See how Mr. Allen blows his own bluff

By Dwight Jaynes

The Portland Tribune, Mar 28, 2006, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Through this whole mess, Paul Allen’s motives have been mysterious. He’s refused to tell even his prospective partners what he wants from them.

Perhaps now it’s becoming clear. During a sometimes contentious interview session at halftime Sunday night, Allen Ñ who hadn’t shown up at a home game in more than two months Ñ may have tipped his hand.

The Trail Blazer owner spent several minutes in a room with the team’s public relations guru preparing for the session and seemed intent on getting across what is becoming a consistent message:

Allen wants the same thing he’s wanted for the last three years Ñ a sweeter lease at the Rose Garden. And he’s doing all he can to put pressure on the bondholders to give him one.

The man who ranks No. 6 on the Forbes worldwide list of rich guys talked about how the NBA, the city of Portland and his management team are trying to work out a better deal but that one group Ñ the bondholders Ñ has been absent from discussions.

“You’ve got one party here that’s saying nothing, not being constructive,” Allen said.

Uh, Paul, if this is a poker game, those are the guys holding all the cards, including the mortgage on the building. And it seems to be driving you certifiably crazy that you can’t bully them into giving you a better deal.

Allen played out this same scenario months ago, of course, trying to stare down the bondholders Ñ who then called Allen’s bluff and took the building from him.

The Blazer owner, more than a week ago, went public on the team’s Web site and called out, by name, Prudential and Farmers, two members of Portland Arena Management (the bondholders). Good luck, by the way, ever selling those companies a suite or advertising packages.

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