"As the owner of the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes, his philosophies manifested in offering league-low salaries for GM and head coach. That coach, Rod Brind'Amour, was initially making less than many assistant coaches around the league. Many successes and one extension later, Brind'Amour got a raise that kept him in the bottom half-dozen coach salaries. Now on his second extension and in his eighth straight postseason, he's somewhere in the middle of the pack, salarywise-all he had to do was put together the league's most consistently successful team for Dundon to pay him like a normal coach."
"The Hurricanes' victories are entirely due to their canny front office and uniquely coached systems, and one suspects that the lesson Dundon has taken from striking gold while mining for tin is that he is a genius, and that everyone else is overpaying for talent. When Dundon finalized his purchase of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers earlier this spring, he almost immediately started putting the screws to the budget."
"He is reportedly offering well below market rate for a head coach. Interim coach Tiago Splitter, who did a fab job since taking over unexpectedly in October, is reportedly getting lowballed already. Jared Dudley, architect of the Nuggets' disastrous defense, is reportedly a candidate, presumably because he'd come cheap; he surely won't have other suitors."
"It goes beyond hiring. Fans attending the Blazers' two home games before their first-round elimination received not the traditional T-shirts, but much cheaper towels. Before the play-in game in Phoenix, staff were forced to work in a hotel lobby to avoid late check-out"
Tom Dundon’s approach emphasizes tight budgets and visible cost control. He has offered league-low salaries for the Carolina Hurricanes’ GM and head coach, initially paying Rod Brind’Amour less than many assistant coaches. After repeated success and extensions, Brind’Amour’s salary rose but remained in the lower range, even while the Hurricanes reached the postseason for eight straight years. Dundon’s hiring and coaching strategy is credited with building a consistently successful team, suggesting he believes value is found through careful management. After buying the Portland Trail Blazers, he reportedly offered below-market compensation for a head coach, including lowball terms for interim coach Tiago Splitter. Cost-cutting also appeared in fan-facing items and operational logistics during home games and travel.
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