A new rumor suggests a pair of elite NBA coaches have already passed on being the Portland Trail Blazers official replacement for Chauncey Billups.
The Trail Blazers had a dark cloud hanging over their season from day one, when former head coach Billups was implicated in a wild poker-rigging scheme. However, interim head coach Tiago Splitter did an impressive job of overcoming the drama. Leading them to a 42-40 record and their first trip to the playoffs since 2021.
A key reason why is a career year from former Washington Wizards lottery pick Deni Avdija. The 25-year-old leads the team in scoring (24.2 PPG) and dropped 41 in their Play-In win last week. Their series with the San Antonio Spurs should be fun while it lasts, but either way, Splitter has earned a chance to hold on to his job permanently. However, it seems like he has not impressed his owner, Tom Dundon.
The team’s new owner has quickly developed a negative reputation with Blazers fans just a month into his ownership, with some fiscally conservative — or cheap — decisions. He chose to save money by not having two-way players join the trip for their first two playoff games on the road. They won’t give away free T-shirts for their home postseason matchups this week. And Dundon reportedly also does not want to pay more than $1.5 million annually for his next head coach.
Furthermore, he has tried and failed at covertly conducting a search for a new head coach and general manager. According to The Athletic, Dundon contacted one-time Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone as well as former New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau about being their next head coach.
Malone ended up taking the same role in college for ACC powerhouse North Carolina. And the report adds that Thibodeau is “no longer a candidate.” The Trail Blazers are still a rebuilding roster with a lot of potential. Both have shown the ability to turn a team into consistent playoff contenders. However, each has an impressive resume, and $1.5 million a year would not be anywhere close to attaining their services.
One has to assume that if Dundon does not want to pay more than that per year, both proven veteran NBA coaches quickly passed on the idea when contract figures were revealed. While Dundon does not seem impressed enough to make Splitter the full-time head coach, he seems to be looking like his best option.
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