Paul Allen Speaks Out . . . Sort Of

Only about three days too late, Paul Allen has issued a statement regarding Kevin Pritchard’s job security and says . . .

absolutely nothing.

Some have postulated that Allen owed it to the fans or owed to Pritchard to make a comment about the situation. That is absurd. Allen didn’t have to say anything, but the guidelines of good management dictate that he should have done it and he should have done it much sooner. There’s a difference between what’s obligatory and what’s smart, and it’s simply poor management to leave an employee dangling like that.

Beyond that, if there even are whispers in the organization about firing Pritchard, then Allen is listening to too many non-basketball people. The uninformed view is to judge Pritchard by the Oden-Durant draft. Look, I’m the biggest Durant supporter around, but it’s ridiculous to assert that the 2007 Draft is Pritchard’s legacy in Portland.

His legacy was forged the previous draft when he landed Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. That’s what I wrote a couple months ago. The year after that, Pritchard managed to unload Zach Randolph. And he’s the guy who went traded for Nicolas Batum.

If the Blazers are thinking about firing Pritchard, here’s what they need to ask themselves: Do you really want Pritchard running some other team the Blazers have to compete against for the next several years? I didn’t think so.