PORTLAND -- While Thursday’s press conference might have been the first time most Trail Blazers’ fans have heard Joe Cronin, now Portland’s interim general manager, speak, he’s anything but a mystery for those within the organization. In fact, one of the reasons Cronin was selected to run the basketball side of the organization through a period of transition is precisely because he’s consistently gone about his work diligently and without ego, putting what’s best for the organization above what might be best for his career.
Since joining the team as an intern in the basketball operations department after getting his master’s degree at the University of Denver, Cronin has served in various roles in Portland’s front office, and under a number of different executives, an exceedingly rare occurrence in professional sports.