Paul Allen, Trail Blazers and Seahawks owner, dies at 65

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What this means for the future of sports in Portland is unclear


Paul Allen, Trail Blazers and Seahawks owner, dies at 65


Paul Allen, longtime owner of the Portland Trail Blazers and one of the world's richest men, died Monday in Seattle from complications from non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He was 65.

Allen, born in Seattle in 1953, was a fixture in the Northwest for most of his life. He co-founded Microsoft with longtime friend Bill Gates and built the startup computer company into one of the worlds most successful corporations. As a result, Allen became a multibillionaire and a regular among Forbes Magazines list of the richest people in the world.
 
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gstommylee

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Jan 31, 2012
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Sounders minority owner too as well.


Who ever buys the trailblazers also buys the arena as well. Paul Allen owned both the NBA team and the arena.
 

Glacial

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Does it seem like a lot of major league sports team owners have been dying this year?
 

PCSPounder

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Both my brother and sister had Hodgkin's (siblings having Hodgkin's was supposed to be a 400 million to one shot before my sister got it, obviously the odds aren't that high anymore... Dad didn't play the lottery for ten years after). Chemotherapy means my sister is parasailing on some wind or skiing a hill near you at any possible moment, so be on the lookout; she's trouble. My brother had radiation treatments back in the 70s (he was hit at age 6), and fought off the Hodgkin's, but the treatment (we believe) has taken its toll over time. He's been in hospice care for several months now, but carrying the stubborn family trait, still tries to maximize time with his son.

Then I remember Pokey Allen (not related), who was defensive coordinator for the USFL Portland Breakers before becoming Portland State and then Boise State head coach (he lasted only a month past his last game in 1996). His was an advanced form of Hodgkin's and some people knew that the radical therapy he was undergoing signaled something wasn't well.

So I feel this rather hard despite myself. I'm not the biggest Paul Allen business fan, so to speak, but this fight was important to me. RIP.

Now, as for the meaning of "unclear"...

Paul never had children. A sister survives him IIRC. Most of his wealth is supposed to be pledged to charity at this point. We have no idea of any succession plan regarding the Blazers (or the Seahawks), so the next few days will be very interesting around here.
 
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gstommylee

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Both my brother and sister had Hodgkin's (siblings having Hodgkin's was supposed to be a 400 million to one shot before my sister got it, obviously the odds aren't that high anymore... Dad didn't play the lottery for ten years after). Chemotherapy means my sister is parasailing on some wind or skiing a hill near you at any possible moment, so be on the lookout; she's trouble. My brother had radiation treatments back in the 70s (he was hit at age 6), and fought off the Hodgkin's, but the treatment (we believe) has taken its toll over time. He's been in hospice care for several months now, but carrying the stubborn family trait, still tries to maximize time with his son.

Then I remember Pokey Allen (not related), who was defensive coordinator for the USFL Portland Breakers before becoming Portland State and then Boise State head coach (he lasted only a month past his last game in 1996). His was an advanced form of Hodgkin's and some people knew that the radical therapy he was undergoing signaled something wasn't well.

So I feel this rather hard despite myself. I'm not the biggest Paul Allen business fan, so to speak, but this fight was important to me. RIP.

Now, as for the meaning of "unclear"...

Paul never had children. A sister survives him IIRC. Most of his wealth is supposed to be pledged to charity at this point. We have no idea of any succession plan regarding the Blazers (or the Seahawks), so the next few days will be very interesting around here.

From what i heard his sister said that she doesn't want to keep the teams so the estate will sell them.
 

LadyStanley

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Who ever buys the trailblazers also buys the arena as well. Paul Allen owned both the NBA team and the arena.

LIkely, but not necessarily. All depends on his wishes as expressed in his will.

I would imagine the team will operate at status quo for now (and until any sale/transfer takes place).

Heck, he could transfer ownership of team and to Cancer society/charity. (Although I doubt it. As their charter is for research/comfort, not operating a for-profit sporting asset that would provide funds to charity.)
 

PCSPounder

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From what i heard his sister said that she doesn't want to keep the teams so the estate will sell them.

In that case, we know Merritt Paulson (who doesn't really have the money for such a purchase himself) is supposed to head a group that would buy the Blazers and Moda Center. Paulson would be the managing partner, in theory.

This doesn't preclude a higher bidder, of course. If there is really a heavy hitter behind Portland Diamond Group, buying the team and property and creating a sort of stadium district in the area of Moda Center now becomes a distinct possibility. So do about a million other possibilities, so I'm not holding my breath yet.
 

PCSPounder

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LIkely, but not necessarily. All depends on his wishes as expressed in his will.

I would imagine the team will operate at status quo for now (and until any sale/transfer takes place).

Heck, he could transfer ownership of team and to Cancer society/charity. (Although I doubt it. As their charter is for research/comfort, not operating a for-profit sporting asset that would provide funds to charity.)

Sounds like an arrangement a league would frown upon... at least that's how I see the owners and their pet commissioner Mr. Silver.
 

MikeCubs

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Snip-
-- I'm told Trail Blazers, Inc. is technically owned by Allen's holding company, Vulcan, Inc. Even as we all knew Allen owned the team, that's how ownership was positioned. This means nothing will happen immediately. "It will take a while to sort out," per a Blazers source.

-- Allen is survived by his sister, Jody. A Vulcan source told me shortly after the announcement of Allen's death: "Jody does not enjoy the Trail Blazers." She's a Seahawks fan and is a good bet to emerge as a more visible presence in his NFL organization. Nobody who knows her thinks she'd be interested in wanting to run an NBA franchise on a daily basis.

-- With current NBA valuations, and ownership of Moda Center included, the Vulcans may eventually wonder why they're spending money on an operation that could essentially be cashed in for $1 billion. New ownership becomes a real possibility at that point.

-- Bert Kolde, Vice Chairman of the Trail Blazers and a Senior Director at Vulcan, would have interest in ownership. Kolde, a long-time friend of Allen, has been a presence around the franchise for years. So he becomes one option. But wanting to own the team and actually landing it are far different things.

Canzano: Paul Allen leaves so much behind, including the Trail Blazers
 

gstommylee

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In that case, we know Merritt Paulson (who doesn't really have the money for such a purchase himself) is supposed to head a group that would buy the Blazers and Moda Center. Paulson would be the managing partner, in theory.

This doesn't preclude a higher bidder, of course. If there is really a heavy hitter behind Portland Diamond Group, buying the team and property and creating a sort of stadium district in the area of Moda Center now becomes a distinct possibility. So do about a million other possibilities, so I'm not holding my breath yet.

What about Bill Gallacher? Did he have any interest in buying the trailerblazers and Moda Center at one point?
 

GuelphStormer

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Sad news. Condolences to his family and friends. No doubt, his passing will have some interesting business implications to come.

Yes, f*** cancer.
 

Mightygoose

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Really sad to hear. He wasn't well for a long time.

Agreed it's going to take some time in sorting out the 3 teams but that's obviously secondary right now.
 

gstommylee

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Really sad to hear. He wasn't well for a long time.

Agreed it's going to take some time in sorting out the 3 teams but that's obviously secondary right now.

He's required by the NFL to have a succession plan on who takes over.
 

StreetHawk

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He's required by the NFL to have a succession plan on who takes over.

I can't imagine that someone of Allen's stature wouldn't have a will that detailed his wishes, especially since his first diagnosis back in 2009.

Ultimately, like Houston, any talk of the NHL in Portland will rest in who buys the Moda Centre and the Blazers.
 

gstommylee

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I can't imagine that someone of Allen's stature wouldn't have a will that detailed his wishes, especially since his first diagnosis back in 2009.

Ultimately, like Houston, any talk of the NHL in Portland will rest in who buys the Moda Centre and the Blazers.

He isn't married and doesn't have any kids.
 

PCSPounder

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What about Bill Gallacher? Did he have any interest in buying the trailerblazers and Moda Center at one point?

Gallacher has barely been visible on any level for a few years. I suspect when oil prices went down, so did his fortune... but that could be changing again.

There was a time when he had bigger plans for Memorial Coliseum, and that basically fizzled out. Thing is, will he be in a better position next year? Possibly. Does that mean he'll factor into these discussions? Not a clue.
 

StreetHawk

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He isn't married and doesn't have any kids.
I’m sure whether it’s his sister, close friend, business associate, charity, investment company, or whatever, there’s a plan in place on who controls each business that he operated.

It will all come out by the end of the year.
 

gstommylee

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I’m sure whether it’s his sister, close friend, business associate, charity, investment company, or whatever, there’s a plan in place on who controls each business that he operated.

It will all come out by the end of the year.

well we do know that the sister doesn't want to own the NBA team. She might be co-owners of the seahawks. We won't know for sure until end of the season for both the NFL and the NBA.
 

MikeCubs

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“I think this is going to be a matter of months before this is all sorted out. Usually in these cases, the leagues get involved. In this case, the NBA will get involved. They have a short list of potential buyers, people who have come forward previously and said, ‘hey, if a team ever goes on the market, I want to be on that list.’ The NBA has vetted those people, make sure they have money, make sure they don’t have any skeletons in the closet. But it’s going to be a matter of months. I don’t expect that we will see any changes this season. I think it’s going to be status quo, and then in the off-season this will probably get sorted out.”

Berger on Blazers Ownership Transfer: ‘Going to be a matter of months’
 
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LadyStanley

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Starts about 24:30

NBR reporting that "most" of his holdings will be sold/go to charity. Two sports teams, private jets, luxury yacht, 15 mansions among the holdings. Sister may not be interested in running teams.
 

StreetHawk

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Starts about 24:30

NBR reporting that "most" of his holdings will be sold/go to charity. Two sports teams, private jets, luxury yacht, 15 mansions among the holdings. Sister may not be interested in running teams.

Honestly, even though his passing opens up the possibility of Portland being a potential NHL city, there are plenty of options for the NHL right now with Houston and Quebec.

I do like Portland over say KC or Milwaukee but that is also dependent of whether MLB goes into Portland.

His sister is based in Seattle, so she likely has no interest in handling the trail blazers. Allen would jet down for a game and return home to Seattle that same day.

Until the NHL really considers relocation over expansion, as I feel 32 is enough, and there’s no rush in finding out what happens to the blazers and the moss center.

Don’t feel like Portland or Houston at this time would leap frog Seattle. NHL knows that they need to grant Seattle the team so that the arena gets remodelled. The arenas already exist in Portland, Houston and Quebec.
 

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