Chad Buchanan for GM: 5 Reasons Why He's Right for the Portland Trail Blazers
While the Portland Trail Blazers are on the verge of beginning a long and time-consuming search for their next ex-general manager, looking high and low, far and wide; the right man for the job stands quietly in front of them, going about his day-to-day work to make the Blazers a championship contender.
Chad Buchanan, the Blazers scout and current interim GM, has all the qualifications to make him the ideal guy for the gig—permanently.
Background in the Field
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Chad Buchanan is not a suit and tie businessman, but rather a jeans and t-shirt basketball junkie. He has a background as a player, a coach and a scout.
“I'm a man of the people,” Buchanan said in a recent interview published in the Oregonian Newspaper. “I'm just more comfortable where I'm at, because you have more interaction with people. I enjoy being out there, talking with coaches and the staff. It's more enjoyable for me than being cooped up in an office.”
Chad is a guy who knows basketball, knows talent when he sees it and would rather be lacing up his sneakers than puting on a heavy suit, which is exactly the tendencies the Blazers need to fill the position of General Manager—a job that requires a high basketball I.Q.
Experience with His Team
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Chad Buchanan knows his Blazers—he's worked with them for the past seven years. He has experience on the ground level—in the field—not just in the office. He has to put players under a microscope and study the intricate details of what makes them tick in order to decide if that athlete would be the right fit in Portland.
With that said, you know that nearly every player to walk through the back door of the Rose Garden Arena has been well scrutinized by Chad, looked at and looked at some more which just goes without saying that Mr. Buchanan knows his Trail Blazers inside and out.
Chemistry with His Owner
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Chad Buchanan has found a way to maintain peace while working under owner Paul Allan for the past seven years. I underscore the importance of this third reason why Chad is the right guy for the job of Blazers GM.
We have seen a rash of hires and fires here lately in the front office of the Portland Trail Blazers, mainly because of a personality conflict with team owner Paul Allan. Buchanan has been with his club for seven years which says something about his personality and ability to keep the peace—just another reason why he is the right decision for the permanent position as Blazers GM.
Humility in His Position
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The designated office for the general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers still has Rich Choe's nameplate on the door. That is because interim GM Chad Buchanan has not only failed to remove it, but has chosen not to move into the much larger office at all.
Instead, Buchanan remains in his tiny cubicle to fulfill his job as Blazers interim general manager. This shows a lot of humility in Chad's character. At only 38 years old, Chad is after all only filling the GM roll temporarily, and he knows it, which is probably why he isn't going to jump the gun and move into the big office just yet.
Optimism About the Future
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Chad Buchanan is dedicated to being a Trail Blazers shape-shifter. His desire is to engineer a team that can be in position to win an NBA title. “I think we're closer than people think,” Buchanan said in an interview with the Oregonian Newspaper. “If we have all our pieces out there playing, healthy, I think we're a lot closer than people in the rest of the league think. We we're not there yet. I think we're probably one or two moves away from having a chance at making a deep run.”
Run with It!
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So Portland, here is your next general manager. Chad Buchanan, here is your team—run with it!
