Tom Penn (blazers) fired. headed to clippers?

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archi … _tom_penn/

Blazers Fire Tom Penn

Mar 16, 2010 10:06 PM EST

The Blazers have fired Tom Penn.

Penn’s dismissal comes nearly 10 months after Penn was promoted to vice president of basketball operations.

It is unknown why Penn was fired, but it is believed to have come from owner Paul Allen and not Kevin Pritchard.

Penn was pursued heavily last year for the general manager position with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but turned down the job following his promotion from the Blazers.

His expertise with league rules and the salary cap allowed the Blazers to gain a trade exception in the 2007 NBA draft, which allowed them to make a trade with Phoenix for the rights to Rudy Fernandez.

Around the league he is widely regarded as a salary cap expert.

Update: Citing sources, Wendell Maxey reports that Penn is believed to have been in talks for the Clippers job.

According to a source that spoke with Columbian, there had been rumblings in recent weeks within the organization that Penn’s job was at stake. The primary reason was that Penn had a tendency to rub many of those he worked with the wrong way, the source said, and was seen as being a “ladder climber.”

Via Oregonian