Cheap shots ahead

From Sports Illustrated comes a disturbing story:  The new owner of the Trail Blazers, Tom Dundon, is already pinching pennies on employee travel. 

On Tuesday afternoon, a strange scene played out at the Trail Blazers’ Phoenix-area hotel. Onlookers noted people in Blazers gear hanging out in the lobby. According to four sources with knowledge of the situation, a number of staffers were asked to check out of their rooms at noon, hours before the first bus left for the arena. The reason, multiple sources say, was for the team to avoid the cost of a late checkout.  

Uh oh. 

If Dundon’s going to be playing “Who Had the Pickle” with the equipment manager’s hotel bill, you can imagine what he’s going to do when it’s time to shell out $50 million a year for star talent. 

Professional basketball is not like making junk car loans; a team owner has to have a sense of humor and a loose wallet. Not so with this guy, apparently. And if he thinks he’s going to do things on the cheap in the NBA, the only way the Blazers can get really good will be by accident.