August 9th, 2006

Steve: Hey Mike!

Mike: Hey Steve how are you?

Steve: Good how are you doing?

Mike: Ah not bad, not bad!

Mike: Well I got a few, I got a few, I’m going to fire if you don’t mind?

Steve: Go ahead, sure.

Mike: Lets see, the announcement last week about Paul not selling the team, what was your reaction to that?

Steve: Ah…

Mike: I mean I assume you consider it a good thing?

Steve: I think….quite frankly…. I think the town, the city of Portland has been very fortunate to have somebody like Paul Allen, uh, to have Paul Allen as the owner of this franchise for so many years and….umm, he’s the kind of owner that most every town should wish, should be so lucky to have.

Mike: So as an organization was there like an exhale of relief, would that be accurate? Or is this still an ongoing process and you guys are still waiting it out?

Steve: I think really the key for everybody here is to stay focused, ah for the job at hand. Whether it’s working on the player personnel side or coaching, or selling tickets, or sponsorships, you know I think everybody’s showing great determination, and we’ve had a lot of successes this summer and we’re going to have more in the future.

Mike: Well certainly that’s an issue that’s been hanging over the team, um and I’m curious if you know, at least individually you know if you wouldn’t have some sort of reaction with the news coming out of Seattle?

Steve: Well I think…I think I’ve said it. The city of Portland has been very fortunate to have a man of Paul’s passion and commitment as the owner of this franchise for so many years. I’ve said it before publicly, he made it possible for Portland to compete with the New Yorks and the Los Angeleses and Bostons of the world and you know, I love working for him and I’m glad he’s you know…the owner.

Mike: Okay, I know you mentioned on draft day how amazed you were at his attitude in the war room. Do you get the sense at all that that experience has any sway in his thinking of ownership?

Steve: I saw it as another expression of Paul’s tremendous commitment to the franchise. You know, when any of us thought about wavering on anything he showed his true commitment, and a it’s again why I say the city has been so fortunate to have him as an owner all these years, and it’s the same kind of commitment he’s had for nearly two decades.

Mike: Let me switch to the topic of general manager, umm, what is the situation, what is the situation on hiring someone permanently there?

Steve: I think, you know, right now, we don’t have any news to report, and when we do we’ll get in touch with you as soon as we have something to report.

Mike: I’m curious in the sense maybe that you guys haven’t had the green light from either the owner or the Vulcan organization to hire a permanent general manager, would that be accurate?

Steve: No, I think it’s a process that we’ll that a we’ll work through at the appropriate time, and when we have something to report, we’ll report it, and in the mean time, I don’t think there has been a shortage of…uh…any deals getting done. The work is certainly progressing and that’s and that’s the key thing.

Mike: I think that’s the one thing that a lot of us find interesting, you know the position, your staffing it, and the interim, and I guess Kevin’s doing much of the work also, um, why not just have yourself, or Kevin assume that position permanently?

Steve: I think as I said, when we when we get through the process, and have something to announce we’ll do that.

Mike: Will you have someone in place by the opening of camp, or maybe by the opening of the season?

Steve: I’m not going to speculate, when we get some news to report, we’ll give you a buzz. Like I said Mike, I don’t think there has been any shortage of getting the work done this summer.

Mike: Um, a, have you conducted formal interviews?

Steve: I’m going to answer the question the same way, Mike. You keep asking me the same question; I’m going to keep giving you the same answer.

Mike: Okay, okay, ah, let me ask you, who is in charge of conducting the search?

Steve: Mike, when we get some news to report, I promise we’ll give you a buzz.

Mike: Ok, so in essence, your saying there is no news to report.

Steve: When I’ve got some news to report Mike, I’m sure we’ll give you a buzz.

Mike: Ok, fair enough.

Mike: I was going to ask you, there was a story on the wire, I don’t know if you saw it or not, about Brian Skinner being introduced in Milwaukee, he had some comments, uh, I was wondering if you had seen them and if you had any response to them?

Steve: No, I don’t respond to the guys after they have left the club, it doesn’t serve any purpose.

Mike: Ok, um, ah, he talked a little bit about, he had some criticism about players not going out and trying to win, or losing their initiatives. Do you have a sense that was an issue for you guys last year?

Steve: Look, I’m not worrying about last year, or what Brian may have said, you know we like Brian, we were glad to have him here, he did a good job while he was here, we wish him the best in Milwaukee. I’m very encouraged about the work that our guys have been doing this summer. They have been in the practice facility, and I think there is very much a changed culture out there. Ah, Zach has been in here, he’s looking in great shape. He has been working out with Bobby Medina, and also with Bill Bayno as has, you know, Martell, the rookies, Juan Dixon, go right down the line, Joel, all of them. So, we’re having a good off-season, we’re selling well and so we just want to continue on that track.

Mike: So I want to say specifically that you guys have, um, in a sense even if those criticisms were true or not, your sense is that things have gotten quite a bit, would better be the word?

Steve: I think the whole organization is excited about the changes that we have made, and the guys that are joining the roster, um, whether they came to us via trade or via the draft, um, I think there is a palpable buzz within the community and within the organization and a I expect we’ll capitalize on that this year.

Mike: Ok, umm, Kevin mentioned before, after the Magloire trade, that you guys might not be done trading, um, are you still actively looking at the deals, at other trades?

Steve: Well I think uh, there’s nothing on the burner right now but look, we won twenty-one ball games last year…

Mike: Uh huh

Steve: Part of a, my job, all of the organization’s job, is to see what we can do everyday to try to improve this franchise, and I’m never gonna be satisfied until, you know we win a championship, and the building is sold out every night.

Mike: Right. You have um, by my count, have 13 guys under contract right now.

Steve: Uh yah that’s right

Mike: Will you umm, a what steps do you take, I believe you mentioned you prefer to carry 14 people instead of 15.

Steve: Well I think I’ve always said I prefer to have flexibility, whether that’s 13 or 14, uh, we’ll see as we go forwarded but yah I would rather be in a position where we are not maxed out because of the ability to bring guys up from the NBDL or CBA, or back from Europe, um, the flexibility it gives you on your roster if you’re gonna try and make a mid-season moves, umm, there’s always, there’s always somebody out there that’s not on a roster at the beginning of the year that can blossom, ah whether it’s a Marquis Daniels, or an Avery Johnson over the years, or a…

Mike: Uh huh

Steve: You know there’s somebody every year, and we wanna continue to look and find those kind of guys.

Mike: Might you go into training camp with thirteen just to just to flexibility and then bring in some free agent types?

Steve: That’s a possibility, you know yah I’m not gonna be wedded to where we are right now to where we’re we’ll be a couple months from now.

Mike:A, uh huh

Steve: I think flexibility right now is a good thing.

Mike: Ok, I believe I know your response to this, but I wanted to ask you about this rumor about Darius and New York. U mm, several times now they, the papers in New York have mentioned that the Knicks are looking at trying to acquire Darius from you? Could I get you to comment on that at all?

Steve: I, you know we don’t comment on conversations with other clubs, but I think I was clear earlier that we don’t have anything on the front burner you know, right now, or particularly on the back burner right now.

Mike: Ok, um a couple weeks ago when Nate was in town, we were talking about Darius, and he, you know he said he never really talked to him about his comments of at the end of last season about not wanting to be here, aah is there concern on your part about a player being here who has said, not only to the coach, but the then general manager that he does not want to back on the team.

Steve: Well we always wanna have guys on the roster that wanna be here. That’s part of the reason we drafted Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, um that’s part of the reason we brought Dan Dickau back, umm, Darius is under contract, and uh, and as long as he’s part of the team he’s part of the team.

Mike: Yah, I mean contractually he’s a part of the team, but, but, you know um it seems to some that maybe mentally he’s checked out as being a member of the Blazers at the end of the year.

Steve: I think the key really is to focus on the guys that want to be on the floor every night, and the guys that work the hardest in practice, and want to be on the floor will be the guys that I imagine Nate will play, that’s the way he’s always been.

Mike: Ok, alright, ok well Steve that’s all I’ve got for yah,

Steve: Ok, thanks Mike!

Mike: Yep, thanks for your time.

Steve: Take care.