come.

“The more we win, the more likely I am to be here, because the winning part is the part I’m here for,” he concluded.

A new sheriff in town: Portland Trail Blazers’ ownership group lays out goals at Moda Center

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