PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — No team in the NBA has a longer active
streak of postseason appearances than the Portland Trail Blazers,
who have gotten there in each of the last eight seasons.
That wasn’t enough to save Terry Stotts, and Portland will have
a new coach next season.
The Trail Blazers and Stotts parted ways Friday, ending a
nine-year run that saw the team good enough to get to the playoffs
— but not good enough to get past the first round in four of the
last five seasons.
“I have the utmost respect for Terry and what he has
accomplished these past nine seasons,” Blazers President Neil
Olshey said. “This was a difficult decision on both a personal and
professional level but it’s in the best interest of the franchise
to move in another direction.
“Terry will always hold a special place in the Trail Blazer
family and the Portland community. We relied on the integrity,
professionalism and consistency he brought to the job every day and
we wish he and Jan nothing but the best.”
It was being termed as a mutual decision. The move was made one
day after Portland’s season ended with a six-game, first-round
ouster at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, a defeat that had
Blazers guard Damian Lillard taking to social media after the game
to indicate his frustration.
“Just like at the end of every year, we are all evaluated,”
Stotts said after the season finale against Denver and as
speculation about his status immediately started to grow. “We will
see what happens.”
It didn't take long to get an answer.
Stotts, 63, was the NBA's fourth longest-tenured coach in his
current job behind only San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, Miami's Erik
Spoelstra and Dallas' Rick Carlisle. He went 402-318 in his nine
regular seasons in Portland, with the eight playoff berths, and led
the team to the Western Conference finals in 2019 — where the
Blazers were swept by Golden State.
Well-liked throughout the league, Stotts was an assistant under
Carlisle with the Mavericks for four years before taking over the
Blazers. One of his most memorable seasons in Portland came in
2015-16, when the Blazers overachieved and went to the conference
semifinals — despite losing starters LaMarcus Aldridge, Nic Batum,
Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez in the offseason.
Rumors about Stotts' future with the Blazers began swirling last
month, but the team's elimination by Denver sealed his fate. He had
one year left on his contract in Portland.
Among the possible candidates that Portland may consider: Los
Angeles Lakers assistant (and former Brooklyn and Milwaukee head
coach) Jason Kidd, and ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy — whose last NBA
coaching gig was with Houston in 2007.
“He should (be at) the top of everybody’s list who has an
opening in the NBA," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of Kidd earlier
Friday, hours before Stotts' fate became known.
The new coach, whoever it is, will certainly be lured by the
chance to work with one of the game's dynamic scorers in
Lillard.
But Lillard fueled speculation about his own future in Portland
following the elimination loss to the Nuggets. He posted a photo of
himself in street clothes at the Moda Center. The caption that he
added quoted the late rapper and activist Nipsey Hussle.
“How long should I stay dedicated?” he wrote. “How long til
opportunity meet preparation?”
If he stays, Lillard will no doubt have input into who the
Blazers choose to be their new coach.
Portland finished the regular season 42-30 and earned the sixth
seed in the Western Conference. The team was riding momentum,
having won 10 of its final 12 regular-season games.
The Blazers were also healthy, with both big man Jusuf Nurkic
and guard CJ McCollum back from extended absences because of
injuries.
But once again, the playoff trip was brief.
Lillard averaged a league-best 34.3 points and 10.2 assists in
the playoffs, after averaging 28.8 points and 7.5 assists during
the regular season.
He had 55 points, including a playoff record 12 3-pointers and
10 assists in Game 5 against the Nuggets, but Portland still lost,
147-140 in double overtime.
“We've got to keep fighting, keep working and keep coming back
to battle,” Lillard said. "Regardless of how it ended, we are
always going to have our heads held high, have class. They won,
congratulations to them, but it’s back to the drawing board to
us."
A four-time All-Star, Lillard just wrapped up his ninth NBA
season. The closest he's come to a title was that quick trip to the
West finals in 2019.
“We didn’t win a championship, so obviously where we are now
isn’t good enough,” he said.
Nurkic, who averaged 11.5 points and nine rebounds but missed
time with a fractured right wrist, has one year left on his
contract — but only $4 million is guaranteed. He didn't sound
committed to returning next season, explaining it had to be the
“right situation.”
But when asked what the right situation would be, Nurkic
replied: “I don’t know. But it’s not this.”
McCollum, Lillard's backcourt teammate, averaged 21.3 points
this season, his best since joining the league in 2013. But he
missed games with a fractured foot.
Ten-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony, who filled a key role off the
bench for Portland this season, will be an unrestricted free agent,
along with Enes Kanter. Norman Powell has a player option for next
season.
Stotts said he was proud of what Portland was able to
accomplish, given the injuries and disruptions caused by the
coronavirus.
“What we did with CJ and Nurk missing games, I was proud of
that,” Stotts said. “At the end of the season, to do what we did
was pretty impressive."
In the end, it just wasn't impressive enough.
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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this
report.
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