Rich Cho’s firing is indefensible, inexplicable, and disastrous for Blazers

In some instances, the problem is not who is hired, it is who is hiring. This is certainly the case when it comes to the Portland Trail Blazers and owner Paul Allen, who fired Kevin Pritchard on draft day last June and just abruptly and shockingly axed Rich Cho. When Cho, previously an assistant GM with the Oklahoma City Thunder, was hired last offseason as General Mananger Allen said he was the right man for the job and a person who could turn the franchise into a NBA Finals contender. Now, he won’t even get a chance to orchestrate his first draft.

In his first year, he did everything right for Portland, from signing Wesley Matthews to a five-year deal to trading for Gerald Wallace. There isn’t a blemish on his list of transactions. This is all Allen and has little to do with Cho. That’s what makes it so despicable.

When Pritchard was fired by the Portland Trail Blazers on Draft Day last June, the move and the timing of the decision was panned throughout the NBA. It is hard not to keep the opinion about Allen and Miller after their second tacky decision. They are losing whatever outside support they still had, and the respect they command throughout the league deserves to dwindle to next to nothing.

As Sports Illustrated’s Ian Thomsen writes, “According to a reliable league source, Allen said he made the decision because he failed to establish a personal connection with Cho.” What a pathetic reason for firing someone.

Miller made it clear that the move wasn’t because of philosophical differences or Cho’s performance as General Manager. Those are the only two plausible reasons for dismissal, and neither are the case? Strange.

If the firing had something to do with the differences in opinion regarding the situations surrounding Brandon Roy and Greg Oden, a move could potentially be understood. Miller said neither factored into Cho’s firing.

Thomsen adds that Cho had no warning he was about to be fired, and Miller added in a press conference that Cho was “shocked” by his dismissal. That’s smart. Make a General Manager think he’s safe, then break the news and explain how “tough” a decision it was. To make matters worse, the way in which he was told of the firing was in such an off-hand way, as Allen is currently out of the country. What kind of bush-league show are these two running?

Both Allen and Miller are out of their minds. They are clearly terrible at running a team, and it is incredibly sad for the players and their fans that these goons run the controls.

When Cho was hired ten months ago he said, “I want the Blazers to be the model franchise that other teams look to.” Their team is, but the franchise is far from what he expected, falling on the shoulders of the suits upstairs.

“We’re going to make sure we take our time and do it right this time,” Miller said. Odds are they won’t.

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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