Category: Portland Trail Blazers Blog

The Portland Trail Blazers today named Joe Cronin as the organization’s 11th general manager.

Cronin had been serving as interim GM since December 3, 2021, and will continue leading all aspects of basketball operations.

Since assuming the interim role, Cronin developed a strategy to reshape the Trail Blazers roster with various deals and roster moves that create valuable assets and additional flexibility to improve the team’s competitiveness. Since first joining the team as an intern, Cronin has worked across a variety of front office roles. Now with 16 years of front office experience, including extensive knowledge of the salary cap, proven management skills, player evaluation prowess, and player contract expertise, he will continue to be invaluable to the organization.

“Joe has shown in his short time as interim GM that he is more than ready to continue leading the front office,” said Jody Allen, Portland Trail Blazers Chair. “We remain excited for the future of Trail Blazers basketball with Joe and Chauncey driving a cohesive plan to build an even more competitive and winning roster.”

“I would like to thank Jody and Bert for this opportunity and a long list of other incredible people that have put their faith and trust in me not only over the last six months, but the last 16 years,” said Joe Cronin, Portland Trail Blazers General Manager. “My focus has always been creating a championship team and culture that players, coaches, and staff want to be a part of. I look forward to continuing that focus with the vision that Chauncey, Dewayne, and I share while unifying our business and basketball operations on and off the court.”

“I’m excited to continue to partner with Joe and help bring the success that Rip City expects to Moda Center,” said Chauncey Billups, Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach. “We’ve established a great working relationship in the last six months and have the same vision for what it takes to win a championship in this league. I look forward to bringing Joe’s vision to life with our entire front office.”

Entering his 17th season with Portland in 2022-23, Cronin joined the team as a basketball operations intern in 2006. In 2010 he was promoted to pro scout/salary cap analyst where he was a crucial part of the player evaluation and roster construction process. In 2014, he was named the team’s director of player personnel and in 2021, was named assistant general manager. As a result of his continued dedication to the team, Cronin was the 2011-12 recipient of the Trail Blazers’ “Unify People in a Championship Culture” award. Prior to joining the team, Cronin earned his master’s at the University of Denver, where he also worked as a graduate assistant for the men’s basketball team. A Denver native who played college basketball at Regis University and the University of Northern Colorado, Cronin competed against Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups in the Colorado state high school basketball tournament.

The Trail Blazers have signed forward/center Reggie Perry for the remainder of the season, the team announced today. The contract is via the NBA’s hardship exception.

Perry, 22, previously signed 10-day contracts with the Trail Blazers on December 28 and March 30. In nine games this season with Portland and Indiana, Perry is averaging 8.0 points (50.0% FG, 66.7% FT), 4.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.00 steal.

The Trail Blazers have signed guard Kris Dunn and center Drew Eubanks for the remainder of the 2021-22 season, the team announced today. Both contracts are via the NBA’s hardship exception.

Dunn previously signed 10-day contracts with the Trail Blazers on March 14 and March 24. In 11 games (one start) for Portland, he has averaged 8.6 points (49.4% FG, 100% FT), 3.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.82 steals.

Eubanks has played in 18 games (all starts) for Portland since signing the first of four 10-day contracts on February 22. He is averaging 14.1 points (64.9% FG, 78.0% FT), 8.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists for the Trail Blazers. His season averages of 7.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 67 games (27 starts) with Portland and San Antonio are all career highs.

The Trail Blazers have signed forward/center Reggie Perry to a 10-day contract via the NBA’s hardship exception, the team announced today.

Perry, 22, previously signed a 10-day contract with the Trail Blazers on December 28. In three games this season with Portland and Indiana, Perry has averaged 4.3 points (50.0% FG, 50.0% 3-PT, 100% FT), 2.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists. He has played in 22 games (18 starts) for the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League in 2021-22, averaging 20.3 points (45.5% FG, 28.9% 3-PT, 77.2% FT), 11.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.45 steals and 1.05 blocks.

Selected with the 57th pick of the 2020 NBA Draft by the LA Clippers and subsequently traded to Brooklyn, Perry (6-8, 250) holds NBA career averages of 3.1 points (42.0% FG, 21.7% 3-PT, 80.0% FT) and 2.8 rebounds in 29 games with Brooklyn, Portland and Indiana.

The Trail Blazers have signed guard Kris Dunn to a second 10-day contract and center Drew Eubanks to a fourth 10-day contract, the team announced today. Both contracts are via the NBA’s hardship exception.

Dunn, 28, signed his first 10-day contract with the Trail Blazers on March 14. In six appearances (one start) for Portland, he has averaged 7.3 points (44.2% FG, 100% FT), 3.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.00 steals and 24.8 minutes.

A native of New London, Connecticut, Dunn (6-3, 205) was selected by Minnesota with the fifth overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft after four collegiate seasons at Providence. He holds career averages of 8.2 points (42.0% FG, 30.4% 3-PT, 73.1% FT), 3.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.54 steals and 24.1 minutes in 237 games (127 starts) with Minnesota, Chicago, Atlanta and Portland.

Eubanks, 25, previously signed 10-day contracts with Portland on February 22, March 4 and March 14. In 13 games (all starts) for the Trail Blazers, Eubanks has averaged 12.3 points (62.4% FG, 88.0% FT), 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 28.1 minutes. For the season, he is averaging 6.3 points (56.7% FG, 77.9% FT), 4.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 15.5 minutes in 62 games (22 starts) with San Antonio and Portland.

A product of Reynolds High School in Troutdale, Oregon, Eubanks (6-9, 245) played three seasons at Oregon State from 2015-18 before going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft. He holds career averages of 5.3 points (57.6% FG, 75.9% FT), 4.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 161 games (28 starts) for the Spurs and Trail Blazers.

The Trail Blazers have signed guard Kris Dunn and center Drew Eubanks to 10-day contracts. Both contracts are via the NBA’s hardship exception.

Dunn, 27, holds career averages of 8.2 points (42.0% FG, 30.5% 3-PT, 72.7% FT), 3.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.53 steals and 24.1 minutes in 231 games (126 starts) over five seasons with Minnesota, Chicago and Atlanta. He has played in 15 games (eight starts) for the Agua Caliente Clippers of the NBA G League in 2021-22, posting averages of 11.8 points (45.6% FG, 25.0% 3-PT, 70.4% FT), 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.87 steals and 27.0 minutes.

A native of New London, Connecticut, Dunn (6-3, 205) was selected by Minnesota with the fifth overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft after four collegiate seasons at Providence.

Eubanks, 25, previously signed two 10-day contracts with Portland on February 22 and March 4. In seven games (all starts) with the Trail Blazers, Eubanks has averaged 9.6 points (58.8% FG, 77.8% FT), 8.1 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 26.0 minutes. For the season, Eubanks is averaging 5.3 points (54.3% FG, 75.0% FT), 4.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 13.9 minutes in 56 games (16 starts) with San Antonio and Portland.

A product of Reynolds High School in Troutdale, Oregon, Eubanks (6-9, 245) played three seasons at Oregon State from 2015-18 before going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft. He holds career averages of 4.9 points (56.7% FG, 74.7% FT), 4.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.66 blocks in 155 games (22 starts) for the Spurs and Trail Blazers.

Trail Blazers founding broadcaster Bill Schonely has announced his retirement after over 50 years with the Trail Blazers organization as play-by-play broadcaster and team ambassador at the age of 92.

Schonely, who coined many popular catchphrases for the organization including Portland favorite “Rip City”, was hired in 1970 by team founder Harry Glickman and served as play-by-play broadcaster for almost three decades. Schonely has served as a Trail Blazers ambassador since 2003 and has made appearances in the community in support of the team’s outreach mission.

“Bill has been a fixture of the Trail Blazers organization since its inception and will continue to be forever engrained in this city,” said Dewayne Hankins, President of Business Operations for the Trail Blazers. “We thank Bill immensely for his 50+ years of hard work and everything he has given to our organization, the city of Portland and the entire NBA community.”

Schonely was one of the organization’s earliest employees at hire number six. He was tasked with quickly assembling a radio network to introduce Oregon to the Trail Blazers organization. Serving as the team’s play-by-play voice for nearly 30 years, he called over 2,500 games including the team’s incredible championship run in 1977 and the exciting runs in the 1990s. Schonely maintained a streak of calling games throughout his 30-year run that was only interrupted in 1982-83 when he stepped away to recover from heart bypass surgery. Prior to joining the Trail Blazers organization, Schonely served in the United States Marine Corps and worked at radio stations throughout the country.

In 1999, Schonely was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame for broadcasting and in 2012, he was awarded the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for his contributions to the game as an outstanding broadcaster.

Schonely will be honored at the last home game of the season on Sunday, April 10 vs. Utah