Tom Dundon Wins the Press Conference

📍PORTLAND, Ore. — Tom Dundon wasted no time letting us know exactly who he is and what he's about.

"Thanks everybody for coming," the Trail Blazers' new owner said to begin the opening remarks of his first press conference on Thursday afternoon. "I think the main message for us right now is, the franchise hasn't had as much success in the past few years at it did historically."

He got to the thank-yous later, but he started with that warning shot before going into his desire to raise standards and expectations.

Dundon was honest about why he was interested in buying the Trail Blazers: "They called me and said there was an NBA team in Portland for sale." He didn't make something up about his fondness for the city or the community, or anything else that would have made people feel good. This is purely a business opportunity for him, and he didn't try to hide it.

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I like that about him, though. I have my concerns about how his style is going to play in Portland, and I wonder how much he understands about the differences between how the NHL and NBA work. But he strikes me as someone who will let you know exactly where you stand with him.

And even though he admitted he isn't motivated by being popular ("In the list of things I care about, it's lower," he said), Dundon came off more likable than I was expecting. He talked a lot about wanting to elevate the fan experience at games and pushed back against the perception that he enjoys firing people. I can tell he's going to be polarizing. He already is. You either like this kind of no-nonsense, calls-it-like-he-sees-it personality or it rubs you the wrong way. Maybe in the future, it will prove to be problematic. Today, I found it refreshing.

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I was also amused by the good-cop/bad-cop routine between Dundon and co-owner and alternate governor Sheel Tyle.