After nine seasons at the helm, the Portland Trail Blazers could be parting ways with long-time head coach Terry Stotts.
Barring a deep playoff run of sorts, it seems as though the Portland Trail Blazers will have a new head coach next season instead of Terry Stotts.
According to The Athletic, Stotts is one of a handful of NBA head coaches firmly on the hot seat as the regular season winds down. The Trail Blazers are 37-29 on the season but would have to play in the play-in tournament if the season ended today as the No. 7 seed. Stotts has led the Trail Blazers to the Western Conference playoffs in each of the last seven seasons. Are the Blazers making the right call here?
Why would the Trail Blazers move off one of their best head coaches in franchise history?
Portland Trail Blazers expected to move off Terry Stotts this offseason
While Portland has been a perennial playoff team under Stotts’ watch, the Blazers have yet to win the Western Conference with Damian Lillard as their best player. Though Rick Adelman never won an NBA Finals leading the Blazers either, he did get Portland to the title bout twice with Clyde Drexler as the franchise cornerstone. Under Stotts, Portland seems to have hit a definite ceiling.
The other thing to keep an eye on here is Paul Allen’s estate. The long-time Trail Blazers owner is no longer with us. His sister Jody is in charge of their professional sports empire for now. Despite being a small-market franchise, the Blazers would be a hot commodity if the team ever went up for sale. It remains to be seen what Allen does with the Blazers and the NFL‘s Seattle Seahawks.
Ultimately, the Stotts era may have run its course in the Pacific Northwest. Despite failing as a head coach with the Atlanta Hawks and the Milwaukee Bucks previously, Stotts did a phenomenal job taking over in Portland. If it ends for him after this year, he should have no regrets. He could be replaced by Hawks interim head coach Nate McMillan, who used to coach the Blazers before him.
It feels like Trail Blazers need a deep playoff run for Stotts to get another year leading Portland.