The Pritch-slapping era in Portland Trail Blazers basketball is definitively over, with the announcement today that the team has signed Rich Cho as General Manager. The 44-year old Cho has a legal background and is described as a capologist by many.
His approach sounds of a similar style to outgoing GM, Kevin Pritchard, in that he is extremely analytical, has a solid knowledge of the Collective Bargaining Agreement ins-and-outs and that he is highly adept at pulling off deals. He spent the past nine years working with the Seattle Supersonics / Oklahoma City Thunder as assistant general manager and is the ninth GM in Blazers history.
Cho has big boots to fill. Pritchard was a popular figure amongst Blazers fans, many of whom questioned the decision to send him packing (and the manner in which it was done). No doubt there will be many waiting and watching Cho’s moves with the Blazers from day one — with anticipation of what type of GM he will be for the franchise. Already the team made one move — in signing swingman Wesley Matthews — without a GM onboard. Will Cho make any moves in the early months of his reign, prior to the commencement of the 2010/11 season? With the highly-touted move of Rudy Fernandez for one, expect Cho to get an early start to his activities in Portland.
When he does make that first move which takes other GMs by surprise and shakes them down for a bargain, what will the slang term be (ala “Pritch-slapped”)? I’m going to put this one out there: “you just got Rich-Rolled”. (Do a youtube search for Rick-Rolled, if you’re unfamiliar).
Excerpts from the Blazers press release:
“Rich is the perfect fit for our organization,” said Blazers President, Larry Miller. “He has the right balance of basketball knowledge, business acumen and tremendous people skills. Everyone I spoke to about Rich commented not just on his qualifications but on who he is as a person. He is well known for his ability to connect genuinely with people. Rich will be a great fit for our organization and for Portland. He is an executive on the rise and we’re thrilled to have him as a Trail Blazer.”
Cho entered the NBA as an intern with the SuperSonics in 1995 while earning a law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law. He was brought on as a part-time consultant for the SuperSonics in 1997. Later that year, he was hired as the team’s director of basketball affairs, a position he held until being promoted to assistant general manager in 2000.
“Rich Cho joins us as one of the new generation of general managers in the NBA,” said Paul Allen, Trail Blazers owner. “We were all impressed with the depth and breadth of his skill-set and we know his leadership will be a critical to make our great organization even more successful. I really enjoyed meeting with him and discussing what he could bring to the Blazers to make that happen.”
“I worked with Cho in Seattle,” said Trail Blazers Head Coach, Nate McMillan. “He works 24/7. He’s intelligent, soft-spoken, a family guy. He has been the most sought after NBA executive over the past couple of years. He can get deals done and make things happen. I look forward to working as a team with Rich and Larry Miller. Next steps will be to finalize my coaching staff. I hope to make that announcement later this week”
