Parsing the Numbers
P.J. Carlesimo has a higher winning percentage as Trail Blazers coach (.557) than Stotts. But he was in Portland for just three seasons (1994-1995 thru 1996-1997). And during his tenure, his rosters included NBA Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler and Arvydas Sabonis, plus Jerome Kersey, Terry Porter, Cliff Robinson, Rod Strickland, and Rasheed Wallace.
Mike Schuler (1986-1987 thru about half of the 1988-1989 season) also has a higher winning percentage (.602) as Trail Blazers head coach. But he, too, had rosters stacked with talent and experience: Drexler, Kersey, Porter; plus Kevin Duckworth, Maurice Lucas, Jim Paxson and Kiki Vandeweghe.
And then there’s Mike Dunleavy, whose winning percentage in four seasons (1997-1998 thru 2000-2001) as Trail Blazers coach (.642) is second only to Adelman (.654). His rosters over those four seasons included at various times Sabonis, Robinson, plus NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, Steve Smith, Damon Stoudamire and Brian Grant.
This is not meant to disparage these coaches; rather, it’s to offer a vivid contrast between those coaches’ rosters and those of Terry Stotts.
Would you trade any of those players for Joel Freeland, J.J. Hickson, Thomas Robinson, Dorell Wright, Aaron Afflalo, Gerald Henderson, Meyers Leonard, Evan Turner or even Jusuf Nurkic?
Didn’t think so.