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Terry Stotts: Commander and Chief

By Bryant Verser

Dec 30, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts watches his team play Denver Nuggets at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts watches his team play Denver Nuggets at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Is Terry Stotts the long term answer for the Trail Blazers?

The 2015 offseason brought a lot of change for the Portland Trail Blazers. The players on the roster are drastically different from the past season, but one face remains the same, coach Terry Stotts. With all the changes in mind, is Stotts still the right man to pilot this ship?

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Terry Stotts has been coaching in the NBA since 1994, both as an assistant and as a head coach. His winning percentage as a head coach might leave a bit to be desired at .473 (268-299), but whenever he has had talent he has done well. His best year came in 2013-2014 when the Blazers went  54-28 and made it to second round of the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. We know he can win in the right situation, but is this still the right situation?

Earlier this year Chicago fired long time (by NBA standards) head coach Tom Thibodeau. The Thunder did the same to Scotty Brooks just before the season started, and in November The Rockets let Kevin McHale go as well. Those three men are widely considered to be among the best coaches in the league, making me think about where Stotts stands. If these coaches could become abruptly unemployed, it could happen to anyone (aside from Gregg Popovich of course). While OKC, Chicago, and Houston did underachieve; they’re still solid teams with veteran cores, neither of which can be said about the current Trail Blazers. On the bright side, Portland isn’t underachieving. With all things considered, they’re doing pretty darn well.

Stotts has done a great job of keeping these young players moving in the right direction. He is often credited with being an offensive mastermind. This is on display with his plays coming off of dead balls. His style is perfect for this team, run and gun all the way. The Trail Blazers of the last few years didn’t have that feel. It felt like Stotts inherited a team that someone else built, he now has the chance to build a team that best suits his strengths as a teacher and leader. The foundation is there with Dame and C.J, but we will certainly need another consistent scorer to put this franchise over the hump.

Oct 22, 2014; Ontario, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts talks with guard C.J. McCollum (3) and guard Damian Lillard (0) in the second quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Citizens Business Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2014; Ontario, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts talks with guard C.J. McCollum (3) and guard Damian Lillard (0) in the second quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Citizens Business Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Another thing Stotts has going for him is his seemingly tight relationship with Lillard. While it’s not a necessity for your star and coach to be close, but it certainly helps. The all-star point guard hasn’t been shy about endorsing the head coach in the media. That’s huge, especially since we all know where Lillard will be for the next five years (while making $120 million dollars).

Stotts is a players coach, he puts people in positions to succeed. He gives his players the freedom to play their game. He has this group of seemingly “rag-tag” players playing what he calls “Blazers basketball.” The type of game that is pass oriented and unselfish, where players seek the open shot. This brand of basketball has the Blazers sniffing the eighth seed. At the start of the year there seemed to be no way of that happening. This isn’t by chance, it’s because of the brilliance of Stotts. Although Stotts’ contract expires after next season, I see no reason why this happy union will stop there. Stotts and the Blazers were made for each other.