HoopsHype.com Rumors

The days of Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach, Buck Williams, in the Rose City appears to be dwindling due to other priorities the team is working on at the moment and he's concerned. Assistant coaches for the Trail Blazers are only granted one-year deals and Williams has language in his contract that gives the team two weeks after the season is completed to notify him if they're going to extend him another year or not.The end of that two week period is today and acting general manager Chad Buchanan says the team will not extend Williams' deal and will let the next head coach bring in his own crew. “I just want to remain a Blazer somehow,” Williams said. “I spent a lot of time in Portland and love it here. But, I understand a new coach has the right to pick his own staff.” CSNNW.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Coaching, Chad Buchanan, Buck Williams 

Difference between you and other GMs? Chad Buchanan: "Other than my title, I don't think there's a whole lot. Obviously there are some guys out there still watching their teams play, which I wish we were. But from a management regard, I don't think there's a whole lot of difference between how we're running things right now and how other teams are. We're getting ready for the Draft and free agency, I think that's what the majority of teams are doing right now. Especially those who aren't in the playoffs right now." Do you ever feel like, 'Hey, give me the title?' Chad Buchanan: "I think there's part of that. How our team played this year doesn't help my case. I really enjoy working for the organization, being in the role of Acting GM, I've learned a lot this year that I think is going to help me down the road. I think if our team had played a little better, that would have helped my case a little bit. I understand that. There's a lot of good quality candidates that are out there that are more experienced than me, that have had more success than I've had so I understand that. If now's not the time, I understand it. Maybe down the road it will be. For the time being, I'm just going to get ourselves prepared for the Draft and free agency until I'm told what position I'm going to be in permanently, I'm not going to change my mindset." Blazers Edge

Portland Trail Blazers, Chad Buchanan 

Bartelstein added that he envisions Kerr re-entering the NBA "in a few years," but the Blazers won't wait that long. The search appears to be wide open beyond him, but sources say the Blazers are determined to land an established executive and are prepared to have the current front office, headed by acting general manger Chad Buchanan, make the team's draft selections on June 28 if they haven't found the right candidate by then. SI.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Chad Buchanan 

Jason Quick: Buchanan said Blazers top two priorities this summer are finding a starting point guard and finding a starting center. Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Chad Buchanan 

Jason Quick: Buchanan would not go one step further and say that meant the end of the Felton era in Portland, saying he wants to leave their options open Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Chad Buchanan 

So interim general manager Chad Buchanan sat Batum down before the team's game at Sacramento last Sunday, told Batum he respected the way he was trying to finish the season and urged him to listen to his body and avoid doing anything reckless that might cause serious damage. "Then he looked at me and said, 'I want to play for Kaleb,'" Buchanan said. Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Larry Miller, Chad Buchanan 

He continues to work out players during pregame shootarounds, something virtually no NBA head coach does. He continues to sleep most nights at the practice facility in Tualatin, admitting that he has crashed in his own bed just three nights since becoming coach. And he continues to bounce around NBA arenas and practice courts buzzing with energy, high-fiving and fist-bumping everyone in sight. Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Larry Miller, Chad Buchanan 

Jason Quick: As GM search continues keep in mind Blazers execs Buchanan, Branch, Rosenberry & Born all under contract for 2 seasons after this. Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Chad Buchanan 

Jason Quick: As Blazers acting GM Chad Buchanan prepares for the draft and floats in space as a candidate for the real job, he does so without an agent Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Chad Buchanan 

Chad Buchanan: "I would first say that Larry has been outstanding to me. He supported me when he first put me into this role and he's been by my side since Day One. There's a lot of great people in this organization, people sitting at this table, people at the Practice Facility, people down at the Rose Garden. It's just a great organization to be a part of. I've expressed that I want to be a part of the organization moving forward because that's a genuine feeling for me. I enjoy the people here. That's most important for me, enjoying what I do and I enjoy being a part of the Trail Blazers. "Whether I'm considered for the GM position or not, being able to retain myself within the organization is important to me. I love what I do, I love the people I work with. We've taken a step back, I still feel like around the corner there's really good things for this franchise, this team and this city. I want to be a part of it. This is my eighth year with the team, I've invested a lot of time and energy in this team, whether it's in the position as general manager or a different position, I'm going to be a soldier about it and want to help this team get a championship." Blazers Edge

Portland Trail Blazers, Chad Buchanan 

Ben Golliver: Blazers Acting GM Chad Buchanan says he will "be a soldier about it" no matter what happens with GM job: "Whether I'm considered for the GM position or not, being able to retain myself within the organization is important to me. I love what I do, I love the people I work with. We've taken a step back, I still feel like around the corner there's really good things for this franchise, this team and this city. I want to be a part of it." Sulia

Portland Trail Blazers, Chad Buchanan 

After spending a half-hour rattling off details about trade exceptions, trade kickers, midlevel exceptions, mini-midlevel exceptions and a zillion other head-spinning subjects that constitute the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, it was time for Joe Cronin to face a pop quiz. Interim general manager Chad Buchanan and other members of the Trail Blazers' management team rave about Cronin's under-the-radar contributions to the organization and they regularly brag that he knows the CBA like the back of his hand. He's so in tune with the ins and outs of NBA salaries, they say, that he can spout off the top of his head contract details of every player in the NBA -- a list that stretches more than 400 players long. OK, hotshot, how much does ... Dallas Mavericks guard Delonte West make? "Easy, he's a minimum salary guy," Cronin said, without blinking. How about Chicago Bulls sharpshooter Kyle Korver? "He's got one more year on his deal, it's conditional and it has a $500,000 guarantee," Cronin promptly answered. Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Chad Buchanan, Joe Cronin 

The people behind such maneuvers rarely earn headlines, but Cronin's job is becoming more and more valued as GMs place a premium on salary cap knowledge and owners focus more on the bottom line. "It wasn't that long ago that deals were always done for talent reasons," Penn said. "But more and more, deals ... are being done for financial, contractual reasons. It's an advantage for an organization to have a creative, dynamic deal maker. This isn't just adding up numbers and seeing if trades work. It's about thinking more creatively, strategically, and understanding the books and finances of other teams and what's motivating other teams. That's the secret sauce." Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Chad Buchanan, Joe Cronin 

Chris Haynes: #Blazers acting GM Chad Buchanan says he hasn't been asked 2 interview for the vacant GM pos. Says he just wants to be part of organization. Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Chad Buchanan 

Portland Trail Blazers Acting GM Chad Buchanan has issued the following statement regarding comments made by sports kinesiolgist Zig Ziegler through a team press release on Wednesday afternoon. "It's unfortunate that Mr. Ziegler would feel compelled to make such false claims and absurd statements. It is also unacceptable that anyone who claims to be concerned with the health and well-being of our athletes would disclose their personal information. Our medical and training staff is one of the longest tenured and most highly respected in the league. Mr. Ziegler's comments appear to be motivated by his own desire for personal gain, which is not only irresponsible but also unprofessional." Blazers Edge

Portland Trail Blazers, Chad Buchanan, Injuries, Greg Oden 

John Canzano: Larry Miller at NBA meetings confirms that Ziegler was paid for one evaluation. I don't think Blazers liked what they heard. @ZigSports Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Larry Miller, Chad Buchanan, Injuries, Greg Oden 

Maybe Miller was in New York interviewing former Knicks president Donnie Walsh, with a second stop in Philadelphia to meet with Larry Brown, who wants to get back into the NBA. I don't know. It's tough to get a read on Miller, who in one breath says he wants to fill the position but in the next breath says too much is being made of the vacancy. "If we decided tomorrow to name Chad the GM, what would change?" he asked. "In essence, the reality is nothing would change other than we would promote Chad into that permanent role. It's not like we have nobody watching the store. That's not the case. We have a really effective person and an effective team who are managing our basketball operations. "So to the fans and to the people who are saying the answer is getting a GM ... we have a GM," Miller said. Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Larry Miller, Chad Buchanan 

Miller said Buchanan will be considered for the permanent job. Buchanan says it's not his place, nor his style, to ask Miller about the position. "I've been here eight years. They know who I am and what I have done," Buchanan said this week. Later, he said: "If they want to interview me, great. If they don't, I just want to be a part of the organization moving forward." Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Larry Miller, Chad Buchanan 

Allen has expressed an interest in hiring an experienced general manager. At this rate, he may have found that experience in Buchanan, who is preparing for his second draft and third free agency period as the main guy. I know few, if any, in the Blazers' offices would complain. Buchanan is very well-liked, has no ego and carries an unflappable demeanor. I disagree with his decision to trade Andre Miller and Rudy Fernandez for Felton, and I question in last year's draft whether Kenneth Faried wouldn't have been a better pick at No.21 than Nolan Smith. But he has created financial flexibility for the team to operate this summer. Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Larry Miller, Chad Buchanan 

Chad Buchanan, Trail Blazers' interim GM: Speaking of Portland, it appears that Buchanan will be passed over yet again for the top job. But if the Trail Blazers won't give him a shot, somebody else will. Buchanan is a strong personnel man and has impressed rival executives with his staying power in one of the most dysfunctional environments in the league. Buchanan has endured some really topsy-turvy stuff, and he's the guy who's lasted. His people skills and talent for diplomacy have served him well in the hottest GM seat in the league under fickle owner Paul Allen. Buchanan took over for Pritchard under bizarre circumstances when Pritchard was told hours before the 2010 draft that he was being fired, and then took over on an interim basis again when Allen fired Rich Cho about a month before the 2011 draft. Through it all, Buchanan held the front office together under extreme duress. CBSSports.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Chad Buchanan