Tom Dundon’s tenure as the Carolina Hurricanes’ majority owner got off to an incredibly strong start. After a nine-year playoff drought, the Hurricanes returned to the postseason in Dundon’s first year as team owner. The franchise has returned to the playoffs in every year since.
His ownership of the Portland Trail Blazers, however, hasn’t nearly been as smooth. Dundon has faced criticism for his cost-cutting measures during his first couple months on the job.
Since August, Dundon has been criticized for massive layoffs, the refusal to travel two-way players and the team’s unwillingness to provide playoff shirts for fans.
He addressed those issues during a lengthy interview with The Oregonian on Monday, reiterating that everything he is doing is in “relentless pursuit of trying to win.”
In the interview, Dundon didn’t directly address the two-way issue, in which the Trail Blazers were criticized for not traveling two-way players on the road during the playoffs. He previously addressed that issue, saying he regretted making that “mistake.”
On the lack of playoff t-shirts, Dundon defended the decision, saying fans aren’t focused on the right things, per the Oregonian.
“The fact that T-shirts and all these other things are what people tend to focus on probably means that we probably haven’t done a good job of explaining, or maybe I didn’t think we should have to, because I wouldn’t have thought people would move toward the wrong things.”
Dundon continued by saying that he is focused on building a winning team in Portland and that playoff t-shirts don’t “have anything to do with that.”
He finished his answer by saying his “relentless pursuit” to win will be viewed as an obvious advantage in the long run.
“I haven’t been in a lot of situations where people don’t think that the relentless pursuit of trying to win (is) an advantage. I’m pretty sure over time that will become obvious”
Regarding the team’s massive layoffs — over 70 employees were reportedly dismissed from the organization in May — Dundon said he believes fewer employees leads to more accountability and better job performance, per the Oregonian.
“My experience is that less layers gives people more accountability and they do a better job. Then you know that you’re getting a great job done and you don’t end up in the situation where many companies end up, which is everyone’s looking around for somebody else to do it, complaining about what’s fair and not fair.”
Dundon said he believes people are happier at work when they are “busy and productive.” He also stressed that many layoffs occurred on the business side, not the basketball side. He added that he considered those two “separate businesses.”
While Dundon’s transition to NBA ownership hasn’t been without its issues, he clearly believes he’s taking the necessary steps to ensure the Trail Blazers remain a perennial winner.
Whether or not he’s right will be revealed before long, and could determine whether Dundon is ever able to fully win back fans after a rocky start as the team’s owner.
About the Author
