Trail Blazers’ general manager Neil Olshey is a polarizing figure to many fans. While his ability to find and develop nascent talent during his tenure helped the team make eight-straight playoff appearances, those same moves have arguably stifled the talent ceiling of superstar Damian Lillard. But those opinions have no bearing on the potential fallout from a newly launched investigation by the team, alleging Olshey has fostered a toxic work environment for the past ten years.
Depending on who you ask, there are varying degrees of truth to the matter.
Blazers reporter for Bleacher Report, Sean Highkin, broke down details about the investigation with Sprague:
Shams Charania of The Athletic was first to report on the investigation, revealing very slim details. It was simply reported that Portland hired an outside law firm to investigate claims of workplace misconduct. Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports provided more clarity with a follow up report:
“...with several staffers expressing relief because of the investigation after 10 years of mistreatment leading to mental and physical stress, sources said.”
Put aside your basketball opinions of Neil Olshey for just a moment. Acts by any authority figure that make people feel mentally or physically exhausted with stress are signs of mismanagement. Sure NBA GM’s are known to be demanding, but not at the cost of a person’s well being.
If the allegations are found credible, the Trail Blazers need to terminate Olshey immediately and move on from this ten year experiment. It’s what’s best for the franchise, Damian Lillard and the fans. Olshey’s apparent talents do not outweigh verbal abuse.
