New Portland Trail Blazers Governor Tom Dundon made his formal introduction to Rip City on Thursday afternoon.
In front of a packed room at Moda Center, Dundon took the podium alongside Blazers Alternate Governors Sheel Tyle and Andrew Cherng, as well as Blazers President Dewayne Hankins and General Manager Joe Cronin. Together, Dundon and the group pitched their vision for the franchise’s future as they answered questions about immediate plans, relocation fears, ownership style, coaching decisions
and more.
That pitch for the future included this opening statement from Dundon:
“I think the main message for us right now is the franchise hasn’t had as much success in the past few years as it did historically, and I think our expectation is that’s starting to change and will continue to change,” Dundon said. “I think the focus that’s been the last few years — around development — is now around winning. So we’ve tried to get this message through the last couple days that that was fun and probably necessary, but it’s more fun to win.”
Dundon later added: “I feel like all the pieces are here. There’s not something I’m worried about. The only thing I’m kinda worried about is the speed and pace and intensity at which we’re about to get going might be a little different, and we just gotta get people there quickly.”
Here are more quotes and highlights from the 28-minute presser.
Focus on Creating a Winner
As the opening statement indicated, Dundon made much known about his desire to create a winner on the court and do it fast. He said they’d make that happen by raising the standards and expectations and holding people accountable to that commitment. When asked about a timeline for getting this team to that higher level on the court, Dundon said it’s hard to say, but he’s not afraid of being aggressive when it comes to roster-building.
“It’s really difficult in these situations to have an actual plan. I think our plan is to work hard, make good decisions. Joe [Cronin] had a deal that he looked at at the trade deadline that I was aware of that would’ve been what you described as a ‘big splash,’ and if that opportunity exists, I’m probably more aggressive than most. If it doesn’t exist, then you gotta go about finding the pieces to continue to get better, and then decide if you can get good enough to win a championship or you have to take a step back. Joe and I have talked about this a lot. There’s no one way this is going to go.”
Dundon on if he cares about being liked:
“In the list of things I care about, it’s lower. I don’t think anybody who says ‘they don’t care what people think’ is telling the truth. But I think I care more about my character than my reputation. I know what I do everyday, and I want to win and achieve things without hurting anybody. There’s nothing about me that doesn’t want to do the right thing. I do it everyday. But if we have to trade a player, we’re gonna trade the player. If we need to make a decision that’s best for the Portland Trail Blazers, I’m gonna make those decisions. It doesn’t mean I’m gonna love doing it.”
Moda Center Renovations, Relocation Concerns?
Speaking of Dundon’s likability, the new Blazers owner addressed several questions on the controversial subject of relocation concerns and the Moda Center renovation/lease negotiations.
Here’s Dundon on what he can say to fans to show he’s committed to keeping the team in Portland:
“It’s interesting how when I bought the hockey team, because I was from Texas I was gonna move the team to Houston, is all I ever heard about. But I never spent any time on that subject, and I haven’t spent any time on anything other than trying to figure out the renovation and the lease, and that’s kind of all I’ve focused on. You’re welcome to write what you want because if we get attention, that’s good for the Portland Trail Blazers, I appreciate it. But at this time, all I’m focused on is how do we get a lease done and how do we get the building renovated.”
At the end of that answer, Blazers Alternate Governor Sheel Tyle, who has lived in Portland since 2024, jumped in and added this:
“Tom would not have asked me to join this group had [relocation] been on the table, and so I just want you to know, we’re optimistic people. We met with the mayor today. We know that the state has done some amazing work on this also. We’re full-speed ahead.”
The ownership group is in the process of asking Oregonians for $600 million to renovate Moda Center. Dundon discussed the chances of the group and the state still reaching an agreement if the negotiations came up short of that sum:
“Like $599 [million] or? I have no idea. There’s so much nuance that goes into that question in terms of term and timing, and there’s so many things. But I haven’t been a part of many negotiations where someone sets a number down and there are no other variables. And I would expect in this situation, there are more variables than just one specific number.”
One reporter told Dundon it doesn’t seem like he has “much skin in the game” in terms of paying for the arena renovations and it appears it will all be done through public funding. The reporter asked Dundon if he can tell the public he will “have some skin in the game.”
Here was Dundon’s response:
“No one’s ever told me ‘I don’t have skin in the game’ before. We don’t know each other very well. We’re gonna negotiate and do a market deal. And they should do a deal — the people that represent the city and the county and your tax dollars — [they’re] gonna do a deal that’s great for them I hope. And then I’m gonna try to do the same for the Trail Blazers. I think we’ve got a good framework, and we’re moving forward on it.”
Back during his opening statement, Dundon also mentioned this small tidbit about Moda Center:
“This building is pretty neat, right? When you walk around it, it needs some work but it’s still something we can be proud of and build upon.”
Other Notable Moments
Dundon on what he thinks of the current Blazers head coaching situation, given that Chauncey Billups is still nominally employed by the team and Tiago Splitter is serving in the role under an interim tag:
“I don’t know anything about the first situation. I wasn’t here, and they don’t really talk to us about it. It’s none of my business. I think Tiago has done a really good job, and the team is sitting here with this opportunity, and we’ll get more information everyday. But so far, he’s done a great job, and I’m curious to see how this goes from here because my expectations are I wanna win.”
Blazers GM Joe Cronin on his initial thoughts on the new ownership group and his feeling about his future with the franchise:
“As I’ve gotten to know Tom and his partners, [I’m] incredibly encouraged. The skillset, the expertise, the drive, the passion, the will to win. For me, it’s perfect. I think this organization is in an incredible spot to have all these super capable people to help drive this train, and just couldn’t be more optimistic.”
Blazers Alternate Governor Andrew Cherng on why he decided to get involved with the ownership group:
“I’m a fan. … As a Chinese [person], I love the fact we have a prospect in Hansen Yang, so it got me thinking. And Tom is a winner, and he’s done a wonderful job with his previous team, so we have a winning combination here. And then the NBA is a popular sport in China. There’s a lot more influence we can make.”
Dundon on why he bought an NBA team in Portland and why now:
“They called me and said there’s an NBA team in Portland for sale,” he said with a smile. “And luckily I found a bunch of guys to help me do it, and that’s how it happened. I wasn’t out looking.”
