Portland Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey presently commented the following in regards to a new head coach.
“For anyone to advance, they’re going to have to prove they can make improve defensively without a ton of roster changes.”
Neil Olshey via Danny Marang
Danny Marang promptly reported Neil Olshey’s quote on his Twitter feed. Marang is presently the co-host of the “Blazers Edge ” podcast.
The Portland Trail Blazers’ defensive issues have been a continuous struggle for the organization. At this instant, Jusuf Nurkic is Portland’s best defensive player, with Robert Covington a close second. Despite having Nurkic and Covington, currently, Portland has little defensive solidity. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum frequently rank amongst the worst defensive backcourts in the NBA. This season alone, Damian Lillard is amongst the bottom half of NBA guards for DBPM. DBPM measures a player’s defensive impact per-100 possessions; Lillard finished with a -1.6 per 100 possessions.
Portland’s lack of post-season success during the Dame and CJ era cost long-time coach Terry Stotts his job recently. Under Terry Stotts’ coaching, Portland failed to make the Western Conference finals all but once. During their only Western Conference final appearance, Stotts lost to Golden State.
Damian Lillard’s status with Portland is seriously in question for the first time. Multiple trade scenarios for Damian Lillard have circulated amongst NBA circles. Lillard’s fierce loyalty to the Portland Trail Blazers organization is in flux. Despite their attempts to improve, such as the ill-fated summer of 2016. Therefore, Portland’s stuck in a rut, being in the middle of the pack every year. Their lack of assets springs for internal improvement as the only hope.
Possible head coaches for Portland
Chiefly, Jason Kidd’s name became the immediate favorite. Damian Lillard publicly voiced for Jason Kidd to be Terry Stotts’ successor. Unfortunately, Kidd withdrew his name from consideration.
Multiple candidates, including David Fizdale and vaunted assistant David Vanterpool, continue to discuss the head coach position.
