Portland Trail Blazers’ head coach Terry Stotts to be sacked if "playoff miracle" does not occur - Reports
The latest reports from the NBA suggest that the Portland Trail Blazers are expected to fire head-coach Terry Stotts at the end of the 2020-21 NBA season. Terry Stotts was appointed in August 2012 after stints with the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks.
Stotts led the Portland Trail Blazers to the Western Conference finals in the 2018-19 season, where they eventually lost to the then defending champions, the Golden State Warriors. But according to sources, a few factors have led to the Portland Trail Blazers deciding to sack Stotts barring a "playoff miracle."
The Portland Trail Blazers are currently 7th in the Western Conference and are vying for a direct entry into the playoffs.
According to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Portland Trail Blazers' inability to "truly turn elite" in the last nine seasons has forced the front office's hands. The franchise's 30-year-old talisman Damian Lillard's future has also been heavily debated in recent weeks.
In their article, Charania and Amick wrote:
“If Stotts can’t 'pull a rabbit out of his hat' with a playoff miracle of sorts, as one source put it, the Blazers are expected to opt for a new coaching voice. And the Damian Lillard timeline, it seems, is playing a big part here.”
Lillard wants to play for a championship-contending Portland Trail Blazers team
Lillard has three years left on his contract, along with a $54.2 million player option for the 2024-25 NBA season. However, the 30-year-old wants to be part of a title-contending Portland Trail Blazers team, something the front office now believes can only happen with a new head coach. The Athletic also reported that Portland Trail Blazers chairwoman Jody Allen is especially focused on the franchise's future.
Potential candidates that could replace Terry Stotts are LA Lakers' assistant coach Jason Kidd, 76ers assistant Nate McMillan, Clippers' assistant Chauncey Billups and the vice-president of the San Antonio Spurs' basketball operations, Brent Barry.
The Portland Trail Blazers have had an injury-ravaged season and currently find themselves fighting for the play-in tournament. But lately they have shown signs of life, and arguably have the best set of 3-point shooters in the NBA. Charles Barkley recently claimed that the Portland Trail Blazers might find their way to the NBA finals this season.
With Terry Stotts' future on the line at Portland, coaches around the league will be licking their lips for an opportunity to have Damian Lillard as their superstar.