FanHouse Paul Allen

SEATTLE (AP) -- Paul Allen, owner of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers, co-owner of the Seattle Sounders FC and co-founder of Microsoft Corp., has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and is undergoing chemotherapy.

In a memo sent to employees, Jody Allen, Paul Allen's sister and the CEO of his investment firm Vulcan Inc., said the 56-year-old received the diagnosis early this month. According to the memo, Paul Allen has diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a relatively common form of lymphoma.

Allen battled another form of immune system cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, more than 20 years ago and survived. The CEO wrote that Allen "is optimistic he can beat this, too."

This week, as the (tongue-in-cheek) "golden aura" around Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard continues to dissipate, Jason Quick of The Oregonian reportS that contract negotiations with early extension candidates Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge have stalled.

With Aldridge, it's understandable. Quick reports the team wanted to give LMA a $10 million annual salary. Toronto extending Andrea Bargnani at that rate fudged those plans. But Roy ... what on Earth does Portland need to negotiate with Roy about? He's a maximum salary player, no doubt, and Pritchard should sign up for whatever contract length Roy requests -- three years a la LeBron, or the full five. There should be nothing to stall things because Pritchard should be nodding his head during the entire negotiation period.

Despite all of the court cases, despite all of the pleading from the fans and despite the possibility of other ownership options stepping in to help keep the Supersonics in Seattle, a majority of National Basketball Association owners voted today to allow the team to relocate to Oklahoma City.

A majority of owners voted to approve the Sonics' move, according to Richard Peddie, president of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NBA's Toronto Raptors.

Peddie didn't give a vote total as he emerged from the closed-door session in New York.

This is a pretty aggressive move by the NBA owners, but entirely shocking. Allowing Clay Bennett to truck the Sonics out of Seattle gives them ridiculous precedent (of the non-legal variety right now) to demand new facilities and upgrades for other teams in various cities simply by threatening relocation.

That's what John Czarnecki is suggesting. Signed through the '08 season, Czar says it's possible Holmgren doesn't return to the Seahawks after the year, and that he could be replaced by former Falcons head coach, Jim Mora.

One theory is that if he wins another Super Bowl, he'll walk off into the sunset, his coaching life fulfilled. Another thought is that he's signed through 2008 and maybe he doesn't want to enter next season as a lame duck coach. The final part is that former Falcons head coach Jim Mora, now coaching the Seattle secondary, has the look of a successor-in-waiting, biding his time until owner Paul Allen or General Manager Tim Ruskell make a decision on Holmgren.

"Right now I'm thinking I want to come back (next season), but I'm never sure if they want me back," Holmgren said.
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It has been like this for the last few years as Holmgren lost his GM clout while no one really seemed to listen to his recommendations, be it about on-field talent or who really should be running this franchise. He lost all power and ultimate control, one of the big reasons he fled Green Bay for the Northwest in the first place.

If I'm going to put any stock into this rumor, it would be based on Holmgren's lack of control within the organization. Also, if he were to leave, it wouldn't be a bad time, considering the Seahawks didn't have a first round pick in the most recent draft as a result of the Deion Branch trade. Regardless, should Holmgren walk, he would be highly coveted by several NFL teams.