New Portland Trail Blazers Governor Tom Dundon made his formal introduction to Rip City on Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n
In front of a packed room at Moda Center, Dundon took the podium alongside Blazers Alternate Governors Sheel Tyle and Andrew Cherng, as well as Blazers President Dewayne Hankins and General Manager Joe Cronin. Together, Dundon and the group pitched their vision for the franchise\u2019s future as they answered questions about immediate plans, relocation fears, ownership style, coaching decisions and more.<\/p>\n
That pitch for the future included this opening statement from Dundon:<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the main message for us right now is the franchise hasn\u2019t had as much success in the past few years as it did historically, and I think our expectation is that\u2019s starting to change and will continue to change,\u201d Dundon said. \u201cI think the focus that\u2019s been the last few years \u2014 around development \u2014 is now around winning. So we\u2019ve tried to get this message through the last couple days that that was fun and probably necessary, but it\u2019s more fun to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dundon later added: \u201cI feel like all the pieces are here. There\u2019s not something I\u2019m worried about. The only thing I\u2019m kinda worried about is the speed and pace and intensity at which we\u2019re about to get going might be a little different, and we just gotta get people there quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here are more quotes and highlights from the 28-minute presser.<\/p>\n
Focus on Creating a Winner<\/p>\n
As the opening statement indicated, Dundon made much known about his desire to create a winner on the court and do it fast. He said they\u2019d make that happen by raising the standards and expectations and holding people accountable to that commitment. When asked about a timeline for getting this team to that higher level, Dundon said it\u2019s hard to say, but he\u2019s not afraid of being aggressive when it comes to roster-building.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really difficult in these situations to have an actual plan. I think our plan is to work hard, make good decisions. Joe [Cronin] had a deal that he looked at at the trade deadline that I was aware of that would\u2019ve been what you described as a \u2018big splash,\u2019 and if that opportunity exists, I\u2019m probably more aggressive than most. If it doesn\u2019t exist, then you gotta go about finding the pieces to continue to get better, and then decide if you can get good enough to win a championship or you have to take a step back. Joe and I have talked about this a lot. There\u2019s no one way this is going to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dundon on if he cares about being liked:<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the list of things I care about, it\u2019s lower. I don\u2019t think anybody who says \u2018they don\u2019t care what people think\u2019 is telling the truth. But I think I care more about my character than my reputation. I know what I do everyday, and I want to win and achieve things without hurting anybody. There\u2019s nothing about me that doesn\u2019t want to do the right thing. I do it everyday. But if we have to trade a player, we\u2019re gonna trade the player. If we need to make a decision that\u2019s best for the Portland Trail Blazers, I\u2019m gonna make those decisions. It doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m gonna love doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moda Center Renovations, Relocation Concerns?<\/p>\n
Speaking of Dundon\u2019s likability, the new Blazers owner addressed several questions on the controversial subject of relocation concerns and the Moda Center renovation\/lease negotiations.<\/p>\n
Here was Dundon on what he can say to fans to show he\u2019s committed to keeping the team in Portland:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s interesting how when I bought the hockey team, because I was from Texas I was gonna move the team to Houston, is all I ever heard about. But I never spent any time on that subject, and I haven\u2019t spent any time on anything other than trying to figure out the renovation and the lease, and that\u2019s kind of all I\u2019ve focused on. You\u2019re welcome to write what you want because if we get attention, that\u2019s good for the Portland Trail Blazers, I appreciate it. But at this time, all I\u2019m focused on is how do we get a lease done and how do we get the building renovated.\u201d<\/p>\n