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Carlos Osorio/Connected Press
It be been an eventful 72 hours for the Portland Path Blazers.
Following their disappointing first-round loss to the Denver Nuggets, the staff parted ways with longtime head coach Terry Stotts, a switch that was broadly expected following a fourth early playoff exit in five seasons. Later Friday evening, Damian Lillard went public alongside with his desire for Jason Kidd to be the Blazers’ subsequent head coach, earlier than Kidd officially pulled his title from the search Sunday.
Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey acknowledged at his Monday morning cessation-of-season press convention that a priority for his subsequent head coaching rent could be an improvement on the defensive cessation of the ground. He additionally acknowledged that he will before every thing original between 20 and 25 candidates to staff governor Jody Allen, and they’d no longer launch the interview process while skill candidates are peaceable with rather about a teams in the playoffs.
It remains to be viewed how honest correct that timeline will preserve—teams customarily retract to earn head coaches in put by the predraft mix, which is able to earn put later this month.
With that acknowledged, about a names on the market in an instant bounce to mind as skill fits because the Blazers take into memoir to device essentially the most of the remainder of Lillard’s prime.
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David Zalubowski/Connected Press
One individual that’s apparently talked about every twelve months as a skill head coach candidate and has gotten various interviews for jobs in original cycles is Darvin Ham.
He assessments the light-participant box that looks to be what Lillard is gravitating toward in his needs, and has a repute as a sturdy defensive mind on Mike Budenholzer’s staff in both Atlanta and Milwaukee. In those eight years Ham spent with Budenholzer, their teams earn had five prime-five finishes in defense, including the ideal mark in the league in both 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Top-of-the-line factor he’s missing is previous head coaching expertise, nonetheless if Olshey’s search expands previous the expected entrance-runner in Chauncey Billups and about a rather about a names, Ham’s defensive acumen and expertise on contending coaching staffs must device him a sturdy candidate.
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David Zalubowski/Connected Press
There hasn’t been mighty chatter linking David Vanterpool to the Blazers job—they’re going to potentially drag alongside with somebody with more expertise—nonetheless we would be remiss now to no longer point out somebody who would in an instant advance in with Lillard’s admire.
Lillard has many instances vouched for Vanterpool for diverse job openings and was especially vocal in his displeasure when Vanterpool, who has been the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ affiliate head coach since 2019, was handed over for the job when the staff fired Ryan Saunders and opted as a replacement to impart in an out of doors rent, Chris Finch, in an unfamiliar midseason switch.
Vanterpool joined the Timberwolves’ staff after seven seasons working below Stotts in Portland. Both Lillard and CJ McCollum earn credited him with their pattern, especially early in their careers, as successfully as praised his capability to talk with gamers.
He has automatically seemed on lists of up-and-coming coaching candidates correct by the league and has interviewed for various head coaching jobs. Given his history with the group and relationship with Lillard, he can no longer be entirely counted out.
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Jeff Chiu/Connected Press
Mike Brown could maybe per chance be a broken-down candidate with head coaching expertise and a successfully-established repute as a expansive defensive mind.
A minimal of LeBron James has credited Brown for serving to him learn to talk on the defensive cessation early in his profession, when Brown coached James in Cleveland.
Brown has spent the previous five seasons as Steve Kerr’s lead assistant in Golden Dispute, where the Warriors earn ranked no worse than 11th in the league in defense in four of those five seasons (throwing out the pandemic-shortened, injury-plagued 2019-20 season).
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Morry Reduce/Connected Press
Over the weekend, the Orlando Magic parted ways with Clifford as they prepare to undergo a full rebuild. Any staff taking a take into memoir to beef up its defense, because the Blazers clearly are, must give Clifford a laborious take into memoir.
In eight years as a head coach with Orlando and Charlotte, his teams performed in the pinnacle 10 in defensive efficiency four instances and on no memoir lower than 17th until this season, when the Magic tore down the roster at the commerce closing date.
Clifford additionally has a history with Olshey and the Blazers. He interviewed for the pinnacle coaching job in 2012 and was one in all 4 finalists when Stotts was indirectly hired. At the time, he was a highly revered defensive assistant with the Magic and indirectly followed Dwight Howard to the Lakers earlier than getting his first head coaching opportunity a twelve months later with the Hornets.
Whereas Clifford is no longer always the roughly coach who would excite most other folks, he fits completely with what Olshey’s acknowledged targets are and has been successful at both of his previous stops. He’d device some sense as an option.
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Carlos Osorio/Connected Press
As of now, Billups is broadly believed to be the entrance-runner for the job. He was the rather about a title besides Kidd that Lillard has publicly endorsed, and he additionally has a longstanding relationship with Olshey, going abet to Olshey signing Billups with the Clippers in 2011.
Billups does no longer earn any head coaching expertise nonetheless is for the time being the lead assistant on Tyronn Lue’s staff with the Clippers, who’re actually in expansive put to device a Finals inch over the next month. As a highly revered light participant and fellow cerebral point guard, there’s motive to judge he could maybe per chance be a expansive map to join with Lillard.
Then all every other time, since Billups’ title has been brought up as a candidate for this round of coaching openings, a 1997 civil lawsuit announcing that Billups and then-Celtics teammate Ron Mercer raped a girl at the house of teammate Antoine Walker started recirculating on social media. The suit was settled out of court docket in 2000.
Given the immediate, neatly-liked backlash to Kidd’s candidacy in light of his 2001 conviction for spousal abuse, ask a identical response in Portland if Billups is indirectly the preference. From a basketball and relationships standpoint, he assessments your whole containers, nonetheless the rent could maybe per chance be a elaborate sell to followers given the previous allegations.
Superior stats via NBA.com.
