The Portland Trail Blazers and Head Coach Terry Stotts mutually agreed to part ways on Friday, a day after the Blazers were escorted from the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets. The Blazers were eliminated in the 1st round for the 5th time in 9 years, including two years in a row. The Blazers made the second round twice and the conference finals in 2019 (after beating the Nuggets). Stotts was the longest tenured coach in the NBA without winning a championship. He was the second longest tenured coach for the Blazers behind only Dr. Jack Ramsay who led the Blazers to their sole championship, back in 1977, in his first of ten seasons as coach. Stotts coached the Blazers for 9 seasons, from 2012-2021 making the playoffs all but his first season. He was 402-318 (.558) over all but only 22-40(.335) in the playoffs.
Indiana and Bostons are possible locations for Terry Stotts, as both teams are rumored to be interested. The Blazers meanwhile will begin the search for a new head coach. Star Player Damian Lillard will play a big role in choosing the next coach. Rumored candidates include Chauncey Billups, Jason Kidd, David Joerger, Jeff Van Gundy, Juwan Howard, and Mike D’Antoni among others. Other potential candidates include David Vanterpool (who was an assistant under Stotts before leaving to coach the Twolves and who has good relationship with Damian Lillard), Becky Hammon, Sam Cassell, and Wes Unseld Jr. At the top of the Blazers wish list is Miami Coach Erik Spoelstra.
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