The Portland Trail Blazers haven’t exactly set the NBA on fire (see what I did there) under head coach Chauncey Billups.
Billups has faced a familiar challenge in the NBA. The front office has gotten permission from ownership to start a rebuild. The team hires a coach who will see the franchise through the losing phase, but only to be fired right when the organization is in a position to start going forward.
When Billups first got the job, he replaced Terry Stotts, who was fired after a 40-32 season with a first-round playoff exit.
In his first season as coach, Billups navigated Portland through the Dame Lillard injury and three multi-player trades. That led to a disappointing 27-55 record and started the Trail Blazers down the road of a rebuild. The following season saw a six-game improvement, and then Dame Lillard squawked about wanting to get out of town because he hadn’t signed up for a rebuild.
Once Joe Cronin accommodated Lillard, questions about Billups started.
It started with a lack of experience. Was Billups the type of coach who could lead a franchise through a rebuild?
The NBA is the toughest professional league to rebuild after the roster has been torn down to the studs. Because of the losses that come with it, an inexperienced head coach can easily get overwhelmed by the situation.
Billups’ record with the Trail Blazers was 81-165 going into this season, and the organization held an option on Billups’ contract. That allowed Portland a clear pathway to get rid of Billups after the season without owing him money.
But Portland improved 15 games from last season, and the front office decided to give Billups an extension a few days after they did the same for Cronin.
The message out of Portland is that Billups’ leadership convinced the Trail Blazers brass that the organization is trending in the right direction, but there’s also the cynical side.
Terms of the extension haven’t been released, but let’s assume it’s not a punitive number. That buys Portland time to see if young players like Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija, Scoot Henderson, and Toumani Camara continue to improve.
If they do, that will make the Portland job more attractive to a proven, veteran coach and could spell the end for Billups.
So, did Billups get the extension because he’s showing potential or because the Trail Blazers didn’t feel like the team was in a position to get the coach they really wanted?
Time will tell.
