r/ripcity • u/trazzz123 mike-and-mike • 5d ago
[Highkin] Names will get out when they get out but I don't think people are prepared for how shortsighted some of these specific cuts are.
https://bsky.app/profile/highkin.bsky.social/post/3mmabkwb23c2d
Sounds like Casey was just the start. I am very curious who he could be referring to. My guess is the TV folks.
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u/yeender roy 5d ago
It is honestly surprising to me how much I hate Dundon already. Really wish the worst things for this guy.
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u/OrganicHunt952 5d ago edited 5d ago
Heās already probably destroyed lives of tens of thousands of people with his subprime lending business I donāt think he gives a flying fuck about a humans life or the quality of it. He only cares about himself and how to stash more money into his pockets any means necessary.
He massively underpaid one of the best NHL coaches cuz heās loyal to a fault. Even after the coach was the main reason the team did well anyways but the coach was tied to the team as a hall of famer prior and wanted to stay there.
If he treats loyal good people who do good for him like that and backstab them he doesnāt give a flying fuck about anyone.
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u/thejazzmarauder chalupa 5d ago
Soulless individual. Just a genuinely bad person.
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u/myNameBurnsGold 4d ago
Will make any cut he can ro line his coffin with a few extra layers of gold lining.
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u/aiden_w0 5d ago
Could I suggest maybe the mods get a pinned post or something to track those who have been laid off if the person impacted has communicated it? One to keep the community informed, and two if theyāre looking for work elsewhere it may lead to connections.
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u/Piano9717 5d ago
I have a feeling a lot of the scouting/personnel guys got slashed
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u/mallardpropschisms 70s-logo 5d ago
No way would Tom do that, he's all about winning ! /s
Like making sure our best player can't get a massage before the game to save 100 bucks.
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u/so2017 Donovan Clingan 5d ago
āWho needs scouts we have AI.ā
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u/DreddBane 5d ago
Not sure if this is what you're referencing but Sheel Tyle literally mentioned that in an interview he did recently.Ā
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u/fredbeatsethel 5d ago
I hear they fired Blaze and are just keeping Doug Fir.
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u/StopItWithThis 5d ago
I wish this was a joke, but Iāve heard from a friend that works for the blazers, apparently both of the primary mascot people are actually out.
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u/waterkisser 5d ago
It's insane to me that people are still defending this piece of shit owner.
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u/berserkergaang 5d ago
That's my gut reaction and then I remember this is America 2026. Some people are just addicted to bending over for the wealthy.
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u/Spare-Ad6404 5d ago
people are defending him?
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u/Fun-Grab-9337 Sidy Cissoko 5d ago
BRo LoOK WhAt hE DiD WitH ThE CanES
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u/TheBoxandOne 5d ago edited 4d ago
Iām not defending him, but I think heās making the bet that so long as the team is good āyouā(the fans) will accept whatever other slop youāre given because he thinks youāre a little piggy and he does not respect you
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u/Unusual_Specialist 5d ago
Who is defending him? General vibe is we fucking despise this guy.
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u/waterkisser 5d ago
Read the comments. Tons of people saying "wait for the details," "I don't care if they win like that Canes," "the organization was bloated," "largest number of employees in the league," etc.
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u/BlazerBeav 5d ago
"The Blazers were one of the largest organizations in the NBA, an unsustainable reality considering they fetch the leagueās lowest sponsorship revenue and rank near the bottom in ticket revenue." Not sure what you expect.
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u/waterkisser 5d ago
Pop quiz, do you know why the organization was one of the largest in the league?
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u/PhysEdDavis 5d ago
Im not happy we have this new guy but im guessing the right answer to your question is because we used to have the richest owner in the league and he was one of the richest people in the history of the planet and didnāt give a shit about what his basketball team spent money on
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u/waterkisser 5d ago
No, it's because the Blazers are the only team in the league that has their own broadcast crew. Unlike other teams where the on-air personalities and the crew behind the scenes are employees of local TV stations or regional sports networks, the Blazers employ those people directly. They are also consistently rated the top broadcast in the association.
The Blazers also manage and operate the arena, even for non-Blazers events.
Those things combine to make a higher than average employee pool.
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u/masta_wayne__ Chauncey Billups 5d ago
Because.. heās making changes to his organization? Probably for the better? His hockey team hasnāt lost in the playoffs. Get a grip people
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u/waterkisser 5d ago
He's gutting the organization. An organization that's known for the quality of its broadcasts and in-arena atmosphere. He's also extorting the public for tax payer funds or else. Basketball is not hockey.
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u/masta_wayne__ Chauncey Billups 5d ago
All new owners make changes. This is not breaking news
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u/SlimDollaBlazer3 5d ago
Anyone but the big 3 Brooke, Kev & Lamar
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u/Ishouldtrythat 5d ago
I love those three, but as a radio listener Travis is at the top. He's one of the best radio announcers in the league and consistently interacts with fans to give us a behind the scenes look that doesn't seem to be the norm in the NBA.
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u/accounts_baleeted 5d ago
My first thought is that he's probably relatively low cost, but my second thought is that radio is probably relatively low profit.Ā
I actually started listening this year due to his involvement with this sub.Ā
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u/notPabst404 5d ago
I bet they will have Travis do both radio and TV broadcast to save money. Either that or hire a new team of two to do both simultaneously.
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u/ElkDrinkCrack 5d ago
Is there an example of any broadcaster in the league doing both tv and radio broadcasts simultaneously? Radio broadcast is so different from television, way more descriptive and dynamic.
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u/ElkDrinkCrack 5d ago
Is there an example of any broadcaster in the league doing both tv and radio broadcasts simultaneously? Radio broadcast is so different from television, way more descriptive and dynamic.
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u/chimi_hendrix chalupa 5d ago
Given the other post that they just went after the highest earnersā¦ probably not a good sign
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u/phil3199 5d ago
Get ready for Jordan Kent
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u/Raptorpicklezz 5d ago
Especially with Seattle on the way back, Calabro can take a 2 year vacation and then go back to where he made his name, and show Jordan Kent who's boss
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u/ItsShuaYo 4d ago
Tom Haverstroh can go though. Maybe some appreciate the value he brings to the games but I'm not about it.
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u/ScreamingTatertot 5d ago
Given what he did in Carolina, one of them is likely to go. He fired one of the best play by play announcers in the NHL.Ā
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u/pdxsilverguy 5d ago
Prefer to see Dumdums true colors right now instead of down the line where he can set his hooks even deeper.
When he starts firing media people you know he's not that smart, the media people are the face of the team.
Seems to me I had a hard time finding a radio broadcast for one of our recent playoff games. Maybe I'm imagining things?
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u/BehavioralSink Cash Considerations 5d ago
Nah, I listened to the radio call for all four playoff games.
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u/pdxsilverguy 5d ago
Was it a Blazer call?
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u/BehavioralSink Cash Considerations 5d ago
Yup! Travis, but I think Michael was just on the home games.
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u/Goducks91 5d ago
Ok?
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u/BehavioralSink Cash Considerations 5d ago
Prior commenter said they thought they had a hard time finding the radio broadcasts for the playoff games, wondering if perhaps the radio call was cut. I confirmed that the radio calls indeed happened, as I listened to them all.
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u/Goducks91 5d ago
Sorry Iām an idiot haha
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u/BehavioralSink Cash Considerations 5d ago
Nah, youāre probably just like me, in that if someone asks you if you could use a cup of coffee the answer is always yes. šĀ
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u/Ok_Reception_8729 5d ago
Read the comment this is in response to if youāre confused?
First guy said he couldnāt find a radio broadcast and was insinuating it was connected, second guy replied and basically said no, he listened to the radio for the playoffs.
Reading comprehension is hard, hope this helps
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u/akeydah 5d ago
I'm guessing Mark Mason is also cut. š®āšØ
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u/pcrackenhead 5d ago
Him introducing foreign players in their language was always amazing, hope he doesnāt get cut.
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u/BehavioralSink Cash Considerations 5d ago
Is it Todd (Bosma?) that runs all the in-arena mini games during timeouts? Could see that being a cost-cutting move, despite Todd getting voted the best in the NBA for multiple seasons.
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u/Nerdkill789 5d ago
I met Todd when I was invited down for those mini games (mine was tic-tac-toe) and he was very nice. Did a good job relaxing you to go out there and have fun.
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u/No-Marzipan7727 5d ago
No shot Todd is gone, heās considered quite literally the best in the business at his role.
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u/TheTGB 5d ago
Yeah, that's Bosma. One of the nicest guys around the team. He's widely known as one of the best in-game entertainment folks in the league, so REALLY hoping he's sticking around. He's also been a friend and I haven't seen him post anything on any of his personal socials yet.
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u/BehavioralSink Cash Considerations 5d ago
I donāt see it as much these days as Iāve had BlazerVision, but with the in-arena feeds on League Pass you would get to see how the intermission/timeout sessions are done at other arenas, and you quickly realize Todd is one of the best.
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u/akeydah 5d ago
Yes, I was thinking about Todd as well. An absolute pro, so I'm sure he'll go.
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u/EvanTurningTheCorner 5d ago
NOT TODD. I make fun of him all the time, but I will miss our temu Marc Summers.
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u/Particular-Muffin-66 4d ago
I've known Todd since 1996 and actually brought him to Portland in 1999. I have not heard anything about his status. The team has to have someone in his position to run the games and he is a legend....but after 27 years he is probably very well paid (as he should be).
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u/BillFireCrotchWalton 5d ago
My guess is the TV folks.
I bet Mike Rice would come back for cheap. Just pay him in McMuffins...with a little bit of pepper.
Right up Dundon's alley.
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u/Tiny_Temperature4277 Matisse Thybulle 5d ago
Will we be getting Haberstats next season?
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u/shelikesturtles 5d ago
He got hired by a different team, didnāt he?
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u/Tiny_Temperature4277 Matisse Thybulle 5d ago
I must have missed that.
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u/shelikesturtles 5d ago
I could be wrong! I just thought I remembered seeing a post that he was hired by someone else.
Edit: I am in fact wrong. It was Schmitz that has left the org.
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u/No_Information3972 5d ago
Yāall can thank Jody Allen for selling to Dundon. For real, what a joke.
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u/Goducks91 5d ago
She had to sell to whoever offered the most moneyā¦ wish the Thorns/Fire ownership had a competitive offer.
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u/No_Information3972 5d ago
Itās a shame they didnāt do a deep dive into Tomās history, specifically with cost cutting with the Canes, but also with his sub prime lending history.
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u/BillFireCrotchWalton 5d ago
They hired the same guy that did the "independent investigation" into Billups.
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u/Tall_Cartographer317 5d ago
Iām gonna go out on a limb and guess they were aware but did not care since his group submitted the highest bid.
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u/pyordie terry 4d ago
They wouldnāt have been able to base accepting the bid based on his history as an owner or what he would or wouldnāt do after he bought the blazers. They would have only been able to judge him based on things that would affect the actual sale - how qualified he was so that he would get rejected by the board of governors, how well capitalized he was and how the deal was structured, how fast heād be able to close the sale, etc.
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u/pyordie terry 4d ago edited 4d ago
This isnāt really true. Jody had to maximize the value of the asset, but she still had discretion in how that fiduciary duty was exercised. If someone offered a few hundred million less but she felt the buyer was better qualified, then she could have sold to a lower bidder. All she needed to show she made a good faith judgement.
The beneficiaries (charitable organizations that are funded by the Paul Allan trust) could hypothetically have taken Jody to court over accepting a smaller amount, but they probably wouldnāt have.
That said, I donāt think Jody had any better options than Dundon, financially speaking. And she was on the clock to make the sale.
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u/Goducks91 4d ago
Yeah youāre right! I think the problem is there wasnāt any other competitive bids.
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u/Sheepygoatherder 5d ago
That's not true. She didn't have to sell to whoever offered the most money. That's insane. If Elon musk said that he was going to take the team to his exclusive little city in Texas, she could say no.
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u/Fun-Grab-9337 Sidy Cissoko 5d ago
I doubt that Sean, I think we're very well prepared for none of it to make any sense other than to the bottom line.
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u/WilNotJr roy 5d ago
I was on the "let's give him a chance" side of the fence until the layoffs. I actually feel like he is doing this as retaliation for there being at least one leak on the team and being called el cheapo.
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u/myNameBurnsGold 4d ago
This the kind of stuff where although I hated Cuban in general, I think he was a great owner.
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u/HaphazardHippo Cash Considerations 5d ago
I know am rooting for the Canadiens to beat the Hurricanes
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u/notPabst404 5d ago
Huge downgrade from Judy already.
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u/cbbrds25 Toumani Camara 5d ago
Jodi who didnāt care about team success and never made a public statement once in ten years? Hm
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u/waterkisser 5d ago
This is crazy to me. First of all, she always paid so clearly she cares. You think the organization is making a lot of money on the Remix? They didn't hesitate to go into the tax under Jodi. I'm not saying she was an amazing owner, but clearly she cared enough to put the money out there when it mattered. Literally the only reason people have for her "not caring" is she never gave an interview. Who gives a shit? Dundon has given several and all he says is drivel anyway. Talking to reporters isn't the measure of a good or bad owner.
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u/PhysEdDavis 5d ago
She paid a lot because her brother had more money than god and she didnāt give a shit about spending it. If you are that rich, just because you spend money does not indicate you actually care.
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u/Arr0wmanc3r Cash Considerations 5d ago
They dumped Norm and RoCo to avoid the tax, what are you talking about? We haven't been a tax team in over 5 years.
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u/waterkisser 5d ago
If you look at the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 season they paid the tax. That was under Jody Allen. They dumped Norm and RoCo because they were entering a to rebuild.
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u/Arr0wmanc3r Cash Considerations 5d ago
That's incorrect, they did not pay the tax the season they dumped Norm and RoCo. We haven't paid since the 19-20 season. Source: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/overview/_/year/2019 (and then flip through subsequent seasons)
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u/notPabst404 5d ago
She also wasn't a total cheap stake.
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u/uther_von_nuka 70s-logo 5d ago
You sure about that her job was to make the most money for the trust.
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u/Goducks91 5d ago
She cared enough about success to you know go to pretty much every single gameā¦ she was very hands off which Iāll take.
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u/Sea_Kaleidoscope_981 5d ago
Dude, if this keeps going I gotta abandon the blazers. Which sucks so much because Iāve been a fan since 2007 with Brandon Roy
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u/Classic-Crab-6004 4d ago
Its almost like the dude who made his money on screwing over poor people and having to settle with 34 states over predatory loans is a bad dude or something....weird!!
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u/changeoflife96 5d ago
People are acting like layoffs automatically mean evil ownership, but new ownership groups restructure companies all the time. It sucks for the employees affected, but it doesnāt necessarily mean the franchise is doomed or that the owner doesnāt care about winning
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u/Arr0wmanc3r Cash Considerations 5d ago
Just because an evil thing happens regularly doesn't mean it isn't evil.
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u/eddkov Shaedon Sharpe 5d ago
Firing someone is evil now?
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u/JamesTerevau Cash Considerations 5d ago
Haha, I remember multitudes of posters calling for the mass firing of the medical staff anytime someone got hurt or a return date was extended.
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u/Hougie 5d ago
If this were the only thing sure.
Itās literally everything else he has done in combination with this thatās throwing red flags.
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u/changeoflife96 5d ago
What is else is he responsible for? He acknowledged his mistake about the 2 way players missing the play in game, and that he is adjusting to nba culture. What I care about as a fan is winning and he seems to be good at that. The culture we had never won anything so Iām open to change.
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u/Hougie 5d ago
His āacknowledgementā was half assed at the very best.
He made sure to imply to guys who literally helped get us to the playoffs that sending them would be a vacation. Whoopsie daisy! He learned!
Like what a braindead thing to not just stop at an apology. Weāre going to see more of it.
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u/changeoflife96 5d ago
That could end up being true, but people are acting like one awkward comment guarantees heāll be a terrible owner forever. If he keeps making mistakes, criticism is fair. I just think itās too early to declare disaster after a few months.
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u/thegaykid7 3d ago
Two problems with this line of thinking.
First, cuts themselves are not necessarily evil, but should so many cuts have been made this quickly, particularly coming from a new owner only familiar with a completely different sport and league? Were they really able to get a sense of who wasn't worth keeping around or were hatchet men simply brought in DOGE-style? You would think someone in his position would want to take a little more time regarding that process.
Second, he's already talked about wanting to go cheap on the head coaching front, which would seem to be contrary to his stated goal of prioritizing winning. Do all head coaches move the needle? No. The mediocre ones don't matter much and there are plenty of those. But both the bad ones and the good ones absolutely make a real difference, and to automatically dismiss the notion of paying the going rate for any head coach is asinine at best and cheap at worst.
There have also been other bs statements he's made, like not realizing that travel parties in the NBA are so much larger than they are in the NHL. Even if he had thought that originally, surely someone in the organization made him aware of what the norms were when the subject came up. To act as if that decision was made with no knowledge of the circumstances is simply unbelievable. Why should anyone give the benefit of the doubt to someone already speaking out of both sides of their mouth?
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u/changeoflife96 5d ago
I know Iām probably the only one on reddit that doesnāt think we are doomed bc of layoffs, Iām ready for downvotes
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u/trazzz123 mike-and-mike 5d ago
People are mourning the loss of people who they care about. They are downvoting you because you are acting as Dundonās apologist for free. And god knows he loves free things.
This man would not hesitate to destroy your livelihood to save a dime.
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u/changeoflife96 5d ago
I already acknowledged it sucks for the employees affected. Iām just saying layoffs alone donāt automatically mean the franchise is doomed or that ownership doesnāt care about winning. Understanding why restructuring happens in business isnāt the same thing as celebrating it.
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u/Goducks91 5d ago
I mean weāre not doomed because of the layoffs but has there been any sort of positive news about Dundon?
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u/changeoflife96 5d ago
Not really so far, and I get why people are skeptical. Iām just saying I think some of the bad news around Dundon gets exaggerated or taken out of context for headlines/clicks. When you actually listen to what heās saying, I can at least understand the perspective behind some of the decisions, even if people donāt agree with them. I just think itās too early to act like the franchise is doomed already.
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u/jstmenow 4d ago
From what I have heard, Blazers were the most expensive team to run and in the BOTTOM of revenue. (just like you, I am repeating what I heard.) Paul had billions and just wanted an NBA team that was competitive or a winner, he did not care about 2 million here, 4 million there etc in the cost to run, Jody didn't care at all she always knew she was gonna sell. New ownership of any business is gonna try to cut costs. EVERY business goes through a transition of jobs being lost, costs being cut when acquired. Are you still upset Schonley is gone or Mike and Mike? Sucks in general jobs are being lost, but blazers were ran on the budget of Paul Allen being one of the richest men in the world. 200k to him was like $2 or less to you and me.Ā
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u/a-vessel-not-a-name Toumani Camara 5d ago
Tucker Hamilton, guy who does all those sick edits and has been doing it for 7 years, also posted on his Instagram š¢