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Portland Trail Blazers hire Neil Olshey as general manager

The Portland Trail Blazers have named Neil Olshey as the team’s general manager, Team President Larry Miller announced today.

“Neil is someone we’ve had on our radar for quite a while,” said Miller. “Over the past two seasons he has demonstrated success in constructing a roster, managing salary cap and evaluating player talent. We feel very fortunate to have him in Portland and are thrilled about what this means for the future.”

The 10th general manager in Trail Blazers history, Olshey comes to Portland from the Los Angeles Clippers, where he served as the team’s Vice President of Basketball Operations for the past two seasons. Placing third in votes for the 2011-12 NBA Executive of the Year Award, Olshey was responsible for all facets of basketball operations and player personnel moves while with the Clippers, and will hold the same responsibilities as General Manager of the Trail Blazers.

“I am very pleased to have Neil as our new general manager,” said Trail Blazers Owner Paul Allen. “He has the skills and the vision to successfully guide our organization into a new era of Trail Blazers basketball. He’s proven that he can quickly turn around a franchise, and we are confident he can do that in Portland.”

Under Olshey’s direction, the Clippers transitioned into a playoff team this past season after he assembled one of the deepest rosters in the NBA prior to the 2011-12 season. During a six-day span, Olshey added Chris Paul, Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups while re-signing DeAndre Jordan to a team that already featured Blake Griffin, Mo Williams and Eric Bledsoe.

“I am very grateful for the opportunity to become a part of this successful franchise,” said Olshey. “Portland is a great basketball city with a rich tradition, an incredible fan base and committed leadership. I’m joining an organization that has a strong foundation and a bright future. I couldn’t be more excited and I’m ready to hit the ground running.”

Olshey, 47, began his nine-year NBA career with the Clippers as Director of Player Development prior to the start of the 2003-04 season, and served as an assistant coach during the 2004-05 campaign before holding the title of Director of Player Personnel from 2005-08. Olshey was promoted to the role of Assistant General Manager prior to the start of the 2008-09.

Prior to joining the Clippers, Olshey was the Director of Player Development for SFX Sports Group, Inc. where he created, organized and conducted predraft and offseason training camps for future and current NBA players. The camps produced 15 lottery picks, 25 first round selections and 57 NBA players. Participants in Olshey’s offseason skill development clinics include more than 85 current NBA players including numerous All Stars and All-NBA selections. He has also served as a Head Coach/Clinician at the Reebok ABCD Camp, the Roundball Classic and numerous NCAA basketball camps throughout the country.

Clippers and Neil Olshey agree to part ways

The Los Angeles Clippers and Neil Olshey today mutually agreed to end discussions concerning Olshey’s future with the team. An agreement in principle, reached and announced on June 1, will not be completed and the two parties have agreed to part ways.

Olshey is going to take a job with the Portland Trail Blazers. It will be announced today.

“Circumstances have obviously undergone some movement since our announcement Friday. In light of that, we want to wish Neil well and acknowledge his contributions during the time he spent with the Clippers,” said Clippers’ President Andy Roeser.

A search for a replacement is already underway, headed up by Roeser. In the interim, all responsibilities pertaining to the team’s basketball operations will be absorbed by Roeser, Head Coach Vinny Del Negro, and Clippers’ Director of Player Personnel Gary Sacks.

Roeser, one of the longest-tenured executives in the National Basketball Association, recently completed his 28th season with the Clippers.

Prior to being named Head Coach of the Chicago Bulls in 2008, Del Negro served as Assistant General Manager of the Phoenix Suns during the 2007-08 season and Director of Player Personnel for the Suns for the 2006-07 campaign.

Sacks, who just completed his 18th season with the Clippers, has served as Director of Player Personnel for the past two years. Sacks held the position of Director of Scouting/Assistant Director of Player Personnel for the previous five seasons.

Original Trail Blazer LeRoy Ellis passes away

Former Portland Trail Blazers center/forward LeRoy Ellis passed away Sunday in Portland at the age of 72 after a long battle with cancer.

“LeRoy Ellis was a very important member of the first Trail Blazers team and was a very high-class individual,” said Trail Blazers Founder and President Emeritus Harry Glickman. “We extend our deepest sympathy to his family.”

A member of Portland’s inaugural basketball team, Ellis was selected by the Trail Blazers in the 1970 NBA Expansion Draft. Ellis led Portland with 12.3 rebounds per game and ranked third on the team with a 15.9 scoring average in 1970-71, his only season with the Trail Blazers.

Ellis is one of four Trail Blazers to record three 20-point, 20-rebound games in the same season (M. Lucas, B. Walton, S. Wicks). His 26 rebounds vs. Buffalo on Oct. 27, 1970, in the seventh game in team history, are still tied for the most by a Trail Blazer in a regulation game.

Ellis appeared in 1,048 NBA games over 14 seasons with the L.A. Lakers, Baltimore, Portland and Philadelphia. He posted career averages of 9.7 points and 8.3 rebounds, and was a member of the 1972 NBA Champion L.A. Lakers.

A New York native, Ellis played his collegiate basketball at St. John’s University. He was selected by the Lakers with the sixth overall pick in the 1962 NBA Draft.

Ellis and his family settled in Portland during his NBA career and continued to live in the area after he retired from the NBA.

LaMarcus Aldridge recovering from scary virus

LaMarcus Aldridge wrote the following:

“On Saturday I came down with a blood virus. I quickly became sick and had to be rushed to the hospital. I thought it was a case of bad food or a bad cold, but I was wrong. It turned out to be a very serious virus that if not treated quickly could actually be deadly! One thing I know for sure is that I’ve never felt worse in my life and there were times I wasn’t really sure where I was going. Thankfully I had a lot of family support and great medical care that helped me fight through it and now I’ve turned the corner and I’m feeling much better. I know it was God ultimately that decided my fate and looked out for me to make sure I got healed.”

— Written by LaMarcus Aldridge on the TrailBlazers.com Blog

Nate McMillan discusses Trail Blazers` decision to draft Greg Oden

McMillan doesn’t second-guess the [Portland Trail Blazers’] choice of drafting Oden over Durant with the first pick in the 2007 draft.

“We felt at that time we needed a big guy,” McMillan says. “That’s one of those unfortunate situations. Greg had some major injuries.

“No question in my mind, if he had stayed healthy, he would have been able to have a huge impact for us on the court. What Durant has done speaks for itself, but there were two No. 1 picks in that draft.”

The rash of injuries with the Blazers was nothing more than bum luck, says McMillan, who was on the injured list himself with a torn Achilles’ tendon at one point.

“I don’t blame any of it on the medical staff,” he says. “They had absolutely nothing to do with it. Neither did my coaching or how we were training (the players).

“It was just a series of unfortunate situations. Like with Greg, where we didn’t have an opportunity to oversee this last year because of the lockout. He had a setback, but that wasn’t on our medical staff. It wasn’t Jay (Jensen, the trainer) or our strength and conditioning guys.”

— Reported by Steve Brandon of the Portland Tribune

Trail Blazers and Idaho Stampede enter single-affiliation partnership

The Portland Trail Blazers, the Idaho Stampede, and the NBA Development League announced today that the Trail Blazers and Stampede have entered into a single affiliation partnership beginning with the 2012-13 season. Portland will be Idaho’s sole NBA affiliate and will have full control over the team’s basketball operations.

This partnership, also referred to as the “hybrid affiliation,” allows for NBA teams to secure control of, and cover the expenses related to, the basketball operations of an NBA D-League team while partnering with existing local ownership, which maintains responsibility for the team’s off-the-court business operations.

The Trail Blazers are the fourth NBA team to enter into a hybrid affiliation with an NBA D-League team, joining the Houston Rockets with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Brooklyn Nets with the Springfield Armor, and the New York Knicks with the Erie BayHawks.

Six other NBA teams are singly affiliated with their NBA D-League affiliates. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs fully own and operate the Canton Charge, Dakota Wizards, L.A. D-Fenders, Tulsa 66ers and Austin Toros, respectively, while the Dallas Mavericks and Texas Legends are one-to-one affiliates.

“In establishing this exciting relationship with the Idaho Stampede, the Trail Blazers become the record 10th NBA team to acquire an exclusive ‘one-to-one’ relationship with its NBA Development League affiliate next season,” said NBA D-League President Dan Reed. “Having one-third of NBA teams invested in their NBA D-League affiliates is a strong testament to our league’s ability to help NBA teams find and develop top talent.”

The Stampede and Trail Blazers have been affiliated since the 2007-08 season, sharing the affiliation with the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz during the 2011-12 season. New affiliates for the Jazz and Nuggets will be announced at a later date.

“This investment in the development of our young players will pay dividends on the court and we’re excited about working with the Stampede,” said Trail Blazers President Larry Miller. ”The hybrid partnership is closer in structure to minor league baseball with a parent club and affiliate relationship, so we feel this is an arrangement that will help us utilize the NBA D-League system more effectively.”

Portland’s partnership with Idaho follows the NBA D-League’s 11th and most successful season, where records were set with 60 GATORADE Call-Ups and 67 assignments, while 27 percent of players on 2011-12 NBA end-of-season rosters spent time in the NBA D-League. For the third consecutive year, the NBA D-League saw more than one million fans attend games across its 16 cities.

“The partnership with Portland is another large step toward the Idaho Stampede becoming more involved with the NBA and one of its premier teams in the Trail Blazers,” said Stampede Managing Investor Bill Ilett. “It will add to the experience on and off the court for our community and basketball fans throughout the Treasure Valley.”

Charlotte Bobcats to interview Nate McMillan

Probably the most prominent name attached to the Charlotte Bobcats’ coaching search – former N.C. State star Nate McMillan – will be in Charlotte tonight and Tuesday to interview with Bobcats management, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to the Observer.

The Bobcats were also set to interview assistant coach Stephen Silas Monday. Silas served as lead assistant to his father, Paul, whose contract was not renewed last month.

McMillan was fired in March as coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, following a 42-point road loss to the New York Knicks. He was 266-269 as coach in Portland and preceded that with a 212-183 record as coach of the then-Seattle Supersonics.

Despite the end, McMillan had strong seasons in Portland, winning 54 games in the 2008-09 season and 50 in the 2009-10 season. He told the Observer last month that he had interest in the Bobcats situation.

— Reported by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Blog)

Greg Oden recently underwent a controversial knee procedure

In an effort to revive his NBA career, Greg Oden recently underwent the controversial knee procedure that superstars Kobe Bryant and New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez say helped prolong their careers, according to sources.

Oden, whose career with the Portland Trail Blazers was derailed by four knee surgeries, had the noninvasive procedure done in New York two weeks ago to accelerate the healing process on his left knee, which was operated on in February.

“Greg had long planned to have this procedure done,” one of the sources said. “He thought he’d wait until his knee was completely healed, but the doctor said Greg would get the greatest benefit by doing it now because it would help his recovery.”

Bryant underwent the procedure, known as Orthokine, in Germany last offseason to relieve pain in his right knee and left ankle and returned to have a historically productive year in this, his 16th NBA season. Under Bryant’s advice, Yankees superstar Rodriguez flew to Dusseldorf to have the procedure done in December. Gilbert Arenas also had the procedure done.

— Reported by Chris Broussard of ESPN the Magazine

Trail Blazers seek 2 or 3 more GM candidates

The Trail Blazers’ search for a general manager will likely include “two or three” more candidates, who will join Jeff Bower and David Morway as finalists, president Larry Miller said.

Bower, the former New Orleans general manager, and Morway, the general manager of the Pacers, are the only candidates who have interviewed with owner Paul Allen.

“We are still looking to get a least a few more people in front of Paul … at least two or three,” Miller said. “We are still going through the process of determining who those folks are.”

Miller, who is heading the search with Blazers’ head of the board of directors, Bert Kolde, alluded to pursuing candidates who are currently employed by NBA teams.

— Reported by Jason Quick of the Oregonian

Greg Oden might want to join Miami Heat

Greg Oden, 7-0, hasn’t played since 2009-10 and is recovering from his fifth knee surgery in five seasons. A Grantland.com story said that “right now” Oden’s plan is to take next season off to rehab, then come back in 2013-14. But his agent, Mike Conley Sr., told us Oden is positioned be ready to play in December or January “as far as being effective and in shape” and will explore options in the coming months, with the possibility of joining a team next season. But nobody obviously can know for sure when he will be ready.

The Heat hasn’t called but “Greg has talked about Miami,” Conley said. “He has interest. He’s not retiring.” Oden, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, has played just 82 career games for Portland (which released him in March) and averaged 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.

Whether the Heat takes a flyer on Oden or not – and Miami has nothing to lose, really, if or when they ever deem him healthy – the bigger question is this: With limited financial resources, can Pat Riley significantly upgrade at center during the Big Three era?

— Via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald