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The Blazers disgraced themselves Monday in deciding to fire Cho after 10 largely successful months in charge. According to a reliable league source, Allen said he made the decision because he failed to establish a personal connection with Cho. That explanation was affirmed by the Blazers' news release, which described a relationship that simply didn't work out. SI.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Paul Allen, Rich Cho 

Cho received no warning he was about to be fired, I was told. Team president Larry Miller, who had recruited Cho for Allen, did not manipulate the dismissal. My understanding is that it had nothing to do with Cho's conduct, professionalism or job performance, all of which appeared to be excellent. SI.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Larry Miller, Rich Cho 

Ben Golliver: Blazers source paints timing of Cho firing as a desire to cut losses. "If we know this is not going to work, let’s not drag it out." Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Rich Cho 

Cho, known for his salary cap acumen and analytical approach, made two moves of substance during his tenure, trading away guard Jerryd Bayless and trading for forward Gerald Wallace. He had meticulously planned his draft war room structure for months, turning a conference room into a think tank with flat screen televisions and white boards adorning all the walls. He never got a chance to use it. “I think the big issue was chemistry between him and the owner,” Blazers president Larry Miller told CBSSports.com. “They were just never able to click. Rich is a smart guy, a really nice guy, brings some talents to the table but I think if the chemistry isn’t right, it’s hard for it to work.” CBSSports.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Larry Miller, Rich Cho 

“There wasn’t an incident,” Miller maintained. “I think we learned from last year, that sometimes it’s better when you know something, to move sooner than later. If we know this is not going to work, let’s not drag it out. Let’s not put it off, let’s just go ahead and move on it now.” CBSSports.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Larry Miller, Rich Cho 

Of course it wasn’t right, because Cho was an independent thinker who wanted what any GM in the NBA should have as long as his business card bears that title: autonomy. The Blazers do not believe in autonomy, unless your name is Paul Allen or you are employed by Allen’s Seattle-based Vulcan Inc. The “Vulcanites,” as NBA front office insiders call them, ran Pritchard and assistant GM Tom Penn out of Portland and now someone has run out their replacement. Cho probably doesn’t feel this way now, but he’s better off. Or at least that’s what his colleagues in the GM profession hope. CBSSports.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Tom Penn, Paul Allen, Rich Cho 

“Rich such a nice guy, such a good, gentle guy, and this could destroy him,” one of Cho’s colleagues said Monday. “He may never get another job as a GM because people will say, ‘How weird is it that you got fired after only 10 months on the job?’ But they don’t care about that stuff. They don’t care how they treat people.” CBSSports.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Rich Cho 

I found Cho to be a decent guy. Intelligent. Funny, if you give him the chance. And he loved basketball. Cho's mother had heart surgery on Friday to install a pacemaker. He drove to Seattle and spent the weekend with her and thought he was coming back to a normal day of work on Monday. Allen was out of the country, and unavailable to comment on why exactly he cut Cho loose. Maybe his cellular telephone doesn't support roaming. Instead, Allen offered another flimsy statement, promising to do better next time. Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Rich Cho 

Echoing the tasteless, underhanded way the Blazers fired Penn and Pritchard, NBA front office sources told CBSSports.com Monday that word began circulating at the scouting combine last week in Chicago that Portland already was looking for Cho’s replacement. Good luck to Allen, Miller, Hat Man, Kolde, the dancing bears and clowns on a unicycle in their quest to find a better person for the job than the three aforementioned executives, who were all capable – not to mention deserving of the freedom to make their own basketball decisions. CBSSports.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Rich Cho 

Joe Freeman: Blazers owner Paul Allen, in a release announcing team's split w/ Cho: "This decision, as difficult as it was to make, reflects our willingness to admit and recognize that things haven't worked out. We're going to be tough on ourselves in assessing what we could have done better, and then go out and find the executive who is the best fit with the needs of our franchise. That chemistry and connection is critically important." Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Paul Allen, Rich Cho 

This is the text message sent out today at 12:52 by the Trail Blazers: "The Trail Blazers have parted ways with General Manager Rich Cho. Director of College Scouting Chad Buchanan named acting general manager." Then, 17 minutes later, it was followed by this text: "The Trail Blazers will hold a press conference with president Larry Miller at 4:00 p.m. in the Rose Room at the Rose Garden. Media should..." etc., etc. No indications yet on the reason for Cho's departure, but the early guess would be that it's probably not a good idea to air the company's dirty laundry to John Canzano. CSNNW.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Larry Miller, Chad Buchanan, Rich Cho 

Regardless, one major question will be around the timing. Is this the right thing to do right before the draft? Honestly, Portland should be fine. Buchanan has worked behind the scenes in the front office for a long time, figuring out which prospects the Blazers should bring in for individual workouts in the days leading up to the draft and providing the next level a list of prospects to choose from, with recommendations. If anyone is qualified to run a draft, it will be Buchanan. Will he get the job long-term? That remains to be seen. Because he has the "interim" on his new title it's pretty clear Portland will do a full search to find themselves a new general manager, but they should be fine if that's not done before the 2011 NBA Draft. HoopsWorld

Portland Trail Blazers, Paul Allen, Chad Buchanan, Rich Cho 

Ben Golliver: Blazers source says no timetable on replacing Cho. Possible team enters next season without full time replacement. Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Rich Cho 

Ben Golliver: Blazers source says both assistant GMs will be retained as will current scouting staff. Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Rich Cho 

The Portland Trail Blazers announced today that they have parted ways with Rich Cho, the team’s general manager of basketball operations. NBA.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Rich Cho 

“The fit between Rich and our team simply wasn’t right,” said Trail Blazers President Larry Miller. “This was a tough move because I respect Rich and he’s a good person with many strong skills. But it simply wasn’t a good match.” NBA.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Larry Miller, Rich Cho 

Trail Blazers Director of College Scouting Chad Buchanan will serve as acting general manager. Buchanan has been with the team for four years. Buchanan and Head Coach Nate McMillan will report to Miller until a permanent replacement is hired. NBA.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Chad Buchanan, Rich Cho 

John Canzano: Blazers owe Brandon Roy $68 million over the next four years. I'll ask Rich Cho what the plan is to handle Roy tomorrow at 5 p.m. on 95.5 Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Rich Cho, Brandon Roy 

An important bit of Trail Blazers information leaked out with almost nobody around last week. General manager Rich Cho was returning from Europe. Coach Nate McMillan was in Chicago. Players were scattered everywhere. According to a well-placed source in the Blazers organization, an irritated Cho pushed for a suspension of three-time All-Star Brandon Roy for comments the guard made after Game 2 of Portland's eventual first-round playoff series loss to Dallas. Roy told The Oregonian on April 1 after playing just eight minutes: "There was a point in the first half, and I was thinking 'You better not cry.' "I mean, serious. I mean, there was a moment where I felt really sorry for myself. Then I was like, nah, you can't be sorry for yourself. I'm a grown man, but there was a moment there that I felt sorry for myself. Especially when I think I can still help." Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Rich Cho, Brandon Roy 

Cho confirmed Saturday that he initially considered suspending Roy but backed off that and settled on a closed-door meeting with the player. The result was Roy apologizing to his teammates, and getting more minutes. Pushing for a suspension was a bold play by Cho. Especially given that the last general manager, Kevin Pritchard, lost his job for thinking on his own. And even though I stone-cold disagree with the idea of suspending Roy for telling the world how he felt, I appreciate that Cho is trying to assert himself in a place that mostly deters it. The well-placed source said Cho was talked off his initial position by McMillan and owner Paul Allen, who were in agreement that a suspension was neither warranted, nor a welcome distraction for a team down 0-2 to the Mavericks. Being outranked by Allen is one thing. But the larger issue is whether the need for Allen to step in, and Roy’s subsequent performance, spells trouble for Cho in the big bossman’s eyes moving forward. Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Rich Cho, Brandon Roy