Doc Jock Tags

Congrats @brandonmullen.bsky.social !!!

The city is lucky to have passionate people like you who are brave enough to step into the arena and make a difference!

Best of luck with the campaign!

A photo of Brandon Mullen, candidate for Portland City Council District 3, holding a sign that says "Mullen for Portland" in front of a commercial storefront building on SE Division St. in Portland, OR.

Friends: I am thrilled to share that I am running for Portland City Council in District 3! After a lifetime of questioning authority - and leading policy, and managing teams in public service for over a decade - the time feels right to ask Portlanders to trust me with a very important job 🧵

Makes sense, sorta.

Those guys played as many game as they did because guys were hurt. If guys aren’t hurt, they’d be getting DNP’s anyway.

Now guys aren’t hurt. Kick the decision can down the road.

Ooof

I don’t know, blocked for me too 🤷‍♂️

This is infuriating and heartbreaking

Avel Gordly, Oregon’s first Black woman state senator, dies at 79 “I know that my presence made a difference,” she said of her time in office. “I know that my voice made a difference.”

RIP to one of the best we ever had. ❤️

Reminder to all of us to lift as we climb. 🙏

I’ll delete it.

Didn’t mean to trigger anyone.

I was just struck by how spot on the tone was. Thought it might illustrate the point for folks who don’t believe it’s a possibility that this is very much something Adam Silver would do without flinching.

I’ve never understood why people need to be assholes to each other in online conversations.

Clearly we all want to talk about this!

Part of what irks me the most is I KNOW this is reno is going to result in higher prices. My parents gave up our tickets a few years after the Rose Garden opened because the costs just kept climbing each season.

They got priced out.

That's gonna happen to a whole new set of fans if we do this.

I'm right there with you. Born & raised Blazer fan. Grew up barely a mile from the Rose Quarter, parents were season ticket holders too.

But I know Seattle is a basketball town just as much as we are -and if OKC can support the Sonics like they have, Seattle can support the Blazers just as much.

Making sure the stands are full of housed, healthy fans of all incomes is important to me.

A half billion dollar arena isn’t gonna get me to a trailblazers game - but well-funded, reliable transit will.

I'm not sure what the takeaway from that data is.
Portland has always supported the Blazers and always posted good attendance numbers.

If just selling tickets was the only requirement we'd be golden, but that doesn't appear to satisfy the Commissioner... they want more.

Sorry if the ChatGPT press release offended you.

The Moda Center itself was a *brand new* area built with private money in the 1990's.

This is why Portland f-ing rules.

I'm neither of an economist or a billionaire either - and I think we've agreed on 99% of this convo over the past week - but I don't have to squint very hard to see Blazers in Seattle if we don't come up with the cash.

I'm surprised at the number of folks that don't believe the possibility exists.

The problem is Portland is not thriving. And for all the talk of expansion, the league has made zero progress on that front in 20+ years.

And whatever economics are in our favor here, they're better in Seattle. The deck is stacked against us, unfortunately.

If the NBA cared that the Moda Center met their qualifications we wouldn't be having this conversation. But they don't. They want more.

I'm just sayin.

I can 100% get behind the arguments that this area deal is a bad for Portland, we won't see the economic benefits that are promised, and we shouldn't give a penny to another billionaire... but to say the threat to move is made up and isn't real - I see no reason to assume that.

ChatGPT wrote it. The logic from the NBA is side is that basic.

Like I said earlier, I don't think it happens because we're going to meet the NBA's stadium demands, but it's silly to think this is an empty threat.

They can remain expansion oriented while also bringing back the Sonics - a big PR win.

They soften the blow in Portland by keeping us on the hook with the same open-ended promise they made to Seattle (“you’re next in line!”).

Not hard to imagine them “trading up” with Seattle over Portland.

They approved the Sonics leaving 28-2.

My biggest worry is they say “we’re moving to Seattle because they renovated Key Arena, and Portland can have their spot at the top of the expansion waitlist as soon as they do the same”.

That feels like a win for the NBA. Keeps them in the PNW.

I agree, but it’s not a scare tactic. The threat is real and if we call their bluff we have to be willing to live with the consequences.

Seattle’s been waiting for 16 years. Could be that long or longer for us.

My hot takes…
IF we’re going to do this, there are a few non-negotiables for me.

1) Team signs a 50-year lease. If we re-renovate in 20 years, they tack on 20 more.

2) “Street Pricing” for concessions ala PDX

3) The NBA guarantees us an All-Star game within 3 years (post-renovation).

My big thoughts are in this thread:

Dame's win was awesome, but I think Keshad Johnson was my highlight of the All-Star weekend. That dude's joy was just infectious. The smile, the dancing, the energy - so good to see someone love what they're doing so much.

Had me going up for the town for sure!

There's just not enough money to go around. We're woefully underfunded at the state, county, and local level. Hard choices need to be made.

Our budget is a moral document.

You'll have to excuse me, but I live here and I want more than a nicer basketball arena. I'll be ok with fine.