Former Portland Trail Blazer Evan Turner recently joined Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix to discuss new owner Tom Dundon's cost-cutting moves and whether they can be successful in the long run. During that discussion, Mannix points out that Dundon asked why Christian Wood was no longer in the NBA as an example of how Portland's newest stingy owner may not be a true ball-knower.
"Dundon has some wild ideas," Mannix said. "Somebody told me recently that he was asking some personnel about why Christian Wood was no longer in the NBA. Because he looks at the numbers that Christian Wood has put up and sees like a guy that could potentially, you know, in Dallas he was like nearly a double-double guy. He will give you numbers. But the reality is as you and I both know, Christian Wood is just proven to be not a winning player. That is the kind of stuff where you need people in your front office that kind of tell you, like, nah, that ain't it."
Blazers fans should be concerned by the Christian Wood question
Christian Wood was a prime example of someone whose impressive numbers didn't quite equate to a two-way impact on winning. He was a consistent 20-and-10 player during his 2020-23 stretch with the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks, only to struggle with the Los Angeles Lakers and quickly find himself out of the league shortly after.
There are several reasons why the specific Wood inquiry is wrong, but it's even more problematic when viewing Dundon's approach in general.
It could explain the thought process behind Portland's blockbuster Ja Morant deal, attempting to buy low in hopes that he'll experience a career resurgence with the Blazers. But those expecting Dundon's championship-level success with the NHL Carolina Hurricanes to translate to the NBA level have to be concerned about what they've seen so far.
The NBA is a constantly changing environment where you have to make forward-thinking moves, attempting to find the next Morant instead of hoping players return to their former glory. If the Blazers continue to be reactive instead of proactive, they're going to quickly find themselves as the league's laggards.
We would say Dundon should deal with the financial side of things and leave roster-building decisions to the front office, which was here well before him. Then again, we all know how the business side of things is going in Portland these days too.
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