Rip City Project
Fansided

Stotts builds another winning Trail Blazers lineup

By Matt George Moore

CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 01: Head coach Terry Stotts of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on in the third quarter against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on January 1, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 01: Head coach Terry Stotts of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on in the third quarter against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on January 1, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics

It’s true that one can scour many NBA teams’ rosters and pick and choose the best and worst players to make an argument for or against a particular coach.

But let’s look at what Stotts has done in just the past two seasons.

After the Trail Blazers were unceremoniously bounced from the first round of the 2015 playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies, the team lost four of its five starters.

Gone were LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum and Robin Lopez. 

Gone was the squad that had won 51 games and finished atop the Northwest Division (by six games).

In its place, Damian Lillard and a roster filled with cast-offs and unproven talent.

And yet Stotts coached that 2015-2016 team to 44 wins. The Blazers finished second in the Northwest Division and fifth in the Western Conference. And they scored a first-round playoff victory.

The 2016-2017 season represented a step back in terms of victories (41). But Stotts still led what was essentially the same uninspiring roster to another playoff berth.