The Portland Trail Blazers have one of the biggest stars in the league in Damian Lillard but the team’s front office hasn’t done the best job of surrounding him with the kind of players he needs to thrive.
One of the biggest issues with the team’s lack of success in the playoffs was coach Terry Stotts. Their offense was mainly focused on isolation and it became predictable and stagnant come playoff time, and their defense was amongst the worst in the league.
That’s why the team is going to be quite aggressive in their pursuit of a new coach that could elevate them, and a recent report by Ethan Skolnick said that they’re considering making a run at Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra:
Erik Spoelstra's name has been 'discussed internally' in Portland for the head coaching position, per @EthanJSkolnick & @5ReasonsSports pic.twitter.com/EyIhjGdAo3
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 15, 2021
Needless to say, this seems a bit unlikely at this point. Coach Spo has been a part of the Heat organization for decades now and he’s got a lot of credibility within the players and the front office. Moreover, he’s still under contract.
The Blazers are also reportedly considering top-notch assistant coaches like Mike D’Antoni, Chauncey Billups, and even Becky Hammon, especially now that Jason Kidd has reportedly withdrawn his name from the candidate list.
Whoever takes the reins of the Blazers will have to implement a lot of changes in the way they play, and the front office needs to make several moves to surround Lillard with a different kind of supporting cast.
Jusuf Nurkic’s future with the franchise is still up in the air and most signs point towards CJ McCollum being the odd man out in a trade, but they’re unlikely to make any big moves before having a new coach to give them his input and plans for the team’s future.
