"After nearly three months of uncertainty, the Trail Blazers have finally settled on one thing regarding their lingering search for a new general manager:

Interim GM Chad Buchanan is no longer a candidate for the job.

In a meeting Friday, Blazers president Larry Miller told Buchanan he is out of the running because Miller and team owner Paul Allen have decided they want to hire someone with GM experience or with extended service time as a "No. 2." Buchanan, who has been with the Blazers for seven years, has never held a permanent NBA position higher than director of college scouting, a job he has maintained the past four seasons.

"They'd like someone with more experience — I totally understand that," Buchanan said. "I wasn't shocked.""