"Deni Avdija is an All-Star, I hope Portland fans have someone to cheer for next season"

Tom Haberstroh, the analyst for Portland Trail Blazers broadcasts who was notified that his contract would not be renewed for the next season, addressed the departure in Kevin O'Connor's podcast.

"My contract was year-to-year with the Blazers," Haberstroh said. "I didn't get the notice about this in the last few days. I had a lot of fun on the broadcasts, and the feedback we got from the fans proved that we did an amazing job. We brought analytics to the screen. If you look at the screen, you don't see how many and-ones Deni Avdija gets, but if you look at the secondary numbers, he is an All-Star. It was fun."

"New ownership came in, my bosses left, and I knew there would be a change. I feel sad for the fans that play-by-play announcer Kevin Calabro will not return. He is a man who can phrase sentences very well. The Trail Blazers organization is full of good people. Doing this remotely live is a crazy idea. We succeeded at it, we won an Emmy, and I am sad that it is over. We loved broadcasting for the fans. It sucks that I won't be able to follow live the progress of Avdija, Scoot Henderson, Toumani Camara, and the rest of the roster. Right now, these are tough times."

O'Connor addressed the additional drama occurring in Portland — the issue of the team's relocation following obstacles in the renovation of the Moda Center, and said: "I think there is hope that the Trail Blazers will continue in Portland. I think from Dundon's side, he is trying to leverage the league's expansion to his advantage. He is in a situation where in theory he can say, 'We will move to Seattle or Las Vegas.' But once there are teams there, they will have to ask themselves, 'Where will we go?' I don't know if there is anywhere left for them to move. Right now, he is going all-in trying to leverage the situation. That is my feeling."

Haberstroh said: "If they leave, Bill Walton will roll over in his grave. In Portland, it hits differently. They don't have another significant sports team; it's like a religion. I didn't take it for granted when I was there, and it was fun to watch it from afar. It is the soul of the city. If that goes, it will be a very sad thing. When I saw the Dallas trade for Luka Doncic, I thought to myself that these are new owners who simply don't understand the franchise. You saw the protests outside. Sometimes it takes new owners time to understand the different dynamics, and it is hard to keep it. I hope the fans will have something to cheer for in the coming year and beyond."

"There are a lot of people whose lives depend on the negotiations for the renovation. It would be a colossal failure for the NBA if the Trail Blazers left Portland a few years after the NBA left Seattle."