Brandon Jones

Ducks, Blazers and 49ers

[Brandon Jones @BJJones11]

He knew exactly what he was writing, this is fake remorse because the article didn’t land like he expected. Get him out of here already.

[Bill Oram @billoram]

A note of apology:

[Brandon Jones @BJJones11]

What a nice change of pace from what Blazer media in general has devolved into lately. Who knows if the owner, roster, or arena will work out, but let’s give them a fighting chance instead of creating obstacles based solely on opinions and grudges. Well done @jwquick

[Jason Quick @jwquick]

New Trail Blazers coach Micah Nori had a two-hour lunch with Ja Morant on Tuesday in South Carolina. He saw and heard a motivated player. Article free to read: https://t.co/EWgFq6BcSu

[Brandon Jones @BJJones11]

@AaronJFentress You forgot the part where the tax money was largely generated off of player salaries and other team related tax revenue. Tax revenue that disappears if they let the team walk.

[Brandon Jones @BJJones11]

Oh by the way… if the Blazers move, all the tax money paying for this doesn’t get reallocated to other things, it disappears. No more athletes pulling in hundreds of millions in salaries that you get to tax. Nope, that will move with them to their new city.

[Brandon Jones @BJJones11]

@crbevins11 The city owns the stadium, not the team. Also, they have a jock tax in place that has been earmarking city and state taxes for renovations. Before he purchased, both agreed to release the funds and for classic Portland reasons, the city decided to pump fake.

[The Natural @OrangeBeaverYNK]

Moda is owned by the city of Portland not Dundon. If it was a billionaire donor’s stadium, and he wanted tax payers to pay for all of it, I’d be the first to say F off, but that’s not the situation. The messaging on this is soooo poor.

[RipCitySquid🌹 @RipCitySquid]

Might be a Hot Take, but why is Jody Allen not getting more heat for this? The Moda Center has needed renovations for a while, it didn't suddenly just become an issue. Why had she not done this with the big Paul Allen money she got prior to the sale? She had YEARS. Lmao

[Sydney W @sydneyjowray]

not a billionaire defender but y'all the city owns the arena and Portland needs the arena to be modernized not only for the Blazers, but also for the Fire and for major tours to want to come here.

I've lived in a city that lost a major team. you do not want to go through that.

[Brandon Jones @BJJones11]

@JonesOnTheNBA The city has created it owns panic. The state had funds earmarked for this, so it was just checking a box to deliver those funds. The city has funds earmarked for this but instead of checking the box, they threw their hands up like the this was a surprise

[Nate Jones @JonesOnTheNBA]

Seeing people commenting on Blazers arena story. Arena and Rose Quarter land were sold by the team to the city for $7 million 2 years ago to incentivize public investment. In this particular situation, no matter who ended up buying the team, this would likely be happening.

[The Credible Hulk @RobCase34737445]

@tyefor Not to mention the fact that Paul Allen financed 90% of the Moda center, and the city has been profiting off the taxes for the last 30 years. Now they’re bitching about having to maintain it. This is peak mismanagement by the city of Portland while trying to push blame on Dundon.

[Tye Forshee @tyefor]

Last time I checked the owner of a building (the City of Portland) should be responsible of large scale upgrades and have reaped the rewards of up to $20 million a year in local tax revenue from player taxes and revenue from the Rose Quarter.

[Aaron J. Fentress @AaronJFentress]

@jc_bradbury That’s not at all how this works. The city owns the arena. Renovate it.

[Brandon Jones @BJJones11]

@crbevins11 The city owns the stadium, not the team. Also, they have a jock tax in place that has been earmarking city and state taxes for renovations. Before he purchased, both agreed to release the funds and for classic Portland reasons, the city decided to pump fake.

[Brandon Jones @BJJones11]

Why is the Oregon media constantly sabotaging this guy? That is not at all what he said and the money would not come from public taxpayers. It is already set aside in a fund that came largely from jock taxes 🤦🏻‍♂️

[The Oregonian @Oregonian]

Trail Blazers owner says taxpayers must cover entire Moda Center makeover https://t.co/e8lLuCjge8

[Portland Moderate. @pdxmoderate]

Losing the Trail Blazers would be an economic catastrophe that Portland cannot afford. We aren't talking about subsidizing a hobby; we are talking about protecting a massive economic engine that generates $670 million in annual impact and supports over 4,500 jobs.

The Moda Center is the anchor of the Rose Quarter, and without the Blazers, that district becomes a ghost town. In a city that is desperately trying to claw its way back to economic stability, voluntarily letting your biggest commercial tenant walk away isn't just negligence, it’s financial suicide.

The argument that this is a "handout to billionaires" is lazy and ignores the actual mechanics of the proposed deal (Senate Bill 1501). The funding model doesn't hike your property taxes; it reinvests the income taxes paid by the players, visiting teams, and touring artists—money that wouldn’t exist without the arena—back into the building.

We are essentially telling the NBA: "We will use the massive revenue you generate to keep your workplace world-class." That is not charity; that is basic business retention. If we don’t do it, cities like Las Vegas or Seattle will happily build a palace for our team and take that tax revenue for themselves.

Furthermore, this isn't just about the NBA anymore.

We finally secured a WNBA franchise (the Portland Fire), and its success is tethered to a viable, modern venue. If the Moda Center continues to rot as the oldest un-renovated arena in the league, we lose Tier 1 concerts, we lose the NCAA tournaments, and eventually, we lose the Blazers. You cannot have a "major league" city with minor league infrastructure.

The choice isn't between "schools or stadiums"—that’s a false dichotomy.

The choice is between having a thriving entertainment district that funds public services or a vacant concrete shell that funds nothing.

Portland is at a tipping point. We have a limited window before the current lease expires in 2030 to secure a long-term commitment from ownership.

Refusing to partner on this renovation gives them every excuse to look elsewhere. We have already seen what happens when Portland rests on its laurels—businesses leave and the tax base crumbles.

Let’s not make the same mistake with the only major professional sports team that puts this city on the global map. Renovate the Moda Center, secure the team for the next 30 years, and stop gambling with the city’s economic future.

One thing every politician has made clear - from the Governor to the Mayor to the City Council - is that they are willing to invest in the Trailblazers, and don't want to be blamed if the team leaves town.

That first part is great, but won't hold up the second part. People can cite whatever economic analysis they want, it would be a disaster if the Blazers left town, and there would be plenty of blame to go around.

@MayorKWilson @mitch4portland @jamiedunphy @TeacherTiff4PDX @pnwpolicyangel @NovickOR @GovTinaKotek @candaceforpdx

[Dirt & Sprague @DirtAndSprague]

Do you care that the Blazers gave new head coach Micah Nori a 1-year guarantee on his 3-year deal?

[Nate Jones @JonesOnTheNBA]

A lot of you talk about deals like it’s just about teams having guts to pull the trigger. Sometimes it is. But nothing this offseason has been about that for the Blazers. Giannis was not going to extend, so they weren’t gonna blow assets trading for him. People pushing for AD need to ask themselves three questions: 1) how does AD fit with DC? (I don’t think well at all), 2) do you want to extend AD? (will be his expectation any team he goes to), and 3) do you trust AD’s health. Brown and Murphy are fits, but you need to consider what it would cost to acquire them. Brown is gonna be extension eligible 6 months after he’s acquired. Murphy probably a more seamless fit.

[Brandon Jones @BJJones11]

@DannyMarang Danny normally I agree with almost all your Blazers takes even when you go against the grain. The media routinely rips teams who fire coaches and end up in situations where they are paying 2-3 coaches. We got the guy we want on a deal that gives the team control. How is that bad?

[Brandon Jones @BJJones11]

Extremely disappointed in like 90% of the Blazer media with how they have handled themselves over the last few months. Extremely unprofessional, childish conduct.

[Danny Marang @DannyMarang]

Dylan Harper…man. It’s not even a, “he’s good for a rookie” he’s just freaking good.